She retired two years ago. Altynkiz was born in the village of Arashan in the Talas district and married a neighbor from the village. After the wedding, the newlyweds moved to Kum-Aryk, where they built their life together.
“After finishing school, I enrolled in the philology department of the Kyrgyz National University named after Jusup Balasagyn. However, it wasn’t immediate; I only got in two years later because I wanted to become a lawyer. For two consecutive years, I couldn’t get into the law faculty. It was especially disappointing the second time when I failed to place a comma in a sentence. At that time, there were 12 candidates for one spot. During the waiting period, I stayed with my parents, although some young men proposed to me, but I declined because I wanted to get my education first. Eventually, I realized that the teaching profession in rural areas was quite in demand, and philology was closer to me. I prepared and enrolled, and my parents supported me. During my studies, I received a scholarship and graduated successfully. In the end, I got a job as a teacher at my native school and worked there for 43 years,” Borbasheva shared.
When it was time for her retirement, she decided to leave her job and give young teachers a chance to prove themselves.
“My children supported my decision. They congratulated me on my retirement and sent me and my husband on vacation to Antalya,” Altynkiz added.
This year, she is spending the summer months with her grandchildren at her home, preparing “zhurma” and baking “kömöch nan” outside.
Currently, the couple has 10 grandchildren.
Borbasheva also shared amusing incidents from her practice:
“During my practice, I worked for two years at a school where a boy who played Nurgazy in the film ‘Ak keme’ (‘White Steamboat’) studied. He was a very sensitive child with big eyes and could sometimes be mischievous. One day, I seated him at the front desk. During the lesson, he suddenly made a sound as if he were eating something. I checked to see if he had something in his mouth, but found nothing. Later, when I said something funny, he laughed, and a candy flew out of his mouth, landing at my feet. He admitted that he had been snacking during the lesson, although he initially lied to me.
Another funny incident happened in Kum-Aryk. I asked the students to read ‘The White Steamboat’ by Chyngyz Aitmatov, emphasizing that they should read the original and not summaries. During the lesson, one of the students began to summarize. I was filling out the journal and listening to him. At some point, he stopped and explained that he had watched the film and hadn’t finished reading because he was called outside. I found it very funny and didn’t know what to say. I always repeated that a child who reads a lot rarely makes mistakes in writing. In the end, my student finished reading the story and received a good grade,” she shared.
Gallery: Altynkiz Borbasheva
