From January 14 to 25 2019, two second-year students of one of the most prestigious universities in the world (the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the USA) is undergoing an internship at Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Physics and Mathematics in Astana city. American students – Andrew Sorenson and Ashley Wong have come to Nur-Sultan as part of the Global Teaching Labs MISTI Kazakhstan project, its main goal is to develop language skills of NIS students through practical workshops, group and individual work with foreign students.

As part of the internship, students teach physics and mathematics, tell high school students about life and study at the University of Massachusetts. At the same time, in the process of communicating with schoolchildren and teachers of the Intellectual School, they learn Kazakh and Russian languages, get acquainted with local culture, learn about Kazakhstan, about national traditions and customs, and find new friends.

During two weeks, American students will have a rich cultural program: excursions in Astana, a visit to the theater and a museum. Andrew and Ashley had time to visit NurAlem and Duman aquarium. Together with the host students, MIT students watched the game of the Barys hockey club and were very much excited about skating and sliding on a frosty day.

“I like to study and learn, this is my first trip, and now I am exploring this land and discovering Kazakhstan. I believe that in the Intellectual School, students have many opportunities for learning. Everyone here is very open and friendly,” says Andrew. Ashley really enjoyed the Kazakh cuisine and the city. She noted that in Astana you can walk with pleasure, although it is too cold, but it does not scare, on the contrary, it even pleases.