I really do not know what is like to have a dad, what feelings to feel, how to act, or how you are supposed to even treat a dad.My grandfather was like a dad to me, in the way that he took care of me since I was nine, and made me the person that I am today. He showed me how to respect, work, and take care of the family and others. He used to wake me and my older brother get up to go out into the fields and pick corn,beans and the crops that were do that day.He used to tell us that if we did not get up, we would not eat. Whatever we picked up that day was the meal for the whole family. We had to do it, he was the person that taught me to look out for the family and for that reason I really think that family is important.   

       When I was seven we used to live in Tijuana Baja California. My older brother, me and my parents. Me and my brother used to see how my parents argued but never to the point where they used violence until one night.  My dad arrived home angry at my mom and out of nowhere started hitting her. I remember how my brother hit him with a pan knocking him out. In that same moment, we moved to Zacatecas. That is where I met my grandfather and began learning the characteristics of being a great and successful person in this world. It was almost the end of our summer vacation and my grandfather, cousin Enrique, and I were going to the field.  It was the time of the year where everyone at the Ranch went out to the field and picked their crops that they had been growing for about four months. Before we started working, my grandfather pulled us to the side and told us that he wanted to speak with us. I still remember the words that my grandfather told my cousin and me. At first, we thought we  were in trouble, but his face was serious so we just stared at each other waiting for his mouth to open. He began. “You guys know I love you two because you are my sons. I took care, raised, and encourage you to do your best in life. Life is hard and that is why I am teaching you how to live through life without doing stupid things. You are not always going to have me to tell you what is right and what is wrong. LIfe goes on and I’m becoming old my in my years.”   

       Another time when my grandfather was still alive, he taught me another big lesson . I was about to turn ten years old. We were sitting outside the cow farm when he started talking to me about his past and how hard he had to struggle to life in order to survive.

I have tried to remember my grandfather’s words. When I entered high school there were a lot of challenges for me. The first language I spoke was Spanish, and the primary language spoken in the high school was English.  That was one challenge I had to overcome. Another problem I had was that it has always been a problem with me taking my time because I spend more time processing new things I learn in my head. In general I am a slow learner and how teachers in my high school teachers  fast., and not in the way that takes me time to learn. But I have to keep trying. In my opinion, I believe that family and school have to do a lot with one another. I think that school is related to family because in high school you spend most of the time there, you see everyone as your family the way the support you and help you achieve your goals just like a real family does.