Notice the Sacrifice

No matter how big or little, your parents have made sacrifices for you. I know that personally, mine has made a ton for me and my siblings. This week in class we had a discussion about immigration. Now, this topic hits close to home for me.  I wasn't the one necessarily going through the experience since I was born in California; however, my parents made this sacrifice when they were about my age. 

First, let me tell you a bit about what I know about my parent's story. My dad came to the United States when he was around 17 to 18 years old. He came here with his brother and sister but the journey was rough. Luckily for them, they had some family already here but that didn't make the journey any easier. He had enough money to get them through and from then they had to figure out how to meet up with their family. This is just a sum of what they really went through and eventually they were going on to finish high school. Expect their school system was different causing my dad to move back a grade. Not only that but they were all three trying to learn English during this time. After the challenge of high school, he started community college but never actually finished. He went on working to help his family and later went on a mission. From coming back that's when he met my mother. 

For my mother's story it was a bit different, yet the same struggles. She came here on her own. Her mother was already here and a few of her brothers were as well. Her journey was long since she came from farther away. She would walk for days just to come here. Once she was here she started working since she already finished high school back home. After a course of time, the rest of her siblings would come one by one and in case you are wondering, she is the second youngest with seven siblings. Later she went on a mission and once she came back, she met my father. 

As you can see I didn't go into too much depth but one thing I remember is how hard it was to come here on such little resources. In class when we had the example about what it can be like for a family to leave their country to come here, it really reminded me of my parents. I know that I will never be able to live those experiences for myself and understand that struggle. However, those sacrifices they made then have helped me now. The pain, struggle, stress, and whatever else they were feeling are the reason I am able to have the life I have now. My parents recently became citizens back in 2018 and 2019, they have given up so much just for my siblings and me to have the opportunities they couldn't.

I know many people probably wonder about the point of that sacrifice. If it were me I feel like I would've stayed where I was and just raised my family there since it's easier, we have friends/family there, and we are living comfortably. However that is thinking of yourself, obviously, some people can't and that is completely understandable; however, if you have the opportunity to help the future generations of your family, wouldn't you want to?

No matter what your parents did for you whether it was coming to a new country, helping you financially, or even as simple as teaching you to ride a bike; they have always been there. We take advantage of what we are given at times, I know I do. But we don't have to recognize that every second of our lives, instead just take advantage of the opportunities and skills we have been taught. Give your parents the satisfaction of looking at you and seeing who you've become. We don't always get a second chance, so my parents gave me the best resources for my first chance