Kazakhstan is the world's ninth largest country by area, a country that is as big as all the countries of Europe put together, and which stretches the same distance from London to Moscow. The capital, Astana, is already famous in niche travel circles for its captivating architecture, with the skyline increasingly filling with ambitious, space-age skyscrapers and monuments, including the 150-metre Bayterek Tower and the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, designed by acclaimed British architect Norman Foster.

Astana is also the second-coldest capital city in the world. It has an extreme continental climate with warm summers and long, very cold, dry winters. As of September 2017, the population of Astana was 1,029,556.

In 2016 Aliya Mukhametzhanova visited Oxford, UK, and learned about U3A groups. For two years Astana U3A has a group of Third Age People learning English at American Cultural Corner based on the "Otrar" library at the Eurasian National University.

Membership for Astana U3A is open for retired senior citizens, men and women, and also citizens of pre-retirement age (50+). We also would like single women, without children and young pensioners, who receive a minimum pension, living without a support team or forced to look for additional income to join us. We would like to welcome a category of elderly people who like to lead an active lifestyle, support each other, keep positive life view and would like to understand the concept of "actively grow old".