In my essay, I will focus on one special woman who has really shaped my life into what it is today: my grandmother. She is eighty-one years old, having lived through World War Two and experienced the atrocities committed to the people, including her brothers, who perished in the war. My grandmother is a trained teacher who taught in various elementary schools diligently, and upon her retirement, she was awarded an honorary gift.
After retiring, she got involved in small businesses, selling in a grocery store and babysitting in a baby daycare she owned in the afternoon. She lost her husband, my grandfather, to a brain tumor at the tender age of thirty-six years and all along stayed as a single mother. She worked towards providing the basic necessities for her children and securing their future. She was a good disciplinarian who believed in ‘spare the rod and spoil the child’ and still does. Despite her old age, she is still a strong woman who works out at least twice daily by cycling around the neighborhood. Her contribution to the community is immense as she volunteers in many organizations in the United States.
Also, she volunteers to save children and pregnant women in Africa by contributing towards the purchase of mosquito nets. She supports a children’s home in Kenya, which is a home for children who are infected with HIV and AIDS. Although no one has recognized her selflessness, she has continuously worked hard to care for them by sending donations and traveling there at least once a year. She is my role model, and I pray that she will have more days on earth. To the grandchildren, she makes us work hard by keeping us updated on our school work and ensuring that we perform to our best level on all our tests. She acts as our tutor during holiday time, teaching us how to simplify sums.
This has made us more competitive in school, and we are now getting good grades due to her diligence and patience. Her life fulfillment comes from the work she does and the health she enjoys. Once a week, she goes out to chat with her friends, and when she comes back home, she is all jovial.
The most difficult time she experienced was when she contracted typhoid fever during her annual trips to Kenya. She was very sick and almost lost her life due to dehydration and her loss of appetite. Her family members are her main supporters as they give her moral support in her endeavors. The Christian community from her church also supports her work, especially what she does for the African children. When am eighty I would want to be as healthy as my grandmother and very industrious. I would want to have retired from being employed to being an entrepreneur engaging with hotel and tourism products as I would want to pursue this in my degree.
To be precise, I would want to establish a coffee house here in our state and another one in Kenya, in Africa. This will help create jobs and hence contribute towards alleviating poverty. This will be in my volunteer work that I would want to continue from my grandmother. I would want to learn many languages like French, Italian, and Kiswahili, the national language in Kenya, and acquire good leadership skills that I do not possess now. Just like my grandmother, I would want to be involved in various volunteer works, especially in Africa, as I feel a special connection to Africans. I would want to live in New York with my family and my husband and, if possible, with my grandchildren, too. I would want to be involved with their day-to-day upbringing and enjoy my time with them as I have been privileged to enjoy with my grandmother.