For over 40 years, the couple worked at the same school and now enjoy their well-deserved retirement.
Kümüş apa, born in 1950 in the village of Barskoon in the Jeti-Oguz district of the Issyk-Kul region, shared her life story. She grew up in a family of civil servants and met her future husband during her school years.
“My father held the position of head of the village council, and my mother was a teacher. We have three daughters and six sons in our family. Due to my parents' work, I studied in another region until the 5th grade, and then I was transferred to a children's boarding school in Barskoon, where my future husband also ended up. We sat together at the last desk, and after two years, starting from the 8th grade, feelings developed between us. Our childhood love led to a strong union. We got married in 1969 when I was studying at university, as we were afraid that someone might take me away,” Kümüş apa reminisced.
Both spouses worked at the E. Kendirbaev school: Zholoman taught physical education, while Kümüş taught English.
K. Konokbaeva, who is now 74 years old, speaks Kazakh and English fluently, in addition to her native Kyrgyz.
“When I was in school, I was always interested in the English language. Teacher Kemelbaev laid a good foundation for studying it. Thanks to a strong school base, I completed a preparatory course in Frunze and enrolled in a pedagogical institute in Almaty in the foreign languages department, where I learned Kazakh. My student years were full of bright moments,” she said.
Kümüş apa recalled how she had long hair down to her knees in school. “I used to braid it. Once, I was cursed, and I fell seriously ill, spending 10 days in a coma. When I came to, all my hair had fallen out, but I was still alive. The doctors could not determine the diagnosis. Later, when I graduated from the institute, I decided to dye my hair and get a perm. At the diploma ceremony, the teachers did not recognize me,” she added.
K. Konokbaeva proudly noted that many of her students followed in her footsteps and became teachers and translators.
“Zholoman and I became teachers at the school where we studied ourselves. My first salary was 67 rubles. In the 1980s, the school held a lottery. We bought two tickets for 1 som and won a Volga car. At first, we didn’t believe it, but there was a ceremony for handing over the keys in Bishkek. My husband brought the car from the capital along with my older brother. After retiring, we often go on vacation,” Kümüş apa shared.
Once, when she was riding public transport in Bishkek, the driver suddenly braked, and she involuntarily exclaimed “nightmare.” The neighbors in the seat were surprised to hear such a thing from a woman in a headscarf. Then she asked them a question in English, and they thought she was from another nationality. She has many such amusing stories,” she shared.
Kümüş apa and Zholoman have three sons and a daughter, as well as 12 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.
Gallery: Zholoman and Kümüş Konokbaev.
