Dili, April 21, 2025 (Média Democracia) – Maregina Almira, a 21-year-old from Ermera Municipality, currently resides in Tasi-Tolu, João Paulo II, Comoro, Dom Aleixo Administrative Post, Dili. She lives her daily life as a small street vendor, conducting her business along the sidewalk to meet her personal needs.
According to Maregina Almira, throughout the years she has lived as a small-scale trader, earning enough to cover her daily expenses and, most importantly, to pay for her own Korean language course.
“Every day I have to wake up early in the morning to do household chores, and after finishing all my tasks at home, I prepare my items and head out to sell them along the roadside, behind João Paulo II in Tibar. I usually sell in the morning until 11:00 AM, when my brother comes to take over, so I can go back home, prepare myself, and attend my Korean language course,” said Maregina Almira.
She added that each day her sales bring in between $5 and $10, depending on the daily situation and market conditions, since many others also sell small goods along the street to support their family’s economy.
“The products I sell every day are things like LA cigarettes, Marlboro, Surya, bottled water, White Coffee, Good Day coffee, Pop Mie, and both white and black instant noodles. Even though it’s a small business, I make the effort to keep selling. Sometimes I even take cigarettes along with me to the course, so my classmates can buy from me too,” she explained.
She further shared that after finishing her classes at 5:00 PM, she usually walks along on the side of the road with her goods, especially cigarettes heading from the course center to her home at Danau III.
“I do this business because I want to pay for my Korean language course myself. The fee is $10 per month, and I don’t want to rely entirely on my parents. My parents are farmers and don’t have the strength or means to cover all of our daily needs,” she said.
She expressed that her dream for the future is to become a language instructor in Timor-Leste. She believes that success is not easy to achieve, and that’s why she is doing her best to learn and work now, in the hope that her efforts will help change her future reality.
Maregina also explained that she started her small sidewalk business with $50, which she used to buy goods from Chinese stores to resell. The profit helps her cover daily necessities and pay for her Korean course every month, because she hopes to one day become a Korean language teacher in her country.
Reported by : Nelfiano
Photo by : Nelfiano