Zemfira Inogamova-Hanbury: "My biggest achievement after graduating AUCA is becoming a Mother"

June 17, 2016

Zemfira Inogamova-Hanbury, our alumni ambassador in London, UK, tells us about how AUCA has helped her career path. Zemfira graduated from AUCA in 2006 from the Cultural Anthropology department and has recently organized an AUCA alumni meeting in the UK.

"Whenever I visit Bishkek, my extended family always jokes, “say hello to Queen Elizabeth for us the next time you have a cup of tea with her in the palace.” As you can probably guess, I live in the UK with my family.

AUCA 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 AUCA. I felt strongly that AUCA 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 AUCA’s minibus.

At AUCA, I formed the best and deepest friendships that I still have today. AUCA 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 AUCA amid strangers laughing at me.  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 AUCA was when I got a “C”. That shook the foundation of my little ‘freshman’ 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 AUCA. Those are the moments that helped shape me into an AUCA 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, “change is the only constant.” I think LIFE is a more appropriate term for what I’m working towards. I studied for my masters in UK and upon completion I came back to teach anthropology at AUCA. 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’m hoping that In the future my experiences at AUCA 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’t 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 AUCA 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 AUCA alumna. I certainly wouldn’t 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 AUCA 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 ‘job’ 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’s 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 AUCA’s 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 AUCA alumni and we shared a great sense of belonging to AUCA. It was an emergent AUCA alumni gathering in Exeter. Here is the picture of four AUCA alumni in front of the Cathedral in Exeter, March, 2016.

I aspire to be part of the annual AUCA alumni meeting in London and help spread the word around. I also hope to join the various  projects that will be run by the Alumni Association. Perhaps I’ll be able to organize alumni gatherings in Exeter too. Will see how it works out in the future."

<< go to news list