Two beliefs that I have been taught are that it is ok to make mistakes and that men do not necessarily need to be the main income in a household. Everyone learns from their mistakes and they try to be different from others. My grandparents were very strict with my parents and they were taught that mistakes make you weak and that mistakes were not aloud to be made in society. They believed that mistakes make you weak and that people will judge you accordingly. As a result of how my grandparents treated my parents they tried to be better and learn from my grandparents. I was taught that mistakes only make you stronger and that it is something that you learn from. In my family, mistakes are seen as a good thing, because it teaches you to be better and improve. Mistakes are there to be made and you can make a hundred mistakes if it means that you will master the thing you are struggling with. If you make mistakes you learn not to make that same mistake again and it gives you a chance to see other mistakes you might have made in the past. Everyone learns from their parents and they do their best job to raise us, but in the end we do not notice all the hard work, we notice the mistakes and we learn from them so that we have a chance to be better, make our own mistakes and later in time improve on them. The second lesson my parents, as well as my community has taught me is that men do not have to be the main income in a certain household. Most of the people in my community have hard working parents, but some of them envy their mothers more than their fathers, because the women most likely went to college and got a degree that lead to a higher paying job than the father. In my household, my parents run a business and they make the exact same income, nobody is classified as the breadwinner or the better person, they are equal. Today we see a lot of families were either parent can be the breadwinner or where both of them are. A few generations ago, women were only seen as the housekeeper or “stay at home mom” they were not allowed to work, thus men were seen as the person who brings the money and food, and only men were allowed to be the breadwinners. Some families today still believe in this statement and they teach their children the same way, but my family decided to believe in equality where no person is better or higher than the other.

After the bright yellow and orange sun starts burning through my window, it woke me up, I sat up straight and took all of my medication, I unlocked my phone to be greeted with 6 missed calls and 22 different messages from my best friend. All of the most horrible images rushed through my head as I thought something was wrong so immediately I decided to call back… I was furious after the call, because my best friend led me to believe something bad had happened, but all of his stress was about his golf caddie whom bailed out for his tournament on Sunday and he just wanted to ask if I was up for it.

As my day continued I ate a sweet strawberry yogurt cup and started walking to my first class, but all I can think about is how quickly I accepted the privilege to caddie for him the day of his golf tournament. I arrive on campus and the smell of wet grass and mud catches my nose, it reminds me of my wonderful childhood where I would play and roll around on the grass early in the mornings when the doe was still ice cold. After class I take my second dosage of medication (I have to drink medication three times a day, because I was diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease, which basically means that my immune system is always busy attacking my intestines, there is no cure, but the medication can control it.) I almost start to burst out in tears, because the pain in my stomach is unbearable today. Hopefully the medication starts to work as soon as possible! Once the pain becomes bearable I start thinking about the golf. How am I supposed to carry a heavy weight bag for four to five hours without wanting to curl up in the fetus position. I will just have to toughen up and push through, because he needs me!

The sun is still very bright and it is almost noon, the rays of the sun reflect on the white cement floor and burns my eyes shut. I am on my way back to my apartment when I feel a cold, chilling breeze on the top of my neck. STOP! I was on my way to cross the street when a Toyota Hilux decides to skip the stop sign and flies by me at about 165 kilometres an hour. I was flabbergasted and I froze on the sidewalk, I feel like I had just made eye contact with the one and only Greek demigod Medussa. I think to myself,  “I must attain the courage to move my legs.” Finally I look around me to make sure it is safe, the last ten minutes are a blur, but somehow i find myself standing still with my front door locked in front of me. I have no idea how i got here, but at least I know that I am safe. I lie down on my bed and as my consciousness fades away my alarm starts screaming. It is time for my medication. Before I close my eyes for the final time tonight I call my friend and ask him what time I should arrive at the course on Sunday morning.