‘I thought it was normal to have twenty bags’

in

‘I was born in Jakarta, but after my marriage I moved to the Netherlands. In the 1990s I was studying Dutch at the Universitas Indonesia in Jakarta, when in 1995 a teacher asked me to fill in for him and teach Indonesian to expats. There I met my husband, a Dutchman who was in Indonesia for work. We got married after a few years and when a politically unsettled period started in Indonesia, we went to the Netherlands.

“I was soon able to continue with my master’s degree in Dutch Studies in Leiden. After my studies I quickly got a job as a radio and television producer at the Dutch Muslim Broadcasting and the VPRO. From then on I worked alternately in Indonesia and the Netherlands, in journalistic positions or as a teacher. But in the meantime we had a daughter, now thirteen years old, so I was often away from home. My parents used to babysit a lot, but when they passed away, I chose to be home more. That included another job.

“I have metastatic breast cancer, but the disease is currently stable. As long as it goes, I try to do as much as possible. I do work less than before: I am an NT2 teacher 24 hours a week [Nederlands als tweede taal]In addition, I occasionally have odd jobs as a freelancer. This way I can determine how many hours I work per week. And I stay positive, miracles do happen, I keep hoping that things will go well.”

out

‘My sister’s life has inspired me for my current life. She was principal of a secondary school in Jakarta, but also taught herself. When she died of cancer in 2014, busloads of students came to her funeral. Then I realized how important her work was to others. It inspired me to look for a job that would allow me to make a difference in the lives of others. That is how I came to teach expats, newcomers, refugees and former integrators.

“My sister didn’t value things. She always said ‘I don’t need that much’. I just loved shop till you drop. I was young and didn’t think much about what really matters in life. I thought it was normal to have twenty bags in the closet. My sister’s death made me realize that all those things are irrelevant to my life, I’ve become a lot less materialistic.

“I also try to pass on my sister’s wisdom to my daughter. If you like something, you can buy it, but always consider whether that thing enriches you, also as a soul. Still, I secretly like to go shopping with my daughter, actually I like that more than she likes it herself. If she needs pants, she buys one and then she wants to go home, while I want to try on all kinds of other nice things with her.”