Keep My Memory Safe Fook Soo Am, The Pagoda

Born in Hong Kong to unwed parents, Stephanie Chitpin was transported illegally to the Island of Mauritius by Ah Pak, the head nun of a Buddhist temple with the help of Mr. Chui, a benevolent Chinese businessman. Ah Pak raised her as an orphan ward of the temple, Fook Soo Am, known as the Pagoda. Encouraged by Mr. Chui and in spite of Ah Pak’s opposition, she did very well at school. The scars incurred by classmates’ name calling—bastard, and more—the shame of being an orphan raised in a temple, tragic deaths, and other obstacles did not prevent her from pursuing her education and finishing high school at the age of 16. Although Ah Pak had other plans for her, Mr. Chui stood by her with diplomacy and tact throughout her school years and onto university in Canada on a scholarship. Keep My Memory Safe poetically chronicles life in the temple and in Mauritius, and the move to Canada. This immigration story is totally unique as no other orphaned temple nuns are known to have gone on to acquire a topnotch education and become academics.

Dr. Stephanie Chitpin is a Full Professor of Leadership at the Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa where She received the 2020 Research Excellence Award. Her research is international in scope. Author of over 100 articles and several books on leadership and professional development of educators, she founded the Equitable Leadership Network and is Series Editor of Transforming Education Through Critical Leadership, Policy and Practice. Stephanie Chitpin lives in Ottawa, Canada.

Prologue Chapter 1: One Child Chapter 2: The Pagoda Chapter 3: Ah Pak Chapter 4: Koung Koung and Others Chapter 5: School! Chapter 6: The Chui Family Chapter 7: Bois Ché ri Chapter 8: Life After High School Chapter 9: My First Internship Chapter 10: My First Friend Chapter 11: Leaving Mauritius Chapter 12: Beginnings in Canada Chapter 13: Reuniting Chapter 14: Premature Chapter 15: A Dream Epilogue: The Return Acknowledgements