I DO THINGS SPONTANEOUSLY AND DON'T THINK OF THE CONSEQUENCES
Name: Rosario Pangilinan
Age: 50
District: Grorud
Nationality: Norwegian/Filipino
I live with my husband Boni, our common child Marion and two of my three kids from my first marriage: Charlotte og Patric. My oldest, Ingebjørg, have moved out.
I work as a doctor’s secretary, but I am a practical nurse.
I belong to the Filipinos, the Tara readers, the fifty plus, the mothers, the ones that want to go back home, the cooks, the Catholics, the ones that curse in Filipino, the ones that work in health care, the east side of Oslo, the ones that train a lot, but I don’t feel like I don’t belong to any groups! Or maybe: I wouldn’t want to be with them.
I moved here because I married again, and as my new husband came straight from the Phillipines the option to stay in Rjukan wasn’t so inviting as finding a job there for him would be more difficult. It felt strange moving here, I did not feel at home here. It was so expensive. And all the foreigners! I came from Rjukan and was accustomed to only be with Norwegians. But around here it was harder to get to know Norwegians, and much easier to get to know many other Filipinos as there are roughly around five thousand other Filipinos here. But I get along fine with all other Norwegians and other foreigners at work. No, I don’t think I will live here in twenty years, I want to go home to my country when I retire. We have been talking about retiring at 62 and going back. But of course I have to come back every summer or so, to see my children who are Norwegian and none of them wants to follow me to the Philippines.
“The strongest man is the most alone” is probably true. But I mean, I think you are strongest when people stand together. Because you cannot be the strongest by yourself, regardless how strong you are. If a branch is leaning against the wall, it is at greater risk to fall, than if a bunch of branches lean together. No, I doubt that the strongest are alone. I think that no matter how strong you are, if you are alone you will fall easier.
It was a turningpoint for me when I met my new husband: I actually thought I would continue living on my own after my divorce.
I am taking the tube from Grorud to the performances. Just down the hill here and through the mall, and then straight to Nationaltheatret.
