Andrew Braaksma wrote an essay about his life experience working as a temp each summer in factories on an assembly line. He spoke about his appreciation for education, working a blue-collar job and how working in a factory has shown him what his future might have been like if he had never gone to college. After reading Braaksma’s essay, I found that I have a similar experience where I’ve gained appreciation for education due to working a 9-5 or an 8-4:30 Monday through Friday job and by cooking and catering for ex co-workers.
While working over the past 12 years, I was reintroduced to my passion and love for cooking. Although its been instilled within me since I was about 9 or 10, it never really surfaced until I started a family and started cooking for them and the people I’d worked with. Anytime there was a meeting at work, a party, or a company function, I prepared a dish or two for the occasion. I liked my jobs and the people I worked with, but I wanted to cook more and working helped with my decision making toward a new career path.
All of the hard work paid off but also wore thin on me after several years. I had always wanted to go back to school to further my education, but over the years while trying to maintain a steady income and raise a family became difficult, I realized that it was going to be hard for me to go back to school. As the years flew by and my kids grew older, I found myself thinking about going to school again. I got my chance after being laid off from a desk job where I worked for three years sitting behind a desk, answering phones, entering budgets, creating files for the estimators and all of the other tasks that went along with being an administrative assistant.
I loved this job but I didn’t want to be sitting behind a desk day in and day out for the rest of my life. I saw my opportunity after spending three days laying in bed crying and stressing over what I was going to do next because I no longer had a job. I couldn’t eat or sleep, I was depressed and wanted to be back at work and so to pass the time I’d go to the library and check out books which is where I'd found one in particular I had read. I can’t remember what it was but it was something I had read that caught my attention and all of a sudden, it hit me. At that very moment I said to myself “you need to go back to school.
I immediately called my little sister and with her encouragement, I decide to follow my dreams and pursue a degree in culinary. I also took this as a sign that there was something bigger and better out there for me. I think by me cooking and catering for my co-workers helped with my decision as well. I always cooked for my jobs. Everyone at work would always compliment my cooking and would say “you are really good” or “you should go into catering or something.” They would tell me that my food was better than some of the other co-workers that had brought food in before and if I could bring food in more often. I always cooked for parties and company functions. It felt really good to do this and it was something that I wanted to do more of because of all of the feedback I was getting. I enjoyed the fulfillment, satisfaction, and the praise I would get. I was happy when everyone else was happy after eating something I had cooked.
Now that I’m in school I feel like this is where I’m supposed to be and it is the right place for me. I’d rather be doing this than sitting behind a desk or walking a sales floor putting out merchandise. Being in school has brought focus and meaning to my life. It feels really good to get up at four in the morning just so I can be at school by 5:30 am than it ever did waking up at 6:30 in the morning just to be at work by 8:00 am. I wouldn’t trade these hours for anything in the world. If I hadn’t gotten laid off from work I probably wouldn’t be in school right now and would probably still be sitting behind that desk answering phones.
Just like Braaksma, I have a better understanding and appreciation for hard work and education. Going to school to get an education is very important and will lead you toward your career goal and to success. I have learned valuable lessons over the years and those being to never take anything for granted, especially life. Never take work or education for granted because you can loose it just as fast as you gained it. I appreciate my education more than anything and I only wish I had gone back to school a lot sooner, but better later than never, and its never too late to go back to school.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Blog/Journal 7 Salvation and Pressures From All Around Me
Langston Hughes realized that it is not always a good idea to lie just to please someone, although we all have done it in some way, shape or form. His insight has change him and the way he thinks and feels about himself. He was told that he would see Jesus and the fact that he wanted to see Jesus so badly and couldn’t, made him lie to himself, his aunt, and to the church. I believe he felt a little intimidated by everyone in the church and was pressured into going up to the mourners bench to be with Jesus as the others did. He also felt ashamed of himself for holding everything up for as long as he did when all he had to do in the beginning was go up with the other children and be saved. He may have felt a little better even if it wasn’t what he was ready for at the time. Peer pressure or any other pressure can be a cruel thing especially when you don’t feel right about doing something but everyone else wants you to. I sympathize with Fisher and can relate to some pressures that were put on me.
I can recall several times where I felt pressure to do something or to fit in with everyone else, but sometimes it is not always a good idea. I’ll start with the time I was in living in the Bay Area and was in the 7th grade attending Portola Jr High, which sat at the top of a hill in El Cerrito. I had a couple of friends that I hung out with and at the time I thought they were really cool. They always spoke to me in passing during breaks in between classes. They wanted to hang out me at lunch and after school. Because our school was at the top of a hill, we would meet up at the bottom of the hill and take the bus to school everyday; however, we would walk down the hill and go over to the shopping center where Safeway was located and just hang out until we ready to go home. One day my friends wanted to go into Safeway to get something candy. I didn’t want any candy and was going to go home instead and catch up with them the next day, but they wanted me to go into Safeway with them. I tried telling them that I wanted and needed to go home but they wouldn’t hear of it. They made me go into the store and threatened to cut my hair if I didn’t, and back then my hair was down my back. One of the girls pulled a pair of scissors out of her backpack putting them up to my hair whispering in my ear “I’ll cut off all of this long hair if you don’t go in.” The other girls even threatened to beat me up. At this point I was scared, my heart was pounding through my chest and I was shaking like a leaf, so I did want they wanted; I went into the store with them. They gave me a backpack and told me to go down the candy isle and start putting candy into it and that they’ll be in outside waiting for me. I didn’t know what else to do so I did what they demanded me to do because I was so afraid and didn’t want my hair cut off. My mom would’ve killed me if I had gone home with my hair chopped off!
As I went down the candy isle nervous and scared, I stared putting candy into the backpack. People were walking by pushing shopping carts and putting food into them. I was so scared that every time I saw someone looking at me I would go down a different isle until the candy isle was clear of customers. I can still vividly remember this big, tall, baldheaded black man, who looked like he could’ve been a quarterback. He was pushing a shopping cart with food in it, and there was a clipboard in the front part of the shopping cart which I didn‘t think anything of at the time. He walked past every isle and a couple of times down the candy isle. This started to worry me so I began to head out of the store and as soon as I reached the exiting doors, I managed to take about five steps outside of the store looking for my so-called friends, and when I looked across the parking lot I saw them way on the other side at the bus stop, yelling and calling my name telling me to run. My hands were trembling and I was sweaty. As I started walking faster I felt a big hand grab my neck. Low and behold, it was the big, tall, baldheaded black man that had been watching me in the store. I was BUSTED! I had never felt so bad in my entire life. I thought these girls were my friends but I found out the hard way that they were not. Lucky enough for me, my father was called to come pick me up and no charges were brought against me; however, if my father hadn’t shown up when he did (he was at work so it took him awhile to come and get me), I would have been taken to juvenile hall. This is what happen to me trying to be friends with someone not knowing their true colors.
Other times is when I hang out with one of my best friends whom I love dearly. Anytime she has a party or some type of function going on at her house, I am always there. Her and her family put on great parties and get together; therefore, they love to drink. They always put up their big blue pop-up canopy and big heavy wooded picnic table in the front yard. The music is always blasting and bumping coming from the garage, from her brother-in-law who’s a DJ, and he plays nothing but old school R&B and low-rider music. Everyone is always in the garage getting their dance on including me. There’s always plenty of food from pork carnitas, tri-tip, carne asada, to pasta salad, guacamole, spinach dip and ceviche, and there’s always beer for days. Sometimes I’ll have a couple of beers and other times I won’t because I’m not in the mood to drink so when these times happen, my best friend Eva will put a guilt trip on me especially if we haven’t seen each other in a few weeks. She’ll say things like “you haven’t come over in weeks and can’t have a drink with me but you can go out to the club with your other friends and drink with them?” “un hunh, I see how it is.” That makes me feel like I should have a drink with her and in some cases I will break down and have one or two beers because I feel bad. She’ll tell me that if I drink too much that I can always stay the night at her house and drive home the next day. I don’t like staying the night anywhere like that because if I have to stay the night somewhere due to me having too much to drink, then I just won’t drink.
And then comes the dreadful times. These for me are the absolute worst. My mother whom I love very much can really put a damper on my day at times. Long story short. When I’m out in public with my mother or at her house and sometimes leaving her house, she‘ll call me to come over to see something or someone. I don’t want to do this due to the fact that I know what is going to happen next because when I’m with her, she likes to show me off. My mother will start playing around with my hair saying in a fairly loud voice so people can hear her, “oh daughter dear look at your hair, it’s just growing; it used to be down your back until you cut it, some people don’t believe it’s your real hair” This is so embarrassing to me and I’ve told her not to do it and that I don’t like it, but she insists and always wants to give me a hug and point out that fact that I’m her “oldest beautiful daughter who does not look her age and still looks like a teenager.” She makes me get out of the car to meet one of her friends and all I can think about is her playing in my hair. I don’t always want to go with her but I do because she keeps pressuring me to do it.
We all can be sucked into peer pressure no what the circumstances are, we just need to know how to approach it, how to deal with it, and how to learn from it and move on. I believe we shouldn’t have to do anything that we’re not comfortable with doing especially if and when it makes us feel and look bad. It’s ok to fit in and have your own beliefs on certain things in life, but just know that the people pressure you into doing something will still be there for you (if they’re your family and your true friends) even if you decide not to be pressured into doing something you don’t want to do.
I can recall several times where I felt pressure to do something or to fit in with everyone else, but sometimes it is not always a good idea. I’ll start with the time I was in living in the Bay Area and was in the 7th grade attending Portola Jr High, which sat at the top of a hill in El Cerrito. I had a couple of friends that I hung out with and at the time I thought they were really cool. They always spoke to me in passing during breaks in between classes. They wanted to hang out me at lunch and after school. Because our school was at the top of a hill, we would meet up at the bottom of the hill and take the bus to school everyday; however, we would walk down the hill and go over to the shopping center where Safeway was located and just hang out until we ready to go home. One day my friends wanted to go into Safeway to get something candy. I didn’t want any candy and was going to go home instead and catch up with them the next day, but they wanted me to go into Safeway with them. I tried telling them that I wanted and needed to go home but they wouldn’t hear of it. They made me go into the store and threatened to cut my hair if I didn’t, and back then my hair was down my back. One of the girls pulled a pair of scissors out of her backpack putting them up to my hair whispering in my ear “I’ll cut off all of this long hair if you don’t go in.” The other girls even threatened to beat me up. At this point I was scared, my heart was pounding through my chest and I was shaking like a leaf, so I did want they wanted; I went into the store with them. They gave me a backpack and told me to go down the candy isle and start putting candy into it and that they’ll be in outside waiting for me. I didn’t know what else to do so I did what they demanded me to do because I was so afraid and didn’t want my hair cut off. My mom would’ve killed me if I had gone home with my hair chopped off!
As I went down the candy isle nervous and scared, I stared putting candy into the backpack. People were walking by pushing shopping carts and putting food into them. I was so scared that every time I saw someone looking at me I would go down a different isle until the candy isle was clear of customers. I can still vividly remember this big, tall, baldheaded black man, who looked like he could’ve been a quarterback. He was pushing a shopping cart with food in it, and there was a clipboard in the front part of the shopping cart which I didn‘t think anything of at the time. He walked past every isle and a couple of times down the candy isle. This started to worry me so I began to head out of the store and as soon as I reached the exiting doors, I managed to take about five steps outside of the store looking for my so-called friends, and when I looked across the parking lot I saw them way on the other side at the bus stop, yelling and calling my name telling me to run. My hands were trembling and I was sweaty. As I started walking faster I felt a big hand grab my neck. Low and behold, it was the big, tall, baldheaded black man that had been watching me in the store. I was BUSTED! I had never felt so bad in my entire life. I thought these girls were my friends but I found out the hard way that they were not. Lucky enough for me, my father was called to come pick me up and no charges were brought against me; however, if my father hadn’t shown up when he did (he was at work so it took him awhile to come and get me), I would have been taken to juvenile hall. This is what happen to me trying to be friends with someone not knowing their true colors.
Other times is when I hang out with one of my best friends whom I love dearly. Anytime she has a party or some type of function going on at her house, I am always there. Her and her family put on great parties and get together; therefore, they love to drink. They always put up their big blue pop-up canopy and big heavy wooded picnic table in the front yard. The music is always blasting and bumping coming from the garage, from her brother-in-law who’s a DJ, and he plays nothing but old school R&B and low-rider music. Everyone is always in the garage getting their dance on including me. There’s always plenty of food from pork carnitas, tri-tip, carne asada, to pasta salad, guacamole, spinach dip and ceviche, and there’s always beer for days. Sometimes I’ll have a couple of beers and other times I won’t because I’m not in the mood to drink so when these times happen, my best friend Eva will put a guilt trip on me especially if we haven’t seen each other in a few weeks. She’ll say things like “you haven’t come over in weeks and can’t have a drink with me but you can go out to the club with your other friends and drink with them?” “un hunh, I see how it is.” That makes me feel like I should have a drink with her and in some cases I will break down and have one or two beers because I feel bad. She’ll tell me that if I drink too much that I can always stay the night at her house and drive home the next day. I don’t like staying the night anywhere like that because if I have to stay the night somewhere due to me having too much to drink, then I just won’t drink.
And then comes the dreadful times. These for me are the absolute worst. My mother whom I love very much can really put a damper on my day at times. Long story short. When I’m out in public with my mother or at her house and sometimes leaving her house, she‘ll call me to come over to see something or someone. I don’t want to do this due to the fact that I know what is going to happen next because when I’m with her, she likes to show me off. My mother will start playing around with my hair saying in a fairly loud voice so people can hear her, “oh daughter dear look at your hair, it’s just growing; it used to be down your back until you cut it, some people don’t believe it’s your real hair” This is so embarrassing to me and I’ve told her not to do it and that I don’t like it, but she insists and always wants to give me a hug and point out that fact that I’m her “oldest beautiful daughter who does not look her age and still looks like a teenager.” She makes me get out of the car to meet one of her friends and all I can think about is her playing in my hair. I don’t always want to go with her but I do because she keeps pressuring me to do it.
We all can be sucked into peer pressure no what the circumstances are, we just need to know how to approach it, how to deal with it, and how to learn from it and move on. I believe we shouldn’t have to do anything that we’re not comfortable with doing especially if and when it makes us feel and look bad. It’s ok to fit in and have your own beliefs on certain things in life, but just know that the people pressure you into doing something will still be there for you (if they’re your family and your true friends) even if you decide not to be pressured into doing something you don’t want to do.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Blog/Journal #6 "Cell Phones and Social Graces"
I think the purpose for Charles Fisher’s essay was to elaborate on the use of cell phones and to show how careless, sometime inconsiderate, and needy most people are when using their cell phones. I liked his essay, I enjoyed reading it, and I thought it was a little humorous. Charles doesn’t have a cell phone nor does he want one simply because he has no use for it and is satisfied without one; however it can be of some use in the occurrence of an emergency. If he can live in a world without a cell phone before they came out, then he can live without one now. It’s almost like the phrase “Out of sight, Out of Mind.” I agree with his viewpoint even though I can sometimes be one of those people he has spoken about. After reading Charles’ essay I realized that I see “cell phones and social graces” around me everyday. I think we’ve all become accustomed to being spoiled with high tech gadgets whether it be a cell phone, iphone, ipod, or laptop. It seems like every time a new gadget comes out we have to trade in our old ones for the newest or latest version just to keep up with what’s in. What ever happened to just going out in public having fun and enjoying the people you were with, with no interruptions from a phone ringing inside of your pocket or your purse? Once upon a time we didn’t even know what a cell phone was because they didn't exist and I was happy just having a phone at home with an answering machine, but now that cell phones have come into the world; I don’t believe that I could live without one. Cell phones have come a long way and has taken over many households today, and I’ll bet if you go into any ten random homes none of them will have a house phone, but will probably have at least 3 or 4 cell phones on a family plan.
Charles brought up a really good point when he mentioned how people shouldn’t put their business out there for the whole world to hear when their on the phones in public. Some people don't care how they speak or who's around to hear it. They need to be courteous and watch what they say due to the fact that small children may be in their presence. He also mentioned in his essay how it is sad for people to have their phones ring in the middle of a funeral eulogy or church, and during in-home Bible study (the lady fumbling for her phone and going outside to take the call). RUDE! This reminded me of being in church with my daughter one Sunday morning. Her phone was on vibrate and you could hear it when she was getting a call or a text. It was her boyfriend calling. She put her head down, answered the phone, and then got up to go outside to talk to him. I was furious. This girl wears her phone as if it was an earring. She can text like there is no tomorrow and most of the time when she’s texting she’s not even looking at her phone and she‘s going a mile a minute. I’m usually amazed by this because I can’t do that and wishes that I could, but don’t get me wrong because I’m no better than she is when it comes to being on my cell phone or texting. I'll admit it. I actually sleep with my phone and yes I know that’s bad. My daughter gets upset with me when I’m getting a call or a text while driving because I‘ll try to answer or respond to the text, and again, I KNOW THAT’S BAD! Most of the time if I’m on the phone and is having a deep conversation that I'm into; if someone is trying to get my attention I won't pay them any mind. I hate when I'm on the phone and someone interrupts me or is trying to carry on a conversation with me knowing that on the phone. Pet Peeve! I will usually keep my conversation to myself without others hearing me.
Many other times I’ll get a call, and if I don’t recognize the number, I won’t answer the phone. Sometimes I’ll ignore friends and family if I’m busy or just don’t feel like talking at the moment. I think one of Charles’ examples of being in constant contact with someone compares to one of my situations that I have with my daughter. She calls me every chance she gets. I love my daughter but she can be real needy at times. I believe all of that is due to her loving me as much as she does and the fact that she'll be getting married soon and moving away. If I’m not at home she will call me at least 10 time a day. When I’m hanging out with my friend KC, I’ll leave my phone in another room or put it on vibrate just so I’m not being disturb or being taken away from him and his company. I figure at this point that if I’m where I want to be and then I don’t need to speak with anyone else during that time unless it is an emergency and 9 times out of ten it is not an emergency. As for my daughter; I think she will be calling me a lot more once she moves away; therefore, I will need to keep my phone attached to my hip and ear at all times as much as I do now and answer it when she calls.
I remember about a year ago, my cell phone came up missing and I couldn’t find it for two days. I felt like my world was over. All I could think about were my contacts that I had and how I wouldn’t be able to retrieved them if I couldn’t find my phone. I was devastated and sick during the two days it was missing. I have to have my phone on me at all times. I feel like I’m missing out on something if I don’t have it. There were even times when I missed a payment and my phone was off for a couple of days. During that time, I was going through the motion because I wasn’t able to talk or text and I have Metro PCS so when I received a text message and couldn’t respond, I was pulling my hair out and going crazy. I can not live without my cell phone. I actually have the same phone I’ve had for a few years. I need an upgrade and would love to get one but at this time I don’t need it. My phone hasn’t given me any trouble since I’ve it. Oh but the one time I thought I would lose my mine is when my phone fell in the toilet. I reached in so fast to grab it but by the time I got it out it had already had water damage. Fortunately, it dried out in two days and was good as new. I didn’t have to replace it, I didn’t lose any of my contacts, music or media, and that made me very happy.
As Charles Fisher mentioned, there are plenty of good reasons to have a cell phone which in any case you may need to have one for an emergency. We shouldn’t abuse the use of our cell phones because it can be rude, inconsiderate, inappropriate, and especially dangerous. Be aware of your surroundings, be courteous to others and pay attention to what’s in front of you. Who wants to be having dinner at a nice restaurant when the person at the next table or booth behind you is carrying on a conversation about God knows what? Not cool. If you’re spending time with family and/or friends and your phone rings or you receive a text message; I thinks it ok to answer or respond later unless it is a call or text that is important and its something you’ve been expecting. If that is the case then let others know ahead of time that you’re expecting and will be receiving an important call and if it is an emergency, others will respect the fact that you must take the call.
Charles brought up a really good point when he mentioned how people shouldn’t put their business out there for the whole world to hear when their on the phones in public. Some people don't care how they speak or who's around to hear it. They need to be courteous and watch what they say due to the fact that small children may be in their presence. He also mentioned in his essay how it is sad for people to have their phones ring in the middle of a funeral eulogy or church, and during in-home Bible study (the lady fumbling for her phone and going outside to take the call). RUDE! This reminded me of being in church with my daughter one Sunday morning. Her phone was on vibrate and you could hear it when she was getting a call or a text. It was her boyfriend calling. She put her head down, answered the phone, and then got up to go outside to talk to him. I was furious. This girl wears her phone as if it was an earring. She can text like there is no tomorrow and most of the time when she’s texting she’s not even looking at her phone and she‘s going a mile a minute. I’m usually amazed by this because I can’t do that and wishes that I could, but don’t get me wrong because I’m no better than she is when it comes to being on my cell phone or texting. I'll admit it. I actually sleep with my phone and yes I know that’s bad. My daughter gets upset with me when I’m getting a call or a text while driving because I‘ll try to answer or respond to the text, and again, I KNOW THAT’S BAD! Most of the time if I’m on the phone and is having a deep conversation that I'm into; if someone is trying to get my attention I won't pay them any mind. I hate when I'm on the phone and someone interrupts me or is trying to carry on a conversation with me knowing that on the phone. Pet Peeve! I will usually keep my conversation to myself without others hearing me.
Many other times I’ll get a call, and if I don’t recognize the number, I won’t answer the phone. Sometimes I’ll ignore friends and family if I’m busy or just don’t feel like talking at the moment. I think one of Charles’ examples of being in constant contact with someone compares to one of my situations that I have with my daughter. She calls me every chance she gets. I love my daughter but she can be real needy at times. I believe all of that is due to her loving me as much as she does and the fact that she'll be getting married soon and moving away. If I’m not at home she will call me at least 10 time a day. When I’m hanging out with my friend KC, I’ll leave my phone in another room or put it on vibrate just so I’m not being disturb or being taken away from him and his company. I figure at this point that if I’m where I want to be and then I don’t need to speak with anyone else during that time unless it is an emergency and 9 times out of ten it is not an emergency. As for my daughter; I think she will be calling me a lot more once she moves away; therefore, I will need to keep my phone attached to my hip and ear at all times as much as I do now and answer it when she calls.
I remember about a year ago, my cell phone came up missing and I couldn’t find it for two days. I felt like my world was over. All I could think about were my contacts that I had and how I wouldn’t be able to retrieved them if I couldn’t find my phone. I was devastated and sick during the two days it was missing. I have to have my phone on me at all times. I feel like I’m missing out on something if I don’t have it. There were even times when I missed a payment and my phone was off for a couple of days. During that time, I was going through the motion because I wasn’t able to talk or text and I have Metro PCS so when I received a text message and couldn’t respond, I was pulling my hair out and going crazy. I can not live without my cell phone. I actually have the same phone I’ve had for a few years. I need an upgrade and would love to get one but at this time I don’t need it. My phone hasn’t given me any trouble since I’ve it. Oh but the one time I thought I would lose my mine is when my phone fell in the toilet. I reached in so fast to grab it but by the time I got it out it had already had water damage. Fortunately, it dried out in two days and was good as new. I didn’t have to replace it, I didn’t lose any of my contacts, music or media, and that made me very happy.
As Charles Fisher mentioned, there are plenty of good reasons to have a cell phone which in any case you may need to have one for an emergency. We shouldn’t abuse the use of our cell phones because it can be rude, inconsiderate, inappropriate, and especially dangerous. Be aware of your surroundings, be courteous to others and pay attention to what’s in front of you. Who wants to be having dinner at a nice restaurant when the person at the next table or booth behind you is carrying on a conversation about God knows what? Not cool. If you’re spending time with family and/or friends and your phone rings or you receive a text message; I thinks it ok to answer or respond later unless it is a call or text that is important and its something you’ve been expecting. If that is the case then let others know ahead of time that you’re expecting and will be receiving an important call and if it is an emergency, others will respect the fact that you must take the call.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Blog Journal #5/Darkness At Noon
I believe Harold Krents’ purpose for writing this story was to show other’s that having a disability didn’t mean a person couldn’t live life to the fullest. There are a lot of people in the world today who are different, look different and have disabilities. They are working, playing sports, raising families and living life to the best of their abilities. I agree with Harold’s viewpoint and people should never judge a book by its cover. It can be very hurtful and even leave a scar for life.
I have a little brother who will be 20 years old this month. His name is Dominic and I love this kid like the stars love the night sky. He’s mixed with black and white, and since he was a little boy people would look at him and my mother like they were both different. People would treat my mother unfairly because she had this little high yellow, light skinned kid at her side. People would always look at them with mean stares like they had done something wrong anytime they were out in public. My little brother didn’t like going places with my mom because he was afraid of how they might get treated. My mother always feared this and usually spoke up by saying something to people when this sort of thing happened.
As time went on though and my brother got older, it wasn’t so bad, but it still happened occasionally. He never knew what to consider himself when he was in school. He didn’t know whether or not to mark black or white when filling out paper work that asked for his ethnicity, but after a while he started seeing himself as white. Kids would make fun of him in school calling him names like white boy, speck or zebra. The black kids didn’t want to be friends with him, which made him sad and to the point where he didn’t want to go to school because of it. He started acting out and getting into trouble and didn’t care what happened to him. I had to take him in, take care of him and send him to school with my kids. It’s a good thing I did too. It made all of the deference in the world. When he was at school with my kids, he gain respect, popularity and the confidence and self esteem that he needed to be himself and who he wanted to be.
Today my little brother is very popular with his peers of all races. He has a world of friends that love him for who he is and for the person he has become. He’s a skater and love’s Tony Hawk. He loves and listens to a lot of rock and alternative music. He raps, writes songs and put beats together with my son. My kids, nieces, nephews, and all of the cousins look up to him. They all call him Uncle Dom because he’s the bomb. I love my little brother and is very proud of him. I couldn’t have ask for a better brother.
I have a little brother who will be 20 years old this month. His name is Dominic and I love this kid like the stars love the night sky. He’s mixed with black and white, and since he was a little boy people would look at him and my mother like they were both different. People would treat my mother unfairly because she had this little high yellow, light skinned kid at her side. People would always look at them with mean stares like they had done something wrong anytime they were out in public. My little brother didn’t like going places with my mom because he was afraid of how they might get treated. My mother always feared this and usually spoke up by saying something to people when this sort of thing happened.
As time went on though and my brother got older, it wasn’t so bad, but it still happened occasionally. He never knew what to consider himself when he was in school. He didn’t know whether or not to mark black or white when filling out paper work that asked for his ethnicity, but after a while he started seeing himself as white. Kids would make fun of him in school calling him names like white boy, speck or zebra. The black kids didn’t want to be friends with him, which made him sad and to the point where he didn’t want to go to school because of it. He started acting out and getting into trouble and didn’t care what happened to him. I had to take him in, take care of him and send him to school with my kids. It’s a good thing I did too. It made all of the deference in the world. When he was at school with my kids, he gain respect, popularity and the confidence and self esteem that he needed to be himself and who he wanted to be.
Today my little brother is very popular with his peers of all races. He has a world of friends that love him for who he is and for the person he has become. He’s a skater and love’s Tony Hawk. He loves and listens to a lot of rock and alternative music. He raps, writes songs and put beats together with my son. My kids, nieces, nephews, and all of the cousins look up to him. They all call him Uncle Dom because he’s the bomb. I love my little brother and is very proud of him. I couldn’t have ask for a better brother.
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