“After watching Salam New York, I wanted to see the USA with my own eyes ”- Avazbek Kamalov

June 21, 2016

Avazbek Kamalov is a senior in the International and Law Department (IBL) at AUCA. He has spent three summers in the U.S. with the Summer Work and Travel (SWT) program. He shared his thoughts with us about his experiences with SWT and about his life as a student at AUCA.

My brother told me that I may never study at AUCA

When I was in high school in Batken, it was really difficult for me to choose my University, because it’s a decision that will affect the rest of your life. I had participated twice in the high school Olympiad when I was in tenth and eleventh grade. During the Olympiad, representatives of many universities gave their presentations about their school. But AUCA was not there. Since my childhood, it has been my dream to be a lawyer or a prosecutor. When I came to Bishkek, I was walking with my brother around the Old Square when suddenly a Korean girl asked me and my brother to answer a few questions about our culture. She did not know either Kyrgyz or Russian, so my brother translated all of her questions from English. Also, at that time, my English was not good enough to understand her questions. After doing her survey, I asked my brother how could it be that she didn’t know Kyrgyz or Russian but studied at a university located in Bishkek? My brother showed me AUCA and explained that all the students at AUCA study only in English. He told me AUCA is the best and the most expensive university in Central Asia despite the fact that he was studying at Manas University. He told me that I may never study at AUCA. I did not know about AUCA before, but at that moment I promised myself I would get into AUCA.

My desire to study at AUCA was really strong

Despite the obstacles, I was admitted to AUCA. I can proudly say that decision was one of the best in my life. During my time studying at AUCA, my mind and critical thinking has totally changed. At AUCA, I found best friends who always help and support me. Because of AUCA I became a part of the Youth Parliaments of Kyrgyzstan in 2013. The system of teaching at AUCA is totally different from other local universities. At AUCA, if you have an idea or a project in different fields you can make it happen easily because the whole university helps you realize your ideas through their financial and human resources (professionals). There, at AUCA, nothing is impossible. If you have the desire to do it, you can do it. Also, thanks to my friends, I was voted onto the student senate in 2014-2015.

America

A lot of people dream about visiting it. I was one of those people. The question is WHY did I choose to take part in the SWT program three times?

First, it’s common knowledge that the IBL department does not have an exchange program for its students.

Second, in November 2013, I watched a Kyrgyz movie called Salam New York with some of my friends. After watching this movie, I wanted to see the USA with my own eyes. I applied to the SWT program and easily got my first US visa. The first year, the selection process was easier than the other two years. The main requirements were that applicant should be a full-time student enrolled in an accredited post-secondary academic institution and that his English should be good enough to live in the US.

Thirdly, because it’s work and travel, you can earn some money and you can travel around US at the same time. If I had not applied for this program I may have just spent my summer in Kyrgyzstan doing nothing.

The main purpose of this program is not earning a lot of money

The SWT program gave me the best solution for spending my three summers in the US. I was able to combine both work and fun, and it was the time of my life. It holds a special place in my memory for the rest of my life. Of course, some SWT program participants will disagree with me because they had some problems with their job, or they were not ready to live independently without their parents. To avoid such problems, participants should understand that the main purpose of this program is not earning a lot of money, the purpose is cultural exchange and travel. Before going to the US, you should ask someone who worked or who knows what company you’ll be working for. Also, adapting to America is difficult for some of our students.

Here in the US, all employees have equal rights

Nobody can humiliate you during work. You can stand up for your rights even if you aren’t American. If you do your work well, employers may increase your salary and your working hours. The main thing is that everybody should do their job at a high level. Everyday, you should arrive at work on time according to your schedule. Here, employers do not like you being late and missing your work. I worked as a busboy at a restaurant in Shelter Island, NY. Over 120 people work at that restaurant and we always try to do our best because our salary is dependent on our service. If we serve the customers well, we get more tips. When you’re on the job, you should always smile and greet your customers. The first couple of times it was difficult for me to just smile for every customer. Why did I choose to work for the same company three times? Because every year they hire new students from all over the world. They keep only about 10% of former workers. Now I feel at home on Shelter Island because I’ve lived on here for so long.

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