Li Ke, 20 years old, hometown – Heze, Shandong province, student
I moved to Kazakhstan two years ago. The reason for relocation was my entrance to Al-Farabi Kazakh National University the faculty of law.
During the moving arose difficulties with the visa. Visa is made only for one year, therefore I have to back to China and pass the procedure again. Plus, it's expensive.
Unlike Kazakh families, Chinese husband must fully support the wife. Husband gives everything including the car, the apartment and money. However, traditionally in the Chinese couple both are working, because the prices of housing and food are high. In Kazakhstan, according to my observations, mainly works husband.
There are also differences in food: in China spicy dishes, and in Kazakhstan, on the contrary, more fatty food. Before I never ate horse meat, because there is no horse meat in China. I like local food, and I will never refuse national Kazakh dishes.
I live in Almaty. Almaty is a beautiful and clean city, surrounded by beautiful mountains. There are many parks with fountains. I like that in comparison with China, there are not so many people. And they are kind and hospitable here.
Mostly I spend my free time passively: I learn lectures, watch movies. I have a lot of Chinese friends, we go to cafes and walk in parks. My favourite places in Almaty are Gorky Park and Kok-Tobe. I also heard about Medeu, but I haven't been there yet. My friends say it is beautiful, so I definitely will go there.
After graduation, I plan to stay here and I want to find a job in a Chinese company.
Kaifun Liu, 20 years old, hometown — Pavlodar, makeup artist
I was born and raised in Pavlodar. My parents moved to Kazakhstan from China for work and eventually stayed here to live. I often visit my homeland and fly there once a year. I live in Pavlodar, and I am a co-founder of the loft make-up studio Cookies Pavlodar. In addition to creating looks for the events, we are engaged in teaching young masters.
I like living in Kazakhstan. Here great possibilities for personal and financial growth. Here it is much easier to find a job and earn money.
I often communicate with Chinese, once I worked as a translator from Chinese into Russian and conversely. People here are more open, it is easy to find a common language with them and talk heart-to-heart. Kazakhstanis look at the life much easier. For the Chinese, our rhythm of life in Kazakhstan is slow. Kazakhstanis lives slowly, but in China, everything is conversely.
In the future, I would like to move from Kazakhstan not to China, but to the countries of the Western continent.
In Kazakhstan, there are many industries in which you can find yourself and discover something new. This is a young country where you can realize the wildest dream.
Ma Huan, 26 years old, hometown — Hejie, Shandong province, student
I moved to Kazakhstan two years ago, because I entered Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, organic chemistry speciality.
I applied for a student visa in 2015, but the time of its release is 10 months. This process takes a lot of time and effort. In addition, I have to return to China every year to extend my visa.
People in Kazakhstan are kind and hospitable. Our teachers help us not only in the lessons but also in everyday life by giving advice and explaining many unknown things.
Families in Kazakhstan are different. In China, it is allowed to have only two children, and here there are no restrictions. My groupmate is seventh in the family, and this is unusual for us. Also in China, it is customary to all family members work, because the prices for necessary things in everyday life are expensive. As I heard, here the husband works and the wife looks after the house and raises children.
I like national food in Kazakhstan. I had time to try the plov, beshbarmak and baursaks. Also, there is a lot of confectionery and sweets, which is not particularly common in China.
I like Almaty — clean air, incredible nature and kind people. My favourite places are the first President's Park, the Medem skate rink. I often go to Opera performances because the prices are more democratic than in my hometown.
I was lucky to visit the Big Almaty Lake and Charyn canyon. Indescribable beauty, wildlife is so close to the big city and it's amazing.
I plan to return to China after studying and find a job in my speciality there.
