Well-mannered Kazakh teen charms American social media
The student, Batyrzhan, was hosted by an American family, where he lived for about seven weeks. During that entire time, he never turned on the light in his bedroom—simply because he didn't know how.
As it turned out, he thought the switch by the door only controlled the ceiling fan. So Batyrzhan resorted to makeshift lighting methods: turning his laptop screen to full brightness, opening the closet door and leaving the closet light on.
The confession came as a complete surprise to his host family. In a video posted by Allison Buckles McDowell, the American hosts are seen laughing and showing him how to actually turn on the bedroom light.
"Our exchange student Batyr finally tells us after 7 weeks of living here that he doesn't know how to turn on his bedroom light," the video caption reads.
@allison_buckles_mcdowell Exchange student #exchangestudent #allisonbucklesmcdowell #exchangeyear #exchangestudentusa #@bbatyrkhann ♬ original sound - Exchange Students USA
The family's reaction was full of laughter and amusement.
The video quickly went viral on TikTok, amassing over 18 million views. Thousands of users left comments—ranging from jokes to genuine admiration for the teen's politeness.
Examples of comments include:
"Why is he holding SO MANY Kazakhstan flags ????? Cause there is a Sun on the flag.""Introvert final boss ????""He’s Asian, they are humble people especially in a foreign land. He didn’t want to complain and inconvenience them because he thought that’s how it was — no light."
@allison_buckles_mcdowell Replying to @????Spooky B???? #exchangestudent #allisonbucklesmcdowell #exchangeyear #exchangestudentusa #weareaya ♬ original sound - Exchange Students USA
Some even shared similar personal stories, like one user recalling a foreign exchange student who took only cold showers for over a month because he didn’t know how to turn on the hot water.
"In Kazakhstan, we turn on the light using this kind of switch, and we use an air conditioner instead of a fan."
Batyrzhan himself responded to the viral attention.
"Hello everyone! My name is Batyrzhan, I’m an exchange student from Kazakhstan studying in the United States. Yes, that’s me in this video ???? Honestly, I never thought such a small everyday situation would make so many people laugh and even go viral. It’s funny how something so simple can turn into a story that connects people from all over the world. I really appreciate all the positivity, comments, and kind reactions. It makes me happy to know that my little 'confusion' could bring smiles to so many faces. Greetings from Kazakhstan and the U.S.!"
On Allison Buckles McDowell’s TikTok page, there are other videos featuring Batyrzhan. In one, he gives the host family gifts from Kazakhstan and shares stories about his country’s traditions.
@allison_uckles_mcdowell Exchange student #exchangestudentusa #exchangestudent #allisonbucklesmcdowell #exchangeyear #weareaya ♬ Stranger - Димаш Кудайберген & Игорь Крутой
Many commenters noted that Kazakh teens—and Asian youth in general—are often raised to be deeply respectful, always trying not to cause inconvenience to others.
@allison_buckles_mcdowell Replying to @Jordan K. Paul #exchangestudent #allisonbucklesmcdowell #exchangeyear #exchangestudentusa #weareaya ♬ original sound - Exchange Students USA
As a side note, a Turkish blogger named Batuhan recently shared a video about life in Kazakhstan, highlighting the local habit of replying with the sound “au” when being called.