Tongan mother does it for her family ^Featured

Linda, 27, is a first year journalism student at the University of the South Pacific and hails from Vava'u in Tonga.

"Education is very important in order for you to find a good life, to do what you want to do," she stressed.

"Sometimes we want to do things but our qualifications do not really reach that level."

Life experiences have made Linda realise and appreciate the value of having knowledge and skills, things that she constantly emphasises on.

Right after high school Linda got married, began a family, and began to face challenges that included financial difficulties.

After talks with her husband, Linda decided to go back to school and complete her studies.

"We struggled in so many ways so we decided I could go back to school for a future for my family and kids and this would open opportunities for us," she said.

Linda went on to the Tonga Institute of Higher Education and enrolled for a Certificate in Media and Journalism in 2010.

Interestingly, her choice to study in the journalism field was the result of a complete disinterest in another subject.

"My story is funny, I am very bad in maths so knowing that journalism courses offered back in Tonga did not offer courses to do with maths I chose that," she says with a laugh.

A year later Linda was studying for her diploma on an in-country award funded by the New Zealand Government.

She was also pregnant with her second child.

"To be honest it was a big challenge but I managed to get through," she said.

"The award was only for one year so I had to complete that just for the sake of my scholarship and my name."

Linda then worked for the Tonga Broadcasting Commission as a news reporter.

Although being in a far different field from her childhood dreams of becoming a soldier, Linda began to enjoy the experience and highlights how it gave her access to influential people.

"You get to meet the Queen, the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, you manage to interview the ministers and most of the important people back in your home country," she said.

In September last year, Linda was informed that she was shortlisted for a scholarship to study for a degree in journalism at the University of the South Pacific, Laucala campus.

Linda and her husband again set down and discussed their next step as a family.

"We knew coming to Fiji is not a utopia for us because we do not expect everything to be satisfactory, we have to face challenges," she said.

Linda's husband decided to request for a special leave without pay for three years so that he could move to Fiji with Linda and look after their three children.

Because they cannot work in Fiji, Linda and her family are primarily supported by the allowance they receive as part of the scholarship.

She has estimated that they have used close to $8000 to support their family ever since moving to Fiji at the beginning of this year.

Linda's children, aged seven, four and two, are still adapting to the lifestyle in Fiji and one of their main fuss was about the food.

"Back in Tonga meat is very cheap but in Fiji it is very expensive so sometimes our kids complain about the food we eat like every day is fish," she said.

"We are trying to teach them to be happy with what we have."

Being a university student was a challenge for Linda as she had to spend a lot of hours in school and this also had an effect on her children but she is grateful her husband is able to be there for them.

"They spend time on their own and when I show up they keep blaming me for not being at home with them," she recalls.

"It is pretty hard sometimes as I am not able to fulfill my role as a mother to my children but I think they are doing okay because their father is there with them."

Linda feels a huge advantage for her children being in Fiji would be the education system.

In Fiji the children are taught in the English language whereas in Tonga students are being taught in the vernacular language in schools.

"This will help them boost their knowledge in terms of English studies and all that," she said.

After graduating with her degree Linda plans to continue working with the Tonga Broadcasting Commission.

"I really want to go back to Tonga and work with the Tongan Government and help in the development of Tonga," she said.

She also hopes to teach a few media and journalism courses at the Tonga Institute for Higher Education.

Source: Fiji Times