The is currently running and is located at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU) in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Students began in late August and will complete the program next May 2020. There are three 麻豆视频 students and one Haverford College student studying there this year. These students were required to complete the 麻豆视频 Russian Domestic Flagship program before proceeding to the Russian Overseas Flagship program.
As part of the Russian Overseas Flagship鈥檚 Fall Newsletter, Isabella Chaney '19 spoke about her experience living with a host family:
鈥淢y host family experience has been nothing but wonderful. I was, in all honesty, quite nervous about living in a homestay before coming to Almaty. I鈥檝e been living away from home for four years, and was worried about how I would adapt to living with a family again. In reality, there was nothing to worry about. I was placed with the perfect family. My host mom is absolutely amazing! She and I spend our evenings drinking tea and discussing books. We鈥檝e covered everything from Tolstoy鈥檚 War and Peace to Edward Said鈥檚 Orientalism. History, philosophy, sociology, we can spend hours sitting in the kitchen sharing our ideas. We also started watching a TV show in Kazakh together. I started studying Kazakh about a month ago, so I understand very little. When I manage to pick out a word (usually 鈥渘o鈥 or 鈥渉ello鈥), she鈥檚 as excited as I am. We do, of course, speak mostly Russian, but when I try out my few phrases of Kazakh, she鈥檚 always supportive, as are my host dad and host sister. Their enthusiasm for my little successes makes learning Kazakh all the more rewarding. Being in the right host family is incredibly important, especially in the beginning of the program. I immediately felt at home in Almaty, largely thanks to the warmth and hospitality from my host family. No matter how difficult classes may be, however much I miss home, or whatever else may go wrong in my day, I know that when I come home, my host mom will be there with a sympathetic ear, good advice, and more food than one person can possibly consume in one meal. If I have questions, I can always ask. She wants to know what鈥檚 happening in my life, and is legitimately interested in my opinions and experiences. Our program is quite intensive, but with my host family鈥檚 unfailing support and unending tea, I know I鈥檒l not only make it through, but I鈥檓 sure that this year will be as fun as it is educational.鈥