Cause and Effect Essay

Brave Woman

In many places in the world education is a luxury, not a right. In Colombia, the country where I am from, the educational system struggles to provide a good education to many children, especially those who live in rural areas of the country. The poor infrastructure, the dirt roads, the insecurity, and the lack of teachers, are only a few examples of educational problems. In addition, one of the biggest issues affecting the Colombian economy is corruption, which results in the wrong use of public money, making it harder to improve key sectors like education. My mother was born in Susa, a small town in Colombia. For her, studying was very difficult. Her school was very far from her house, and she could only get there by foot. Walking was the only way for her to reach her school. The lack of educational opportunities for my mother forced her to leave her hometown, and this completely changed her whole life.

Immigration not only happens when people leave their country, but also when people leave their own city or town. That is the case of my mother. When she was eleven years old, my grandmother decided to leave my mother in Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, in an aunt´s house. Moving to the city to forced my mother to become an adult very quickly and take on responsibilities that were not appropriate for a child, including taking care of herself and others, cooking, and working. In her new life without her parents, in a new home, with new people and new rules, she had emotional challenges. She felt alone, and she missed her parents, her brothers and her friends. My grandfather also missed her a lot, not only because she was his only daughter, but also because he didn’t know that my grandmother was going to leave her in Bogotá. 

Despite the challenges, the move had a positive effect on my mother’s life. Thanks to the move, my mother was able to receive a much better education than she could have had in the town. Schools in Bogotá have better infrastructure, more experienced and better educated teachers, and many options for choosing a good place to study. After school, she studied in an institute and learned about secretarial work. These studies provided her with good skills that opened job opportunities. She gained confidence in herself, her abilities and learned how to navigate the professional world. My mother worked for twenty-two years in the same company. For her, that was the most important thing in her career, and that opportunity helped her to have stability for herself and her family. In that job, my mother was recognized many times for her abilities. I remember when I visited my mom at her job, and people told me how fortunate I was to have her in my life.

Another fortunate thing that happened with my mother's move was that she met my father in Bogotá. My father lived in one of the apartments in my aunt’s house. At first, they were just friends, but with time, they fell in love. They got married and a few years later I was born and then my brother. A curious thing about my parent’s relationship is that my grandmother didn´t like my father very much at first. However, my mother met him thanks to her. Finally, she was the one who decided my mom’s move. After twenty years of marriage, my parents decided to divorce. At that moment, it was difficult for them. I remember seeing my parents so sad, but it was a smart decision. The beautiful thing is that they continue to be friends and they help each other all the time.

                                         

Today, when I feel sad about live far from my family, I think about everything that my mother had to go through when she was a child. She left her town to have better opportunities, just like me. She felt alone and had many challenges that helped her grow as a woman and as a person, just like me. Finally, she managed to build a beautiful family, just like me. When I want find courage about something, I think of the most brave and incredible woman that I have met, my mother, and I feel grateful to be her daughter.