Heading out of her Spanish class, you could be greeted by senior Elizabeth Jowers in four different ways: “Hello,” “Hola,” “Zdravstvuyte,” or “Sälemetsiz be.” Two of these languages, Russian and Kazakh respectively, are the official languages of Kazakhstan, the largest of central Asia’s “-stans.”
Jowers knows more about Kazakhstan than most.
“I spent a few of my early years in Kazakhstan,” Jowers said. “It was definitely an interesting experience, and was a very different place than here at Lovejoy.”
Jowers and her family lived in Kazakhstan as part of the International Mission Board, a Christian-based organization whose purpose is to organize missions across the globe for education and resource purposes.
“My dad taught English at a school,” Jowers said. “We also helped with aid logistics and churches. Foreigners, especially Americans, aren’t always welcome here, so we had some interesting experiences.”
Now president of the Junior World Affairs Council, Jowers believes that her time in Kazakhstan partially shaped her global mindset.
Kazakhstan’s resentment toward foreigners stems from its time in the Soviet Bloc, where it was isolated from much of the rest of the world and told that America embodied the enemy. Now, the only thing most people know about the country is its interesting name or its link to the movie Borat.
“No one really notices that part of the world, and it’s not a good thing for the people that live there,” Jowers said. “There’s widespread oppression in those countries, we had to be careful with what we said. Just because there isn’t violence doesn’t mean there isn’t oppression, it basically means the oppression is worse because no one is willing to stand against it.”
Jowers and her family had to learn how to deal with the way the government worked, especially in regards to the rampant corruption.
“My dad once drove a van to a bazaar, and was stopped by policemen looking to charge us just to pass through,” Jowers said. “He assumed my dad was a foreigner and wouldn’t know what was going on, but my dad just told him off and drove past. He even threatened to impound our car, but my dad knew he wasn’t actually under threat so he just drove off.”
Jowers’ time in Kazakhstan left her with some benefits, and created passions that have lasted throughout her life.
“I still know some Russian and Kazakh, and appreciate the culture I was exposed to,” Jowers said. “I think that’s what started my love for the world, and what inspired my career goals.”
As the founder of Lovejoy’s chapter of the Junior World Affairs Council and an intern at Dallas’ World Affairs Council, these career plans are certainly coming to pass for Jowers.
“She’s certainly grown up to be very interested in other cultures,” AP Lang teacher Jasen Eairheart said. “This definitely won’t be the last time she gets a chance to experience other countries.”
