I was doing a big clean-up recently and my kids were helping. As he rummaged through boxes and bags， one of my sons came across a knotted handkerchief with an old dark brown coin nestled inside.“Mum， can I have this？ Can I play with this in my cash register？” he asked. I took one look and was immediately transported to another time. “You can play with all your coins， but not this one，” I said slowly.“This ones special. I will never again see the woman who gave this to me.” I fingered the coin gently. “This coin is worth much more than its monetary value.”

My son looked at me strangely and I explained. In 1991， I had spent five months in a bleak African country， Niger， ravaged by sandstorms and blistering heat. There were many things I found difficult about this place—the climate and beggars were my biggest and most constant gripes. Street urchins would continually thrust their hands into your face， shouting “Cadeau！ Cadeau！” （gift） in French， the former colonial tongue. After Id finished my nursing stint there， a friend and I headed for neighbouring Burkina Faso to work at a health clinic. “Its much greener in Burkina. Even the Coke tastes better，” the locals assured us.

Arriving by taxi at our destination in Burkina， we began to unload. I had a large backpack and a smaller daypack. With my daypack wedged between my legs， I reached for my larger piece of luggage when， out of the darkness， a motorbike with two men approached slowly. Without warning， one of the men grabbed my daypack as the motorbike swept close by. Within seconds， the pair were out of sight， swallowed up by the night.

The bag had my passport， money， traveller cheques， camera， an airline ticket and other paraphernalia quite precious to me. I was in deep trouble. And the nearest Australian consulate was in Ethiopia. In the weeks that followed， I zealously guarded the rest of my valuables and regarded all locals with suspicion. I endured interrogations by the local authorities with thinly veiled frustration. All I wanted was to leave this hellhole. Then， walking through Burkinas streets one day， I was accosted by a wiry old woman who thrust her hand in my face. “Cadeau！ Cadeau！” she cried. Id had enough. I was sick and tired of the country： its poverty and corruption， its thieves， its inefficiency， the heat， the dust and its time-wasting officials. I told her firmly in French， “I have no ‘cadeau. I have no money. A thief stole all my money two weeks ago and now I cant get out of your country. I cannot give you anything.”The beggar woman listened attentively and pondered my words. Then her face crumpled into a toothless grin as she reached into the folds of her dress.

“Then I will give you a cadeau，” she announced. Kindly， she placed an old， dark brown coin in my palm. I looked at it in shock. It was a minuscule amount of money—but for this woman， the coin represented a meal. In that moment， I felt the shame of affluence and the humility of charity. She had given me a gift disproportionate to anything that I had ever donated. In the midst of her poverty， she was able to give me something priceless. I saw then the unexpected beauty of the people of Burkina Faso—and appreciated profoundly the quiet dignity of the poor. Humbled by the womans unconditional gift， I hope never to part with the coin she gave me. With one small token， she turned my perceptions upside down.

最近，我在做家庭大掃除，我的孩子們在幫忙。我其中一個兒子翻箱倒柜時，發(fā)現(xiàn)了一條打著結(jié)的手帕，里面裝著一個深棕色的舊硬幣?！皨寢?，這個可以給我嗎？我可以用這個玩收銀機嗎？”他問道。我看了一眼，心神旋即飄到另一個時空?！澳憧梢酝婺闼械挠矌牛@個不行，”我慢慢地說道?！斑@枚硬幣很特別。我不會再看到那個送我硬幣的女人?！?我輕觸這枚硬幣?！斑@硬幣的價值遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超過它的面值?！?/p>

我兒子奇怪地看著我，我向他解釋這是怎么一回事。1991年，我在尼日爾度過了五個月，尼日爾是個荒涼的非洲國家，飽受沙塵暴與酷熱的侵襲。這個地方的很多東西我都感覺難以適應(yīng)——氣候和乞丐是最讓我感到困擾的。街上的小孩會不停地把手伸到你的臉上，喊著“卡豆！卡豆！”“卡豆”在法語里是 “禮物”的意思，法語是尼日爾前殖民者的語言。我完成了在尼日爾的護理工作后，便和一個朋友前往附近的布基納法索的一個保健所工作?！安蓟{的綠化要好多了，就連這里的可樂都更好喝，”當(dāng)?shù)厝讼蛭覀儽ＷC。

出租車把我們載到布基納的目的地后，我們開始搬卸行李。我有一個大背包和一個小背包。我把小背包夾在雙腿中間，伸手搬我的大件行李箱，這時，在黑暗中，兩個男人騎著一臺摩托車向我慢慢駛進(jìn)。沒有任何預(yù)警地，當(dāng)摩托車從我身邊疾駛而過時，其中一個男人搶走了我的小背包。一眨眼，那兩個男人便離開了我的視線，消失在夜色當(dāng)中。

我的護照、錢、旅行支票、照相機、機票和其他一些對我來說很重要的隨身物品都放在那個包里面。我的麻煩大了。離這里最近的澳大利亞領(lǐng)事館在埃塞俄比亞。在接下來的幾周里，我神經(jīng)兮兮地看管著余下的貴重物品，猜疑著所有的當(dāng)?shù)厝?。我一臉沮喪地忍耐著?dāng)?shù)卣藛T的盤問。我只想離開這個鬼地方。然后有一天，當(dāng)我走在布基納的街上時，一個身材瘦小的女人向我搭話，她把手伸到我的臉上。“卡豆！卡豆！”她大喊道。我受夠了。我對這個國家厭倦到了極點：厭倦它的貧窮、腐敗、小偷、低效率、炙熱的天氣、塵土以及浪費時間的官員。我用法語堅定地跟她說，“我沒有‘卡豆。我沒有錢。兩周前，一個小賊偷走了我所有的錢，我現(xiàn)在沒辦法離開你的國家，我沒有什么可給你的?！蹦莻€女乞丐專心地聽著，思索著我的話。然后她把手伸進(jìn)裙子的口袋里，皺巴巴的臉上堆出一個不見牙齒的笑容。

“那么我給你‘卡豆”她說道。她友好地把一個深棕色的舊硬幣放進(jìn)我的掌心里。我震驚地看著這個硬幣。這只是很少的一點錢——但對這個女人來說，這個硬幣代表著一頓飯。在那一刻，我感到了富裕的羞恥以及慈善的渺小。她給了我一份比我捐過的所有東西都更珍貴的禮物。盡管她很貧窮，但她給了我一件無價之寶。我從中看到了布基納法索人民意料之外的美，并對窮苦人家抱有的淡定從容的心態(tài)生出一種深深的敬意。那個女人給我的這份無條件的禮物讓我感到羞愧，我希望永遠(yuǎn)保留著這個硬幣。她用一個小小的硬幣改變了我對事物的看法。