Dear readers,
It has been exactly a month since my last post. I apologize for the silence. I would offer excuses, but there are none that really justify my silence. A week past and November approached and all the while I sat without a topic to write about on the blog. I panicked and thought the next week would bring inspiration, but alas none was to be found. So that is how the last four weeks passed without as much as a note reassuring you of my existence. I am alive and doing well. Work has increased and as a result I find myself tired at the end of every week, but that is a sign of good, hard work. Teaching is my main occupation here, but that is not the only focus of my energy. In addition to working with students and teachers to increase the level of English proficiency at Tuvan State University, I am involved in the active effort of providing opportunities for our students and teachers to travel abroad, in order to study or work and thus raise their language proficiency (in English or any other language) and increase their experience with which they will return and share with others here. Likewise, we are engaged in efforts to bring foreign scholars to TuvSU.
One tangible product of these efforts has been updates made to the website of the Center of International Relations. At the moment, we only have a Russian language version, so for those who don't know Russian (learn it!), you can admire at least the visual layout: http://www.ms.tuvsu.ru/?q=node/48#overlay-context=node/46%3Fq%3Dnode/46
Click on the links and explore! This page and the linked pages were created by me. The focus is on study and work abroad for students and employees of TuvSU.
Для тех, кто умеет читать по-русски, я понмаю, что там есть МНОГО ошибок. Прошу Ваше терпение. Всё исправлю скоро. :-)
And now time for a shameless plug! If you or anyone you know are interested in studying/working at or visiting TuvSU, let me know!
In addition to work, I've been spent a lot of time thinking. My walk to the main campus and my marshrutka ride (recounted here for those who missed it) offer me plenty of time to muse over plenty of themes. Below, I offer them to you as means of sharing some perspective on this small part of the world and also for you to think about in your own ways.
Tyva: Russia beyond the Mountains
Some of you may have noticed that there are two methods of spelling "Tyva". The reason for this stems from the spelling of the name of the republic in Russian versus the Tuvan spelling. In Russian, it is usually spelled "Тува" (pronounced "Tuva"). The "у" sound in Russian is commonly transcribed into English as "u". In Tuvan however, it is spelled "Тыва" (pronounced "Ty(ee)va). The "ы" sound commonly being transcribed as "y". Both are correct, but I prefer the native spelling to that of the Russian. I arrived here about two months ago knowing absolutely nothing about this place, besides throat singing and that it was not connected to any city by rail. Two months later and I still know regrettably little, but I have ever so slightly began to expand by knowledge of Tyva.
This land is very rich in what it has experienced throughout history. Tyva is a place that still "remembers" to an extent, the Mongols of old, those that rode across the known world, conquering everything and only barely being stopped on the edges of Europe. Chingis is still a popular name here in Tyva (as in Chingis Khan) and the traditions of the Mongols are not that far removed from those of the Tuvans. Indeed, we must remember that our contemporary conception of the world is made up in the sense that borders are drawn and easily erased. Tuvans are found in Mongolia as well, so it is very likely that among the armies that flew across the steppes and conquered the Rus' were quite a few Tuvans. Going back even further, there is evidence that some Tuvans are related to the early peoples of the Americas. I have even seen several people here who have the same facial makeup of our First Nation Peoples. This place is a crossroads of cultures and that remains true to this day. Walking along the streets and teaching in the university, I observe the mix of Russian and Tuvan and western and eastern language, culture, and mentalities. And yet despite this mix, Tyva has succeeded in preserving its uniqueness even into the 21st century. The reason for this lies both in the geography and the history of the region.
How Tyva became a part of Russia is an interesting story. The Russians began moving into what is now Siberia early on after the defeat of the Mongols. Towns were founded and colonists sent forth to this new land. Wars and ambition in the west, slowed down the growth and expansion in the east. Taming the Caucasus also became a priority of the government as did defeating the Turks (approximately from 1703 to the 1850s). This allowed the Chinese some chance to also move north and take control of Mongolia and Tyva. In Tyva especially from what I understand, the Chinese hold on the territory wasn't especially strong, but in any case it kept the Russians from just waltzing in, at least until ambitions in the west were halted. Russia lost the Crimean War and with it any more opportunity to take more land from the Turks, halting advances to the west. Furthermore, the Caucasus were tamed. Being blocked to the north, west, and south, the empire set its sights to the east (and south east). In what is referred to as "The Great Game", the Russians little by little moved southeast through Central Asia, bringing "the stans" into the confines of the empire. Likewise, eastward expansion was viewed as a necessity into Asia. Tyva comes into the story as the leaders of Russia saw the Chinese and Japanese as competitors in the region. Eventually, this led to a war with Japan (which the Russians lost) and the establishment of a protectorate in Tyva. The Chinese were evicted and Russians started moving in to set up shop. It was already the beginning of the 20th century at this point. The Trans-Siberian Railroad was complete, but the nearest stop was many, many miles from Tyva. Furthermore, events in the west (a world war as well as poverty and discontent) prevented a flood of new arrivals from settling down. Also, there was quite a large population of natives already present. After the revolution and civil war, Tyva refrained from joining the Soviet Union and instead created its own republic (the Tuvan People's Republic). The Soviet Union of course maintained a strong influence on Tyva, especially in terms of foreign relations, but the Tuvans handled domestic affairs. This included the preservation of the native language of Tuvan, with some changes being made, specially in terms of the writing system. Tyva did become a part of the Soviet Union (joining with the Russian part), but because of its late entrance into the game, Tuvan is spoken today as a native language and can be heard more often than Russian.
The remoteness of Tyva also plays its part in the uniqueness of the region. The mountains act as guardians of Tyva, keeping the outside world away. Of course, walls have two sides and vice versa, Tuvans also find themselves cut off from the outside world and do not travel that often. Yet the mountains are just as much an insulator as they are a barrier.
The point I am wanting to make here is that Tyva is a country within a country. This isn't "Russia", but the Russian Federation, a distinction we don't often make enough yet one that paints a more diverse picture of this country. I'll write a bit more on this topic in later posts.
The language infrastructure
I'm not sure if this term exists in language teaching, but I'm using it here to mean the infrastructure present in a given language for language study. Components include: print resources (books, magazines, etc), electronic resources (music, movies, websites), native speakers, and efficient teaching methods. The purpose of the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant program is to send grant recipients to places that I would describe as weak in language infrastructure. Despite the remoteness that I discussed in the previous section, Kyzyl has a sufficient amount of these resources except the native speaker. The rest of Tyva is a different story. Having not traveled around I cannot comment on the language structure of these places, but I can imagine they lack most of these resources.
However, I would still described the language infrastructure of Kyzyl as weak. I recently learned that the Internet only fully appeared in Tyva in 2005. At the present, access to the Internet is still limited and mostly acquired through cell phones. Wi-Fi networks are few and far between. Mobile access for computers can only be achieved through modems, yet even with these the service is not always the best. Computer access is also limited to those who can afford it. With so much material located on the Internet and in electronic form, students of foreign languages are lacking an important tool in their language acquisition. Furthermore, with the lack of native speakers in the region, the Internet is even more helpful as a means of interacting with native speakers and materials written for native speakers (known as authentic materials). The remoteness of the region plays a large part in this. In terms of teaching practices, there is also a lot to be learned and shared. Having interacted with teachers of English, I have noticed a trend that even those teachers who at one point commanded English with a high proficiency has lost a lot of English over the years due to the lack of contact with the target language. There is also the idea that a foreign language teacher will begin to speak at the level of the students they teach if they do not maintain practice at a higher level.
All of this paints a pretty dire picture of the language infrastructure, but the situation is by no means without a remedy. In fact, I actually see in all of this a lot of opportunities for those who are willing to put in the effort. Here are some of the things I wish to see done in terms of the English language infrastructure (but these ideas could be adapted to any language):
1. More native speakers. The university is committing itself to bringing in foreign scholars which in turn increases contact between Tyva and foreign institutions. If the common language between the locals and foreigners, then so much the better. To go even further, I would like to see the university hire at three native speakers to work in full-time positions for the academic year. On a broader scale, I would like to see a few more native speakers come here to work independently. In terms of paid teaching opportunities, many people are looking for private tutoring opportunities for all ages and there are also a few English language schools in Kyzyl. There is also an abundance of volunteer opportunities to supplement anyones time.
2. Send more students abroad. This issue has many sides to it. First off, there is the money factor. Studying abroad or travelling for an extended period of time requires a lot of money. The challenge then comes in finding ways to finance anyones trip abroad, not just those who can afford it. Secondly, we need to enable students to be competitive in the competitions for grants and scholarships, many of which require essays to be written in English or for the recipients to already command English as an adequately high level. This in turn ties into the presently inadequate language structure. Thirdly, the lack of Internet and computer access prevents students from having the resources to seek out and find the opportunities for study abroad and financing a trip abroad as well as filling out an online application.
3. Teacher training. It is very rare to meet a teacher here who has travelled to an English-speaking country. Furthermore, due to the lack of contact with native speakers, the language level of teacher suffers. The system of teaching in Russia both for foreign languages and in other subjects is also in need of some change. Sending teachers abroad as well as promoting the exchange of ideas between other teachers of foreign languages would go a long way in improving the language infrastructure here. Native speakers are very important, but they are usually not a permanent part of this equation. Local language teachers on the other hand are permanent fixtures in the community and should be trained so as to be as effective as possible.
I shall conclude my musings here with a promise to return to my weekly schedule of updates from Kyzyl. I hope you are doing well.
Peace be with you!
Joey
It has been exactly a month since my last post. I apologize for the silence. I would offer excuses, but there are none that really justify my silence. A week past and November approached and all the while I sat without a topic to write about on the blog. I panicked and thought the next week would bring inspiration, but alas none was to be found. So that is how the last four weeks passed without as much as a note reassuring you of my existence. I am alive and doing well. Work has increased and as a result I find myself tired at the end of every week, but that is a sign of good, hard work. Teaching is my main occupation here, but that is not the only focus of my energy. In addition to working with students and teachers to increase the level of English proficiency at Tuvan State University, I am involved in the active effort of providing opportunities for our students and teachers to travel abroad, in order to study or work and thus raise their language proficiency (in English or any other language) and increase their experience with which they will return and share with others here. Likewise, we are engaged in efforts to bring foreign scholars to TuvSU.
One tangible product of these efforts has been updates made to the website of the Center of International Relations. At the moment, we only have a Russian language version, so for those who don't know Russian (learn it!), you can admire at least the visual layout: http://www.ms.tuvsu.ru/?q=node/48#overlay-context=node/46%3Fq%3Dnode/46
Click on the links and explore! This page and the linked pages were created by me. The focus is on study and work abroad for students and employees of TuvSU.
Для тех, кто умеет читать по-русски, я понмаю, что там есть МНОГО ошибок. Прошу Ваше терпение. Всё исправлю скоро. :-)
And now time for a shameless plug! If you or anyone you know are interested in studying/working at or visiting TuvSU, let me know!
In addition to work, I've been spent a lot of time thinking. My walk to the main campus and my marshrutka ride (recounted here for those who missed it) offer me plenty of time to muse over plenty of themes. Below, I offer them to you as means of sharing some perspective on this small part of the world and also for you to think about in your own ways.
Tyva: Russia beyond the Mountains
Some of you may have noticed that there are two methods of spelling "Tyva". The reason for this stems from the spelling of the name of the republic in Russian versus the Tuvan spelling. In Russian, it is usually spelled "Тува" (pronounced "Tuva"). The "у" sound in Russian is commonly transcribed into English as "u". In Tuvan however, it is spelled "Тыва" (pronounced "Ty(ee)va). The "ы" sound commonly being transcribed as "y". Both are correct, but I prefer the native spelling to that of the Russian. I arrived here about two months ago knowing absolutely nothing about this place, besides throat singing and that it was not connected to any city by rail. Two months later and I still know regrettably little, but I have ever so slightly began to expand by knowledge of Tyva.
This land is very rich in what it has experienced throughout history. Tyva is a place that still "remembers" to an extent, the Mongols of old, those that rode across the known world, conquering everything and only barely being stopped on the edges of Europe. Chingis is still a popular name here in Tyva (as in Chingis Khan) and the traditions of the Mongols are not that far removed from those of the Tuvans. Indeed, we must remember that our contemporary conception of the world is made up in the sense that borders are drawn and easily erased. Tuvans are found in Mongolia as well, so it is very likely that among the armies that flew across the steppes and conquered the Rus' were quite a few Tuvans. Going back even further, there is evidence that some Tuvans are related to the early peoples of the Americas. I have even seen several people here who have the same facial makeup of our First Nation Peoples. This place is a crossroads of cultures and that remains true to this day. Walking along the streets and teaching in the university, I observe the mix of Russian and Tuvan and western and eastern language, culture, and mentalities. And yet despite this mix, Tyva has succeeded in preserving its uniqueness even into the 21st century. The reason for this lies both in the geography and the history of the region.
How Tyva became a part of Russia is an interesting story. The Russians began moving into what is now Siberia early on after the defeat of the Mongols. Towns were founded and colonists sent forth to this new land. Wars and ambition in the west, slowed down the growth and expansion in the east. Taming the Caucasus also became a priority of the government as did defeating the Turks (approximately from 1703 to the 1850s). This allowed the Chinese some chance to also move north and take control of Mongolia and Tyva. In Tyva especially from what I understand, the Chinese hold on the territory wasn't especially strong, but in any case it kept the Russians from just waltzing in, at least until ambitions in the west were halted. Russia lost the Crimean War and with it any more opportunity to take more land from the Turks, halting advances to the west. Furthermore, the Caucasus were tamed. Being blocked to the north, west, and south, the empire set its sights to the east (and south east). In what is referred to as "The Great Game", the Russians little by little moved southeast through Central Asia, bringing "the stans" into the confines of the empire. Likewise, eastward expansion was viewed as a necessity into Asia. Tyva comes into the story as the leaders of Russia saw the Chinese and Japanese as competitors in the region. Eventually, this led to a war with Japan (which the Russians lost) and the establishment of a protectorate in Tyva. The Chinese were evicted and Russians started moving in to set up shop. It was already the beginning of the 20th century at this point. The Trans-Siberian Railroad was complete, but the nearest stop was many, many miles from Tyva. Furthermore, events in the west (a world war as well as poverty and discontent) prevented a flood of new arrivals from settling down. Also, there was quite a large population of natives already present. After the revolution and civil war, Tyva refrained from joining the Soviet Union and instead created its own republic (the Tuvan People's Republic). The Soviet Union of course maintained a strong influence on Tyva, especially in terms of foreign relations, but the Tuvans handled domestic affairs. This included the preservation of the native language of Tuvan, with some changes being made, specially in terms of the writing system. Tyva did become a part of the Soviet Union (joining with the Russian part), but because of its late entrance into the game, Tuvan is spoken today as a native language and can be heard more often than Russian.
The remoteness of Tyva also plays its part in the uniqueness of the region. The mountains act as guardians of Tyva, keeping the outside world away. Of course, walls have two sides and vice versa, Tuvans also find themselves cut off from the outside world and do not travel that often. Yet the mountains are just as much an insulator as they are a barrier.
The point I am wanting to make here is that Tyva is a country within a country. This isn't "Russia", but the Russian Federation, a distinction we don't often make enough yet one that paints a more diverse picture of this country. I'll write a bit more on this topic in later posts.
The language infrastructure
I'm not sure if this term exists in language teaching, but I'm using it here to mean the infrastructure present in a given language for language study. Components include: print resources (books, magazines, etc), electronic resources (music, movies, websites), native speakers, and efficient teaching methods. The purpose of the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant program is to send grant recipients to places that I would describe as weak in language infrastructure. Despite the remoteness that I discussed in the previous section, Kyzyl has a sufficient amount of these resources except the native speaker. The rest of Tyva is a different story. Having not traveled around I cannot comment on the language structure of these places, but I can imagine they lack most of these resources.
However, I would still described the language infrastructure of Kyzyl as weak. I recently learned that the Internet only fully appeared in Tyva in 2005. At the present, access to the Internet is still limited and mostly acquired through cell phones. Wi-Fi networks are few and far between. Mobile access for computers can only be achieved through modems, yet even with these the service is not always the best. Computer access is also limited to those who can afford it. With so much material located on the Internet and in electronic form, students of foreign languages are lacking an important tool in their language acquisition. Furthermore, with the lack of native speakers in the region, the Internet is even more helpful as a means of interacting with native speakers and materials written for native speakers (known as authentic materials). The remoteness of the region plays a large part in this. In terms of teaching practices, there is also a lot to be learned and shared. Having interacted with teachers of English, I have noticed a trend that even those teachers who at one point commanded English with a high proficiency has lost a lot of English over the years due to the lack of contact with the target language. There is also the idea that a foreign language teacher will begin to speak at the level of the students they teach if they do not maintain practice at a higher level.
All of this paints a pretty dire picture of the language infrastructure, but the situation is by no means without a remedy. In fact, I actually see in all of this a lot of opportunities for those who are willing to put in the effort. Here are some of the things I wish to see done in terms of the English language infrastructure (but these ideas could be adapted to any language):
1. More native speakers. The university is committing itself to bringing in foreign scholars which in turn increases contact between Tyva and foreign institutions. If the common language between the locals and foreigners, then so much the better. To go even further, I would like to see the university hire at three native speakers to work in full-time positions for the academic year. On a broader scale, I would like to see a few more native speakers come here to work independently. In terms of paid teaching opportunities, many people are looking for private tutoring opportunities for all ages and there are also a few English language schools in Kyzyl. There is also an abundance of volunteer opportunities to supplement anyones time.
2. Send more students abroad. This issue has many sides to it. First off, there is the money factor. Studying abroad or travelling for an extended period of time requires a lot of money. The challenge then comes in finding ways to finance anyones trip abroad, not just those who can afford it. Secondly, we need to enable students to be competitive in the competitions for grants and scholarships, many of which require essays to be written in English or for the recipients to already command English as an adequately high level. This in turn ties into the presently inadequate language structure. Thirdly, the lack of Internet and computer access prevents students from having the resources to seek out and find the opportunities for study abroad and financing a trip abroad as well as filling out an online application.
3. Teacher training. It is very rare to meet a teacher here who has travelled to an English-speaking country. Furthermore, due to the lack of contact with native speakers, the language level of teacher suffers. The system of teaching in Russia both for foreign languages and in other subjects is also in need of some change. Sending teachers abroad as well as promoting the exchange of ideas between other teachers of foreign languages would go a long way in improving the language infrastructure here. Native speakers are very important, but they are usually not a permanent part of this equation. Local language teachers on the other hand are permanent fixtures in the community and should be trained so as to be as effective as possible.
I shall conclude my musings here with a promise to return to my weekly schedule of updates from Kyzyl. I hope you are doing well.
Peace be with you!
Joey
