My Boss

The first time we spoke, it was over the phone. I was looking for a part-time job, and she was the Dean of the Language Centre. She was business like and polite.

She told me that I was a couple of weeks late as she had already hired some part-timers. Still she asked me to e-mail her my resume. A few days later she called to ask if I would consider a full time position in the coming semester. I said that it would be wonderful.

I never thought that this invitation would lead me back to my former career, which is teaching English in a university.

Lynne Norazit was born in England but moved to Australia at the age of sixteen. She married the Late Professor Norazit and made Malaysia her home. She is smart, warm, hospitable, and can be very funny at times. Her English upbringing comes across clearly when she works. She is precise, clear and upfront about matters. But she is the brassy Australian and the hospitable Malaysian when she is off her work mode and invites you for tea in her office. Her infectious laughter resonates clearly at the office in early evenings when she is winding down from her hectic schedule.

Having a conversation with her is almost like hearing the Reader’s Digest stories. She has vivid memories of her growing up days in England which include Cliff Richard and devouring scones by the beach in Brighton. Now she enjoys afternoon tea but with ‘karipap’ and ‘seri muka’. Next she will mesmerize you with stories of her late father in the Australian navy. Her mother ,who lives in Melbourne, Australia, is the focus of her life and Adam, her first grandson or “cucu” is the love of her life. She surprised me initially when she used Malay words like “songlap” and “ngorat”. She has acclimatized to the local jargons, thanks to her two sons.

As an academician, she is trained as a linguist. Linguistic is her forte and her passion. When she discusses this subject, you will know that she knows her stuff well. As an administrator, she is very considerate. One of her administrative staff, who is a new mother, commented that she is such an understanding superior. It is so good to have a woman as a boss because she understands the stress and demand of a professional woman who is also a wife and a mother. She went through it herself in her early days working in University Malaya.

Associate Professor Lynne Norazit is the Director of the Centre for Languages and General Studies at UNITAR. She is now my boss.