IU-Kyrgyzstan connection cut short by NYC attacks

By Katherine Sears

Wille with her class in Kyrgyzstan

That night Wille turned on the television set in her apartment to Fox News, where she watched horrific events unfolding live from her homeland. “It was literally happening as I watched it on TV. I watched as the second plane hit,” Wille said.

Wille didn’t sleep much that night. “I was pretty much like most Americans; I was glued to the television,” she said. “One of the things that saved my sanity was turning the TV off every two hours.”

The following day, Wille returned to teaching to find support and wishes of condolences from her students and fellow faculty. American University was founded in 1993 by an American philanthropist and is located in Bishkek, the country’s largest city.

About 70 percent of the 4.6 million residents of Kyrgyzstan practice the Islamic faith. The former Soviet state is located in central Asia and bordered by China, Kazakstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan—the latter two border Afghanistan.

For almost a century, Kyrgyzstan residents weren’t allowed to practice their Muslim faith. Independence in the early 1990s has not led to stricter practice. “They’re rediscovering what it means to be Muslim,” Wille said.

Wille and Edwin Segal, professor of anthropology at University of Louisville, had been in Kyrgyzstan since mid-August as part of IU’s involvement with the Indiana Consortium for International Programs (ICIP) through a three-year $1.9 million federal grant. The two had been prepped for the trip by IU Southeast sociologist John Newman, who spent several weeks consulting at the university earlier in the year. Also participating earlier in the year was IU Southeast sociologist Marcia Segal, associate vice chancellor and dean of research.

Americans were told to be extra cautious and to refrain from repeating the same travel route. The following week, the U.S. Embassy held a town meeting in Bishkek to issue a voluntary evacuation of non-essential personnel.

Wille, Segal and other Americans teaching at the university decided it would be best to leave. Wille explained that they never felt in danger, but were concerned about the lack of air transport in case war had erupted in that region. On the morning of Sept. 27, Wille and Segal departed on an extra flight offered by British Air. They were originally planning to stay in Kyrgyzstan until December.

Since her return, Wille has maintained her courses in Kyrgyzstan via E-mail and help from a teaching assistant at American University. Wille had to rewrite her syllabus before she left. Her students expressed disappointment that their education was interrupted. They also felt vulnerable to potential terrorist attacks.

Wille, too, felt disappointed at leaving early. “I set up a whole new life over there. It took awhile to get settled and feel at home. Then I had to leave.”