Katharina Buczek
Attiin Shaw, a 33-year-old mother of four who lived in Washburn, Maine, in 2021, is originally from Indonesia. There, she owned her own salon and met her husband, Michael, while he was working as an American expatriate teacher.
After tying the knot, Attiin and Michael had four children together. Then, in 2019, their family briefly relocated to Myanmar since Mike’s work contract had ended in Indonesia.
At the time, Attiin told one of her friends in Indonesia, Beth Lindsay, that she was nervous about the move. She was specifically worried about leaving her home country behind, which was everything she’d ever known.
Nonetheless, Attiin claimed she was very thankful for her life and relocated anyway. So, the last time Attiin’s cousin, Zadia Sayang Novita, saw her was before she moved to Myanmar.
Attiin and Michael had specifically chosen Myanmar since it was both near Indonesia and close to the Indonesian culture. Her plan was to travel back and forth, visiting her family and friends.
The COVID-19 pandemic upended this plan, though, and the Shaw family was forced to move to Washburn, Maine.
While living in Washburn, Attiin and her family started fulfilling her dream of living with plenty of animals. According to her cousin Zadia, she was always a kind-hearted woman who had a soft spot for pets.
“She’s said that if one day she has a big house and big yard, she’s gonna have all the animals in her house,” Zadia recalled.
“When she moved to America– in Maine, right now– they have dogs and cats in their house.”
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
