Life’s Every Day Struggles

going to school

     Life’s Every Day Struggles

 

  Why in today’s society people take the simple things in life; like health, happiness, work and play, in my case an education for granted? I’m faced with these questions every day. Right now I’m homeless depending on government handouts; eating at soup kitchens when my food stamps run out. Every night I have to go to a homeless resource center to get a reservation for shelter and where they send me is no Holiday Inn. Any type of financial aid when it involves someone footing the bill requires filling out the proper forms, which leads to a paper trail, that by the time you get the funds. The task you needed the money for in the first place was completed long ago.  Sometimes when my assignments are late or incomplete, I try to explain to an instructor , the reason and why . The comment I get is” too much information.” My stomach drops when they can’t comprehend nor understand those things they take for granted, I lack. Some teachers even have the gall to say” if other students can do it, so can you”, and even then I leave their presence with my head held high, knowing if I don’t do this who will? I’m so stressed out, I’m ready to yell at the world and grab it by the horns. but I’ve been blessed, because no matter how frustrated I get the Lord sends me some sign that enables me to make it through  another day.  

 When I was at midterms, juggling three classes along with student success as an added bonus, The latter being a waste of valuable time I could have use for the other classes  and my living situation wasn't helping, at this rate I’d probably be better of at the circus at least I’d have a place to live.  There are other problems other than time; and a place to live, Money, being the dominating factor in this race to beat the odds. There was a time when I’d buy lottery tickets hoping to hit the big one” in my dreams’ a not so a great gambler once said,” The house always wins when I lose”. So I gave up on that notion because I may have been better off saving the money than giving it away to save schools, at least that’s what the California lottery broad says. I’ve yet to see a dime. Since I don’t have a bank account that comes with parental guidance, stocks, bonds, or master card, it’s obvious I’m a day late and a dollar short. So the only comfort I had was my student I D to let me know I was still welcomed at school so I thought, a social security card which filled me with this false sense that big brother is looking over me and last but not least my Safeway saving card, as a member I still couldn’t make ends meet.

        Cause and effect, the yin and the yang, Ozzie and Harriet, they seem to stay together, why can't I? Well one I’m alone, two miseries loves company, and with this dilemma, we got a crowd. So one day in class as my Instructor was explaining run on sentence and fragment, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I could hear angel sing, not from the ton of bricks, but from what my teacher was saying about sentence structures, nouns, verbs and subject. The rest is free stuff. A spirituals awaking, “I can see the light” by these divine teaching that were being written on the broad, not only gave me the solution to my school problems but to my very existence. To make the grade in life you must first rid your self of the unnecessary stuff and all you have left is subject takes action to get the objective. Without the junk and right to the point, you’re home free.

        Rock and a hard place, up the creek with out paddle, almost but no cigar, I find my self deep in this spiral ride with a never ending out come the school felt no mater what I could not make the grade, so the school has suggested I withdraw and come back in January Therefore denying me access to this quarter, The dean after careful consideration, which took no more than a New York second this side of the west coast, gave me these heart felt last words, as I stood up “thanksgiving” Yes I am thankful for as long as I can walk that walk and talk that talk that higher learning has to offer I can come out of this mess a winner.  Since English is what fuel the fire within me, the phoenix will rise, I’ll take this writing assignment and turn it in to my student success story because every thing life can and will dish out, I plan to write and at the same time learn to write. The pen is mightier than the sword or in this case the keyboard from which these words transform, I don’t know what else can show them that deep down in my heart there’s determination and the will to survive.  Threes a saying “He who can not remember his past is condemn to repeated it” And this is one lesson I don’t want to ever have to cross its path again.  The solution is simple. Take nothing for granted because merits are earned with discipline and hard work. The school has been a blessing in disguise and showed me the end result of an education is the answer, and solution to the latter problem. Now the faculty is another issue    I feel that their decision contradict the very foundation of what the Art Institute of California-San Francisco stands for. But like all Institution sometimes they can be blinded by the light they teach and therefore they have dined me the right of what Is deep inside, the desire to fill my mind and heart with the fruits of higher learning, Never the less this is my first writing assignment but I promise it won’t be the last.

                                    

By Mauricio Montoya

Author's Note

I wrote this in school before I join this site funny I now read it. To see what I once had.

Reviews

[Zeek4]

You must be very proud of yourself Mauricio for having the guts and determination to push through all the roadblocks placed in your path. Being a former educator myself, I feel like kicking the crap out of some of your teachers for being so insensitive an non supportive. How about writing more stories?

[*skittlez*]

this is very good

[Tate Morgan]

My mother was divorced from my father in the sixties found she wass homeless with 4 children to raise .Yours is similar pain wrote from the weeping and laughter from the house of death and birth came all that was then and after from the dust of the laboring earth you will be a great man from the trials that have tempered your soul

[~Death The Kid~ ☜..]

awsome ^^

[Marie Harrison]

What an amazing story, I'm so proud of you after reading this story. It could be fiction, if it's not you should be proud. We never realise why we find ourselves in rough situations until usually we are out of them and then everything becomes clear.

This writing invites us into one's personal struggle to improve their life in a way that also strengthens their character too. To choose to make education and the persute of one's passion a top priority is noble. I'm cheering you on!

[Prateeksha Khot]

It is easy to preach than to practice. A lot of people say that in difficult times we must never give up hope but keep going, that whatever happens is for the best, that every cloud has a silver lining but few people are able to follow their own words when the difficult times hound them. So it is great to know that you never gave up hope and continued to strive and not feel defeated.

Keep up.

[Journey]

I am happy that you had the courage to share this. Speaking of past events and situations that affected your life greatly. I agree that we should never take any of our blessings for granted. This is a journal entry that stands as a reminder to keep hitting at the rock...eventually it will burst.

[Art]

Sometimes we just gotta keep banging those doors or breaking them down to reach our golas...life is at times bittersweet but you know you gotta get up and get going. I did'nt go past that goal of high school education and even that I completed when I got into the military (voluntarily) but I have succeeded in my point of view and within the realty of owning my own business(actually I am so busy I can't dedicate enough time to this site) ha ha...well Mauricio all I can tell you is to keep on trucking my friend and in the end...we will be in Heaven..

take care...