Brina: From the Bathtub to the Blue Door
The story of Brina is long and filled with drama. It starts with a bathtub tragedy and continues with zipper incidents, cataracts, goiter, allergies, and even smelly feet. It’s like a budget combo set, but the contents are all bizarre problems. After the bathtub almost-drowning incident (because I pushed her and pretended I didn’t know anything), fast forward a few years. I got a scholarship to Taiwan, and when I graduated in 2020, one of my professors asked me, “Do you have any relatives who might want to study in Taiwan?” I immediately answered, “Yes! My cousin, Brina.” So I persuaded Brina to come for her Master’s in Taiwan. With her so-so English skills and my overly enthusiastic tutoring, her mom finally agreed. Before she left, Brina had to do a medical check-up in Medan. One of the requirements was a chest X-ray. So there she was, in the X-ray room, bra off. Suddenly, on the doctor’s monitor, a big metal object appeared on her chest. The doctor panicked, “What is this? Plea...
