Congratulations Seldovia Graduates! Part V of V – Aydana Omar

by Jenny Chissus

This week, we are honoring our 5 Seldovia graduates, Alexandria (Xandria), Aydana, Chaela, Kaitlyn and Taylor!  5 beautiful girls with 5 stories to share about their Seldovia experience in school and community!  This is part I of V in a series this week!  Graduation will be held at Susan B English school on May 20, 2014 at 4:00pm in the school gymnasium and all are welcome to celebrate with our graduates and families!

There is one exception as Aydana Omar will be leaving Seldovia for Kazakhstan on Monday, the day before graduation, so there will be a Community Graduation/Certificate Ceremony for her on Sunday, May 18th at the Sea Otter Community Center at 4:00pm, with a potluck to follow – and all are welcome!

Congratulations Aydana!

Gazette:  What is your “Seldovia” story?
Aydana:  My Seldovia story. Well, I didn’t even know about existence of Seldovia until last year. I was that lucky one who was chosen to live in this unique community. 1 year ago I would never imagine myself living in foreign country without my parents.  But God gave me the chance to experience another life  here in Seldovia.

I guess everybody has their Seldovia story. Mine is unique because I am an exchange student. I found out that I was coming to Alaska, Seldovia April 28th last year. I will be honest, I got scared, so did my parents, because I thought that Alaska is very cold, winter weather the whole year and I knew all those stereotypes about Alaska that a lot of people do. At first my parents refused to let me come here.  They said that they would gladly allow me to go if it was another state. The rule of my program is that you can’t choose a family and can’t change it just because you don’t like the town or state.  So, my parents said no, and as a temperamental teenager, I locked myself in the room and refused to talk to my parents. They thought about that for couple days and allowed me to go later. I arrived in Alaska on August 8th, and it was love at first sight.  As I flew over the Alaskan mountains, I was fascinated by the amazing view.

Being in Seldovia gave me a lot of advantages. I was the part of co-ed volleyball team, basketball team, cheerleading crew and became Homecoming Queen!  A lot of other exchange students from big cities like Anchorage ask me how do I like Seldovia ‘cuz it’s so small and there are no malls and movie theaters. And I always say “Seldovia is the most incredible and unique place and back in Kazakhstan I can go to lots of movies and malls but that will never replace walking at the beach, bonfires at the beach, driving a bike in town, breathing fresh cool air”.

Gazette:  As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? Now, as a Senior – what do you want to be when you grow up? How has that changed?
Aydana:  When I was little I had a dream to be a singer. When I became older I wanted to be a doctor. Well, I guess, my parents wanted me to be a doctor. They got everything planned. They thought that I would graduate high school, apply to medical university with scholarship and study there for 9 years. I kind of ruined their plans by doing an exchange year. I told them that I don’t want to a doctor. Now I want to study in US college for business and management and open my own little business and expand into a big company. That is my next dream after my dream to become an exchange student! Now I accomplished my first dream and I will start working hard to accomplish my second one.

Gazette:  What are some of your favorite school memories? Seldovia memories?
Aydana:  I have a lot of treasured school and Seldovia memories. My absolute memorable moments are the sport seasons and trips. I played basketball and volleyball and I got to be in a lot of places in Alaska. I love my teammates and it was so much fun travelling with them. When the entire high school travels together, that means there will be a lot of laughter and fun moments. I remember driving through the tunnel when we were going to Whittier. Everybody stuck their heads from the windows and started shouting really hard. I remember me and Jenna going to Dimond Center Mall and wearing the same pink onesies just to have fun. Jenna was my bus buddy and roommate buddy and it was so much fun with her. I remember bonfires with my friends at Outside Beach. I had an amazing year, here in Seldovia.

Gazette:  What are your plans this summer? This next year?
Aydana:  When I go back home, I will take my high school graduation exam. Afterwards I will move to the capital city, Astana,  to study and live with my sister. I will find work there to raise money to buy my own apartment. I want to take free year after graduation to figure out everything, where I want to study, etc.

Gazette:  Growing up requires a lot of help – who do you want to thank? Who made a big impression on you and has influenced you in a positive way? Who deserves a “Virtual Rose”?
Aydana:  I would like to thank my host parents Shad and Tiffany Haller for helping me throughout my senior year. I am thankful to the Seldovia community for every single effort they’ve made to make our sports team trips possible. Thanks to my teammates and coaches for inspiring, teaching and making me better. I would like to thank Susan B. English school staff for their effort in my senior year. And thanks to my parents for raising me, dealing with me and helping in  making my dreams come  true!

Gazette:  What would you do with your life if you KNEW you could not fail?
Aydana:  If I knew that I couldn’t fail I would totally travel around the world. I would backpack the Europe first. I want to volunteer in Peace Corps. Travelling is my passion!

Gazette:  Final thoughts?
Aydana:  I’ve been here for only a year but I got everything I could possibly get from Seldovia. I will never forget peaceful and kind people who surrounded me, my beautiful senior girls, and Seldovia generally. It doesn’t matter where I will be, where I will live, Seldovia will always be my second home!