The story of the meeting between Lira Motosheva and Marat Kozhomuratov, residents of the village of Internatsional in the Issyk-Ata district, began at a cinema. Upon seeing Lira, Marat immediately felt attracted to her and asked his classmate to help him make an introduction by writing her a letter.
How it all began
Lira Motosheva, born on November 23, 1971, in the village of Chayek in the Naryn region, and her husband, Marat Kozhomuratov, born on February 2, 1970, in the settlement of Min-Kush, are parents to four children — one daughter and three sons.
“On a winter day in 1987, I was walking to my aunt's house past the House of Culture in Min-Kush when my future husband saw me. He had come to a movie screening and remembered me because I was dressed in a certain way. His neighbor, my classmate Talai, became the intermediary between us and told me about his feelings. At first, I thought it was a joke, but a month later we met,” Lira recalls.
After four years of dating, in 1991, when Kyrgyzstan gained independence, they married according to traditional Kyrgyz customs.
Happy moments
“Now we are celebrating 35 years of married life and 39 years since we met. One of the happiest moments was the birth of our first daughter, when my husband couldn't hold back his tears of joy,” Lira shares.
Marat works as a teacher of the Kyrgyz language and literature in Kant, while Lira is a welder at a factory that produces slate.
Childhood memories
Lira recalls an incident when, while herding sheep with her brother, she encountered a sheep that wouldn’t let anyone approach her lamb. This led to a funny situation where the sheep knocked her down, and she, holding onto its ears, cried out of fear while her brother laughed until he cried. “This story still brings smiles when we gather as a family,” Lira says.
Participation in a contest
Recently, Lira, along with her son and mother, participated in the "Three Generations" contest in Kant. “We prepared for this event for almost a week and chose to perform the song 'Maternal Blessing' ('Ene tilegi'). In the end, we took third place,” Lira shares.
Advice for young couples
“To create a strong family, mutual understanding and respect are essential. It is important to be patient and attentive to each other. I advise young couples to listen to each other, forgive, and show patience. Family is a school of love and understanding,” Lira concludes, adding that she intends to develop and contribute to society in the future. Her hobbies include reading and singing.
