My Mother

Andy, 10th - Oakland, CA
My mom is a strong, independent, smart, Chinese, American, and a college graduate. My mom is somebody that almost every ethnic person can relate to. She wasn’t born in the USA, she was born in Guangxi China. She was generally poor as an example she gave me was that her and her family wore sandals in the winter. Her father was a fisherman and her mother stayed at home most of the time. 

Her childhood was never really mentioned to me a lot. The only times she ever told stories were about the struggles of money and how she was disciplined. There was only one time I remember her speaking about her childhood and It was about making paper origami. She showed me how to make swans and lions and all sorts of animals. Till this day I don’t remember how to make any origami that she taught me. She eventually met my father, and they married and my father sponsored my mom to be in the US.
               
She worked at many places in Oakland, her first job was my Aunt’s butcher shop but it wasn’t paying enough, so then she worked at many dim sum restaurants. During this time she was going to community college, and she managed to graduate even barely speaking english. She now works at a Casino and all she can talk about is how important money is. One time I told her that money isn’t everything. “Andy one day when you’re an adult paying bills with kids running around the house you will see how important money is” she said in a serious tone. She works really hard and that’s something I want to inherit from my mom. 

​If there was one word to describe her it would be “hard-working”. She managed to save enough money to buy a house in California and I think everyone should know how impressive that is. My mom is someone I’m really proud of and is an inspiration to me. A loving person who’s hard-working but can provide for herself, and those she cares about it.