It’s been said and done before. Hearing all of these common
stories on how easy-going yet not so perfect life has developed for different
people. February 13th, 2003, my family had taken a huge risk and
moved to Hawaii. But it wasn’t that easy. My mother, my sister, and I had to
leave my dad behind in the Philippines because he still did not have a Visa to
move to the United States. That was the thing with my parents, they would’ve
done anything and everything they could possibly do to create and ensure a better
future for my both my sister and I. But being only three-years-old at the time,
nothing made sense to me; I literally was a blank canvas waiting for what the
world had to offer.
Growing up, I’ve
become the child that asks elders if they needed help or if someone was in need
of assistance, they had my attention. When I was around five years old, my
cousins and I would play and my grandmother would yell at just me for being
“too loud”. She would put me on time out in the bathroom, which connects to the
laundry room outside and the only thing I could do was talk to her while she
did laundry. But now growing up, I’ve realized that while I was sitting on the
closed toilet for a long period of time, I would have genuinely fun talks with
my grandmother about being behaved at all times. Also thinking back it was her
way of raising me, or what I call “hidden discipline”.
Being raised by all
women with possibly no male role models, has to be the reason why I am the
person I am today. I was taught to never be too loud, be polite, courteous, and
to always think before I do anything. But there was nothing wrong with that,
having a caring family and going to a private school for ten years has
definitely impacted how I’ve grown. Taking actions for my responsibilities and
being independent yet selfless has been something I lived by. With that, I’ve
matured faster than any other person in my grade. I’ve learned through the
people around me that you must work hard in order to get what you want in life.
And that’s exactly what I’m doing to this day.
Now, having both
parents with me that work hard each day to provide for the rest of our family
puts me into a position to where their ambition and determination to succeed
motivates me to make them proud. Although my parents would say that grades
weren’t everything, I knew they secretly hinted that school is probably the
biggest thing I should be focused on. From the very beginning I was told
that I needed to prioritize everything I did, which means being smart in every
aspect I could think of. So while I see other teenagers my age worrying about
not being in a relationship, I worried about what I want to become or what my
future has in store for me.
The world I have come
from may seem quite boring and plain, but through my eyes, it’s my key to
success. Through those around me, I have been shaped as an individual that
aspires to have the determination and commitment my parents had. They’ve
started with absolutely nothing, and now they’re in a position they’d never
thought they would be in. That’s how I see myself in the future. I’d want to
look back and think that all of what I have worked for is finally going to
become something far more than what I expect. Though I have yet to discover
what I in vision to be, I am working to the best of my ability to gain a
successful future.
