Nazarbayev University Name: Salikh Pernebek

Roommate for International Student

20.12.2022

1. What kinds of events/programs do we need for International Students Orientation in January?

• First meeting. University and campus tour. First acquaintance with the university life. Pro-
vide an information about university regulations, about on- and off-campus resources and
support services.
• Welcome Party. In addition to our local students, we can invite other international students
in our university, and demonstrate them that they are not alone. To create a friendly and
comfortable atmosphere, with a limited number of people, including different activities, with
games and challenges, where students will interact with each other and get to know each
other closer.
• Kazakh day for international students. To organize a concert in Kazakh theme. When I
visited the United States, not only for local people, but also for Jamaicans, Colombians,
Mexicans, and Thai people, it was interesting to know more about Kazakh culture. Ameri-
cans knew something about Hispanic and Latino culture, Jamaicans were their neighbors,
Thai people’s culture had similarities with other representatives of Asian people, who are
a lot in the US. However, the Kazakh culture was at the same time interesting and unique
for everyone. Our history, traditions, national food, folklore, and music turned their inner
worlds upside down. This is not only to surprise internationals, but also to show and spread
our rich culture.
• Club fair. Organizing a club fair could be a golden opportunity to kill two birds with one
stone, by demonstrating our flourishing NU student’s life to international students and in
addition, give them opportunity to decide which club to enter, to find more Kazakhstani
friends.
2. What are your suggestions to improve their Russian?
• My suggestions can vary depending on the their levels of Russian knowledge and goals.
My universal suggestions are to practice language as much as possible. They need to try
speak Russian everywhere and especially with their friends or roomies, who are fluent in
Russian. They can give them advices and correct mistakes. Everyday before going to sleep
or in the morning, learn from 10-20 new Russian words and try to implement them during
the day. Watching movies or any other content in Russian with native speakers provide
them opportunity to improve their listening and understanding skills and moreover, if they
will not understand something, they can get answers for any questions from their peers.
Lessons with a qualified Russian language teacher will also not be superfluous. After such
lessons, international students can share what they learnt with us.

3. What kinds of activities/events/places would you do/visit at NU and Astana if you were an
International Student?
• If I were an international student, I would visit all the bright club events of our univer-
sity that are popular among students. That includes attending Club Fair to see the student
life of NU, Kazakh Stage Concert to get acquainted with local literature, Grand Concert by
NU Orchestra to listen to Kazakh music, NU Cooking Sessions to meet other students and
cook together, NU Choir concerts to listen to talented students, NU Pottery Club sessions
to relieve stress after hard week of studying and many other activities.

• Since Astana is the capital of our country, it has a lot of places to visit. First of all, I would
go up to the Bayterek and see the view 97 meters above, then attend Duman - the furthest
oceanarium included in the Guinness World Record. As a person interested in Kazakhstan
history and architecture of Central Asia, I would visit the Palace of Peace and Reconcilia-
tion and Palace of Independence, which has its own gallery and museum. In the evening, I
would walk along the river bank (Naberezhnaya) and listen to street musicians while eat-
ing Gormolzavod ice-cream. Every guest of Astana should visit Burabay National Park, aka
“Small Switzerland ”. Besides the beautiful nature and fresh air, this place also has exciting
activities, such as riding the horses, doing picnics along the lake, swimming during sum-
mertime, skiing or snowboarding during wintertime. On extremely cold days, I would visit
one of the gems of architectural art - Khan-Shatyr, the largest tent in the world and a very
beautiful entertainment center in Astana, which has what is missing on very cold days, a
covered beach at the top of the building.