By Student Jorja Gravett
On April 18, 2007, Kamila Tazabekova was born in Kazakhstan. She went home to her family of four with her mother, grandmother, and dog. Kamila is close to her three older cousins, ages 22 to 30.
Kamila found it difficult to describe what she was feeling when she first landed in Iowa. “I mean, I was very excited to see my host family (Emily and Weston Conner), and I expected a new life here. Like, a whole new chapter of my life.”
Once she knew she was going to a small town instead of California or New York, Kamila said she then shifted her view to enjoy the small town life. She likes the fact that she lives in the small town of Melcher-Dallas, Iowa. “People here are very nice and friendly. Everybody knows each other and you can just talk to anyone.”
Kamila said she wasn't really nervous, she only worried about making friends.
Before she came to the United States, she was an accomplished volleyball player, and her favorite memory was winning the championship. This year, Kamila has participated in track, which she is so far enjoying, because she has her friends with her. Together, the team placed third in the 4x800 meter relay.
In August, Kamila joined as a cheerleader for the football season, and later balanced basketball with basketball cheer. Her favorite memory she hopes to remember for a long time is cheering when our Melcher-Dallas football team went up against Twin Cedars at Homecoming, which the Saints eventually won. Her favorite basketball memory from this year was their first match against Lamoni.
Kamila also chose to join choir, where she sang Mr. Lee as a soloist at the spring concert in April. She has taken up guitar lessons, and her favorite song to play is Country Roads, because it is the most country song they have learned so far. Kamila also engaged in FFA, where she helped with the Thanksgiving gathering, and volunteered for FFA districts.
In Kazakhstan, 6,103 miles away from Iowa, her favorite subjects are chemistry and biology. In Melcher, pre-calc takes the lead as her favorite class.
In March, Kamila took a trip to Florida. While in Florida, she went to Disney World. She said she had a great time seeing her favorite Disney characters and going on rides in Magic Kingdom. Her favorite ride to go on was the TRON Lightcycle Run. After that, she enjoyed the beach for a few more days, and saw the ocean for the first time.
“I changed a lot. When I came here, I was just like a little baby who didn’t know a lot. I think I’ve become very independent. I really like the fact that my personality, just, like, grew.”