I’m the World’s Smallest Woman, but I Feel like a Giant!    [26-11-2010] Look at the lady in the picture. She looks like a 5-year-old child. Surprisingly, however, she is an adult! Can you guess her age? Don’t be surprised. she is 21 years old! Her name is Hatice Kocaman and she lives in Turkey with her parents. She became world-famous thanks to her extra short height. In fact, she is the smallest woman in the world! Hatice is 71 centimeters tall and weighs 6.8 kilograms. Earlier this year, she officially put her name in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s smallest woman. “I always hoped that the world would recognize me some day,” she said. “My dreams finally came true! I’m very happy to be the world’s smallest woman. I hope to travel the world and meet lots of people, including the tallest man in the world! I am proud of myself and I love myself!” When she was born, she was a normal, healthy baby. However, she grew more slowly than other babies. Her parents took her for tests, but doctors could not tell them what was wrong with their daughter. As time went by, Hatice learned to walk and talk, but she hardly grew at all. “She seemed to always stay the same size,” said her mother. “By the time she was four it looked like she had stopped growing. We asked the doctors to help, but they couldn’t tell us what the problem was. We hoped she might start growing later on, but she never did.” Hatice’s parents took her to a hospital for medical checkups every few years. A few years ago, the doctors finally found out what the problem was. They said that she suffers from a rare bone disease and the bone disorder stopped her from growing. When Hatice was a child, she was often teased by her classmates for being so small. However, she learned to love herself through the hardships. “It was hard when I was a child because all my classmates used to tease me. But now I am famous because of my size! Now I feel like I am much taller. Sometimes I even feel like a giant!” she said. Hatice said she has always dreamed of becoming famous. Her dreams finally came true this year when an investigator for the Guinness Book of Records visited her town to see her. Soon, Hatice and her mother were invited to Istanbul, where she was finally named the world’s smallest woman. Congratulations, Hatice! Please visit Korea some day and give hope to many people!     출처: 어린이 영자신문 키즈타임즈 (www.kidstimes.net)