As a child, Erlan Zhylyngozov lived the usual life of a Kazakhstani child—playing games with peers, riding a bicycle, and going to school. When he was in third grade, something happened at home that was incomprehensible to him, and he suddenly found himself separated from his mother, brother, and close friends.
Erlan began living in an orphanage. Now as a young man, either he can't or doesn't want to talk about that period of his life. He gives sparse answers about why he ended up in a state home despite having a living mother, admitting he doesn't know.
However, Erlan has nothing negative to say about life in the orphanage. He wasn't mistreated, and quickly made friends with other kids. Of course, there was no maternal affection, and thoughts of his deceased father sometimes troubled him.
School proceeded as usual—Erlan was a solid student and eventually became the school president! Not everyone achieves such a high position, even if it is just within a school. In his role, Erlan maintained order at the school, ensuring that students attended classes, were punctual, and adhered to discipline.
After ninth grade, he had to enter college to pursue a promising specialty in Finance. He liked studying, but knew there was no possibility of going beyond college due to a lack of funds. His mother also couldn't help him. Incidentally, Erlan reconnected with his mother—when he was in seventh grade, a teacher suggested he travel to his native village to find her home. It wasn't difficult, and the touching reunion marked the beginning of renewed relationships between mother and son.
"One day," Erlan recalls, "the deputy director of the orphanage told us about the opportunity to receive a free higher education—through the 'Pathway to Life' program offered by Nurbank for children from orphanages. I decided to take the chance, applied, passed the selection, gathered the documents, and got admitted to Caspian University for the same Finance specialty."
There were tough times, Erlan says. It was hard at times and he wanted to quit, especially since he already had a college diploma. Over time, he adjusted, and studying became easier, if not perfect, then at least without serious difficulties. At the beginning of summer, Erlan received his bachelor’s degree and immediately got a job at a bank.
"It was tough sometimes. But I decided—if we were given such an opportunity, we should use it. Not everyone gets the chance to study at a good university for free and then find employment. I interned at the bank during my studies. Now I work in the retail banking department. My mother is, of course, happy for me," says Erlan.
Now, the young man lives in a youth residence. He recently married a girl from Zharkent—his wife, then future wife, visited a relative working at the orphanage. That's how they met. After three years of dating and communicating, they decided to start a family. Now the couple is waiting for an apartment through a government program.
"Then, we can think about having children," says Erlan. However, he is not planning too far ahead—letting things take their course.