The Spring 2025 Carleton program Russophone Studies in Central Asia, led by Faculty Director Victoria Thorstensson, offers a unique opportunity to build Russian language skills in the immersive cosmopolitan environment of Almaty, Kazakhstan.
What inspired you to plan Russophone Studies in Central Asia? What did you hope to accomplish?
I joined the faculty of Carleton College almost two years ago. Before joining Carleton, I spent eight years in Kazakhstan, where I taught world literature at Nazarbayev University in Astana, the capital city. During that time, I fell in love with Kazakhstan, with its natural beauty, its boundless steppe, and with the spirit of creativity, optimism and innovation that is palpable everywhere you look in this young country with an old and traumatic past. Now I want to share my passion for Kazakhstan and Central Asia with my Carleton students.
Central Asia is a unique and fascinating civilization, yet largely unknown to Americans. It has a rich and diverse history, spanning thousands of years and multiple cultures. Situated at the crossroads of civilizations between China, Russia, Mongolia, India, Turkey, Iran, it is one of the most strategically important regions of the world.
In Kazakhstan, you will experience a cosmopolitan and forward-looking culture, a post-colonial spirit of national revival, and remnants of the post-Soviet past. You will also witness the challenges and opportunities of a young country with an old and traumatic past.
On a trip to Uzbekistan, you will explore the ancient empires and civilizations that inhabited the great steppe and the fertile oases along the Silk Road. You will marvel at the stunning architecture and art in Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva.
Central Asia offers exciting opportunities for international workers in various fields, such as business, industry, natural resources, and alternative energy. Many government and non-government organizations operate in the region and provide exciting job opportunities. Russian is a key language for this region, and our program will help you improve your language proficiency or start learning this language, if you join us as a beginner.
What makes this program different from other study abroad programs?
Join us for an unforgettable adventure in Central Asia, the only Carleton program in this region of the world, giving you a chance of a lifetime to discover this unique civilization. In Spring 2025, the Russian Department and the History Department are partnering for the first time to offer you a joint interdisciplinary program.
For the first time also, we are also welcoming students with no prior knowledge of Russian who are interested in the history of this region. You will take a beginner’s Russian course and a course on the History of Central Asia, taught by Professor Adeeb Halid.
Separated only during their Russian classes (beginning, intermediate and advanced Russian) students will come together for two classes taught in English: one on the contemporary culture and identity in Kazakhstan, taught from a post-colonial perspective, and one on the history of Central Asia. You will also enjoy many excursions as part of the academic program. For example, you will visit cultural and natural sites in and near Almaty, Astana (the country’s capital), and the museums of Stalinist GULAG camps in Astana and Karagandy.
Our longer trip will take you along the ancient Silk Road to Uzbekistan, where you will explore the monuments of ancient civilizations, the iconic cities of Khiva, Samarkand, and Bukhara, the abandoned ships graveyard where the Aral Sea has once been, the Kyzylkum and Arak Kum deserts, and the “Louvre in the desert” (Savitsky Museum) in the Karakalpak Republic.
What does a typical day look like on your program?
You will live in Almaty, one of my favorite cities in the world. Almaty is an amazing city, surrounded by breathtaking views of the snow-capped mountains. It is young, optimistic, walkable, safe, and full of dining and cultural options.
Students start their day with a breakfast that their host families prepare for them. Then they walk to classes or take a bus. Classes take place at Al-Farabi University in Almaty (KazNU) which has a beautiful wooded campus with a terrific view of snow-capped mountains.
After their language classes, taught by the local faculty, and, on some days, the director’s course, students will explore the city, hike in the mountains, visit opera, ballet, and drama theaters, museums, sporting events, and music concerts, and spend time with their host families and new friends. On weekends, we often have day trips to the mountains or excursions in the city. You can easily get around by public transport or inexpensive taxis. Here are just two examples of our weekend trips (from our previous trip in Spring 2023):
The Ethno-Center “Nomad”, where we wore traditional armor of various steppe civilizations, rode horses, shot arrows, learned about the yurts of the Kazakh nomads, and made traditional foods: zhent, a millet dessert, and baursaki, deep-fried dough (everyone’s favorite!).
And the Big Almaty Lake, a high-mountain gorgeous lake that serves as a water source for the city of Almaty. It is a protected nature reserve, and we got there by hiking for 3 hours along a water pipe or riding with the park ranger along the serpentine road.
What does the housing situation look like, and what are the benefits of this living arrangement to students?
Students will live with families in the center of Almaty, where they will enjoy the city’s many historic landmarks, museums and cafes, parks and cultural venues, and immerse themselves in the Russian language and the life of this cosmopolitan city from day one.
You will live with host families near the campus of Al-Farabi University (KazNU), where you will have your classes. Some of you will walk to campus, while others will take the convenient and cheap buses.
Working closely with our local partners, we have set up a rigorous selection process for host families, based on questionnaires, reviews, and home visits. We match you with wonderful host families that suit your expectations and needs. Homestays have been ranked as one of the most awesome features of our program.
Carleton students make great friends with their host mother, fathers, siblings, grandmothers, and grandfathers and feel well taken care of. Host families provide two meals a day to our students, introducing them to Central Asian cuisine while taking into account their dietary restrictions and preferences.
Carleton students love spending time with their host families who take them on nature excursions, show them their favorite places in the city, and bring them to family events and celebrations.
What are you most looking forward to?
I can’t wait to go back to Almaty in late March, just in time for the Nauryz celebrations. Nauryz is a spring festival that marks the beginning of a new year. It is a time of joy and renewal when the city is filled with flowers. At every corner, there are concerts of traditional music and dance, vendors sell traditional national food and crafts. Soon after Nauryz, the weather becomes even more pleasant, and Almaty turns into a garden city. The slopes of the mountains are covered with apple blossoms, city fountains are turned on after winter, and aryks come to life with fresh water. Aryks are a system of small canals that run along the main streets, bringing water from the mountains to the city. They are a unique feature of Almaty that adds to its charm and beauty.
What advice would you give to students to encourage them to study abroad during their
Carleton career? What benefits do you see to the experience in general?
Carleton College offers truly unique OCS programs that give you the opportunity to study abroad and experience different cultures. I wish I could have studied internationally when I was in college, back in the 1990s Russia…
We work hard and care deeply about making these programs stimulating, rewarding, and transformative. If you are interested in our Central Asia program, don’t hesitate to stop by my office (LDC 312) or visit the OCS office. We are ready to answer all your questions and help you see how your OCS trip will enhance your academic program at Carleton and align with your future career goals.
Victoria Thorstensson is a Lecturer in Russian. She has been at Carleton since 2022.
