Kazakhstan One - Text
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Age: 22
Date of Birth: 25 December 1986
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: Russian
Occupation: Student
Education Level: Fourth year of college
INFLUENCES ON SPEECH
Born and raised in Semipalatinsk, Eastern Kazakhstan. Also lived in Almaty, Kazakhstan for several years. Lived in Lawrence, Kansas while studying one year of high school as well as two years of college. Began learning English at a private school in Russia at age 13.
TRANSCRIPTION OF UNSCRIPTED SPEECH
I was born in 1986, in Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan. Back then it was Soviet Union. So, I like pretty much born in a country that does not exist anymore. I consider myself to be a citizen of the world. Even though I’m Russian I’ve never been to Russia. Kazaks and Russians are very different people. Well same same background pretty much but uh, different ethnicities, different languages. I’m ethnically Russian because like Kazakhstan is a huge country like, more than thirty ethnicities linked, lived side by side there you know? Well I lived in uh the capital, that’s like, the most beautiful years of my life, one of the most beautiful. It’s where I went to college, it’s a big city, one point five million people living there. And it’s like night life is amazing, got my first love there, like whole bunch of first impressions you know? My high school’s a boarding school so like me and my friends are really close because we live uh for…five days a week under same roof you know, eating from same pot. On the weekends we would go out café know? To a bar or to a restaurant or we have like a park or a square like central square we’ll just gather like where young people gather and we can rumors gossips you know gossips…People start getting ready for New Years a month ahead, reservation at restaurants you know, buying gifts, buying clothes, like looking special, everyone’s, one wants to be as special as possible you know? And its usually last for five days at least you know? My last New Years at home lasted like the party lasted like ten days. I don’t like American food you know? I can eat a burger but, I don’t consider something that you can eat in the car on the go to be like a meal you know? Makes you full, but I consider it a snack or something for me like, I like cooking you know, like when I get inspirations…Russian cuisine and Kazak cuisine are very different, Kazak’s are usually uh historically Nomads, you know traveling around with herds of uh of uh cattle. So, whole bunch of in there uh nutrition there is whole bunch of meat and I eat horse, horse sausage is amazing. And like, uh dairy products, many types of cheese you know and like uh cotton, cottage cheese, cream, I actually live, like like when you get the fresh milk just from cow you know and let it stand a little bit and there’s a whole bunch of cream on top, I, I love it you know. Kazak language is based on Turkic roots, Russian is on Slavic, and for example, “Hello” in Russian would be [demonstrates] and in Kazak it’ll be [demonstrates] it’s like “thank you” in Russian is uh[demonstrates] and in Kazak [demonstrates] I like this is like one of my favorite poems, I just like it! I memorized it, they made us memorize whole bunch of poems in literature classes back at home and this one really stuck in mind and it's they put it in a song you know, so, I really this one. It’s uh, [demonstrates] it’s uh, starts out, “Sail” and Lermontov is very world wide famoused Russian poet you know. I, I, I, I’m not really like, poet reader, poem reader, but I’ll try my best. Uh… [speaks following poem].
Парус
Белеет парус одинокой
В тумане моря голубом. —
Что́ ищет он в стране далекой?
Что́ кинул он в краю родном?
Играют волны, ветер свищет,
И мачта гнется и скрыпит;
Увы! — он счастия не ищет
И не от счастия бежит! —
Под ним струя светлей лазури,
Над ним луч солнца золотой: —
А он, мятежный, просит бури,
Как будто в бурях есть покой!
The Sail.
A lonely sail is flashing white
Amdist the blue mist of the sea!...
What does it seek in foreign lands?
What did it leave behind at home?..
Waves heave, wind whistles,
The mast, it bends and creaks...
Alas, it seeks not happiness
Nor happiness does it escape!
Below, a current azure bright,
Above, a golden ray of sun...
Rebellious, it seeks out a storm
As if in storms it could find peace!
Lermontov
RUNNING TIME: 05:17