Short Stories of Women Around the World – Global Woman

Coffee! What comes to your mind, when you hear this word?  Morning… Freshness…… Starbucks?

But I have a surprise for you. It is none of the above. Coffee was my wonderful and pretty kitten. I named her Coffee. I adopted her from street when she was two months old. She was very playful and attractive and everybody loved her. I always had a blast with her. It was December of last year that one night I suddenly noticed that she was missing from my home. Coffee was so shy and introvert kitten that not seeing her in my home just scared me.I started searching for her immediately but couldn’t find her anywhere. My search continued and days flew by. I posted her picture on every possible place.  I searched high and low, far and near, calling her by name. My neighbors and people who saw me around associated me with Coffee. 7 days went by and I was still searching for here all day long and night till I was worn out.  On 8th day, I was going to Tulsa SPCA (Society for The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) to report about my missing Coffee. On the way to SPCA, I saw a dead cat run over by car, just near the road. I stopped my car and ran towards the dead cat, hoping it wasn’t my Coffee. But my worst nightmare came true. It was my Coffee, my little darling… It was unimaginable for me. I couldn’t stop sobbing in the middle of the road. I at once, called three of my very close friends. And thankfully, all of them came, leaving their important tasks for the day. With heavy heart, we buried Coffee in my friend’s backyard.

I was upset the whole day and constantly thinking about the good time I spent with her. She was like a fleeting happiness that came into my life and disappeared suddenly. For a change, I went to my lab in the evening. On my way back from the lab, I saw a glimpse of coffee disappearing into a sewage pipe near my apartment complex. I thought it was my illusion because I buried my coffee the same morning with my own hands. But something within me urged me to go and look into the pipe. I did that many times but in vain. I left all my hopes, hardened my heart and continued my life. After 2 days, I saw her again near the same pipe. Seeing the car’s head light, she ran into the pipe. A sudden feeling of hope sparkled inside me. I parked the car in one corner and started calling her…continuously……..She responded timidly, but seemed nervous to get outside the pipe. Before doing anything by myself I called all animal rescue organizations for help. An officer from ARF came and told that he is unable to help since the pipe is too narrow and long (about 20 feet). There was no possibility of me to break the pipe because it belonged to a church and it was too thick and embedded inside the ground.  Still if we had to break we had to wait till Sunday to talk to the church authorities. I was not ready to wait a single more minute. I was not able to even go back to my apartment leaving my Coffee in the pipe. There were predictions of the impending ice storms. I badly wanted my coffee in her original shape…not the ‘ice coffee’. The weather became vehement and it started raining and thundering. My friends warned me not to go near the pipe to look for her. But I couldn’t resist myself….wanted to give my best to save her. The pipe was filled with water and her cries. I kept calling her.

I knew I had to do something or else I will loose her. I bought a cage, from a nearby clinic to catch her. She was too intelligent to enter inside the cage; she pushed the cage aside but somehow managed to eat the food kept inside it.

But one fine moment, I was still standing there, calling her name. She mustered some courage and began walking towards me. Although she doesn’t like water, she swam through the pipe and reached me. I grabbed (as if never to leave her again) her overflowing with love and tears. I felt like heaven on this earth that day. I took her home with me. All my friends were very happy to see her back.

After that incident my Coffee loved the outside world better than home. She metamorphosed into a brave and fierce cat. She made 2 more attempts to run but I got her back. Finally I decided to let her go to have her own happy life. She is now living in a house in the neighborhood. She comes running to me whenever I go and visit her.

I know you all must be wondering about the other cat which we buried. She was some stray cat who looked and weighed exactly like my coffee and in my intense moments I took her as my Coffee. But I was glad that I gave lot of love and affection to that “duplicate coffee” before putting her to her grave.

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Hello friends,

I am Saumya and I am a graduate student in USA. I love animals. Right from my childhood, I had pets in my home. I grew up with them. I have fond memories of childhood with my pet, a dog “Princy”.  Here in my apartment, I have three more cats other than ‘Coffee’ –you just read. I also volunteer at an animal clinic nearby whenever time permits. I have a dream of having my own shelter where I can rescue every animal in pain and need. I have personally researched a lot about animal care and pedigree.

If you are like me and have any questions regarding your pets I will be glad to help you out. You can reach me at admin@globalwoman.org

All over the world, 8th of March is celebrated as International Women’ day. Many women have struggled and faced many difficulties to achieve the rights of equality and freedom, we enjoy in this world today. Here is a story of one such Hero who led the flame for us. We offer our tribute to her life and legacy. Global Woman salutes her and all other women who have made it so easy for us.

Clara Zetkin was born as Clara Zeissner in Saxony, Germany on 5 July. A communist and political activist, she was also an ardent campaigner for women’s rights and helped create the first International Women’s Day (IWD) on 8 March 1911.

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From the slums of Mumbai to Oscars in Hollywood

An Overwhelming success and response to “Slumdog Millionaire” has made many run to the theatre to check the buzz about this ‘rags to riches’ story of a teenager from Mumbai.  The critics have and will find the negatives about the movie, but at its core, the movie is about hope, resilience and human triumph. What truly amazes me about the movie is that Jamal Malik, Rubiana Ali, Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail and all other children are not child artists, but real teens from the slums of Mumbai.

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February is a month of love and romance, a day when we send roses or rings and exchange cards and candies. A day filled with hugs and kisses. This sounds so sweet and pleasant among all the terror and suffering going on in the world. At times I wish there were more days like this in the year when we took a moment from our busy lives to think of our loved ones, friends and family.

Let’s think for a moment what is LOVE……

It is feeling, we cannot see love but we feel it. We can proclaim it with our actions which speak louder than words. But more than anything, LOVE IS A COMMITMENT.

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“I am dead scared”, “I am having goose bumps”, are some of the expressions one often hears in various situations. Be it an examination phobia or the fear of facing a new boss or facing an interview or may be the prospect of getting married, there are fears and more fears- any change in the set pattern of life may cause consternation.

I have often seen students losing confidence during examination and panicking. They are so scared that they sometimes have cramps, run a temperature or even have an upset stomach. Same symptoms are seen when one feels nervous before an interview for job. This abnormal fear is sometimes even the cause of nervous breakdown. Those who suffer from such phobia are ultimately the losers. They lose their equilibrium and make a mess of everything.

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This is one of the very first articles I had ever written. It was for a friend of mine. But then, I sent the article and it was published in the Kalamazoo gazette in April. It is of course about a woman, or call her an angel – some one who helped me one day in the middle of a busy road out of nowhere.

It was a usual fall morning in Kalamazoo, a small city in Michigan. The clouds were dark and the wind was freezing and it was going to snow soon. The first snow of the season always brought a lot of excitement. I have lived almost a year now in this small university town but still everything was new around me.

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I am Jayanti Banerjee. I am a wife, mom and a teacher. I have worked as a principal and teacher for last 20 years. My children have grown up and are aspiring higher education in USA and Bangalore. I am here to tell you about the woman in my life whom I love and adore the most  – my mother, who is now 80 years old.

My life is so uneventful that I don’t see or think of any interesting or awe inspiring event in my life. It’s an average life of an average Indian housewife. There is no display of bravery or courage. What ever came on my way I accepted it meekly. But since you have honored me by asking I would try to dive into the depths of my life and find out something that might be of some use to you.

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Hello, I am Jean Asekun. I am 71 years old and living in USA. Here is a small nugget from my life story still unfolding. I was born in Belfast in 1937. I still remember, I was 3 years old, when my family was evacuated to a sea side location called Portballintrae in Northern Ireland. It was a beautiful place and I have fond memories of my childhood.

I was 22 when I moved to London. Here I met a young man from Nigeria who was studying Petroleum Engineering in the University of London.  Later I married him when I was 27. Within a year of our wedding, we both moved to my husband’s country in Lagos, Nigeria. Here I spent more than five years. During this time we both became the proud parents of 3 little sweet children. Read the rest of this entry »