Kazakhstan

“Kazakhstan? Where’s that?”. I hate to admit it. I uttered these words when my son asked me to look for a Kazakh international student. Shouldn’t I already know it’s the 9th largest country in the world? With a total landmass the size of western Europe? And Asian on top of it all! How did I miss this one?! It’s right next to China!

So I went on a Kazakhstan YouTube crash course. After that, I couldn’t conceive how it was able to fly below my radar for so long. I mean, seriously?! Kazakhstan is the country where the East truly meets the West. Even its location bridges both Asian and European continents.

Kazakhstan Mind Bombs

Videos on YouTube taught me much about Kazakhstan. The Kazakh people were originally nomadic, descending from both Turkic tribes and the Mongols between the 8th and 13th centuries. But there was also the Slavic migration and influence in that time frame and later on during Soviet Russia’s occupation. You can see the influence of Asia and Europe in the faces of a lot of modern Kazakh people.

Both cultures show up in their food too. One-pot dishes of meat and noodles (and sometimes vegetables!) are an Asian influence. The addition of dairy products is a clear link to both their nomadic and European ancestors.

Even their national instrument, the dombra, is a mash-up of both cultures. Like the Chinese erhu, it only has two strings. It looks more like the skinny cousin of a medieval European lute, though. Played by strumming or plucking the strings lute-like, the deeper, mellow sound is more akin to a guitar. Listen carefully, and you hear the slight, sinuous nod to the Arabic oud in its voice. Traditional music played on the dombra conjure images of the Kazakhs’ revered horses running across vast Steppe grasslands. Or nomadic celebrations in yurts.

Influenced But Completely Unique

I have so much more to learn about this incredible country. It may be influenced by Asia and Europe, but it’s completely unique. Kazakh people are proud of this, and they should be. Kazakhstan won its independence from Soviet Russia in 1991. Since then, there has been a resurgence of the Kazakh language, history, and traditions. They have come into their own. Kazakhstan has emerged brilliantly onto the world stage yet still holds to its heritage.

Hosting Kazakhstan

So now I know where Kazakhstan is in the world. Its people and culture are fascinating. That means it’s time to find a Kazakh international student to host. Which I have already done. That’s how I ended up with that dombra in my house in the picture above. But that’s a story for another blog piece. Probably the next one. Definitely the next one.