Photo:Â Standing outside of the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, Grady Vaughan is an MA student at the Harriman Institute.
What do you miss most about the Harriman Institute while socially distancing?
My classmates and lively class discussions. Zoom is great, but it can’t replicate the engaging classroom setting at the Harriman Institute.
What are you reading and/or listening to right now?
Currently, I read anything written by Bruce Pannier and the Central Asian Services at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. I also closely follow Eurasianet’s coverage of the coronavirus and its weekly bulletin on Turkmenistan. With respect to podcasts, I mainly listen to the Majlis Podcast on Central Asia also produced by RFE/RL.
What is your favorite experience related to the region?
Last year I was a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Kazakhstan and had the chance to visit the majestical rock formations of Ustyurt in the Western Kazakhstani oblast of Mangystau.
Check back regularly to meet other Harriman students.