"It's me," I answered and raise my hand.
Mr.C and his daughter
I should have believed my mom - the world of this field is small.
My father is a community developer. When he's younger, he worked for the government to develop communities in rural area. My mom said that, at that time, he was one of the youngest leader doing great work for the government. Unfortunately, he quitted his job while his bright career path lied ahead of him.
"Why's that?" I asked mom.
"He didn't agree with a new policy which he saw it would take adventage from local people," replied her.
However, he still works as a community developer for an international NGO in the north of Thailand.
Also my mom, in the past, she worked as a community developer. (My parents met when they worked in upcountry while helping their organizations developed Thai local villages in northern east of Thailand. How romantic, huh?) But I guess, at that time, she became known as my dad's wife. After she has given born to me, she moved to Bangkok and shifted her field from an actor (a community developer) to a planner (an academician).
Nowaday, she works as a researcher, an academician and a planner to support and develop human rights in Thailand. Her work is various, depends on what organization she shifts to. In the past, her fields were hilltribe development, local community development, handicapped rights, children and family rights. Now her field is about gender status in Thailand.
The world of my dad's community development field is so small. My mom said there are full of networks, especially among old-generation developers. That's why if someone's name is said among people who work in the field, you would get "Ahhh, I heard of him" as a reply.
Similarly, the world of my mom's feild is small as well. As working in her fields, she has to coordinate with many organizations. She has her networks with many people in various places.
In my bachelor school, there're majors for us to pick. As a daughter of developers, my body was full of their blood and I was interested in community development at first. But later on, for some reason, I changed my interest to children and family development instead.
However.... one day during my field study in upcountry, one of my professor asked a question in a conference room where there were other professors there.
"Who is Mr.C's daughter?"
As being surprised, I slowly raised my hand and answered, "It's me."
I was brought into the professor group and heard them said something like...
"I once worked with your parents." or...
"He's doing great job when he quitted." or...
"Your mom was the tiniest developer girl there!" or...
"Are they still together?"
After I listened to them admired my parents for awhile, I heard them ended with...
"Are you as good as your parents?"
After that moment till I finished the degree.... ,well.... until now also, among those professors, I was not known as Khwan or Alisa or anything...
But I was known as "Mr.C's daughter" or "Mrs.A's daughter"...... and those names came along with expectation and pressure....
My father is a community developer. When he's younger, he worked for the government to develop communities in rural area. My mom said that, at that time, he was one of the youngest leader doing great work for the government. Unfortunately, he quitted his job while his bright career path lied ahead of him.
"Why's that?" I asked mom.
"He didn't agree with a new policy which he saw it would take adventage from local people," replied her.
However, he still works as a community developer for an international NGO in the north of Thailand.
Also my mom, in the past, she worked as a community developer. (My parents met when they worked in upcountry while helping their organizations developed Thai local villages in northern east of Thailand. How romantic, huh?) But I guess, at that time, she became known as my dad's wife. After she has given born to me, she moved to Bangkok and shifted her field from an actor (a community developer) to a planner (an academician).
Nowaday, she works as a researcher, an academician and a planner to support and develop human rights in Thailand. Her work is various, depends on what organization she shifts to. In the past, her fields were hilltribe development, local community development, handicapped rights, children and family rights. Now her field is about gender status in Thailand.
The world of my dad's community development field is so small. My mom said there are full of networks, especially among old-generation developers. That's why if someone's name is said among people who work in the field, you would get "Ahhh, I heard of him" as a reply.
Similarly, the world of my mom's feild is small as well. As working in her fields, she has to coordinate with many organizations. She has her networks with many people in various places.
In my bachelor school, there're majors for us to pick. As a daughter of developers, my body was full of their blood and I was interested in community development at first. But later on, for some reason, I changed my interest to children and family development instead.
However.... one day during my field study in upcountry, one of my professor asked a question in a conference room where there were other professors there.
"Who is Mr.C's daughter?"
As being surprised, I slowly raised my hand and answered, "It's me."
I was brought into the professor group and heard them said something like...
"I once worked with your parents." or...
"He's doing great job when he quitted." or...
"Your mom was the tiniest developer girl there!" or...
"Are they still together?"
After I listened to them admired my parents for awhile, I heard them ended with...
"Are you as good as your parents?"
After that moment till I finished the degree.... ,well.... until now also, among those professors, I was not known as Khwan or Alisa or anything...
But I was known as "Mr.C's daughter" or "Mrs.A's daughter"...... and those names came along with expectation and pressure....
Mr.C, Mrs.A and their daughter
When I got out from my bachelor school, TU, I felt release since I would not be watched if I would do good job when I work in community field or if I would get good grade in research methodology class.
I felt release for I would not be seen as "Mr.C and Mrs.A's daughter" anymore.
I should have believed my mom....
The world of this field is so small....
Although I shifted my interested to human development in my Master degree and where I study is a different place. I had thought I could run away from what I was called.
Unexpectedly, "Mrs.A's daughter" still keeps haunting me here.
My mom's work has to be coordinated with the institute I study MD. All of my professors here know my mother's name and when they first saw me in orientation class, I was questioned whom I looked alike...
After I told them that the researcher team's head they were working with was my mother, they were surprised. And again, I was expected that my work would be great as my mom's.
That's why every times I complained about hard work with my advisor, she would say, "Mrs.A's daughter can do it."
............ Anyone tells me what I was gonna say.....
Mrs.A and her daughter
A few days before, my senior defended her thesis. Some of her thesis commission, 2 advisors, are the same as mine. When I saw her made her presentation in Thai language, I was glad. As we have the same commission, somehow my presentation could be thai also.
After she finished her presentation, I asked my advisor if I could make my own in Thai as hers.
"No, you have to make it in English."
"Why?" I asked.
"Mrs.A's daughter can do it," she replied me.
Huh!?!?!?!?!?!?
Can anyone tell me what kind of logic that is?!?!?!?!
.....
.....
.....
.....
.....
Today is the day I call "the judgement day" of my thesis.
After my presentation and discussion were finished, I was told to adjust and add some interesting content to my thesis.
While other students are getting about more than 30 days to adjust their project (some students get even 90 days!), I am offered only 20 days to finish the Thai version...
"Why I have only 20 days?" I protested to some of my advisors.
One of them turned to me, hit my shoulder gently to encourage and said,
"C'mon, Mrs.A's daughter can do it, I know."
Huh!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Right now, I am looking at an agreement document which my advisors have signed on....
My eyes keep staring at some letters.... "20 days" while feeling the first time in my life....
I don't want to be my mother's daughter!!
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