Jenny

East Timor has a very troubled past and Jenny grew up during Indonesian occupation of the former Portuguese colony which ended with East Timor’s independence in 2002. Jenny’s father had in fact served in the Indonesian army. The history of the nation has a complex and tragic narrative that continues to influence the nation’s identity and development. The trauma of those years impacted Jenny and certainly factored in shaping her into the brave, resilience woman she is today.

Childhood was difficult. Jenny now realizes her father and mother were in fact doing their best to keep her and her siblings safe in what was a very volatile situation. They protected their children and worked hard to provide food and education for them at a time of ongoing economic certainty and lack of opportunity. Indeed, it was a period pre Brexit in the UK when many families with Portuguese nationality came to Mid Ulster to seek work, safety and opportunity.

She remembers those days at home and going to school, recalling the warmth and togetherness of her family which was so vital when everything seemed so fragile. Her mother cooked simple foods, rice, beans and occasionally meat. Her parents always provided for her but she dreamed of furthering her education and going to university to study. Sadly, she didn’t have this chance but retained the desire and dream to better her life. Her gratitude to her family, spills over in our conversations. She suffered a lot of difficulties in the past but her resilience led her to the decision to give back and encourage others, believing, if she could make it through challenging times so could they.

The decision to leave East Timor was difficult, especially leaving her mother but her partner had already come to work in County Tyrone and she was desperate for her and her son to be reunited with him and to once again live as a family. When she came here first it was difficult to adjust to a new culture and language. Everything was different, including the weather! She had little English and started to come to First Steps Women’s Centre for classes and with a determination to make a better life for her and her family. She does miss her home country and family who still live there but has regular WhatsApp calls and contact which makes it much easier to stay in touch.

At FSWC Jenny started to glimpse the possibility of change and her life that had felt quite hopeless started to gradually change through her commitment to education and hard work. She is a great advocate for other women and encourages those in her neighbourhood and those she supports through her work as an advisor to keep hope alive and try new things. She believes everyone has the potential to become more and to take opportunities available in Mid Ulster to take courses, English classes and volunteering, the route that opened many possibilities for her and lead her to her job which she loves. She believes in a common humanity and has a great heart to see others succeed.

Jenny tells us her faith is very important to her. She is a Christian and attributes much of her guidance, peace and fulfilment to praying and spending time with God. This is so important for her.

As well as her faith, she holds dearly her East Timorese upbringing and with gratitude speaks about her family and the values and traditions she is keen to keep alive in her own family. Jenny’s story perhaps captures the essence of intangible cultural heritage, although not so neatly packaged as assumed. There is no doubt she is adamant she will pass on to her children a rich legacy from her homeland of what she has learned and experienced as a child and come to understand in a more meaningful way in adulthood. Her culture, family traditions and values are rooted in honour, protection, hope despite conflict and a constant resilience and ability to dream. These values Jenny hopes will help her children navigate their own lives in Mid Ulster as they grow up in a society and community very different to that East Timor. She recognizes that without such struggles she wouldn’t be the confident woman she is today. Jenny keeps dreaming all things are possible through faith and this gives her the courage to step out and seize every opportunity to grow, educate herself and protect and provide, as best as she can, for her family.

Jenny might be small in stature but her heart for her family and others is enormous.