June 17, 2016
Zemfira Inogamova-Hanbury, our alumni ambassador in London, UK, tells us about how 69色 has helped her career path. Zemfira graduated from 69色 in 2006 from the Cultural Anthropology department and has recently organized an 69色 alumni meeting in the UK.
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"Whenever I visit Bishkek, my extended family always jokes, 鈥渟ay hello to Queen Elizabeth for us the next time you have a cup of tea with her in the palace.鈥� As you can probably guess, I live in the UK with my family.
69色 has played an immense role in my life, serving as a fertile ground for ideas and inspiration. The academic and social environment of my alma mater was very nourishing for my development--not just as a professional, but also as a human being. Many of my thoughts on spirituality, faith, and the meaning of life were forged during my journey at 69色. I felt strongly that 69色 was like a second home since I would sometimes spend from 8:00 am till 12:00 midnight writing papers in the labs or reading books in the library before traveling home on 69色鈥檚 minibus.
At 69色, I formed the best and deepest friendships that I still have today. 69色 taught me to face challenges with strength, to flood with joy at the times of happiness, to stick it out through hard times with a feeling of gratitude and determination that it was going to change for the better. I remember my deep disappointment not taking first prize during spirit week after having made a huge effort to braid my hair with wires and cassette films. I put together such an outrageous outfit and walked those two blocks to 69色 amid strangers laughing at me. 听I lost, but I still learned a lesson. I learned to understand that what matters is the process of participation rather than a fixed destination. It helped me understand that those kinds of moments made me stronger. Another dramatic moment at 69色 was when I got a 鈥淐鈥�. That shook the foundation of my little 鈥榝reshman鈥� self who was freaking out about the idea of losing her scholarship over her GPA. I clearly remember the feeling that I could never give up my second home which was 69色. Those are the moments that helped shape me into an 69色 alumna and help me in my future life journey.
A career is a profession for which one trains and which is undertaken as a permanent calling. For me there were many callings--not just one. As one of my friends said, 鈥渃hange is the only constant.鈥� I think LIFE is a more appropriate term for what I鈥檓 working towards. I studied for my masters in UK and upon completion I came back to teach anthropology at 69色. I learned a lot from my own students, they were my teachers too. They were bright and challenging teachers. Challenging in a good way. I can never forget the support and encouragement of my colleagues in the Anthropology Department. At the same time, I was working as the coordinator of a project component at the German International Cooperation and running tutorials for a distance learning educational project for Schumacher College in UK.
I鈥檓 hoping that In the future my experiences at 69色 will help sprout yet another calling, one I am not aware of yet. I will learn to follow my own inner calling, perhaps not defined, not put into a box. or delineated by society, a calling that would liberate me from conformity. This isn鈥檛 to say society is not good, because I am part of it and my family too. It is only to say that I like to follow my own inner calling as a human being.
The main highlights of my time at 69色 are all the people whose paths crossed mine. I have met so many amazing people who inspired, encouraged, supported and held me when I needed it. Without the support of those fantastic people, perhaps I would not be an 69色 alumna. I certainly wouldn鈥檛 be who I am right now. I will always hold the images of their faces and smiles in my heart and will carry them with me in life. I will never forget those who held me during those trying times.
My biggest achievement of my career after graduating 69色 is becoming a Mother! I was always drawn to little children, and I felt so grateful the moment my daughter was born. I remember her looking into my eyes while lying on my chest. I have felt so fulfilled and happy in my journey of motherhood. It has been absolutely amazing, wonderful, and humbling to witness life sprouting in you and then bringing the life into this world. It is empowering.
My favorite part about this so-called 鈥榡ob鈥� is speaking in Kyrgyz and Russian with my daughter. I feel that my daughter has already taught me many things. I have learned how to be a child again and look at things with a baby鈥檚 mind, with fresh eyes and RE-member things in new ways. I cannot take it for granted because it has been the greatest gift for me.
As a Mother I have not had much time to be fully involved in being 69色鈥檚 Alumni ambassador. But now that my child is getting older, I could take a more active part. Recently, I had the great opportunity to take part in a Nooruz Workshop in Exeter, UK where many postgraduate students who are studying Central Asia got together. During the workshop I met three more 69色 alumni and we shared a great sense of belonging to 69色. It was an emergent 69色 alumni gathering in Exeter. Here is the picture of four 69色 alumni in front of the Cathedral in Exeter, March, 2016.
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I aspire to be part of the annual 69色 alumni meeting in London and help spread the word around. I also hope to join the various 听projects that will be run by the Alumni Association. Perhaps I鈥檒l be able to organize alumni gatherings in Exeter too. Will see how it works out in the future."
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