She writes poetry to relieve homesickness
When she was 17, her pursuit of a medical degree at Saint Louis University in the Philippines ended abruptly when her scholarship sponsor died.
When she was 33, Ms Belen Esposo Repollo left her three children and two foster children in the Philippines and came to work in Singapore.
Tomorrow, Ms Repollo, 42, a domestic helper, will be one of seven featured poets reading their work at Migrant Poetic Tales, an event at the Prelude to Poetry Festival Singapore 2017.
The event will start at 10am, along with others such as When Poetry Meets Calligraphy, which explores the relationship between contemporary poetry and different types of calligraphy. The Prelude is open to the public, but registration is required.
Poetry was Ms Repollo's way of coping with life away from her family.
She went on to participate in the National Poetry Festival in 2015 and 2016. She also collaborated with other poets to publish books like Ace Poems and Through Open Hangar Doors.
She writes in both Tagalog and English and is working on her own book in Tagalog.
Mr Zakir Hussain Khokan, 38, another featured poet, is also co-organiser of the event.
Armed with an arts degree from the National University of Bangladesh, he worked as a freelance journalist back home but moved to Singapore in 2003 to work as a construction supervisor to support his wife and son.
In 2004, he formed the group Amrakajona which means "we are" in Bengali. They organise events such as poetry recitals, plays and book fairs.
Mr Zakir won the first Migrant Worker Poetry Contest in 2014 and the following one in 2015.
To find out more, visit www.poetryfestivalsg.peatix.com/
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