Everyone is proud to speak of his/her family, so am I. It has been a great privilege to me for being part of such a loving and blissful family atmosphere. My family consists of my aged grandma, my father, mother, two younger brothers and one younger sister. Born in Africa, I have been taught to be proud of the African culture, art forms, folklores, myths and traditions from my early childhood onwards. I still cherish the fairytales and myths narrated by my grandma whenever I used to sleep with her at night.
No doubt, those stories have helped me develop a sense of belonging to the African way of life and they unknowingly instilled a strong African identity deep within me. One of the reasons why I am so indebted to my family is the fact that even though our family is hailed from a poor financial background, they valued the significance of education and saw that I pursue my higher studies in the great United States of America.
Thinking retrospectively, I am certain that I would not have been able to pursue my higher studies in the USA had my parents not endowed me with constant support, encouragement and confidence. It was from my family that I learnt the fundamental principles of problem solving and positive thinking. With the meager income that he obtained, my father very often found it difficult to look after the affairs of the home and the studies of the children was a major concern for him.
However, he was optimistic, self-sacrificing, hard working and fought hard against all sorts of odds in life. My mother, in the same way, showed remarkable perseverance, tolerance and good will in the affairs of the home.
A major crisis in the family occurred when it came for me to leave for the United States for higher studies. Even though I had secured scholarships and obtained the student visa for immigration, the preliminary expenditure was quite unbearable for the family. But my family members knew for certain that it was my long cherished dream to study in the USA and therefore arrangements were made with the assistance of the community members where I resided. No doubt, higher studies in the USA “lures students from all parts of the world” even though “it takes a lot of preparation to get into any one of the American universities.” (Higher Education in USA?).
However, my family members and the villagers are proud of me and this offers me immense satisfaction. I had a very sentimental farewell from the family and the community and each correspondence from the family motivates me to perform well in my studies in the United States.
My reflections in this paper have immense validity in establishing the cause and effect relationship. Life in Africa is greatly distinct from that in America and it is the power of relations that make the life meaningful and easy in spite of the hardships of living. I realize the effect of my bond to my family and its warm regards for my life in terms of the achievements I have acquired in this short life. Unlike most other youngsters of my region, I have the unique privilege of enjoying higher studies; that too, in this prestigious land. I also share the advantage of gaining several academic feats along with my peers and the feeling of self living by way of my part-time employment.
All these factors make me proud of my life and this renewed meaning of living is the result of some basic sacrifices rendered by my family. To be clarifying, my family’s support and regard for my welfare is the cause for the greater meaning and advantage of my life at the present. That is to say, the effect of my present life is caused by the merit of my family and culture.
Works Cited
Higher Education in USA? Path2USA. 2006. Web.