Givology - give to learn, learn to give

My name is He Qiu Hua. I am 16. I live at Jin Mian Village, Long Tong Town, and my family is relatively poor. In my home, we have 6 people (Dad, Mom, Older Brother, me, Uncle, and Grandma). Dad and Mom are both farmers. My Uncle is blind, and he cannot really do much at home. It is a good thing that Grandma can still help my parents with some housework. My brother and I are both in the process of getting our education. My parents, in order to support my brother and I, have slaved away under the burning sun. And our land has very minimal vegetation, not enough water, and the weather is always overly hot. Once a year, we can only have one harvest for our corn. Sometimes, farmers may have no crops at all. We say “our livelihood depends on the weather.”

I remember that when I first started school, my older brother’s tuition had been paid in paid and my parents were going to pay mine as well. However, my mother fell very sick and our savings had to be spent on her medical treatments. I gave up on my chances to go to school. My uncle convinced everyone otherwise though. My uncle asked my older brother to bring over our neighbors’ horses, so he could carry the wood he had chopped onto them. He asked me to go sell them in front of the school. I got 20 yuan, which wasn’t even close to enough. But a teacher saw me, and his name is Gang. He said to my family and I, “I know you don’t have enough money, but I can l lend you enough money for this semester. We can settle this another time.” At that time, even though I was very young, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Everyone in my family thanked him profusely.

After beginning school, my grades were pretty good. In 7th grade, I was the second best student in my class. My parents were so proud. They said that they didn’t have money to reward me, but told my older brother that he should be more studious like me. My older brother’s grades were not so great, only average.

Ah! My family’s situation has since improved marginally. My parents’ responsibilities have grown though. My grandma’s old age of 80 prevents her from continuing to help us out. My uncle’s condition hasn’t really improved. My brother and I are now far away from home. My parents have to not only take care of my uncle and grandma, but also have to pay our tuition. I am now in 9th grade, and my brother is in 11th grade. When our living expenses ran dry, we have to use 5 cents to make a call home, and dad has to waste a whole day to travel to us to provide us more money.

Sometimes, I really feel like crying but fear that people will see me.

Now, most urgently, I need to focus on gaining more knowledge in all aspects. My parents’ greatest hope is to have my brother and I become more educated than they are. Else, I will never get away from this poor spiral that they are caught in. I hope my dream comes true.

I don’t know what I will face this year at school, but I know that there will be many obstacles for me to face. I will not run away or hide from them. My teachers are my supporters, and I believe they will help me get through all of it… I believe…
Mom, Dad, teachers, all the blood and sweat that you poured into me are in hopes --- in hopes of my growth and maturity. Their love, devotion, and kindness, I will not waste.

From the bottom of my heart and soul, I thank you. Please accept my most humble gratitude.