Lina is the first to admit that, as a younger woman, she suffered from “a constant lack of self-confidence.” When she was in school, this self-doubt cost her her boyfriend. “We went to the cinema once, and after that someone told me that he was seen with another girl. My heart was broken. We broke up because of my foolishness. I was distressed for many years, until I got married.”
Ultimately Lina found her confidence, and with it, independence. She approaches challenges with a simple strategy: “Think it over, analyze, and choose something good in life.” It’s an approach that led her to make the decisive choice to leave her unhappy marriage. This breakup is one she doesn’t regret. “I’ve maintained my right to be myself,” she says, “and to live my life according to my rules.”
Behind Lina’s stoicism lies adversity: Her teacher’s pension doesn’t cover her basic needs.