A Priceless Smile
By Sofia S., Volunteer in Argentina
Katherine is a 13-year-old girl who came with us to our summer camp. She lives 3 doors down from us and our house is her second home. Since she was a young child, she grew up coming to our home, going to camp, and in just spending time with her it’s evident the impact our house has had in her life. She has a thirst for our presence, and is always coming to our house. She is one of 6 siblings and her life has been anything but easy. I truly think she is a miracle child, in the sense that all odds are put against her. Her mother and father struggle with alcohol and drug abuse, being absent in many moments physically and emotionally. They live in a small one-bedroom house where 8 people live, the police often visit their home, and her two older siblings (17 and 18) doing their best to take care of the younger ones. It’s really a situation where I have thought to myself “the list just goes on and on ” of things that these children have suffered. And with all of this she is respectful, helpful, very sure of herself and has a tough personality. She has had to grow up very quickly. I will never forget one of my first days here. I was still learning to cook and she was teaching me: what spice goes best with this, cutting vegetables like an adult, suggesting what I can pair the rice with, etc. She is somewhat a mini adult, with a fire to take care of and help others.
On the last day of camp, we were at the pool, I was sitting on the edge watching the girls and chatting with the girls. I heard “Sofi, Sofi, look! Look!” And Katherine has her goggles on and is on the other side of the pool. She wanted to show me that she could swim long distances across the whole pool, and so she swam, each time breathing, looking for my eyes to make sure I was watching her. As I clapped and cheered, she continued to swim, and once she popped her head out of the water with a glowing smile on her face, this smile was pure treasure. She yelled “I’ll do it again!” and she did. Three more times. In this moment, I felt so privileged to celebrate this small glorious moment of swimming and being in her presence witnessing and sharing this big joyful child-like smile. What a privilege to see this heart that is so often hidden. There was something so big, so priceless, in this simple smile. A smile that made all the time planning and preparing, all the moments that were very demanding in taking care of the girls, suddenly become so small. It was this shared joy of a smile that gave camp its meaning for me. This simple small moment of true shared joy went hand in hand with hope.