An interview with Linn, our Goducate worker among the depressed communities in East Malaysia.
Linn is a Filipina who now lives in Malaysia, with her husband and her three children. Her husband is working with poor migrants in Kuala Lumpur.
Linn: It was the call of the times and I was given opportunities to serve. It was during those times that I realized I love people. I really love poor people and my heart ached for their miseries.
PC: Were you ever a communist? Party member?
Linn: I was with a left-wing national student org by association (because I was a student leader from a prime univ) and by affection because my friends were there. That org was labeled subversive.
We were more for social change rather than communism although during those times, every one was lumped together as such. No, I was not a party member.
PC: Where did you study in university?
Linn: I took up a double major of bachelor of Arts in political science and history at Univ of the Phils in the Visayas for 6 years but did not finish.
PC: Why didn’t you graduate?
Linn: I got sidelined by many other things:
1.The political climate
2.My emotional baggage: My father was among the first OFW leaving us to work in Qatar when I was just 10 yrs old.
3.My mom’s teaching post was away from us so we get to see here only week ends-grew up on our own plus the maid.
4.I was young – had no coach, did not realize my confusion about many things until later in life. I did not really know what i wanted except that I want to live a meaningful life of helping people. I was not able to see the end result but the day to day thing only.
5.People graduate to find work to have money. I had money-graduating was not as pressing.
6.People in my class were talking about what happened, what to do, what should have been done etc. I just do it.
PC: What experiences did you have organizing “communities”?
Linn: When i was 7, I remember my teacher writing my name on the board as president of the class and then opening the VP and other offices for election. That was weird I heard later that she observed me having command and leadership over my classmates.
During my teens, I would go to a slum area on Saturdays (for 4 yrs), look for kids to teach then spend time with their parents, discover their stories, organize events for them.
to be continued
Previous posts:
Interview with Linn – A helper of the helpless Part 1
Interview with Linn – A helper of the helpless Part 2