A swaggering girl turns into a charming young woman.
BY LIVIAN GOULD
I spent nearly everyday with “Kanya” and I had my doubts how effective she could be as a member of our team of helping the less fortunate—the reason why myself and ten other volunteers had come to Romania in the first place. When I first met Kanya, she appeared to be brash and arrogant—but my reservations vanished the evening we visited a respite for senior citizens.
Kanya translated and sang songs for the seniors in both Romanian and English. I watched her transform from a swaggering girl into a charming, beautiful woman with a pure and tender heart.
THE BEAUTIFUL WOMAN
In the final room we visited, Kanya was shocked to see one of her former teachers. Kanya told us about how her teacher was once a model. I looked at the woman that Kanya was referring to. There on the bed lay a woman whose face was literally deformed. Her head had been shaved and her face had collapsed and buckled from age.
The former model/teacher even drooled as she struggled to eat the banana we had brought along (fresh fruit is unavailable most of the time or much too expensive to purchase). What happen next amazed me. Kanya sat on the bed beside this suffering woman and began to affectionately stroke her head. She crooned words of love to the woman telling her how exquisite she was. “Isn’t she beautiful? Isn’t she pretty?” Kanya sat for half an hour reassuring this malformed woman that she was still all together lovely. In Kanya’s eyes she was.
FROM SWAGGERING GIRL INTO CHARMING WOMAN
How did the orphan Kanya turn out without a mother to teach her right from wrong, hold her when she cried, or tell her she was special? All of Kanya’s arrogance transformed to delightful wisdom, compassion and true beauty. This caterpillar was truly a beautiful butterfly beneath her cocoon. iT!
Livian Gould grew up in Tiverton and now works out of Kincardine as a behavior therapist with the Behaviour Institute of Hamilton. She conducts applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy for children with autism spectrum disorder.
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