There is a growing prevalence of English-medium instruction (EMI) at universities around the world as a result of globalization and the internationalization of higher education. Although the English language is often the main language of these institutions, research shows that the local language often occupies an important position within these institutions. This linguistic environment places international students who do not speak the local language in a vulnerable position, and they may face exclusion from social settings or have less access to some aspects of academic life as a result. The present study examines how ideology, identity, and emotion interact in one international student's journey through her first year at an EMI institution in Kyrgyzstan as she navigates language use within the institution, cultivates her multilingual repertoire, and creates a place for herself in the institutional community. The findings of the study revealed how the focal participant, Zohra, was influenced by monolingual ideologies, viewing the institution as a primarily English-only space and attempting to uphold these norms through her own language use. Like other international students, Zohra also reported experiences of exclusion through the use of the local language, positioning her as an outsider and provoking a range of negative emotions in response. Zohra leveraged her strong English skills and strategically used the local language to construct a positive identity for herself as a full member of the university community. She also engaged in an iterative process of reflection as she compartmentalized her personally held language ideologies and managed her negative emotions surrounding language use to facilitate her adjustment to the university.
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