MOJs
We can understand as much about someone's hardships by their stories of happiness as by their accounts of grief. This truth first struck me years ago when I was watching a play about Prisoners of War in WW2 (The Shoehorn Sonata). There was a part in the play when the two women recalled the joy they found in a single, shared caramel bud. Every afternoon they'd sneak away from the other prisoners with their silver-wrapped treasure. With a close eye on the time, one of the women would put the lolly in their mouth for the allocated time period (perhaps 30 seconds?). Next, the other would have her turn at the candy, taking care not to bite or chew it so it would last. In this way, the one caramel stretched over many weeks.
In the dorm there is one out of the seven female students who likes to speak English. She's still learning so we're forced to speak slowly and simply. She tells me stories about her life- good stuff as well as the hardships.
Last night I noticed that she was home earlier than usual so I asked in Khmer, "Did you study tonight?" She answered, "No." Half an hour later she said in English, "I did not go to study tonight." I replied, "Yes, I know." She said, "But you didn't ask me why." I obliged, "Why didn't you go to study tonight?"
She responded, "Because I was invited to go and eat dinner with my boss and some other staff members." She continued, "There were many kinds of food and I could eat a lot...as much as I wanted to eat. And later in the week we have a guest coming from Australia so we will all go out to eat together in one week..... Two times in one week!" She exclaimed. "I am very lucky! I am very lucky!"
A couple of weeks ago we were talking about friends. She reflected, "When I was in Grade 12, I had one close friend. But the next year she got married and moved away. For many years I did not have a close friend. Now I am very happy because I have two close friends. I can talk with them. I can trust them. They are always kind."
Two friends, two meals out in one week, one caramel drop. Many MOJs.
In the dorm there is one out of the seven female students who likes to speak English. She's still learning so we're forced to speak slowly and simply. She tells me stories about her life- good stuff as well as the hardships.
Last night I noticed that she was home earlier than usual so I asked in Khmer, "Did you study tonight?" She answered, "No." Half an hour later she said in English, "I did not go to study tonight." I replied, "Yes, I know." She said, "But you didn't ask me why." I obliged, "Why didn't you go to study tonight?"
She responded, "Because I was invited to go and eat dinner with my boss and some other staff members." She continued, "There were many kinds of food and I could eat a lot...as much as I wanted to eat. And later in the week we have a guest coming from Australia so we will all go out to eat together in one week..... Two times in one week!" She exclaimed. "I am very lucky! I am very lucky!"
A couple of weeks ago we were talking about friends. She reflected, "When I was in Grade 12, I had one close friend. But the next year she got married and moved away. For many years I did not have a close friend. Now I am very happy because I have two close friends. I can talk with them. I can trust them. They are always kind."
Two friends, two meals out in one week, one caramel drop. Many MOJs.
posted by pip @ 8:19 am
1 Comments:
At 7:12 am ,
Anonymous said...
A good reminder to take time to savour the good things we have. We can get stuck with the negatives but there is so much that is good if we only look - especially if we don't take our full stomachs for granted. Thanks for sharing those MOJs.
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