We all have an American dream right? For some it’s getting a college degree so that they could buy a nice house, for some it’s to have a nice family, for others it’s to make as much money as they can, regardless we all have a dream. My father’s dream speaks so much about him, explains the way he his. He’s always been a humble man, never was fascinated with the greater things in life and I’ve always wondered why. After chatting with  him it was so obvious why he is the way he is, and I’ve gain so much perspective and uber more respect for him.

My father has always been a hardworking man, since the age of 7 he was forced to get up at 6am and work and this always stuck with him. He remember this one time, he woke up 30 minutes late and when he arrived to his job (only 7 years old) his boss only paid him for half a day, when arriving home my grandfather wouldn’t allow him to eat for the rest of the week, my dad chuckling along with the story, glad that this happened on a Friday. My dad explained that my grandfather was a timid man with such a low tolerance for anything; this caused my dad to mature at such a rapid age. My dad remembers the time my grandfather broke his toy airplane and told him “Is playing going to get you far in the future?” My father didn’t come from a rich family, not even an average income family, he grew up in poverty. He recalls having to share a pair of shoes with my uncle, the pain his toe had experience, being compressed into shoes 2 sizes smaller than his. He never held a grudge against my grandfather except for the fact that he didn’t let him get a proper education, my grandfather forced my dad to drop out at 12, crushing my dad’s dream of becoming a pharmacist.

At 17, my dad knew he didn’t want his life to be the same way, he said his goodbyes to him family, recalls my grandmother telling him to, lying to him that life would be worst on the other side. He knew what he had to do, he wanted to strive. He tells me the story of his first meal in the US, no longer being able to hold in the laughter,  a Big Mac combo, and how he spilled soda on a lady. He remembers how joyful he being able to eat he complete meal without having to share with anyone. After a few months of arriving here, he finally raised enough money to bring my mom over, tears running down his face as he told me how relieved he was that nothing happened to my mom along the way, especially because she was pregnant with me at the time. Their reconciliation enlightened, he wanted more for his family.

My dad has never been one to boast about all he has, but when asking him what his grandest accomplishments were it was difficult for him to hold his sense of pride, he was more than proud to say that in less than a year he had raised enough money up to get himself a car, not just any type of car but a Ford. He recalls all the times he made his own lunch instead of buying from a food truck to save up, knowing it would be worth it at the end. He mentioned the concept of the American dream, he told me he believed it was bettering yourself and your current situation generation by generation, and after asking him if the thinks he is living the American dream he said yes, he was proud to have a home he could call his, a loving family, he was proud that he could manage to send money to him home in Mexico on a weekly basis, his most touching words the whole interview ”I may not have it all, but I have enough.”      

We all have an american dream in our minds, and my dad’s dream was always clear to him- to give us a better life than what he had. He sacrificed so many objects,time, people along his journey, he still looks back at this childhood dream of becoming a pharmacist and although that didn’t happen he was more than proud with what he accomplished, because he made his American dream come true.