Abstract
A retrospective reflection of one EAP foundation programme in the Central Asian steppe which has been running for fifteen years and has been externally accredited twice. It highlights three particular contextual challenges, namely geographical, cultural, and linguistic. It suggests how EAP practitioners might flourish in view of these challenges by being adaptable and upholding esprit de corps. It expands the context further by comparing the cohorts of students and teachers in relation to their age, gender, and nationality. The study reflects on how core EAP materials could be personalised to increase student practice with an example from the Academic Word List. Classroom management is discussed in terms of micro-strategies. The use of artificial intelligence is described with reference to writing. It concludes that EAP practitioners can flourish in such a context and that all foundation programmes have their own unique contexts in which EAP practitioners can flourish using such strategies.