I want to stay in Almaty for a while. What is the weather like there? Is it very cold in winter? Also, what is the approximate monthly living expenses for students?

Of course it’s cold, don’t imagine that the people over there will reply to your message. Almaty has a temperate continental climate. Not sure about tuition fees. I can only give you the following information: Almaty is the southern capital of Kazakhstan, the economic and cultural center of Kazakhstan, and the distribution center for people-to-people trade among the five Central Asian countries. With the development of Kazakhstan's national economy, personnel exchanges between China and Kazakhstan have become more frequent and economic cooperation has become closer. Almaty is the only place to go deep into Central Asia. Nearly 10,000 Chinese businessmen and oil workers pass through Almaty every year, but there is not a single high-end Chinese hotel. Office space here is also very tight, and you can’t find a place even if you pay a monthly rent of US$15 per square meter. The consumption level in Almaty is several times that of medium-sized cities in China.

A 20-minute massage here costs RMB 80

Almaty can be reached by plane in 1 hour and 20 minutes from Urumqi Mutu City.

The majority of residents are Russians, followed by Kazakhs, Ukrainians, Tatars, Uyghurs and other ethnic groups. Population: 1.14 million

The city has 15 colleges and universities, as well as the Academy of Sciences, museums, opera houses, cultural centers, libraries, botanical gardens, stadiums and exhibition halls, as well as modern tourist hotels. Borrow textbooks from the library, and the living expenses are US$100 per month. The five Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan are located in the hinterland of Eurasia. They are the intersection of Eastern and Western cultures. In ancient times, the famous " The "Silk Road" runs through here. It is generally believed that people can learn about Central Asia through the "Silk Road", and Central Asian countries also use this sign to develop business. "Business routes" naturally attract the favor of businessmen. However, as Central Asia's connections with the outside world continue to expand, diligent students have begun to pay attention to Central Asia, and the number of people studying here has also continued to increase. This group of students mainly comes from Türkiye, South Korea and China.

■There are roughly three ways to study

Turkey and Central Asia share the same clan. 350,000 Koreans live in Central Asia, and they have relatively many people-to-people exchanges with Central Asia. In the early 1990s, after Central Asian countries became independent one after another, the first thing the Chinese saw was the business opportunities here. It’s no wonder that most of the well-known universities in the former Soviet Union that are well-known to Chinese people are concentrated in Russia, such as Moscow State University, Pushkin Linguistic Institute, etc. A self-financed international student told a story. Five years ago, when he came to the relevant department to go through the formalities for studying abroad, he had to spend a lot of time filling in the column of which country he was going to. The reason was that the staff had no idea about studying in Central Asia. Express not understanding. This shows that people know less about these young countries in Central Asia. In recent years, cultural exchanges between China and Central Asian countries have continued to expand. According to intergovernmental agreements, students are sent to each other every year as a form of cultural exchanges between countries. However, self-financed students still account for the majority. They are mainly concentrated in Al-Farabi State University and Almaty State University in Kazakhstan, Humanities University and Teachers College in Kyrgyzstan, Tashkent University, Eastern University and International Language Institute in Uzbekistan, etc. There are more than 100 people in total. It is understood that there are roughly three ways for Chinese students to come here to study at their own expense: some are the children of businessmen who are doing business here and have established themselves; some are introduced by relatives and friends to study here; and the other is through the most common form - ——"Agency" company, but the number of these people is small, mainly because it is not worth spending a large amount of agency fees to study in Central Asia.

■The most difficult thing is the language barrier

Economics and linguistics are the first choice subjects for international students, and Central Asia is no exception. No matter what major you study, you must first pass the language barrier, and almost all international students coming here have no foundation in Russian. According to them, most of those with a basic knowledge of Russian language went to Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and other countries. There are reports that in order to develop their own national languages, Central Asian countries boycott Russian, and Russian has become a "street rat". However, anyone who has been to Central Asia will feel that Russian is still an indispensable communication language for people here. Therefore, those who come here to learn language are also studying Russian, not the local national language. International students believe that the most difficult stage of studying here is the language barrier in the preparatory year. There are two reasons for the difficulty: first, there is no foundation. You have to start from the most basic letters, deal with difficult grammar, and master this more complex language in one year. It is conceivable how difficult it is; second, there is no teacher. To be precise, there are no teachers who understand both Russian and Chinese like in China. Students in preparatory classes mainly rely on a Russian-Chinese dictionary for class. Kazakhstan universities generally lack Chinese teachers, so students can only rely on dictionaries to understand what teachers teach. But as long as you are willing to endure hardship and do not miss classes, you can pass the preparatory class exam and successfully advance to the subject you want to study.

Among the more than 50 foreign students studying abroad in Kazakhstan at their own expense, they are studying for bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. Compared with China's teaching system, education here pays more attention to critical thinking and practical abilities. Teachers’ teaching methods are different from those in China, and students have relatively more opportunities to use the knowledge they have learned to think independently and practice.

However, due to the influence of the Soviet education model and the shortage of talents and funds, teaching materials in universities are generally outdated. Although it has been independent for 10 years, the teaching materials are still compiled based on the Russian model and combined with the actual conditions of the country.

And the quantity is also limited. Students here are not like Chinese schools where everyone has a set of textbooks. The school textbooks are all in the library, and students are unwilling to pay high book fees and never buy their own textbooks. This has resulted in an extremely interesting phenomenon: the first thing students do when they go to school is to go to the library to borrow the textbooks for the day. If they arrive late, they have to share the library with others, and foreign students are no exception.

■There are very few opportunities to work, and they mainly rely on family support

Students studying abroad at their own expense in Kazakhstan told reporters that students from Xinjiang are mainly students who come to study in Central Asia, but in recent years other The number of students in the provinces has gradually increased, and in their words, "it has developed towards a national level." The tuition fees for studying abroad in Central Asia are relatively low, and it is easier to apply for invitations and visas from schools. This is the main factor why the number of people studying in Central Asia has gradually increased in recent years.

The reporter recently visited the famous Al-Farabi National University in Kazakhstan, where Chinese students are relatively concentrated. The place has towering trees, green grass, and a beautiful and quiet environment. It is called a natural botanical garden. An international student from Zhejiang is currently studying for a doctorate at the school's law school. When introducing the cost of studying in Kazakhstan, he said that students studying for a bachelor's degree need about US$1,500 a year in tuition, and studying for a doctorate degree costs about US$2,000 a year. tuition fees. The relatively well-known universities in Central Asia have apartments for international students. Two undergraduate students share a room, and one person studying for a master's degree or above has a room. Room fees range from more than 10 US dollars a year to more than 10 US dollars a month. There is a kitchen specially prepared for students on the floor, and students can also prepare their own electric stoves. In this way, in a city with a high consumption level in Central Asia, such as Almaty, the former capital of Kazakhstan, living expenses of about US$100 per month are enough. .

Although the tuition and living expenses here are very low, most international students still hope to use their holidays to find a job to reduce the burden on their families. Central Asia is a special region. The countries in this region are relatively young and relatively backward in economy. It is not safe to work for private companies, and formal companies have difficulty recruiting local university graduates. Therefore, the independent desire to find a temporary job and earn tuition and living expenses by working part-time has been shattered by reality. Most international students still need to rely on financial support from their families.

■Outdoor activities are restricted

Students who come to Kazakhstan to study only get a one-month short-term entry visa, which is processed by the school; after arriving at the school, the school will apply for it. "Visa on arrival", according to Kazakhstan law, this kind of visa only enjoys valid residence rights in the school location. If you leave the valid living area, you must apply separately, otherwise you will be fined 110-280 US dollars. Relevant local law enforcement agencies often go directly to the student dormitories of various universities to check the documents of foreign students. An international student told reporters that she had encountered such inspections seven or eight times in less than a year after arriving.

In addition, after graduation, most students return to their country to find their own way, and only a few stay to do business locally