A Little Bit of Myself

Thinking of going back to College has been my biggest challenge. I didn’t consider myself smart enough to attend college and chose to blame others for my short-comings. Growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y. in the early 1960’s a family of five and me being the youngest of three brothers and poor. I considered myself an average student during elementary through middle school. It wasn’t easy at times for me. I had no one to turn to when I needed help for school assignments, such as reading, science, and life in general, I felt empty, lonely not knowing what to do at times, so I would skip classes and ride the subways to the last destination, then take it back home and act like I have been in school all day or I would go to the park and climb a tree branches and stay there until, it was time to go home. I couldn’t go to my father because my father at the time was too busy playing dominoes and drinking alcohol in the social club, right underneath our apartment. Sometimes, my father would come home drunk and physically abuse us for no reason.
I used to wonder why he would do something like that.   My mom worked long hours in a Doll factory, then she would rushed home and cook for us plus get verbally abused by my dad. So, I would not dare to ask for help with my homework assignments. I know my mom would help, if I asked, but I was afraid.
Somehow, I managed with school by going to the library before going home. Then my life took a new challenge. My parent, brothers, and I moved to Puerto Rico.   I was enrolled in a new school system, plus a new language, Spanish which, I knew from speaking to my parents, but not the same when needed to be spoken all the time. I was not prepared for this and my life changed from being manageable to bad. I managed to pull thru to the 9th grade. With my parent’s permission, I moved to Texas to live with my uncle Angel, who at the time was enlisted in the Air force. At this point my life took another turn, but this time for the best so I thought,... [continues]

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