When I first joined the teacher training college I had already passed my 40th birthday and perhaps to many trainees I was already an "old" person. But it did not dawn on me that ageism has already set in.
Teacher training is a daunting task. We have to create ripple effect. We have to be staunch in our beliefs, values and every day work. We have to persevere against all odds.
My first week in the college brought me in close proximity to a sweet young teacher trainer from Malacca. My first impression of her was very good. She was helpful, humble and very down to earth. And I was not wrong as my gut instincts told me that she could be trusted in any battlefield.
I told my children that I had met someone who could play the role of Hua Mu Lan very well. They were delighted by my daily stories of the college, my work, my trainees.
I called her Fresh Chrysanthemum because she liked to wear one particular floral blouse very much. At home, meaning the single lady's quarters which she shared with my head of department, she also wore her batik floral prints.
From that day onwards I was to learn many things about the practicality of life, how to struggle to remain above water and how to invest not only financially but spiritually.
It was good to have such a friend when you are far away from home and struggling to live one day at a time. Chrysanthemum was God sent.
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