This article describes ways that conversations constituted ethnographic research for students and teachers in Kazakhstan. Through dialogues with local community members, students worked as researchers to develop knowledge about cultural patterns and social life. Ethnographic research and writing provided valuable language and research experiences that supported learning and teaching. In this article, the authors discuss how students use ethnographic inquiry and writing as tools for learning about their local community in Kazakhstan. They talk about developing ethnographic dialogues through dual-entry notes and photography, elaborating and extending ethnographic dialogues through stories, and interpreting ethnographic dialogues. (Contains 5 figures.)