Before more people misunderstood "KVETCH" as a person name, perhaps I should explain the meaning a little.
Kvetch actaully meant to complain and whine. This blog named "Kvetch Haven" so that I can complain a little, whine a little about life. Of course, this blog will not be solely on constant whinning and complain.
The Swelling on Her Face
whispered @ Monday, October 10, 2005 by stardusz
This is a true-life incident (names had been changed):
I have been tutoring the bubbly Amanda for almost one and a half years. During tuition, Amanda would talk or sing non-stop, despite my 'warning' to make her write 500 lines of "I will not talk during tuition." At times, Amanda will be very restless, cannot sit still and gave me a sulky attitude, other then that, Amanda is a pretty fine and intelligent girl that I have ever came across.
Today, I arrived at Amanda's home for tuition at exactly 6pm. Amanda greeted me with a smile but there was a tint of sadness within her eyes. During tuition, Amanda was unusually quiet and solemn. I have noticed her unusual behaviour and some swelling on Amanda's face but I kept quiet about it.
After doing some English exercises that I told her to do, Amanda opened up to me and told me that her mother had slapped her repeatedly on her face today as she had accidentally drop a piece of jade jewellery. However, according to Amanda, that piece of jade is ok, no chipped, no cracked, no nothing, still she was slapped repeatedly because her mother was in a bad mood.
Amanda then continued, "But it's okay, my mum beats me up ocassionally when she is in a bad mood. Sometimes she even use a belt to whip me. My mum is very hot tempered and gets angry easily..." already I could see tears brimming around her eyes as she said these to me.
My heart goes out to her and felt sorry for the girl. It seems that Amanda has gotten used to the beating and treat it like parts and parcels of her life.
"Amanda, does your parents beat you often?" I asked. She nodded, then shaked her head and said, "well, sometimes I deserved the beatings as I was naughty. My dad use cane on me, but mummy will use belt or whatever that she can grab hold of..." by then, tears were flowing down her chubby cheek.
I nodded, gave Amanda the best smile I can put up and patted on her shoulder. I tried my best to contain the outburst that was growing within me then; anger surged after hearing what Amanda told me.
"Do you have anyone to talk to? Like you cousins or aunties or uncles?" I asked. She told me she has a cousin whom she often go to church with but that's about it, they don't really talk a lot.
At this point of time, I assumed she told me all these because she has no one to speak to at home as she is the only child of the family. She told me she had run away from home once (just walk around her condominum) after her mother beat her, I warned her not to do it again as it is dangerous for a young girl to wander about alone. I also told her to call me when she should feel sad and need someone to speak to next time. I felt that listening to her is the least I can do for her now.
~End of entry~
I really do not understand how can a mother do this to her own child, just grab anything within her reach and start beating her up? One thing I did not mention is that, after the girl was beaten up, her mother would call her school up to apply a day leave for her. This, according to her, is to save her from embarrassment.
But I see it differently, I suspect that the reason why her mother apply leave for her is to save herself from being probed by the girl's school teachers. How to explain when the teacher or her classmates ask her how come she had a swell here or there? Being a child, it is easy for the teacher to see through a lie, if she is lying about her wounds.
This remind me the swelling I saw on the maid they have engaged previously. I went for the tuition after work and was surprised to see a bruise on my student's maid's cheek when she came out to open the door for me. Upon seeing her face, I suspected that something amiss. I asked her what happened to her face and she said she had an accident the day before and hit her cheek while she slipped in the kitchen. I accepted the excuse she made with a doubtful mind; her body language was telling me that otherwise. She left her employers a few days after that and I heard from my student that her maid left before the contract ends (in less then a month time) because her mother had pass away and she wanted to go back to her hometown for the funeral...
Or was it? I have no idea at all...
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