Bolandrina and her husband, Joe Ramos, have four children, ages 4 to 15, all of whom attend Iskwelahang Pilipino, a Filipino cultural school in Bedford. The nonprofit organization is run by volunteers in Greater Boston to encourage a sense of community among Filipino-Americans.

“Exposing our children to their Philippine heritage is important to me,” said Bolandria. “I grew up in a Third World country; I want them to be able to appreciate both worlds and make their own decisions on what they choose to keep the best of both cultures."

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Their two oldest children, Jessica and Gino, play the banduria and octavina, traditional 14-stringed instruments, and all have learned traditional Filipino folk dances. Through Iskwelahang Pilipino, the family takes part in area fairs that feature Philippine art and cuisine.

Bolandrina’s nonconformist mother created the name Gretheline from “her favorite story, ‘Hansel & Gretel,’ “ Boldandrina said. She spent her childhood with her six siblings, climbing guava trees, catching dragonflies, and playing on her grandparents’ farm, where they grew corn, rice and peanuts.

Bolandrina had dreams of being a journalist, like her father, but was discouraged from doing so and pushed to attend nursing school. “My parents talked about the opportunities in the United States," Bolandrina said. “They said, ‘As a nurse you can go to America.’ They wanted me to leave the Philippines and have a better life."

 Bolandrina recalls attending nursing school in Manila during the People Power Revolution of 1986 when millions of Filipinos protested the regime of Ferdinand Marcos, leading to the appointment of Corazon Aquino as president.

“We had to dodge bullets to go to school,” said Bolandrina. “We took public transportation in a jitney, and the driver would say, ‘Duck everybody, duck!’ when we crossed the main road. Television stations broadcasting were surrounded by the military. Insurgents had the tanks on the highway. There were soldiers with guns, and there we were in nursing uniforms trying to go to school."

After working for a year in Manila, Bolandrina and 11 Filipino nurses were recruited by St. John of God Hospital in Brookline, which has since closed. Nearly 20 years later, she says she has no regrets of the career path she followed.

“It’s very gratifying when I see in a patient’s face that they understand why a particular wound care has to be done, or why they have to take a certain medication and they comply wholeheartedly," said Bolandrina. She says the same satisfaction comes when her nursing students understand the rationale behind medical procedures and are able to correlate what they learned in class with the clinical site.

In 1999 and in 2001, Bolandrina went back to the Philippines as part of medical missions through Health Organization for the Poor Enterprise.

She flew to Zambales, a region northwest of Manila, to help a group of hunters and gatherers. “When the volcano Pinatubo erupted in 1991 it drove away a lot of the tribes," said Bolandrina. “Many were relocated to regular villages and given a different diet that included candy and canned goods and have since been getting sick." The missions have included medical diagnosis and treatment for conditions such as high blood pressure and dental hygiene.