The world of Tzu Chi (Vol.111)

TZU CHI 111 43 Kang Koi Chin chose the carefree life as a cabaret singer in Japan in her bid to escape a failing marriage. [Photograph courtesy of Kang Koi Chin] unsound and lost her ability to care for the family after being struck in the head by a stranger running amok. At a tender age, Koi Chin had to bear the responsibility of managing the household chores and tending to her five younger brothers. After graduating from primary school, she left home to work as a housekeeper in Ipoh. She later moved to Penang and finally settled down in Kuala Lumpur in her late teens. Since then, she has worked as a housekeeper, a waitress and a sales promoter at a supermarket. Her job as a sales promoter granted her the opportunity to meet people from diverse backgrounds. She also picked up various languages on her own. Her multilingual skills helped her earn a more competitive wage than that of an average housekeeper, giving her hope that life had finally taken a turn for the better. However, on a fateful day in 1986, her father succumbed to a heart attack. Barely a month later, her youngest brother, whom she loved dearly, died in a fatal road accident. As she was still grieving and struggling to recover from the devastating loss, one of her younger brothers, who was mentally ill, was senselessly assaulted to death, while another sibling disappeared from her life without a trace. The unexpected twist of events dealt her a crushing blow with no recourse in sight. All she could do was lament her fate. Challenging fate “In 1987, a year after my father’s demise, I chose to marry a man whom I knew was undependable. It was my way of getting back at fate. I was defiant and decided to take fate by its horns,” said Koi Chin. She took the plunge and poured all hope into starting a small householdwith her husband. When her eldest daughter arrived, she was over the moon and anticipated a blissful life ahead as a family. Never would she have imagined that her husband would cheat on her with his mistress in their third year of marriage. She tolerated her husband’s affair to her wit’s end, yet her patience proved futile as she ultimately failed to win his heart back. A friend sympathized with her misery and invited her to relocate overseas to work. She saw it as an opportunity to escape from her troubles and departed for Japan to work as a cabaret singer, after leaving her daughters in the care of her mother- and sister-in-law. Her two years spent working in Japan proved to be the happiest time of her life. She led a carefree life, earning a steady income by entertaining clients. Occasionally, she would hang out with her colleagues and regular customers at leisure. Alas, her happiness was short-lived. She was soon caught in the ruthless hands of fate once more. Her family informed her that her eldest daughter showed signs of mild autism and depression. She left her lucrative job in Japan and returned home to care for her daughter, as she was