 Sister Michaella Santiago is a 71-year old nun from the Philippines who runs the Bethlehem Agabang in northern Seoul, a shelter for children brought here by Southeast Asian women escaping violent or turbulent marriages with Koreans. Located in Seongbuk district, the shelter is an affiliate of the Catholic Church¡¯s Seoul grand parish. The "agabang" in its name means "baby room."
Sister Santiago takes care of 11 children that are from 2 months to 2 years old. ¡°I live a beggar's life, always reaching out my hands toward others and getting something in return," she explained. "That is my destiny.¡±
That life began after she graduated from a technical college in 1953 in the Philippines and did four years of training at the Salezio Nunnery in Japan. Due to her knowledge of English, her first job was to obtain milk powder, flour and household medicines for 400 war orphans at a U.S. base there. In 1957 she followed the church¡¯s orders to settle in Seoul at the Yeongdeungpo refugee neighborhood, which was filled with war orphans.
Going into the American base was still her task. She ran a dormitory and taught English, Japanese, and typing to women who worked in a factory. A witness of Korean society from ruins to development, her life has been devoted to mending the wounds and sorrows of others.
After 30 years of volunteer work in Korea, she began something entirely new in 1993. As more workers from Southeast Asia came to the peninsula to take factory jobs, she started looking after them. ¡°For 10 years I have been going to police stations, shelters, and hospitals to do interpreting," she said. I received salaries for them after they weren¡¯t paid and found jobs for them."
It was only in August last year that she took charge of the Bethlehem Agabang. She left the Philippines in 1957 when it was still a rich country in Asian terms and went to the poor country Korea to offer her services. Now, she is far from her poor mother country, helping the people who have come to "rich" Korea. ¡°History repeats itself,¡± she says.
¡°Everywhere there are things that require your assistance,¡± said Sister Santiago. ¡°I have not thought of whether this is the Philippines or Korea. In the olden days when everyone was poor it wasn¡¯t like this, but these days I am sorry that foreigners are looked down on and discriminated just because we came from a poor country.¡±
She reflected on all the work she has done. ¡°The war orphans I raised and sent off to high school are now grown and sometimes come to help out," she said. "At those times it all feels worthwhile.¡±
(Kim Han-su, hansu@chosun.com )
|
