This time, the focus is on Milena Jumabaevna Abdullazizova, originally from the village of Orozbekov, which is part of the city of Kadamjai in the Batken region. From a young age, she set high goals for herself and, thanks to her perseverance, was able to obtain an education in Moscow, where she is successfully developing her career in two fields: law and aviation.
Milena strives for international career growth in the aviation sector, actively studies foreign languages, and dreams of traveling around the world.
The girl was born on January 2, 2002, in Orozbekov. “In our family, there are only two children – I have an older brother. I studied at a local gymnasium until the 8th grade, and in 2016, I moved to Moscow to be with my mother. My mother and grandmother raised me, and I do not communicate with my father. In 2004, my mother went to Moscow for work, and since then, she has been working as a cook,” she shares.
The move to Russia prompted her to study the Russian language in depth and to familiarize herself with the local culture and history. “I studied at a Kyrgyz school in a remote area and initially had a poor command of Russian. When I enrolled in Lyceum No. 507 in Moscow, I had to complete the 8th-grade program twice due to differences in curricula. A girl from Ukraine was in the same situation, and we studied together,” Milena recounts.
“At first, I was mocked for my mistakes in stress and grammar. My mother tried hard, buying books and making me read even street newspapers. As a result, I mastered the Russian language,” she adds.
According to Milena, she successfully passed the Unified State Exam (USE) and completed the 9th grade. “Then I moved on to the 10th and 11th grades. Even Russians felt the difficulty of the USE; many did not pass mathematics the first time. But thanks to my mother, who was a mathematics teacher, I managed to pass this subject easily. She explained the material to me at home, and as a result, I always had good grades,” she explains.
In Kyrgyzstan, there is a National Testing (ORT), while in Russia, there is the Unified State Exam. Although I did not take the ORT, I think they are similar. I chose history as an additional subject. My teacher said, “You shouldn’t take it; you only started studying the history of Russia in the 8th grade.” But I was persistent and successfully passed the exam, which even pleased my teacher,” Milena recalls.
To enroll in the law faculty of S.Yu. Witte Moscow University, Milena needed to pass exams in Russian, mathematics, history, and social studies. “Getting a budget place was difficult, so I studied at a reduced cost. Among the students from Kyrgyzstan, there were those who studied on a budget basis, as they were accepted under a separate quota. Many students come from Kyrgyzstan for 1–2 semesters. I also studied at the International University “Ala-Too” in Bishkek as part of an exchange program and did not pay for my education. Now I continue my studies in graduate school to improve my knowledge. To maintain my skills, I worked in my field, visiting various courts in Moscow. During my studies, I was a translator in the courts and interned at the Arbitration and Butyrka courts. Then I worked with Guliza Akmatziyeva in the field of migration law,” she shares.
Currently, Milena works as a flight attendant for Aeroflot – Russian Airlines. “Here, mainly citizens of Russia or Belarus can work. Flight attendants at Aeroflot can retire after 7 years of service, and since it is a state company, they are granted 70 days of paid vacation annually. Citizens of Kyrgyzstan can work in Aeroflot's subsidiary – the airline Pobeda. There are many flight attendants from Jalal-Abad, Issyk-Kul, and Chui regions in Aeroflot. Four girls from the Kadamjai district work here. There may be other Kyrgyz people I don’t know about. The company has over 7,000 flight attendants, and even if we work on the same flight, we often don’t cross paths. My choice of profession was influenced by my older brother and mother. When I was in the 6th and 7th grades, my brother said it would be great if I became a flight attendant, but at that time, I focused more on my studies and didn’t think seriously about it,” she shares.
My interest in the profession grew when I returned to Kyrgyzstan through the exchange program while studying in my third year at the International University “Ala-Too.”
In November 2023, I had an interview. Then, for a month, I underwent a medical examination and gathered the necessary documents. I studied for three months at the Aeroflot training center and started flying in April 2024,” she reports.
“At first, there was a lot of new information, as the aircraft has many functions. Each task is clearly regulated. Opening and closing doors, extinguishing fires, providing medical assistance, and serving passengers – it was challenging to master all this in three months and apply it in practice. But thanks to the support of my colleagues, I quickly adapted. When you start working, each flight attendant is assigned a mentor. For the first five flights, you fly with them; they show everything and teach the necessary skills. Each flight for me is not just a job; it’s an opportunity. An opportunity to meet new people and develop myself. Once a passenger asked me, “You always smile; don’t you get tired?” I replied, “Every smile helps relieve fatigue because I am doing what I love,” she notes.
For Milena, aviation is a combination of freedom and responsibility. “Each flight is a new story; each passenger is a unique world. This job teaches me something new every day, strengthens my sense of responsibility, patience, and positive outlook. There are also funny moments. Once, during a flight to Almaty, I discovered that my friend was a passenger. When I recognized him and greeted him, he didn’t immediately realize who I was. After takeoff, I approached him, and he was very surprised,” she recounts. “My main success is finding my place in two different but responsible fields. As a lawyer, I developed patience and precision, while aviation taught me how to communicate with people and maintain a positive outlook on life. Now I feel confident both in working with people and in making decisions,” Milena adds.
Milena is fluent in Kyrgyz, Russian, and English. “Now I am studying Chinese, Arabic, and other languages. I have managed to visit many countries – China, Turkey, Egypt, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and others. I have traveled almost all corners of Russia, and I can say that it is a beautiful country. I recommend everyone see places like Kamchatka, the Far East, and Sakhalin. Traveling has helped me get acquainted with various cultures. In my free time, I love to read, learn languages, and engage in sports. Recently, I have been working on maintaining a blog,” the flight attendant concludes.
