University of Tennessee at Knoxville junior Rachel Stewart is studying abroad in Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia’s “island of democracy,” this spring semester and summer. 

The 2019 Warren County High School graduate is in the capital city of Bishkek delving into the Russian language and Central Asian studies.

“My Russian language classes are very intensive, and I have 3.5 hours of instruction a day,” Stewart says. “Although tiring, I have already seen such improvements in my language abilities, especially when I immerse myself outside of the classroom and interact with locals.”

Interacting with the locals has been one of her favorite aspects of her study abroad. She particularly enjoys teaching English to young children on weekends at the massive local landfill, the Bishkek Authorized Dumpsite. 

“One of my fondest memories is when I bought them ice cream on a particularly hot day after they begged and pleaded for a bit. And then when my taxi picked me up, they ran after me, ice creams in hand, blowing me kisses as I drove off.”

Stewart also takes part in trash cleanups, both in the city and in the surrounding mountainous countryside. On a recent jaunt, she and a team went up to the Boom Gorge, an 18-mile river gorge on a road that connects the Western and Eastern parts of Kyrgyzstan. There she and her counterparts cleaned up an astonishing 12,500 pounds of trash, 87% of which was recyclable.

When she is not in the classroom, doing trash cleanups, planting trees, building her Kyrgyz (which is spoken in rural areas), or teaching English, Stewart is doing independent research and working with a local human rights organization, Bir Duino. 

“I am working to better understand the environmental and social impacts of uranium mining in the towns of Mailuu-Suu and Min-Kish, the two major historical uranium suppliers for the Soviet weapons program,” Stewart relates. At the end of her time in Kyrgyzstan, Stewart will present her findings to the local government.

It is not all work and no play for Stewart. She is carving out some time for boxing lessons and is pleased to report on some similarities in boxing-related jargon between the English and Russian languages. “Jab” and “hook” are the same in Russian as they are in English, she says.

She recently took part in a two-week trip to Uzbekistan with her host school. While there, her group hopped on the Silk Road to check things out, travelling from Khiva to Samarkand. 

Stewart says, “We saw amazing mosque architecture, palaces, and places that Genghis Khan raided back in the 1200s. We rode camels in the desert and stayed in a yurt camp, and stayed in a guest house in the mountains.”

She continued, “I think it’s extremely important to travel the country and world to meet people of different walks of life and learn about other perspectives and cultures. I have also found we have a lot more in common than we do differences.”