EXCERPTS FROM STUDENT PROJECT "A BETTER LIFE"

Uncomfortable Clothing

There was a time when I felt uncomfortable about my clothing, because I wore old Payless shoes and old clothes. I wore these clothes and shoes on my first day of school in America. My aunt gave me a pair of shoes, and I brought them with me when I came to the United States. The neighbors gave us clothes and other stuff because we were newcomers. My dad didn’t have a lot of money, so I had to wear the old shoes and old clothes that people gave to me.

The first day I went to school, I wore those old shoes, a T-shirt and a pair of kaki-pants that had some spots on them. I didn’t want to wear them, but I had no choice. At school, I saw many people who wore new clothes and shoes. I felt so uncomfortable because I didn’t have new stuff. I didn’t like what I was wearing. It was first day of school, and I didn’t have new clothes and my old shoes almost didn’t fit me. I asked my parents to buy me new clothes and shoes but they said we couldn’t afford it. I thought they didn’t want to spend their money, and it wasn’t right. Later, I realized they saved the money to buy a car, so they could get their job.

I realized that I could not do anything to help them. I was so selfish. I only thought about myself and didn’t think about how hard my parents worked to earn the money to buy a car. I myself felt so guilty because I thought badly about my parents. There are many children who are poorer than me. Since then, I have not asked them for clothing. I promised myself I would never ask my parents for anything, that I couldn’t earn for myself. It doesn’t matter if I wear ugly clothes or old shoes. I am happy with who I am.

My First Job Title

I started working last year. My job title was "Customer Service Worker". I work at KFC on McArthur Blvd. The job wasn’t as easy. I had to be nice to the customers and smile all the time, when I waited on them. I had to know how to handle problems, money, and customers.

The first day at work, I was so nervous and shy. I had to wear a uniform and a hat. In my job as a cashier, I had to talk to the customers and serve them too. I learned how to prepare the meals and side dishes that came with the meals. I stood all day, except when I took ten minutes breaks.

My legs were killing me. I was so tired and I didn’t eat anything. I just drank liquid because I had been talking to the customers all day. I was shy and I didn’t want to eat in front of customers. During lunch, I tried to remember the names of the foods. It was so hard to remember the different kinds of meals prepared in one day. I messed-up some of the customers’ orders, and they got mad at me. I thought, I can’t stand this job anymore, but I had to learn more about the outside world. My head was dizzy because of the pressure. Some of the customers were so nice and some sympathize with me. It was my first workday and it was a disaster.

It was my first job as a "Customer Service Worker." While it was kind of hard working with people, I learned a lot about the people. It was good for me to know more about the life outside my family and how to handle the situations when the customers required it. This job was tiring because I had to stand all the time, but I gradually got used to it. Right now I still work there, at KFC, and I like communicating with the customers. My managers are so nice to me, and I have learned a lot about people in the world outside my home.

Superstitious Belief

In the world, there are many people who are superstitious. Some of their superstitions are so strong that they are almost customs. I am from Vietnam. My superstitious beliefs are about good luck, bad luck, and being aware of the owls.

I believe in good luck. For example, whenever the dogs come to a person’s house, that family will be rich and have good luck. Luck is associated with broken mirrors, the number thirteen, and walking under a ladder. I think there are a lot of people who believe the number thirteen is bad luck, because there are only twelve months in a year and thirteen is an odd number. I think number thirteen sounds like the word thirsty. If you believe that the number thirteen means thirsty, then you feel thirsty. You have nothing to drink. This means you are poor.

Another superstition is to beware of the owl. For example, when an owl arrives at anyone’s house, a person in that family will die. I am reminded of the time when I was nine years old, and I heard my mom say that my grandmother had died, because the owl stood on top of her house.

My superstitious beliefs are about bad luck, good luck, and being aware of the owls. Superstitions like these have become rituals that bring bad luck, good luck and protection. Many people want to have good luck, but don’t want the owl come where they live. These age-old superstitions are as strong today as they were ages ago, and probably will continue to exist into the future.