Story by Gareth Kelly
Photos courtesy of Zhanna Stinson
When some people think of Kazakhstan, they of think of either the ridiculous Borat movie or some place near Russia behind the iron curtain. In truth Kazakhstan is a modern vibrant mineral rich nation and host to many foreign companies and investment. Fifteen years ago while working for one of those companies Kazak native Zhanna Stinson’s life was about to change forever.
“At 30 and still single I was considered something of an old maid,” said Stinson. “Many friends and family had tried to set me up with men, but I told them I wanted to wait for the right one, my prince. One day I was walking down the hallway at work and I saw the back of a man. A shiver went through me, my body tingled and I knew I had found him.”
That man was Arroyo Grande native James Stinson. The pair did indeed fall in love and Zhanna returned to the United States with her husband where they have made their home, along with their son Justin, in Oceano.
“The first four years were hard,” said Stinson. “I didn’t know anyone, I spoke pretty good English but it took me some time to get used to life here. I grew up in a village of about 20 people. We had more animals than people, and they were my friends. I gave them all names and would talk to them.”
Luckily the adjustment to her new life became easier as Zhanna met more people and made more friends and, with the help of her mother-in-law, others from Kazakhstan and its neighbor Russia.
Working as a caregiver, Stinson was happy with her life but wasn’t feeling quite fulfilled and felt she could do more. Through friends and the Internet she found out about the annual Miss Asia, and its married counterpart, Mrs. Asia pageantry competition hosted in Los Angeles. After fundraising efforts and the support of local businesses and her friends she decided to enter the contest now in its 26th year.
“I’d never done anything like this before and at age 44 I did have some reservations but I wanted to do this for my son,” said Stinson. 
“We have a photo book and I wanted to add some photos we could look back on years from now.”
With 30 ladies competing from countries all over Asia, Bahrain, China, Russia and Kazakhstan to name just a few, Stinson had to go through an intensive interview process, attend events where the ladies got lessons in etiquette and politics as well as preparing them for answering a whole host of current affairs questions, some of them controversial such as their thoughts on gay marriage and the lives of other Asian women.
Wearing her national costume and an evening gown (the Mrs. contestants are excused the swimsuit section) answering questions in the Q and A, Stinson finished second runner up.
“I got this really beautiful crown and I have to go back to LA and attend various events of social and cultural significance,” said Stinson. “I made so many great friends and loved the entire experience. The owners of the pageantry really want to empower the ladies and give us many opportunities. I have a fundraiser with the Red Cross in Santa Barbara coming up soon. I would also like to reach out to other minorities in this area to try and spread some 
cultural diversity and tell their stories. My home is here in the US and I’m a US citizen now but I think it’s important to keep our ethnic culture and traditions alive.”
Stinson is hoping to write stories about her life in Kazakhstan and still visits at least once a year. This intelligent and engaging beautiful lady would love to hear from people of all backgrounds that are interested in having her come to talk to various groups about her life and experiences. You can email her at
The nights are getting longer and the days warmer. What will you be springing into this spring? Send Gareth an email to and maybe he’ll ramble about them.
