1. Can you introduce yourself briefly and tell us a little about your background?
Hello, my name is Gaini Tynyshtykova. Tiny, optimistic, creative, sunny girl from Kazakhstan. My hometown is Taraz. It is a small, green, historic city, located in the southern part of Kazakhstan. I love teaching. I am a Kazakh FLTA, and I am teaching Kazakh at Indiana University. I am very honored to be part of this program, and to be a cultural ambassador of my country, here. My passions are traveling, and learning new languages. I speak Kazakh, English, and Russian well. I also speak Turkish, and am learning Chinese, Spanish, and Thai. I am attending Thai class at the university.
2. How many sections of Kazakh language are you teaching?
I am teaching two sections, elementary and intermediate. There are three students in each, for a total of 6 students.
3. What classes are you taking here at IU?
As a FLTA, we have to attend two classes each semester. One is mandatory, and is called Teaching Less Common Languages, with Professor Alwiya S. Omar. The second one is an elective, which is called Communication Skills for International Ais, with Professor Beatrix Burghardt.
4. Is this your first time visiting the United States? If so, what are your thoughts?
Actually, this is my second time in the US. I was honored to be a participant in the Work and Travel Summer Program. So, I lived and worked in Bar Harbor, Maine. I worked at Ben and Bill’s Chocolate Emporium. It is a very famous place, because it was added to the book called “The Strangest Flavors in the World”. I tried for the first and last time in my life: Lobster ice cream. There were 84 flavors, and one was lobster flavored. It was a great experience in my life.
5. Is there anything you miss from Kazakhstan that you haven’t been able to find here?
As I said, I am keen on traveling, and I always thought the traveling vibe and new places make me happy. But really, people make the most beautiful memories in life. I miss my family, friends, my surroundings, and behavior in Kazakhstan. For example, we can go wherever and whenever, spontaneously. In the US, you have to plan and match up schedules. But in Kazakhstan, you can just go. Another thing I miss, is the flour at home. I like to bake our national bread, Bauyrsak, and I have tried here. However, it is not the same here with the different flour. Perhaps, I should go to the international shops to find this flour. These two things were very hard.
6. What is your favorite thing to do at IU so far (when you're not teaching or taking class)?
Absolutely, the Recreational Sports Center. I love that! I like doing sports, and am planning on doing sports here every day. I want to go to the pool three times a week and the gym three times a week. I am really thankful to IU for providing these opportunities for students and employees. It is good to be able to do whatever you want, and it keeps me healthy. Also, IU is a big, beautiful campus. I am exploring it. I have found a bench near to the main gate, I love that part of the campus. I want to explore other buildings, like the Biology Building. Every building has different beauties, so that is why I want to go and explore that place.
7. Do you think learning the Kazakh language is difficult for a native English speaker?
I guess so. Because we use Cyrillic alphabet, which can be very challenging for English speakers. We have 42 letters in our alphabet, which can be difficult, but it makes my native language sound very beautiful. The grammar can also be difficult for some. I empathize with my students, because there are not enough materials. We are working on it though, some materials for English speakers to learn Kazakh. But with practice and a good teacher, you can still learn very easily. My elementary students can already read and introduce themselves, just within a couple of days. They never learned before, so I was really proud of them. They can now read and introduce themselves easily. Just some practice, like I said.
8. Is there anything you would like our readers to know about Kazakhstan?
Here, I remember my friend’s story. When she arrived here in IU, she walked into the classroom, and everyone expected to see a very blonde, Russian girl, because of the ending of her last name. But they were very shocked to see my friend: tiny, short, and Asian. Some people do not know about Kazakhstan. I want people to know that we are not Russia. We were a part of Soviet Union, but we are very independent and big, and have four times the size of Texas or, rather, the size of India. It is underneath Russia, but we speak Kazakh, as well as Russian and English very well. We have everything but volcanoes and ocean. We have breathtaking views of nature, mountains, and land. We also have Baikonur Cosmodrome, the homeland of Dimash Kudaibergenov, a very famous singer around the world. Also, people who are interested in sports, we have the famous Gennady Golovkin, nicknamed “GGG”. Everyone should visit Kazakhstan, because people are very friendly, hospitable, and we have very tasty cuisine. We eat a lot meat, for example horse meat and camel meat. We also drink horse milk and camel’s milk, which tastes so tasty. So, if you want to try new things, go to Kazakhstan. Our national clothes are very beautiful, so you will not forget it. It is very warm, big, and beautiful, and everyone should visit.