Pictured above: Jahongir Khatamov, left, recently arrived in the United States. He is seen here with his wife, Gulshan Khatamov, right.

Jahongir Khatamov works as an administrative specialist at Maple Hill South. He is a native of Uzbekistan who moved to the United States recently.

What brought you to the University of Arkansas?

One of my close friends, who also works as a faculty here, described to me how wonderful it is to work for the U of A. After I found out about the awesome benefits, warm work environment, and the kind people that make up the U of A community, I immediately decided to apply.

Tell us a little about yourself – family? Pets?

Jahongir’s 4-year-old daughter, Mumtoz

I am a father of a 4-year-old girl and a husband of my beloved wife. We’re a small family, but we are getting ready to expand as my wife is pregnant with our second child! The rest of my family lives in Uzbekistan, where I am originally from. I have lived in the United States for over a year, but before I arrived here, I worked in engineering and transportation fields.

What are your hobbies?

As a family man at heart, I spend most of my time playing with my daughter and cooking barbecue for my family. I also enjoy watching and reading detective stories and learning new things on the internet.

Can you provide us with a random fact about you?

I am trilingual and can speak fluently Uzbek, Russian and English.

What has been the best thing about living in America?

Coming to the United States has been a very rewarding experience. Despite the diversity of the United States, everyone cares for each other like they’re family.

The food here is so different than in Uzbekistan! I don’t even know what I’m eating sometimes.

By far my favorite American meal is cinnamon French toast – it’s a delicacy that we don’t have in Uzbekistan!