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OVERCOMING THE ODDS
It was November 2000. I was getting ready for my G.E.D. exam. I was
nervous and
thought I was not ready. The test covered Writing skills, Social
Studies, Science,
Literature, Arts and Mathematics. I tried to review everything I knew
for the test. I
crammed. I was not sure at all that I could do this. There were many
reasons why I was
not confident and the odds were against me.
I came from a very poor family. I had only a
sixth grade education and that was in my
native Thai (Thailand) language. In the environment I grew up in,
everyone was laborer,
lived day to day, had no future, dreams or anything to look forward to.
I worked in a restaurant at age twelve and I had many more labor type
jobs such as
construction worker, maid and waitress. They were all low paying jobs
and I accepted
this, until I met my husband. I came to the United States of America and
had to learn
English. I arrived in America, January 1997.
The Adult Learning Center helped me a lot. I remember the first time I
went to class, I
almost cried because I thought it was too hard, but I didn’t quit. I
continued going to
classes and about one year later decided it was time for me to move on
from ESL
( English as a Second Language) to Adult Basic Education. I went with
mostly Americans
who didn’t have a chance to get an education when they were younger or
didn’t do well
in their school years. These classes taught Reading, Writing and Math.
Math was my
favorite, and I loved the center and every teacher that I had.
On the day I took the G.E.D. test, I thought I was not going to pass
because I didn’t
have much confidence in myself. Two weeks later, the mail came and there
was a big
brown envelope. I opened the mail and it was the certificate that told
me I had passed the
test. I screamed with elation, I had never dreamt of getting the G.E.D.
on the first try.
On the day of graduation for the G.E.D.
recipients, I was so happy and proud. I was
the only foreigner to receive their G.E.D. that day. The ceremony
included a “Thank
You” to all who stood beside us in the hard times and believed in us.
In my case, my
husband would receive all of the credit. Part of the ceremony was to
encourage us and
this was just the beginning: do not fear to step forward to become
something.
It has been about a year since that day; I still remember the feeling of
excitement and
joy that I accomplished this. I was a poor girl who had no future, was
not sure about
myself, and the odds were big, but I had overcome them. Now I have a
chance in life to
become something. I am now working my way in Community College and
although I
don’t know what I want to be now, I will know when the time comes. |
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A MAJOR DECISION
To get a driver’s license was a big decision for me . Everyday life
involves vehicles for transportation. To drive to
places was like a dream for me; therefore, I looked at people
who could drive with awe because they could do something so incredible.
I made the decision that I had to get a driver’s
license, but it was not easy. There were many tasks
I had to take; however, the result was worthwhile.
It was hard to get a
driver’s license, but I did it! In 1997, I came to this country .
First I took a reading test for a learner’s
permit. It was not easy because I understood only a little
English, but I passed . Driver’s training got me on the road , and my
husband and neighbor helped me practice, but what
I needed the most was to overcome the fear. I knew
that I had to make sure that I would be safe on the road before I got my
license; therefore, after two years my dream had
come true; the license was mine.
This license represented
freedom and independence for myself, but most of all, the benefit
it gave to my family was tremendous. I used to wake my husband and
children up for me to go to school. Can you
imagine what a hassle it was? Not anymore. My husband used to drive the children to many activities. Of course, my license
made his life a lot easier because I could help. My
children were happy because Mom could drive them to the library, park or
mall.
This license was so mandatory
for my life and my family. If I had known how much
this license would affect my life , I wouldn’t have waited so
long; however, I passed the test and the license was mine, like the
term, “Better late than never.” Nevertheless,
the decision was a good and mandatory one, so I’m glad that I
had made that decision. |
