City Excursions
Historical Museum
Students will visit the Historical Museum, formerly known as the "Lenin Museum", a must-see in Bishkek for those with an interest in the culture and history of Central Asia. The diverse collection of objects includes such treasures as stones with rock paintings from the petroglyph site Saimaluu-Tash, Talas stones with inscriptions in the runic alphabet, ancient coins, nomadic decorations from the first to the fifth centuries (AD), armor and everyday objects dating from the Bronze Age, and a Turkic stone tools collection. The museum also houses a rich ethnographic collection of objects from the late 19th and early 20th centuries including items designed by Kyrgyz artisans: jewelry, embroidery, weavings, national dress, and highly artistic equestrian supplies.
Frunze Museum
The museum was built in honor of Mikhail Frunze, a Bolshevik leader during and just prior to the Russian Revolution of 1917. Frunze, born in Bishkek, played a major role in defeating the Tsarist White Army on the eastern front, where he had been given complete command by Trotsky. In 1926, Bishkek was renamed in his honor (and changed back in 1991), and to this day Frunze is known throughout Kyrgyzstan and Russia, where many streets are named after him, as well as a Moscow metro station and one of most respected military academies. The museum tells the story of his life and career, and contains the actual house where he was born and raised.
Museum of Fine Arts
Bishkek's Museum of Fine Arts is mainly dedicated to Kyrgyz folk and applied art and Russian and Soviet art. The museum was built in 1974 as part of the grand scheme to improve the capital. Among its more than 17,500 works, it features a yurt, permanent shyrdaks, and a collection of linocuts based on the Manas epic by Hertzen.
Ata-Beiit
Ata Beiit (The Cemetery of Fathers) is a museum honoring the victims of the Stalinist repressions of the 1930s. Founded as a burial place for 137 people who had been shot in the purges, including the founders of the original Kyrgyz Soviet state, the memorial complex now honors all victims of the Stalinist repressions. The Museum of Ata Beiit houses personal belongings of the killed and archive documents as well as a memorial plaque along the right side of the museum with names of all victims of the repressions from 1937-1938.
Intensive offline and online programs
Online Russian/Kyrgyz classes
There are programs that combine online reading materials with Skype sessions. All the assignments are multiple choice tests and proctored exams can be arranged. Contact us for more details.
Kyrgyz language programs
Program includes 20 hours of Kyrgyz language classes per week. This program is ideal for students who want to learn Kyrgyz for academic purposes or for use in their careers. The course length is entirely up to the student; 2 weeks being the suggested minimum.
Peer tutoring services
We provide peer tutoring services during our summer programs for 70+ US students. This service can be organized for individual students taking intensive language classes. Our trained tutors will help you practice language skills outside of lectures.
Kazakh/Yzbek/Tadjik/Turkmen
The school does not usually provide Intensive courses in Kazakh, Uzbek, Tajik or Turkmen because of the limited number of applicants for these programmes. However, part time study is available in these languages and if there were sufficient students interested in taking an Intensive course, this could be arranged.
Other school services
Central Asian Studies
Central Asian Studies is an innovative program preparing students for international careers. This program is offered in partnership with The School of Russian and Asian Studies. For program details, and to enroll, please see their site: http://www.sras.org/central_asian_studies.
Homestay Program
LSLC provides homestay options with 2 meals and private room for $15 per day. We have a large database of verified homestay families which will help you improve your language skills and immerse in the local culture.
Summer Adventure with Horse riding
Students live in home stay families and have two weeks of language courses at our center (20 hours a week). In the third and fourth weeks, students go either horse-trekking or hiking in the mountains. The length of treks depends on the applicants and may vary from one to two weeks. Between hikes over peaks and river-crossings, students camp in tents or yurts.
Volunteering
This is teaching English to village children and assisting the local village community in development. Volunteers will undergo two weeks of training at LSLC, and will follow this up with 1 or 2 months of actual teaching. Volunteers will be provided with a monthly stipend from the school budget as well as a free home stay including all meals.