Good ! Since now on she will be one of my heroes. :)
Thank you very much for that story. Peace and best wishes. Xi On Feb 19, 6:14 pm, "Sumerian.." <[email protected]> wrote: > Singer opens up about difficult > childhood October 12,2008 > > by lisa hodge > > picture: Getty Images > > > Date of Birth: 2nd February 1977 > > Pop > superstar SHAKIRA went from spoiled rich kid to hardship when her > father's jewellery business went bankrupt - and the change in fortunes > gave the singer a first-hand view of a life she'd never have known if > her family hadn't failed. > > In a telling essay Shakira has written for the upcoming issue of Newsweek > magazine, the star recalls the family upheaval, which helped to turn her into > a champion for the poor in her native Colombia. > > She writes, "When I was seven-years-old, my hardworking father's > jewelry business went bankrupt. I didn't know what the word 'bankrupt' > meant, and when my parents sent me to stay with family friends in Los > Angeles, while they addressed the situation, I assumed that I would > return home to my normal routine. > > "But, when I returned, it > seemed everything had changed. Our two cars that I had ridden in to > school or to play with my friends were gone. The air conditioner that > cooled us during the brutally hot Colombian summers had been sold. Our > color television had been traded in for a smaller, black-and-white > version. Foods that I loved were replaced with the bland staples a > mother buys when food becomes sustenance instead of something to be > enjoyed. > > "We had gone from being middle class to poor almost > overnight, and from my 7-year-old child's perspective it was hard to > imagine anything worse. I can still viscerally remember the seeming > desperation of that moment." > > But the hardship made Shakira stronger and she quickly realised she had > taken so much for granted. > > She adds, "My parents found ways to put our situation in perspective > and to show me how fortunate we still were, especially given that, > previously unbeknownst to me, so many families and children had so much > less. > > "Most vividly, I remember my father walking me by a park > and watching the street children who lived there. They were my age and > their faces didn't look all that different from mine or my friends, yet > these children truly had nothing. They lived in the dirt, in tattered > clothes and with bare feet, scrounging through garbage for anything to > eat. Many sniffed glue to dull the pain of their existence. > > "At that moment, I promised myself that if I was ever able to help, I > would." > > Since finding fame and fortune, Shakira has set up her own successful > charitable foundation in Colombia, Pies Descalzos, to help the nation's > poorest children. Earlier this month she announced plans to take her > charity global.http://www.ahlanlive.com/celebs/739-shakira > ======= > S1000+ > ======= --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "World-thread" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/world-thread?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
