Here's a story for those of you who don't believe it's possible to improve your lifestyle by simply trying. For those of you who continue to make excuses about how poor people just can't make things better for themselves for "whatever" reasons. This story is true since I have been witnessing it since day 1 close to a year ago.
Nearly a year ago I found out that my mother-in-law's stepson (her husbands son, just in case) had won the Cuban lottery that allows a Cuban to get a passport and travel to the US. Recently married and expecting a child that he waiting to be born before traveling to ensure nothing would happen during the flight, he, his wife and his father did all the necessary preparations for their arrival. Soon they set foot in the US, the right way. He came from a completely different culture, only knowing his father, to a world those who risk their lives in home-made boats to make it to the US hope and dream to someday enjoy. Being able to leave the country he was born and loved to be able to provide his family with a better lifestyle was a miracle sent by God to him. And let me tell you, he did not come here looking to simply get away from the difficult lifestyle of Cuba, he came here with a plan. He came here to take advantage of the opportunities offered by this great country to be more than just another Cuban across the Atlantic.
From the moment he set foot on US soil he has been doing everything he could to begin his new life in the US the right way. He got a license, applied for citizenship, got a job, started taking English language classes, got a car and started going to school to become a barber which is what he did while in Cuba. His next goal is to move out of his dad's house, who allowed him to move in during has transition from Cuba to the US, to his own place. Possibly a house, most likely an apartment. Once he settled himself going to a school during the day and working at night, his wife decided it was her turn to do her part to make themselves independent. She got herself a license and a car, also went to English classes and is now working while their daughter goes to a daycare. Both me and my wife, his dad and my mother-in-law have helped them go to all the offices necessary for them to get the ball rolling in this country. So far, this family has done more in the year they've been here than I have in all my years in this country. Sad, but true.
They are a true inspiration of how having the will to move forward, having the belief of being able to succeed and having the mentality of not giving up and sacrificing today for a better tomorrow can lead to success in life. While they still have some ways to go before they reach their goal of independence and a decent lifestyle, they are going uphill at full speed with the will to succeed as their fuel.
Most people, especially those who are citizens of this great Nation, can learn a thing or 2 from this family who came from a lifestyle worse than what most poor people in this country think they are in and took advantage of everything this country had to offer and are showing that you can succeed if you have the will to do it. To me education is the key to success in life, and this family has strengthened my opinion on this. This country has a lot to offer to those who are down and out; education, shelter, food, financial help, job search, hundreds of Gov't programs to help you get your life together and better your current lifestyle, etc. I am willing to bet my entire yearly income that there are millions of people around the world who wish their countries had this much to offer them to change their lifestyles for the better. Just look at the boarder of the US and Mexico for proof, not to mention all those who enter thru Canada, who enter with temporary passes and stay and those who sneak in to the country as stowaways.
Being part of that world, having plenty of firsthand experience and being witness to it, believe me when I say many those who are considered to be poor people have all the opportunities to succeed in life in the US. But if they don't make the effort to try and don't take advantage if what this Nation has to offer(and I don't necessarily mean getting on welfare or food stamps and staying in it for life, but simply as a chance to move forward in life), they only have themselves to blame. I should know, I'm one of them.
If this family could do it, so can I. And so can any family that is capable, physically and/or mentally.