Asiya Zheenchoroeva, who currently heads the ethno-folklore ensemble "Asylzat," dreamed of becoming an artist since childhood, but her relatives did not support her dreams.
Nevertheless, her life turned out to be connected with the cultural sphere, and she continues to work in this direction.
At the age of 72, Asiya is the mother of one son and four daughters, as well as a proud grandmother of 18 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.
"My grandmother got married at 13, became a widow at 19, and never remarried"
I was born in the Jumgal district of Naryn region, but later became the daughter-in-law of a family from the Aksy district of Jalal-Abad region. My grandmother, originally from the village of Ak-Beshim in Chuy region, married my grandfather at 13 and moved to Jumgal. At 15, she gave birth to my father, and when he was 3 years old, my grandfather passed away. After that, my grandmother returned to her native village with her son and never remarried, living until the age of 98. Thus, my father remained living in Chuy region.
"A beautiful handwriting made my life easier"
In childhood, I studied among Russian speakers, and later continued my education in Russian-speaking classes. My father worked in Naryn and then in the Kemin district on the railway. Later, I moved to Bishkek to live with my maternal aunt to continue my studies.
Although I tried to enroll in a university, I was unable to do so and got a job as a nurse — first at the Lenin factory, and then at the Republican hospital. Just two days later, I was transferred to the registration office thanks to my proficient writing in Russian. The management noted that there was a lack of such employees, but my work record still stated "nurse."
When I worked in the registration office, I was elected to the trade union committee in 1973-1974, and since then I began to actively participate in public life.
"The move helped me recover"
I met my future husband through a classmate of my friend, who worked in construction. After the wedding, we lived in Aksy and had four children. However, later I became seriously ill, my hemoglobin dropped, and I lost weight. The doctors advised me to change the climate, and we moved to Tokmok, where I gave birth to my fifth child.
"If you become an artist, get ready and leave"
From a very young age, I loved to sing Russian songs and participate in interludes. At school, I was advised to enroll in a cultural university and was promised a recommendation letter, but my father was against it, as the profession of an artist was not respected at that time.
"I had the opportunity to go to a festival in Moscow, but I chose marriage"
My teacher, Mederbek Isakov, taught me to play the komuz and informed me that we would go to a festival in Moscow. We began preparing for the trip, but my future husband had already told his relatives about his intention to marry. At that time, I was still young and did not realize the full weight of responsibility. In the end, I got married, and later my teacher, upon meeting my friends, expressed dissatisfaction: "We specifically bought her a ticket to Moscow!"
[b]"I corrected the script and was promoted"
When we lived in Aksy, I worked in the personnel department of the hospital and the state bank and participated in song evenings (yr kese). After moving to Tokmok, I became a secretary-typist in the district Komsomol committee. One day, I was tasked with typing a script that turned out to be full of mistakes. I corrected it and added a few details. The methodologist Zinat Mataeva noticed this and asked who corrected the text. When I answered, she offered me a job with them. Thus, I became the assistant head of the culture department, checking clubs and libraries.
[b]"I performed for shepherds"
Previously, artists would travel to remote camps (koshars) to hold concerts for shepherds. I also participated in this. When there were not enough singers, I wanted to sing myself. One day, the virtuoso accordionist Kuban persuaded me to try. I performed a Russian song, and everyone liked it. My first experience with a Kyrgyz song was with "Kün chygyshym." Since then, I began to study Kyrgyz songs and perform with artists, and later I was appointed head of the club. After marriage, I stopped playing the komuz, but now I play the ooz komuz (jaw harp), the frame drum, and other percussion instruments.
[b]"Education and work"
In the end, I did receive an education in the field of club work. I worked in one of the Houses of Culture in Chuy region, and then in Tokmok, where I became a specialist in customs and traditions. In 2006, I retired.
Sometimes I sew stage costumes for artists, including uniforms for the M. Kurunkeeva Music College.
Currently, we, creative people from Alamidin, have created the ethno-folklore ensemble "Asylzat," actively participating in regional and district events and continuing to develop culture.
