Last year, my daughter Danica was working with
international students.Although I
knew we couldn’t have anyone live with us for long periods of time, since it
would crimp my painting,Jim and I
both are happy to help out and have foreign students or teachers stay with us
for short periods of time.We were
lucky to meet teachers from China and students from Korea, Japan, Italy and
Germany.This morning, when I
answered the telephone, a little voice, said “Joy, It’s Soo.”Soo is back in Korea now but she was in
Canada for a year and half. When she arrived in Canada, she was just
eight.We managed to get to know
Soo right after her first school year here, when she was without a home to stay
in until summer camp started.Our
littleSoo arrived to stay for a
week or so.I’m still incredulous
that education is so important that families would send their young children
away for such a length of time.Soo had to be precocious to survive.We had hosted other much older students who because of
shyness had a very hard time adjusting to our strange Canadian culture and
language.After a year in our
school system, Soo spoke wonderful English, she exuded confidence and she
delighted in being with us.She
trained our dog and us.When my
youngest daughter, Yolande, was little I would lay down beside her every night
and make up astory for her.Often I would doze off and she would
elbow me to keep on talking.When
a story was “magic” she would always ask to have it retold but usually I couldn’t
remember anything about it.I
started making up and telling new stories to Soo every night.She loved them.This morning when Soo called she said
it was bedtime in Korea and she called for me to tell her a story.I was touched.I put down my paint brushes and told
her to get comfy and told her the story of “Peawee, the very tiny dog“.