Learning Architecture in Vienna

Have you ever felt a pull to a city? Maybe it’s the history or the infrastructure, but sometimes it’s an indefinable quality from a combination of factors that draws a person in. When Jameli first visited Vienna two years ago, she felt that pull, and then she moved here from Astana, Kazakhstan. Vienna has not disappointed Jameli! She loves the history and architecture of the city as well as going to the amazing museums that are here. Being a student is a great perk because often museums will offer discounted prices to students. However, Jameli’s favorite museum is totally free for anyone! It is the Wien Museum near Karlsplatz, which tells the story of the city itself. Not only is this museum full of amazing pieces, but it also has a great terrace from which you can see the city center. Living in Vienna comes with its own challenges though. There is a lot of bureaucracy and affordable housing in the city is difficult to find. However, Jameli has worked through those challenges and has made Vienna feel like home. One of the main differences that Jameli has noticed between Vienna and Astana is the pace of life. In Astana, people are very busy. Even in a cafe, most people are working or on their phones. She loves how in Vienna, there is a slower pace to life. This might be in part because there is a large elderly population in the city. Regardless, Jameli is grateful for how Vienna has taught her about slowing down and enjoying life. Jameli wants to share her love for Vienna with others. She has started doing this by helping other Kazakhs move here. She helps people who are looking to move here with things like navigating through the required paperwork, finding a good area of the city to live in, and all of the other necessary things. What a great opportunity for her to help others who are in the same position that she was in two years ago! We had a great time hanging out, and I wish Jameli the best luck in her life here in Vienna and beyond.

The people I got to meet during my time in Prague were just as sweet as getting to see the sights of the old city. My last week in Prague was special as I got to meet up with several women from Central Asia. In the last days of my trip, I met Doolatkan and her friend Aiperi. They had both lived in Prague for 8 years and had many stories of their time in the Czech Republic to share with me. Doolatkan is from Kyrgyzstan, and her love of the country and culture spills out as she lives in Prague. She has started a community for the Kyrgyz Diaspora in Prague. They often meet up to share meals and take trips around the Czech Republic. This community is a way to remember their culture and spend time with others from Kyrgyzstan. She has found other Kyrgyz friends to enjoy time with when she isn’t working. I got to tag along with them for an evening in downtown Prague. We talked about their experiences in Prague over dinner at an Uzbek restaurant. Doolatkan and her friends often visit OSH Prague to eat their comfort foods from home. She even makes chalap to sell for those living in the Czech Republic. It was a memorable evening and one I will cherish. I know this will not be my last time in Prague or the last time I will see my new friends.

Have you dreamed of studying abroad? Aya, a Kazakh student in Vienna, always dreamed of living and studying abroad, and now she is living out that dream! For many students from Central Asia who are studying in Europe, a foundation course is required before beginning studies for their degree. This is required because most high schools in Central Asia finish at 11th grade, but most European universities require 12 years of schooling before enrolling in a bachelor’s degree program. So, at some universities, they have foundation courses that focus on language learning and other courses. This is what Aya is currently doing in preparation to start her International Business Administration degree! Since moving to Vienna two months ago, Aya has been soaking up all of the amazing things this city has to offer, including going to some museums, enjoying the cafes, and just walking through the streets admiring the beautiful architecture. Aya loves the big city atmosphere that Vienna has to offer, while also being accessible with reliable public transportation. Aya plans to make use of the time that she is studying in Europe to explore the surrounding countries like Spain, France, and Germany. However, she is not going to stop there. She wants to explore so many other places including North America, East Asia, and Africa! It is so fun to meet up with people who have such a drive to explore, see different parts of the world, and learn about other cultures and languages. I am excited to see what the next few years in Vienna will hold for Aya, and I hope that it is not the last time that we will meet!

I had the privilege of meeting Akmoor at a Costa Coffee just outside the Warsaw West train station. As we bonded over kurut, I got to hear how she came to move from Kyrgyzstan to Poland and the woman she has grown into. Akmoor started her Polish journey in Katowice, where she got her degree in Finance from WSB University. This is just one of the many universities that open their doors to international students and exchange program students. After finishing her bachelor’s, she decided to stay in Poland. She has lived in Katowice, Krakow, and now currently lives and works in Warsaw. She said she has moved around a lot, just like her nomadic culture. Her time here in Poland has been sweet and busy between her job at J.P. Morgan and volunteering for a women’s diaspora community group, Danaker. This organization does an amazing job at bringing together Kyrgyz women from all over Europe. This October, they had their 2nd European Forum of Women from the Kyrgyz Republic. This will be a forum to focus on Advancing Socio-Economic Integration of Migrant Women Through Skills and Entrepreneurship. The women’s group and other diaspora groups help to bring a piece of Kyrgyzstan to her here in Warsaw. Of course, phone calls home to family members also help to brighten the cloudy days of Poland. The time she has spent here has opened her eyes to the horizons of the world. When she first came to Poland at just the age of seventeen, everything seemed so new and different. But now that she has grown up in a new environment, the possibilities seem endless. She says there is still some growing left to do, and she is even still figuring out who she is as an adult, which many of us can relate to. Akmoor wishes to pursue her master’s degree one day, and maybe even settle down somewhere else. I am grateful for the conversation we got to have and relate to her on more than one level. It is a joy to make friends in different countries of the world.

Warsaw, like any other capital, offers cuisine from all across the globe. Central Asian cuisine is among the vast variety. I was able to enjoy Uzbekistan’s famous plov from a restaurant called Guzar Garden, not far from the Vistula River and downtown Warsaw. It was also at this restaurant that I was able to sit down with Sogdiana and hear how, after several changes to the plan, she ended up in Poland. Hospitality is a characteristic often used to describe those from Kyrgyzstan, and even though we weren’t in Kyrgyzstan, I felt welcomed by Sogdiana. I was able to try Tashkent Tea and enjoy samsas as I learned more about Sogdiana. She explained to me how she is from Kyrgyzstan but has lived in Warsaw for a year, attending university and studying English philology. English is just one of the many languages she speaks and is learning, with the total number being 8 languages. In middle school, Sogdiana dreamed of studying in South Korea. She studied Korean at the high school she attended in Bishkek for many years, chasing this dream. But as she got older, her dreams changed, and she started applying to universities in the United States. Sogdiana had already been studying English as well during her time in school, so it seemed like the right fit. She even entered a scholarship contest, and after entering her essay on why she wanted to study in America, she won! However, after this, because of some problems with documentation, it didn’t work out for her to go to the university in America. She still wanted to study outside of Kyrgyzstan, though, so after consulting with those who would be able to help, she landed on Poland. It was not easy to get to the point she is at now, but she is learning, making new friends, and is a member of the with the Kyrgyz Diaspora in Poland, which helps Kyrgyz Citizens in Poland. Poland is an opportunity to see the rest of Europe as well. Sogdiana celebrated her last birthday in Paris. Though she misses her home country and her family, she is excited for what is ahead of her. I was so happy to be able to meet with Sogdiana and feel welcomed into her life in Poland.

When people move abroad, usually the most difficult thing is being away from family and friends for extended periods of time. For Gani, a Kazakh student in Vienna, that was not the case. Throughout his childhood and even into high school, Gani played hockey, which meant that he traveled often. By the time that he hung up his hockey gear for good, he had traveled to play in 30 cities in Russia! This experience helped him to transition when he moved to Austria in 2024. Although of course he misses his family, he loves the experiences that he is able to have while living abroad. He moved to Vienna almost a year ago and has gotten to explore so much of what the city has to offer, including the museums, festivals and cafes. When he moved to Vienna, one of his favorite things was how you can feel the history here. There are so many amazing buildings that have been around for centuries, and Gani has loved to learn about them as he explores the city. Gani is not the first in his family to live in Vienna though. While doing his medical residency, Gani’s dad lived in Vienna for 2 years back in 2005. Recently, Gani even went to the same cafe as his dad had gone to twenty years ago and ordered the same things. What a fun way to follow in your parents' footsteps! Before moving to Vienna, Gani lived in Graz, a city in the southern part of Austria. He spent a few months there at the university before transferring to Vienna to study economics. There was a strong community there, and he was always hanging out with friends. He will always think fondly of his time in Graz and the friends that he made there. Although Gani doesn’t see himself living abroad forever, he has made great memories that he will carry with him for the rest of his life.

One of the best parts of learning about different cultures is how multi-faceted they are. Learning about the general culture of a country can be so interesting! However, beneath the surface, there is always more to learn about groups of people maintaining and preserving their own culture that has been passed down through generations. This is the case with Lala, who is an Ahiska Turk living in Uzbekistan. She loves living in Uzbekistan and raved to us about the beautiful historical sights we should see while we were there! However, Lala is even more passionate about her own culture and history. Lala’s grandparents came to Samarkand from Georgia when they were teenagers. They were Ahiska Turks, which originate from the Meskheti region in southern Georgia near the Turkish border. Their modern history is shaped by dramatic displacement in the 20th century. Under Stalin, the Soviet authorities forcibly deported the entire community from southern Georgia to Central Asia, accusing them of disloyalty amid World War II tensions. Masses were packed into trains and resettled across Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and other Soviet republics, with many never able to return home. Thousands died during the deportation from cold, hunger, and disease along the way, and many were buried beside the railway tracks. This deportation—the largest single transfer of a Caucasus minority—was followed by decades of life in exile. Lala’s great-grandfather served in the Soviet army during World War II. After General Vlasov’s betrayal, many soldiers were captured by the Nazis. Later, the Soviet Union punished those who survived, blaming them instead of honoring their suffering. When her great-grandfather was finally released after 10 years, he searched everywhere for his family and found them years later in Uzbekistan. Her family has lived in Samarkand ever since. Lala spoke about how beautifully connected their community is in Samarkand. Almost every Ahiska Turk here knows each other. They celebrate life and death together. She is doing an internship, working on getting her Neurology degree. She is gifted in language and speaks Turkish, Russian, Uzbek, and English. Her parents taught her Turkish; they speak it at home together. This is one facet of their culture that is incredibly important: their heart language. It is a clear sign of who they are, and it remains crucial amongst Ahiska Turks to hand their language down from generation to generation. It is a mark of resilience; even though her people have faced many hardships, they continue to preserve what makes them who they are. Her family’s story is marked by bravery and endurance through extreme hardships. It is no wonder Lala is so proud of her people.

One virtue of social media in our era is the connections it brings with those around us! While backpacking in Egypt, we reached out to Engy on Instagram, knowing we would be fast friends. Engy and her friend, Dina, planned the perfect day for us, experiencing Egyptian culture and enjoying community. Engy and Dina are both go-getters and entrepreneurs. They lead a speaking club in Alexandria, a quaint coastal city. Dina has also set out to create her own podcast, focusing on people’s experiences in spirituality. It was incredible to see how they both use their giftings of creativity and education to create a community around them of fellow go-getters. Engy and Dina both have big dreams for the future. For Engy, she aspires to be a tour guide, sharing her knowledge of history and culture with others. In our short time with her, she was an excellent tour guide for us! Through her recommendations, we experienced the sights of Alexandria through a local’s eye. First, we stopped at the Royal Jewlery Museum, a grand, neoclassical-era palace converted into a dedicated gallery for Egypt’s royal jewelry and related artifacts. One of the aspects that made an impression on us was the masterfully crafted stained glass windows that depicted an Egyptian love story. Next, we grabbed a refreshing Egyptian drink made from fresh frozen fruit and enjoyed it by the coast. Finally, Engy and Dina took us to enjoy traditional Egyptian cuisine, the best in town! Dina’s dream is to move to Türkiye for one year. Even though she has never left Egypt, she has been faithfully studying Turkish for this new chapter in her life. Dina is passionate about volunteering when she travels. She feels this is the best way to travel frugally, while also connecting to locals and being apart of serving the community. It is incredible how strangers can feel like true friends when they connect over what they are passionate about. When we cheer each other on from different parts of the world, it is incredible what we can accomplish!

Ne Angime is a Kazakh diaspora group in Warsaw. It is led by two young girls from Kazakhstan. Mary and I got to hear the heart behind Ne Angime from one of its leaders, Marya. Marya has lived in Poland for 6 years after a now-funny turn of events brought her to study in Warsaw. After graduating in Graphic Design, she was able to find a job teaching art at an international school in Warsaw. When she isn’t working at the school, she is planning and organizing events for the Kazakh-speaking club. She explained to me that there had been other diaspora groups in Poland that came and went, but she wanted this group to last. The group started almost a year ago and has grown so much in this short time. This is due to Marya and her co-leader, Perizat, keeping the group alive. Marya told us that they really enjoy just being together, sharing food, and having fun during their meetings. This has brought the group to where it is now, with one of their last meetings having over 150 people. The Kazakh community has even reached out to the Kyrgyz Diaspora group there in Warsaw to have combined hangouts and events. I was able to attend the first combined event between the Kazakh and Kyrgyz groups while I was in Warsaw. They had a picnic in the beautiful Polana widokowa im. Macieja Mielcarza Park with plov, games, and snacks, of course. I was very grateful for the kind hospitality of the group welcoming me into their picnic. It was great to be able to hear the stories from multiple students living, working, and studying in Warsaw. Some of them had been there for close to 6 years, while others were only in their first year of living in Poland. Marya told us of the big plans she has for the future of the community, but their main goal is to continue to meet and make it a place where Kazakhs can have a place to gather in Poland. They have mafia games, a Kazakh-speaking event, a hangout, and other cool events each month. Eventually, they want to become an organization and potentially have a building to be able to meet in. We were so grateful for the Ne Angime welcoming us and meeting with us. I can’t wait until I can be back in Warsaw and join them again.