My most recent memory is of our summer snowball fight in the Alatau mountains. I have tickets, receipts and pictures to prove I was here.
But then, I consider my study abroad program in terms of what I have learned and the ways in which I have grown. I imagine myself back at the university, where I spent twenty hours a week trying to properly pronounce a soft “L,” stumbling through grammar exercises and discussing politics and international relations from a Kazakh perspective. I remember the varied words I have learned, the abundant ones that I mispronounced and the countless ones that I apparently made up. I of the cultural traits and societal norms, attitudes and traditions that I have observed and adapted to. I have homework, blogs and tests to prove I was here.
Finally, I realize that the best way to measure my two months in Kazakhstan is by the bonds I have formed and company I have kept. As I write this, I receive a message notification that reminds me of the three classmates, now true friends, I will never forget. I reminisce about our shared moments of frustration completing hours of homework in cafes, and of elation at the realization that our final exams were over. I look forward to our moments of adventure in the near future, when we will explore Europe together. Lastly, my heart drops as I think about my host family: my host mother, through whose bright eyes I saw Almaty in all of its beauty, and my host sister, who I now consider to be the real sister I always wished I had. I am sad to be leaving soon, but a bitter goodbye is a small price to pay for the two months I have been fortunate enough to have with them. I have invisible ties that will stretch 7,000 miles once I am no longer here.
