Every year in December I’m always standing outside of the Palmer events center which is located near downtown Austin Texas. Last year I noticed my old elementary school teacher working there. Her name was Ms. Muir and I had known her for years the question that popped in my head was why she was working there. Every year I go there is usually college students and your typical stay at home mom as people would call them. Every year I go the line just gets longer and longer. Every year I go there is at least hundreds of people and many of them do not know English are hundreds of people. If you do not know what this event is. Well it is called Coats for Kids and this is where hundreds of kids go to get new winter coats and where they go to get things such as dental hygiene products and car seats for infants and toddlers.

As I am on the coats for kids website now, I notice it says “Help a need child today”. What does a needy child mean? Doesn’t everyone need help sometimes in life whether or not if it is  with money or emotional problems. I know that most of the times people do not care and they say to themselves “Oh I don’t feel bad that sounds like a personal problem.” I personally do not think it is a personal problem because at one point in every person’s they were considered part of the low class community. I mean sure I have been part of one for as long as I can remember but I know that I am happy and I have the things that I need in life. I have a house, food, clothes and I have a family that loves me. I don’t need all the materialistic items that have ruined all of our lives.

One thing that I have never really gotten over was a topic that we discussed during my U.S history class about how during the era of reform people were told that if you helped out a poor person then you would go to heaven.This led to another topic about how Austin was divided based on class and race. I have some family who I rarely talk to that live in the north part of Austin and they call me out about everything I wear. So what I get my clothes from the thrift store, I am not embarrassed. Has anyone ever said they were going to the thrift store because it was trendy. I know this one girl and she said that she only wore things from American Eagle and Hollister, she once told me that she went to the thrift store once because she said everyone was going and saying it was a must and that it was trending. I guess people do not realized that maybe some people can not see from my point of view. They don’t understand that sometimes what they say can hurt and sure this is off topic but this all relates together it is like a never ending circle. It goes Low income, getting what you want, finally fitting in but in more financial trouble then before, and then bullying because you are hurting yourself. All of this is just my opinion.

I can remember that when I was around the fourth grade this one kid in my class had an Iphone and I remember thinking to myself all I have is an old MP3 Player. As I got older I now realized that I don’t need everything that someone else has to have friends. Even now in middle school I realized I do not need and Iphone 6s to have friends.  The movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding has really showed me something about how people think just because you don’t have money then you can’t do anything. Well in this case the father came to America with $8 and a wish for his children to have a good life. So what he did was work for it he didn’t let anything stop him, he ended up having a restaurant and a big house and this was all because he worked for it and sure this maybe a movie but things like this can happen.

I have another story for you, my grandma was a migrant worker from ages 9 to 15 before she finally had my uncle and moved to texas with her 2 children and her husband. She lived in a one room house and she had a bucket to shower with, and to cook she had a 2 burner stove. My grandma is now 60 years old now and she has retired from the IRS and she did not graduate from high school and she did not go to college but this proves that you do not need money to do great things in life all you need to do is work for it. My grandma did not finish high school because she had to work to support her family. This is the challenge a lot of families like her face during the late 60’s and early 70’s.

I am encouraging you to do is this make your story known whether or not it is like mine like even if it’s different. I just want to get my word out, I want to educate others and let them have a perspective from someone like me. A word that could summarize my story would be TRENDY the reason being is sure they think that shopping at the thrift store is trendy but you know what else is, that thing would be my story and my point of view.