Russian language trip to Kazakhstan – October 2024

On October 19th 2024 8 Presdales students joined a group from The Latymer School for a Russian language trip to Kazakhstan. We made our base in the city of Almaty which offers a variety of different geographical features just a short distance away from the former capital, but the students also had the opportunity to travel on both an old and new style overnight sleeper train to the west of the country. Russian is spoken widely across the areas of the country that we visited and all transactions, whether they be for food or souvenir shopping, were in Russian. In addition our guides gave information in a mixture of English and Russian. Our students were fabulous and kept going in spite of the lack of sleep. Here is their combined diary of this once in a lifetime trip! Thank you to all who contributed.

2025

Saturday 19th October
16 million films were watched on two flights (overnight via Istanbul) arriving in Almaty at 8 am which was effectively 4 am for our poor bodies!

Sunday 20th October
On Sunday, after arriving in Almaty we spent an interesting although tiring day exploring the city. The day began with visiting the Independence Monument, followed by the Zenkov Cathedral located in Panfilov Park. We admired its stunning architecture- a blend of Russian Orthodox and traditional Kazakh design, showcasing a brightly coloured exterior. It is one of the tallest wooden cathedrals in the world and was constructed without using any nails! Following this, we visited the Memorial of Glory and Eternal Flame. This is a significant site dedicated to honouring the soldiers who fought during World War II, and the Eternal Flame represents the undying memory of them. We then made our way to the Green Bazaar which is a lively market, famous for its fresh produce and were able to sample foods such as fruit, nuts and even camel’s milk! For lunch, we ate at a local cafe and had the opportunity to try traditional Kazakh dishes. My favourite was a cheese pastry called samsa. We then ascended Kok-Tobe hill where we enjoyed a stunning view of Almaty and watched the sunset. We had free time so we could explore the many attractions, such as a mini zoo and ferris wheel. Finally, we had dinner at the hotel and had a restful night before exploring the mountains surrounding the city the next day.

(Mrs Willett  was super impressed with the group’s willingness to try very ‘exotic’ foods.)

Monday 21st
After breakfast, we travelled 1 hour in the coach to the mountains. When getting out of the coach, we immediately saw the Medeu ice rink, the biggest outside ice rink in the world. The view of the mountains was also breathtaking. We then got a lift from a minivan to the ski resort higher up the mountain, where there was a bit of snow. After, our tour guide took us on a walk up the snowy mountain, where we had a snowball fight midway. When we got to our destination, we saw a stream of pure water that was created from melted snow go down the mountain, which the guide said we could drink. After returning to the coach, we travelled to a market, where we bought food for the night train. After a small ride, we got to the Almaty train station, where we got into the night train and settled in, and rested after another long day.

(Mrs Willett thinks they have all redone their DofE trek spectacularly and should be proud of their determination.)

Tuesday 22nd October
On the third day we arrived in Turkestan shortly after noon. We got to have some free time on the train that morning and some of us practised our Russian by playing card games in Russian. Once we got off the train, we had plov (a rice dish with meat and vegetables) for lunch at a restaurant.  (Mrs Willett hopes the students haven’t forgotten the camels grazing on the neverending Kazakh Steppe). Then, we visited the Khoja Ahmed Yasawi mausoleum while the tour guide explained its history. After that, we went to the mausoleum of Arystan-Bab, the teacher and spiritual guide of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi. This was also his parents’ mausoleum. Then, we went back to the restaurant to have dinner, and after that, we went to see the spectacular fountain water show with lights, colours and thousands of water jets.

Wednesday 23rd October
Early in the morning we all boarded a coach on its way to Shymkent, on the way we stopped off at the mausoleum of the father of Ibrahim Ata, who is widely acknowledged in central asia and the turkic speaking world for the popularisation of Sufism, a movement within islam. Later on in the day we also stopped off at the mausoleum of Ibrahim Ata’s mother, there we learnt about some traditions within Kazakhstan and the islamic religion. We then took yet another stop at the minaret in Sairum, a tower with a balcony, usually attached to a mosque. These stops demonstrated the importance of visiting religious sites in central asia. For lunch we stopped off at a cafe then took a trip to a market to get some souvenirs and dinner for on the train that night. Our final stop of the day was a citadel in old Shymkent, there was a museum where we learnt about the history of the citadel, old traditions from it and what it was used for. Finally, we went to the train station ready to board the train to take us back to almaty.

(Mrs Willett thinks the RE department could now consider the trip participants as specialists in the history of Islam and its key principles.)

Thursday 24th October
Today we visited the Aubakirova school in Almaty. Upon arrival, they were very welcoming, playing traditional music and giving us traditional food. We were then toured around the school which was very colourful and green. After that, we spent the morning in lessons which were very entertaining and interesting. Their classes were only small, but the students were very helpful, trying to translate the lessons into English.

During breaks, the school would also have mini concerts for the students to both perform and listen to. We then went to an assembly the students made, performing songs, and showing Kazakhstan’s history.

For lunch, we were given a 3-course meal with tea, which was nice. After that, we made mini traditional Kazakh hats which were very fun to make. The school then put together a basketball and volleyball match which was very entertaining to watch.

In the evening, the school put together a Halloween party to both the students and us dressed up to. After the dress-up contest, they performed songs and dances to us which were really good. To finish the day, the school ordered everybody pizza and drinks and brought in a DJ for the Halloween party, which was a lot of fun.

Overall, the school was very welcoming and inviting, giving us lots of performances and activities to do. The students were also really nice, welcoming us with gifts and lots of effort for the shows.

Please click here for a short video that our host school made of our day with them.

(Mrs Willett loved seeing some of the Presdales students perform when least expecting it.)

Friday 25th October
On our second to last day in the most stunning country, Kazakhstan, we travelled through the local countryside and towns around a major city Almaty. The two hour long drive was kept interesting by watching the gorgeous scenery flow past while listening to the tour guide’s amazing knowledge about her home country. This was an opening to many opportunities, one being to get closer to the other students both from The Latymer School and from Presdales. Issyk Lake is situated in the national park and is surrounded by snow-capped Tian Shan mountains. During the journey, we ascended to an elevation of 1756 metres above sea level leading us to a car park. Here we left the bus and continued on foot for about 20 minutes. The lake is breathtaking and after listening to the tour guide about the wonders of this lake (one included how it is the main water source for Almaty) we were allowed half an hour of free time where we enjoyed our lunch and chatting to friends while soaking up the sunlight and our awe-inspiring surroundings.

At the start of the trip we were set a challenge to learn one of Alexander Pushkin’s poems by heart. Each year group had a different one so during this wonderful day at the lake our group found a quiet place to sit and perform these poems to each other, the tour guide and the teachers. Prizes were then awarded to best performance and pronunciation. For the next hour or so, we had some more free time which we spent playing football and other games as well as chatting to new friends and a local boy to us who also wanted to practise his english

Towards the end of day we travelled back into Almaty and to a shopping centre. Here we had dinner and browsed around the shops with a fun mix of classic shops like H&M but also some really interesting local culture shops where you could buy traditional clothes and ornaments as well as some local chocolate. Finally, as a group we walked back to the hotel to get some much needed rest, recuperation and sleep.

(Mrs Willett was so proud to hear our students performing in front of a group of people outside of a traditional classroom setting.)

Saturday 26th October
The Sharon Canyon, gave us an opportunity to walk walking a distance of 3 km one way ( and then back again) along its beautiful trails. The canyon is renowned for its impressive rock formations, which make for a stunning natural landscape. As we walked, we were surrounded by towering cliffs in all sorts of curious shapes that brightened the scenery.

The sound of the Sharon River flowing at the end of our trail added to the peaceful atmosphere, and we took a moment to appreciate the view. The sunlight glistened on the water, creating a mesmerizing effect that made the experience even more enjoyable. This trip not only allowed us to explore the beauty of nature but also provided valuable insights into the local ecosystem and its importance. Overall, it was a memorable day filled with learning and appreciation for our natural surroundings.

(Mrs Willett enjoyed the enthusiasm that the group put into all her jumping photo shots, especially on this day!)