The Steve and Wendy Barnes family has invited its fifth foreign exchange student into its home. Alina Sagimuldina hails from Rudniy, Kazakhstan. She is a sixteen-year old junior and comes to the Wet Mountain Valley by way of the organization ASSE Foreign Exchange Student organization, which also brought us our other student, Jacques DeGinestel from France.

Alina enjoys a special status as a “process scholar,” a reflection of her advanced educational study and achievement. Out of 30,000 applicants, only 1500 become process scholars. ASSE was excited to be able to place her in our community according to her “host mom” Wendy Barnes.

A relative participated in a 4-H exchange recently, which gave the Barnes family the “bug” to invite another student into their home. Mrs. Barnes says they have formed permanent bonds with the four other students they have hosted, corresponding with all of them, keeping up with their lives.

Alina says she is very excited to learn about the ways in which the U.S. culture is different than that of her homeland. She is very excited to be able to live here for one year.

So far she, like Jacques, is impressed by how much easier school is here. From her small town, Alina travels 1500 kilometers to attend a boarding school, where classes continue throughout a six day week. She enjoys listening to music, especially Green Day, Avralaveen and 3OH!3. Math is her favorite subject. She hasn’t formed a plan for her future career. She will have one more year of school left when she returns home.

Alina looks forward to skiing. The Barnes plan a Midwestern trip for Thanksgiving and may possibly do a little traveling over spring break, also. Alina does not participate in any religion.

Kazakhstan is located on the steppes near Russia and China. During the middle ages, the native people there were known for their extreme skill with horses. Their traditional alcoholic beverage is still one fermented from mares’ milk.

Kazakhstan is composed of Turkic and Mongol peoples who have rarely been an independent nation. They were conquered by Russia during the 18th century. Their native habits and customs were diluted during the fifties and sixties when the Soviet government promoted emigration from urban areas to farm the rich range lands of the area. This nation was the last to declare independence from the USSR in 1991. Its current constitution was adopted in 1993 and features a strong executive branch of government. It is surrounded by Russia to the north, China to the east and Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Krygystan on the south. It has a coast on the Caspian Sea and also borders the Aral Sea. It touches Mongolia in one spot.

Islam is the most dominant religion, followed by Russian Orthodoxy. Many sects are trying to take hold in this country which is just a little smaller than four times the size of Texas. Due to a stable government and many natural resources including oil, natural gas and arable farmland, it is considered the most successful of the break off “stans” according to the Central Intelligence Agency’s website. The literacy rate for Kazakhstan is 99.5 percent.

It is fortunate for Alina that her host family is equestrian. She has already taken to the sport of horseback riding and enjoys it.

Her host sister, Meredith Barnes, 16, earned many awards at the recent Colorado State Fair with her horsemanship prowess.

She placed in every event she entered and won reserve high point in Western. She came in third in points out of 22 exhibitors in English riding. In gymkhana, which is a series of games of skill for horses and riders, she placed reserve champion out of over 100 other entries.

In the quarter horse division, she was grand champion in novice and all ages. The classes included showmanship, English equestrian, hunter under saddle, Western pleasure, western horsemanship and the trail class.

It looks as though Alina will have a great opportunity to develop skills that may run deep within her heart and soul as she resides with the Barnes family this year.

– Joanne Canda