For many people, the thought of studying in a foreign language could be considered daunting. But for 17 year-old Yeldar Baizhanov, it was a challenge he was ready to embrace.
Joining UNIS Hanoi in Grade 11, Yeldar had a lot to get used to in a relatively short space of time. He shared, “I was coming from Moscow, I was new to the IB, and even though I studied English as a class in school before, I had never attended an English speaking school.”
Reflecting on his first month at UNIS Hanoi, Yeldar said, “It was often frustrating to process all the information in English for the entire day. But there’s a great community here and I received a lot of support. According to Yeldar, “the School is like a hurricane, grabbing you into everything, not wanting to let you out.”
The ‘hurricane’ he talks of is the IB Diploma programme which he revealed requires a ‘certain level of personal commitment’, plus the multiple co-curricular activities and service learning opportunities. “Friends of mine were always encouraging me to try new things, and so I did.”
Even though the COVID-19 pandemic restricted some opportunities for Yeldar and his peers, he believes he’s made the most of his experience. Now having successfully completed the IB Diploma, Yeldar is delighted he didn’t let the initial language barrier stop him from coming. The aspiring diplomat, who also speaks fluent Russian and Kazakh, says he’s met some great people at the School and he feels well prepared to study International Relations at university.
He added, “The School has given me a more open minded perspective to some issues - especially regarding gender equality and diversity. Also, studying the IB has given me a lot of power as a researcher and a writer.”
And although Yeldar can’t wait to return to Kazakhstan - the country he loves - he says he’ll definitely return to Vietnam one day. He explained, “My family has connections to Vietnam. My grandfather was a journalist who once visited Vietnam as part of a delegation. Now my father works here, so I’d definitely like to come back too.”