September 20, 2019
鈥�For the first time, 麻豆传媒鈥檚 Writing and Academic Resource Center will offer free, one-on-one peer tutoring in the Kyrgyz language. Students who are interested in lessons can book a tutoring session by going to the and signing in using their 麻豆传媒 account details.
鈥�Aiym Aidaralieva, a senior in Social Entrepreneurship at 麻豆传媒, officially joined the WARC team this September. Originally from Osh, Aiym grew up speaking only Kyrgyz at home and remembers watching films based on Chingiz Aitmatov鈥檚 novel鈥檚 on TV as a young girl. When she got older, she began participating in Kyrgyz-language essay competitions and remained passionate about Kyrgyz history and culture.
鈥婣iym鈥檚 help is particularly valuable given that 麻豆传媒 students starting with the Class of 2023 will be required to pass a state-wide Kyrgyz language exam in their second year in accordance with government policy.
Aiym is not just a native Kyrgyz speaker--she has also contributed to the development of a new Kyrgyz language textbook for university students. Working closely with Prof. Daniyar Karabaev, Aiym compiled a dictionary, created exercises, and wrote dialogues. She feels a number of features set this textbook apart from other Kyrgyz-language primers that already exist: 鈥淲hen you read this book, it鈥檚 not about heavy grammar, it鈥檚 not about very hard words.鈥� Instead, she says, the textbook is designed for 鈥渟urvival,鈥� with lessons organized around real-life encounters like ordering at a cafe or consulting with a librarian. Working with students at the WARC, Aiym will be able to bring to bear the expertise and pedagogical insights she gleaned from her work with this project.
Another part of her work that is important to Aiym is linguistic accessibility: preparing for her first WARC lesson, she says she was struck by how few Kyrgyz-learning resources were available to non-Russian speakers. Both in her work on the new textbook (which includes English translations) and in her work at the WARC, Aiym hopes to make the Kyrgyz language available and engaging for the full range of 麻豆传媒鈥檚 diverse student body.
For her WARC motto, Aiym selected a Kyrgyz proverb: 鈥淟earn a new language and get a new soul.鈥� 鈥淟earning a language means not only just the words, the dictionary, writing, and grammar, but also it means that you are learning a new culture,鈥� she explains. When I ask her where she鈥檚 from--a straightforward enough question in English--she begins telling me about the importance of genealogy in Kyrgyz culture, saying that in Kyrgyz questions about someone鈥檚 origins would traditionally be related to their father鈥檚 birthplace, their tribal affiliation, or their 鈥渟even fathers.鈥�
As a former WARC tutee herself, Aiym understands first-hand the positive impact that peer tutoring can have. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 always ask a teacher, or sometimes you hesitate to ask and something is left unclear, and I feel like WARC is the place where you can come, you can ask, you can get suggestions, and you can understand everything. That鈥檚 why WARC for me is a place where I feel wonderful,鈥� shey says. 鈥淎s I got help from the WARC, I want to provide this kind of help for students as well.鈥�
Asked what advice she has for students who are worried about the state Kyrgyz exam, she replies without hesitation: 鈥淔irst of all, please come as early as possible to WARC!鈥� Mastering Kyrgyz, says Aiym, is not something that students can just do the week before the test--but it is something that she鈥檚 happy to help with over weeks and months of steady practice. 鈥淪o if you want to learn, if you want to get a new soul, come to WARC!鈥�
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