Riskul is the young girl on the farthest right in the picture below. She was one of my Kazakh students while I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Karatau, Kazakhstan. At least once or twice a month, I think about Riskul. My memory of her never goes away. In August, 1998, Riskul died in an accident inside her house. Several days later, I attended her funeral with Raihan, her class teacher, and several of her classmates. I still remember how my students cried when entering the room where her body lay wrapped inside a traditional Kazakh carpet. I remember the wailing the Kazakh women made and how time slowed down as I was viewing her body. Her face was so pale. A teacher should NEVER have to go to their student’s funeral… 🙁
(The only picture I have with Riskul (on the right) smiling)