Sixteen Poly students and three faculty landed in Almaty just in time for Kazakhstan’s biggest celebration of the year: Nauryz, or New Year in Central Asia. This was one of many cultural immersion experiences during their PolyGlobal trip from Mar. 21 to Apr. 4. The trip was led by Upper School Mathematics Teacher Amber Bocquin, who once lived and taught in Kazakhstan, Upper School History Teacher Alex Melonas and Middle School World Languages Teacher Mimi Chiu.
Students from all grade levels were on the trip. Bocquin said, “Last year when I led the trip to Cambodia and we had the combination of ninth through twelfth grade, I really liked seeing all the different grades come together, so that’s why two years in Kazakhstan we only had tenth through twelfth but decided to open it up to ninth grade.”
During the travel program, students attended an opera, an autism center, two schools, Ulan village and important cultural sites. Melonas noted, “We wanted to look at Kazakh culture from a local perspective, not a tourist perspective.”
Bocquin also brought the group to a meaningful cafe. She shared, “For me personally, that cafe saved my sanity during Covid… I would go and meet up with some of [the] people I knew when I lived in Kazakhstan, and students could also come and hang out.” “
It didn’t feel very much like a trip. It felt very much like living there…being a part of the country for two weeks,” shared senior Justin Lee. Junior Jasper Modjeski, a student photographer, added, “I would go out and I didn’t even bring my camera… I got to just experience it.”
Freshman Celine Chao reflected on her interactions with local children: “We found a lot of similarities. They knew all the trends on social media. We can definitely relate with them even though they’re halfway across the globe, and that connection is what really made this trip really special.”
Language barriers arose as Kazakh people primarily speak Russian and Kazakh, but senior Max Ismagilov and junior Daniel Ismagilov, fluent in Russian, helped bridge communication gaps. Many local students spoke English as well.
Beyond connecting with Kazakh culture, students bonded with each other. “Spending all of two weeks with the same group of people, you definitely make better connections and stronger connections with them,” Chao reflected. They also found friends at an international school.
Through cultural immersion, shared challenges, and new friendships, the PolyGlobal trip helped students forge ties within Kazakh and the Poly community.
