Safety for Safeyha

The Little Girl Who Changed My World

Ellie Odoy, Special to the Triton Voice

 

Ellie Odoy

G Period

Little Girl who Changed my World

We live our lives day by day, with the same routine day in and day out, however sometimes, randomly we encounter something out of the ordinary, something that speaks to us and something that can change our lives forever.

 

In 2014, my sister invited me to go to the annual Christmas party at  The House of Peace, the place where she volunteers. This party was not just a regular old Christmas party where everyone dresses up, mingles and exchanges gifts but one where candle are lit, cultures are blended and “spirits are cleansed”, according to my sister Mari.

 

Everyone and anyone was invited to gather and celebrate peace, supplemented with stories, songs, poems and experiences from one culture to another, celebrating the beauty refugees bring to this country.

 

“I’ll give it a shot,” I thought and willingly agreed to go. Little did I know, this day would be the beginning of the first of many that would change my life.

 

“Quick, before we leave, come with me I have to give a gift to a few girls, come meet them!” Proposed my sister, Mari. We walk over to the glowing Christmas tree and I see three little girls standing in a line in front of the tree.

 

Their faces lit up as soon as we walked over “Mari!”, they squeaked with joy and we were soon meet with the tiny squeezes of these three girls.

 

However, these girls were not typical little girls, each had a vibrant, cultured and difficult past behind them. Two of the girls were covered with burns all down their body, stretching from their heels to their toes, the burns disfigured their faces and enveloped them in a rare, unique sense of beauty. The other had dark, straight shiny hair running down her back and although it wasn’t visible I later saw her back, with thousands of scars from thousands of surgeries.

 

That night, my sister told me each one of their stories, one really stuck out to me, because at only three years of age, this little girl, Safeyha had been through so much more than I ever will.

 

“She comes from Syria, and as you know it’s rough over there. Streets and households pointlessly attacked every day. She was departed from her family when fleeing from her home and left with only her uncle in the chaos. Later she ended up at a refugee camp in Syria with barely any food or shelter. As if things couldn’t get any worse, she was alone in the tent at the refugee camp when the tent caught on fire. Luckily, she escaped, but that is why she is covered in third-degree burns; she’s here for medical care”

 

For many days after this, I visited these girls at The House of Peace, played with them and taught them. However, some of the most outstanding experiences occurred with this little girl, Safeyha.

 

One small instance was accompanying Safeyha for a  routine hospital visit to Shriners Hospital in Boston. This day I experienced something unique. I remember sitting on the train along with my sister and we glanced over “Look”, my sister pointed out with a comforting smile growing across her face. We looked and saw Safeya and her uncle, Abdul-AlRazzaq, heads resting on one another restfully asleep. The comfort in their body language showed a final relief for safety and care at last.

 

For weeks following this day, this little family that had been through so much changed my way of viewing the world. I was able to observe their way that they were able to care for each other and provide comfort even from their damaged past.

 

Abdul-AlRazzaq was able to convey the utmost care for his beloved niece. He didn’t speak much but his face said it all, his dark coarse beard and the trouble in his eyes, and the worrisome wrinkles in his face told the story he couldn’t speak. His deep brown eyes sparkled with hope but spoke to the depth that he had been through.

 

This man embodied the word hope, he spoke beyond a definition he is every aspect that the word hope has to offer. Words weren’t able to do him justice, for he barely talked. His actions proved love like I have never seen it before.

 

However, when he did speak, he was polite, loving and caring. He was content and didn’t ask for much, except for one thing; to learn English. At first, he showed interest in small English books and street signs, but the determination in his eyes proved he wanted more than that, more than the skill of reading English, but an opportunity to create a stable life for his only love that he hadn’t lost, Safeyha.

 

My sister and I decided that we were able to do something about this situation, more than that we needed to put in everything we had so we could to help the most genuine family we have ever met.

 

I remember those warm summer nights where my sister and I would spend the night crammed in the tiny room in which these two refugees were allowed. However, this room wasn’t empty, wasn’t desolate but overflowing with love comfort and safety.

 

We sat in dim candlelight for hours at the single table in the room. Reading children’s books and sounding out basic words. They giggles Safeyha let out were those of pure joy. Everything was safe in those moments, for everyone in the room. No stigma, no expectations. No inevitable and unavoidable return to hell for that family.

 

One of these days stood out compared to the others. After Safeyha had just revived surgery. Her wounds were bleeding and leaking and she had to sit on a towel so her blood wouldn’t stain the furniture. But, even on days like these when everything seemed to be going wrong for my sister and I, it was the best possible news for this family. Again, this safety, this comfort was never impaired. The sense of calm, never gone.

After every gathering, Abdul would thank my sister and I and every time tell us how much we mean to him. He would reach into his bag and hand us each a chocolate, to show gratitude, the only thing he had to offer.

 

Even when he had so little, he was able to offer something.

 

Many days like these passed, these days changed me.

 

As time progressed we knew their time to return was approaching. I valued every moment I was able to spend with them. Soon, they would leave the safety of the room, the safety of friends who have grown to be family and return to a life of starvation and desperation until their time to return to the US came once again.

 

Today, we are caught up in a society of flashy news, politics, and media. We argue what is right and what is wrong, without truly realizing the issue at its root. These beautiful people brought a world of change into my life, they showed struggle, love and overcoming even the hardest of situations. If society were to take a step back and truly experience the value every person brought one another, the world would be a completely different place.

 

So, as you spend your time flicking through social media, hoping tomorrow will be a snow day or even whether you have enough money to fill up the gas tank on your very own car, take a step back, notice the people around you and what they may be able to teach you. See the value in diversity, see the value in struggle, know that although things may seem awful in your life there is so much beauty out there for you to grasp, but only if you are willing to search for it.