Episode Transcript
Femininity is powerful in all its forms, exceptional women, rare girls must be appreciated in every
way for their perspectives, actions, thoughts, and their unique ways of being. Such rare
girls are inspiring, and this is what this podcast is all about. Hello, my name is Aziz
and my guest today is Rumiya Imachoevna. Rumiya is from Khorog in Tajikistan. She lives in the
United States, but right now she is back in her home country to work at a mobile clinic that goes
around villages and provide free medical diagnostics. Rumiya studies biotechnology at
the University of Kansas, but she wants to become a physician. Her hobbies are people watching,
reading, and traveling. Her biggest achievement is that she has established a PCR laboratory
for COVID-19 testing in her hometown. At that time, she was the only specialist. Then she
started teaching others this specialty. Rumiya, how are you today? I'm good, thank you. How are
you? I'm feeling positive. I'm feeling lucky to be alive and curious about you as a person. So,
I'll begin with this. If your friends in the U.S. could describe your personality compared to your
friends in Tajikistan, would they say some different things or how would they describe
your personality? I think yes, they would say pretty much the same. Both in the U.S. and Tajikistan,
I think people would describe me as positive, but I think in the U.S. people will also describe me
as overly ambitious. Because I think here in Tajikistan, all of my friends are, since I was
a kid and everybody's like in a different field, so I don't really show how ambitious I am. But
all of my friends in the U.S. are either from university or like from work, and they know that
I'm a very ambitious person. Tell me more. What does an ambitious person mean to you, especially
that you love people watching? And what motivates some people to be ambitious and others not so much?
I don't really know what makes some people be more ambitious and then less ambitious. Ambitions for
me is actually to want something. It's not necessarily to want to be like a good professional
or like be successful person, make a lot of money or like be the best in your field and stuff like
that. Ambitions for me also means is to become a good mother and to have a good household and
whatever your goal is, whatever you strive for is your ambitions. I think what makes some people
more ambitious than others, I think it's character because life is challenging and some people have
a harder or better developed character where they go through things no matter what. And some people
just back off sometimes and like lay back and say, hey, whatever I have right now, I'm okay with that.
Maybe I should cut off my goals and stuff like that. That's really interesting and I would love
to know what's the story of you deciding to study biotechnology and what interests you in becoming
a physician? Why didn't you go a more direct route to becoming a physician? What fascinates
you about it? Tell me more about that. Well, I think biotechnology was just a random thing
that I had to choose because I wanted to become a physician since I graduated high school.
And the reason for that was I was in the hospital in ninth grade because I got some kidney problems
and I had to be hospitalized for 10 days straight. I didn't have friends around me
and my family was not allowed to visit me that often. So I was all by myself. It was just me,
the nurses, the doctors, and I love people watching. So I would watch people run back and forth
and stuff. And I saw that being in medicine is not like having a job. That's a lifestyle.
So it's not about a question of balancing out your personal life and your family life and stuff like
that. It's actually living in the lifestyle. It's constantly going and moving and trying to be the
best and then doing your best and seeing the people and not looking at the people as things.
As a doctor, you look at people not as like, this is your disease. You look at them,
you are this person, you are somebody's kid, you are somebody's mom, you're somebody's father,
and you are in this situation. So my job is to help you to get out of it. So that kind of
thing that motivated me to go and become a physician. Also, I love the outfits. I love
scrubs. I think they're the most comfortable clothes that a person could ever have. And I
chose biotechnology because all of the curriculum is matching whatever I need to get to medical school.
But then I fell in love with the microbiological world because I could see my own skin. I could
create my own DNA. I could create my own baby cells with my own DNA, which have genetically
my kids and stuff. So I got interested in all of this amazing microbiologic stuff that we don't see,
but it exists. So I think I felt in love with biotechnology, but I just chose it randomly.
That's fascinating. And it seems to me that people are really valuable and important
for you. How is your relationship with people? Are you extroverted? Do you get along
and understand people easily? Are people for you the most fascinating thing in the world? Or
are people who you want to help and you do it for that? How much is that connection with people a
big part of who you are and of your life? I think I'm an extroverted introvert. I'm a person who
easily gets along with everybody. I'm also very detail-oriented, so I really can adjust myself to
all the people that I talk to. It's usually very easy for me to communicate with people,
to be honest. I have never learned communication skills. I have had them naturally, mostly.
People are the big part of my life because those are the creatures that I interact with the most.
I love animals. I love dogs and cats and all of the animals around the world, but I think I'm too
sensitive to want to be like a vet because when I see a sick animal, it breaks my heart. But with a
person, I know this is the situation, but I can hold back my feelings and then turn on my logic
and look at you and say, hey, this is what we need to get done with you. So yeah, people are my
favorite creatures, I think. I love people, but I also need my breaks from people. So I work about
five times per week, and then I have one day, which is usually the weekend, that I try to take
myself out of the community and just check up with myself and see how I am doing. Because being in
Madison, it's hearing a lot of devastating stories. It's hearing good stories, but also it's hearing
a lot of devastating stories. So I really hold off a little bit, hold back, sit back, and then think,
okay, so we'll happen through the week and maybe go get coffee on my own, read a book. I just spend
time with some pets and stuff so I can get relieved. So I think I'm more extroverted, introvert.
That's fascinating. And to describe you, since you lived both in the U.S. as well as in your home
country, how would you describe people in the U.S. and how different are they to people from Tajikistan?
Who is, like, if you could describe a girl from Tajikistan in 2022, how would be, like, some common
characteristics or traits or attitudes, and how different would they be compared to people in
Kansas? Oh, I think both people from Tajikistan and Kansas are great people. I think the biggest
difference that I have noticed is people in Tajikistan are more easygoing, people in the
United States are more conservative when it comes to building relationships, building friendships.
So if I was about to describe a girl from Kansas versus from Tajikistan, I would say that a girl
from Kansas is, like, probably she got good education, at least the level of high school and
stuff, and she is nice, and she's very friendly, and then she smiles, but she would not be able to
build, like, strong open relationships very fast. She would really check the person, take that time.
And a girl from Tajikistan, even in 2022, unfortunately, might have some high school, but
not all the girls from Tajikistan have all of the education of, like, proper high school and stuff.
So it depends, but she is very easygoing, she's very nice. You will talk to her, share a few things
with her, and then she will think, like, oh, we are best friends now. So I think that's a good
difference. So I think that would be the biggest difference. We, as Tajik people, we are very open,
and with the U.S., I think people there are a bit more conservative.
Thank you. That's so interesting. And since you mentioned friendships, deeper connection,
what kinds of people or traits in people do you look for that will make good friends,
that when you meet a person, you think, yes, this is my person? And what is really the definition of
friendship for you as a girl from Tajikistan that you find harder to build abroad like in Kansas?
I think friendships, friendships for me are overly important things. I, to be honest,
I don't have a lot of close friends. And to be very honest, I don't have a lot of friends.
I do have a very, very small circle, but I have very good quality friends. So the things that I
love, I think I'm able to love everything about people. I could easily tell you the things that I
don't like about people. I don't like people with a high ego, and I also don't like people who are
very selfish. And I don't like people who really think that, you know, they have so much and they're
so good. And they're like, you know, you can't even talk to them because they're like this big,
cool, cool people that nobody can like, go up to. I really like easy people. I like people who build
friendships easily. I like people who trust. I know your trust could be broken. And that's one
thing in the United States is because trust can be broken, they build a boundaries, big boundaries
for you to cross. So it will take you so much longer to become close friends with somebody in
the United States. With us, we don't build that boundary so high. I think that's maybe something
that is very naive of me, a bit foolish, because I got my heart broken like that too many times by
trusting and by thinking that, oh, like, you know, I'm very open with these people, and I'm their
best friend. And they're my best friend too. They also think of me as a best friend. But then I
figure out that, oh no, we were just friends. You know, there's a difference between just friends
and a best friend, in my opinion. I understand 100%. And to ask you, since you have experience
in the medical field, both in Tajikistan and in the US, what are some things you believe
the US medical system could learn from Tajikistan? And what things would be changed in Tajikistan to
be more similar to the US so that the medical field can develop even more? Oh, that's a great
question. That's a wonderful question. I think the biggest thing that the Tajik medical schools and
medical system here can build from the United States is to give more practice, to give more
on-site practice to students, to upcoming doctors, and also to really focus on the way that we
communicate with patients. Because sometimes, you know, it's a cultural thing too. We tend to go over
what we need to do for the patient. We tend to get too involved with the patient, which is wrong to
do in medicine, in my opinion, or getting less involved with the patient. So communication,
also the technology. But the technology is a big other thing that we can get from the United States.
I think it will take many, many years to bring all of the technology. But practice would be
my biggest thing. I think Tajikistan medical system is missing the own hand practices.
United States is doing a great job on doing that. Also, I would really change, if I could,
I would really change how the system in Tajikistan works. Because in Tajikistan,
you graduate high schools, and then you can go to medical school. In the United States,
you graduate high school, you get your bachelor's, and after your bachelor's, you have to pass MCAD,
get interview, and things like that. And only then you can go to medical school and become a physician.
So because we skip all of those steps, I think sometimes we have in medical schools and doctors
that didn't want to be doctors. They were just forced by the fact that, oh, you're a good student,
you should become a doctor. Like, my mama wants me to become a doctor. And because they went straight
from high school to university, they didn't even have time to discover if medicine is exactly what
they want. So we have sometimes burned out doctors that the only reason they're burned out is the
fact that, well, you know what, I didn't want to be here. So I think that US system allows to like
cut that amount of population going to medical schools. But the one thing that I think Tajik
people can teach US medical system would be taking less patients so they can provide to get connected
more to the patients. In US, there's too many patients for one doctor, and I think that they
don't have enough time to build connections with them. I love how important people and building
connections are for you and to ask you. Since people watching is your hobby, imagine someone
from another place or culture who doesn't even understand how people watching can be fascinating.
They will wonder, are you like looking at people, imagining some backstory for them that is
interesting, like the super cool superheroes, or are you an empath and you can feel their energy
and wonder what's going on in their lives? Or for you, imagine someone who never people watch,
who doesn't understand the interest or fascination. If you could get them interested into such an
activity, how would you describe it? What would be cool about it? How should they do it? Where,
what times of the day, etc. Just share your people watching master class.
That's a fun question. I don't think I have a master class in that, but I think I would say is
as a young adult, I never used to slow down. I was very good at school and I always tried to go and
do school and then get all the good grades and then be the best I could be. So I never slowed down.
At the university, I realized that slowing down is not bad and we need to slow down and we need
to take breaks. So for somebody who hasn't been people watching, I would say that slow down in
the busiest street you can find. And just look at the people who cross. Maybe you sit in a cafe
and look at the people who get kofi. Look at them. What kind of kofi? Don't be weird about that.
Don't stare at them. But look what kind of kofi did they order? Look at somebody who's running
too fast. This woman looks like she's a mother of like 10 kids and then she's trying to catch all
her kids. What is this man dressed up in a suit? Is he a businessman? Is he trying to get a job?
Why his eyes are so sad? Try to find a person in the crowd that is different. Maybe everybody's
rushing, but try to find that person with your eyes that is like, you know, he just sits there
and smiles. How many people can you see in this like busy crowd just smiling for no reason?
Somebody maybe got a text from a boyfriend or girlfriend, a wife or husband, and they have this
big, big, big smile on their face. And kind of like try to predict what are those people about?
And you don't do that to judge. You do that to understand people more. I think people watching
helps me to make a backstory for people in my head. And I don't need that to be confirmed,
but I see people doing like slowing down, stopping, and they see a person who's like homeless on the
street asking for money and they give him something. And then you see another like person
who comes to that person, like who sits on the street. And instead of giving them money, they
talk to them for a little bit and they ask what's going on. And then they maybe give them money or
maybe they offer whatever else. And you know, you see this like people who stop for a puppy,
they see a puppy on the street and they're like, oh, let me take this puppy or like me.
And there's have to be people who are angry for no reason. And like they see this little puppy and
they try to kick it and stuff like that. Like it's just like trying. This is a living movie,
I think. If you want to watch a movie, maybe I don't watch TV that much. I watch people,
but they're like living movies. Like this is so fascinating that each person, each individual
that we have in this crowd has their backstories, have the completely different lives that we don't
even know about. We will probably never cross paths. So I think slow down and look around
yourself. You'll see so many fun things, so many good things. That's so fascinating and so very
well described. And Rumia, what's your plan for the future? Do you plan to live in the US,
to work in the medical field there? Is there a specific city that you would love to be living in
or any other place in the world? Like where do you see yourself when you complete your education
and you become a physician, hopefully? What would be the dream come true situation for you?
That's a difficult question at this moment because a couple years ago, that was a
set in stone for me. That was like, I either come graduate, get everything done, and then come here
and start working here for sure, back at home. Oh, it's New York City. I love New York City. I like
their residency programs. I love how they train their doctors. So for me, it was like either New
York City or back home. At this moment, I know that I'm not limited to my home country and I'm
not limited to the United States, so I can choose. I have done quite a lot of traveling, but I don't
think I have traveled enough to pick a city that I would love to be in for the rest of my life.
I need to still discover that. But one thing that I know for sure is no matter where I'll be in the
world, there will be two or three months out of the whole year that I will be coming here and try
to provide either a free medical care or provide a very low-cost medical care in my home country.
That's a way to say thank you for the character that my home country built in me. It nurtured me.
I think it gave me the nature, and the United States nurtured me. So a person that I am right
now, it's because I have been set values here in Tajikistan that I keep with myself. And then United
States is also my home, and it nurtured those values. And it may be who I am today. Many people
know me because of that, because of that country. And I'm forever grateful for both of those places.
I think they're equally my home now. Thank you. And I'm curious about you as
growing up in Tajikistan. Did you feel that you belonged in a way that you fit in like a glove
into the culture? Or because of the age we live in and social media, you had picked up a lot of
the cultural elements from the US, from the UK, from Korea and Japan and all over the world.
And therefore, you felt more of a citizen of the world who desires more freedom and to go
everywhere. How were you? Were you like a girl, like you said, always studying, but felt like
you wanted more there wherever you were, you didn't fit in as well as you could, or you fit in
perfectly, but the pandemic happened and all those life changes. And suddenly you found new parts of
yourself that let you mature and change. I think as a kid, it was hard for me to belong
anywhere. And it's still like this. I don't think I truly and fully belong everywhere. I think
the price you pay for traveling and the price you pay for living in different countries
is you become half this, half that, and you don't really know where you truly belong.
Growing up as a kid, I need to mention the biggest thing. I grew up as a very sensitive kid.
I am still a very sensitive person. Now I try to control that more, but I did grow up as a very
sensitive person. So oftentimes I didn't feel that I belong. And the reason for that was, I think,
the men in my class and the men in my society and my culture is treated a little bit different.
If you look at our cultural houses that we built here, you look, there's a different spot for men,
different spot for women. And usually women are sitting up higher, men are sitting up lower.
So they're the protector, they're the provider, they're like this, this, this, this. And I was
raised in a family of two girls. It was just two girls. And the only male that we had around us
was my dad. And my dad is like, he never told us to grow up, get married, and be happy. He
always told us to grow up and do whatever you want, whatever you feel like doing. It's either
getting married or it's either getting like job or something like that. And sometimes because I
felt more like I need to do more and I want more in my life, it became like, like a thing for me,
like I don't truly belong here. And maybe this was the time that I was trying to like seek and
look for some other places. Yeah, that's, that's probably that. Like, I'm honest, I don't truly
belong here because I do have a lot of differences. And I think I had those differences and felt them
very strongly when I did renovation at my parents' apartment. So last year I did renovation and
renovation here in Tajikistan. Culture is a man job and man knows all the nails, all the like plumbing
stuff that they have to like bind stuff. And I had to do it on my own. So I had to like pick all
these things and try to figure out what is this plug? What is this plug? Where's this electricity
goes? And I had people who worked for me, but then I had to provide the materials for them.
And every time I go to the stores, they will be like, no, like, like they would like talk to me,
like, I don't know what I'm talking about. So I learned all the nails and all the sizes and their
names. And then I went to the store and I was speaking with that guy in his language and he's
like, oh, there you go. And I kind of got his validation, which I think in 2022, that's still
a thing to do to get a validation. But I guess we still have to do that. Thank you so much,
Rumiya. This was my privilege, my honor, such a wonderful way to learn more about a girl who
is as ambitious, as hardworking, and as freedom loving as well as people loving as you are. So
I wish you success and thank you so much for participating. Thank you. That was my honor.
Thank you so much.
