A Guru in Mexico

Driving her small car to work every morning, Evie feels quite at home zigzaging through the traffic jam, "just like back in Jakarta," she said, heading towards the prestigious El Colegio de Mexico, which has been her place of work for almost two decades. But for a twist of fate, Evie would have been teaching at a university in Tokyo, Japan, in 1997. Instead, she flew to Mexico City on the other side of the world, and what was to have been a three-year posting turned out to be an indefinite stay. "I fell in love with the place," said Evie, explaining her reason for staying on.

In 1966, Evie was lecturing at the faculty of literature at the University of Indonesia, when department head Prof. Sapardi Djoko Damono, opened up the opportunity to teach Indonesian language in Tokyo and she had signed up. But then came the offer to teach for two years in Mexico, starting immediately. She was only given one night to make a decision. Evie decided to take it, rationalizing that she could still work in Japan in 1998, after her stint in Mexico.

October 6, 2015

Driving her small car to work every morning, Evie feels quite at home zigzaging through the traffic jam, "just like back in Jakarta," she said, heading towards the prestigious El Colegio de Mexico, which has been her place of work for almost two decades. But for a twist of fate, Evie would have been teaching at a university in Tokyo, Japan, in 1997. Instead, she flew to Mexico City on the other side of the world, and what was to have been a three-y

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