My father Daisy Hedwig Liong-A-Kong, is my hero in so many ways. Not only was he always there for us, his family, he was an example, an inspiration and an encouragement.
As a boy raised in Paramaribo, Suriname, he, as the youngest of the family of 13, also attended Hendrikschool after primary school. Not long after, he was offered a job in Moengo at Suralco as a weekly laborer. For three years, he worked and saved to pay for the passage to the Netherlands.
When he got paid, he told me, he would buy cigarettes, necessities like underwear and the rest would go into the piggy bank until he had enough for the three-month boat trip to the colonial motherland.
Once there, he first worked as a peddler. He sold magazines at the German border and earned well, he says. He was able to save well from that money and so he had enough to marry my mother , Hertha Gladys Ritfeld . Once they were married, he studied agriculture while my mother worked as a nurse.
That was in Deventer at a time when there were hardly any stoves, let alone central heating. Bathing or showering was possible once a week in a bathhouse. Still, the stories he tells about that period are hilarious. My brother and I often sat there, roaring with tears in our eyes, listening to what he had experienced.
For example, as a daring footballer and captain of his team, attempts were made to bribe him with an extra "ball" to guarantee a place in the line-up. There was also a player who was very good but in bad shape who would "fake" an injury to catch his breath.
As nice as it was in the Netherlands, he and my mother had had enough of cold Europe after his studies. They chose warm Suriname where my father started his career at the SML, Stichting Machinale Landbouw in Wageningen in the District Nickerie.
My father's discipline was instilled in us from birth. In the morning we had breakfast together with a sandwich and tea. In the afternoon after school it was dinner, homework and mandatory rest time. Only after three o'clock were you allowed to play with friends. That was quite difficult as a child but in the end it did us no harm.
In the 80s, when it was time for me to study, there was hardly any foreign currency in the country. As a Surinamese, I was also not eligible for student finance. I do not know exactly how he managed it, but I was able to complete my studies without any problems because he made sure that the money for the UVA was always there on time, as well as money for books and even health insurance. Without him, his hard work, his example and my mother at his side, I do not believe that I would ever have obtained the title of Drs. in Computer Science in my long life.
The day of my graduation they were both there. Also thanks to him. My mother who had actually been in the Netherlands a few months earlier said that he should go because otherwise it would be too stressful. My dad didn't want to hear anything about it. Your daughter is graduating, that only happens once and you have to be there. I'm happy, my mother is happy, we're all happy!
This is just a tiny sample of my father's rich life and the lessons he taught me. Dad, here's to a happy father's day!
Also to all the dear Surinamese, non-Surinamese and world fathers who enrich the lives of their children.
At my graduation
Trip to Wageningen. Back then I still had curly
