Givology - give to learn, learn to give

So that we could survive, my parents were always away, working. Before I even went to school, my parents sent me away to live with my aunt, so, since I was little, I have always lived with my aunt. The environment at home was not generally very good. There were a lot of people in the family, and we all relied on the money that my parents made from their work. My family did not have any land, so we didn't have another source of income. In the family, there were seven people, and the five children were all going to school. I am the oldest, and the youngest is only in the first grade. Every year, when the school year starts, our expenditures are very high. I'm truly afraidwhat if, one year, we can't go to school anymore. I watch my parents get older every day, and the burden on their shoulders is really that heavy. The whole house just relies on their two pairs of hands, and I think of the issues of food, of going to school, of other things, waiting.

Parents who work away from home rarely return home, unless there is an emergency. The two sisters and two brothers, except for me taking care of them on the weekends, live alone. The house has a dirt brick roof, and every time it rains, there is water everywhere inside. The leaking is very serious, so I want to study well and complete my schooling. However, I am afraid that my parents can't bear the cost of my education. What will happen to my siblings? My parents do not have much education, so they work in other people's homes, and their employment is not stable. Sometimes there is work, other times not. Thus, our economic condition at home is not stable at all.

The year before last, my grandfather's cow crashed into our dirt brick house, and the door broke. So when my father came back for the new year, he randomly got another one. Even if our house hasn't been fixed since the year 2000, and the leaking has always been the big problem, my parents always say, "First, we should focus on your studies. We can fix it after you grow up." We feel a lot of sympathy for them. Really, sometimes, when my parents come back, there isn't even room for them to sleep. There are many people in our house, and not enough beds. My father can't bear to let us sleep on the ground, so he sleeps there instead.

In my memory, my father had his strengths and weaknesses. He was a drinker, and whenever he got drunk, the house would be full of quarreling. But that wasn't the worst: he also hit my mother and me and my sisters. I was very scared. Whenever he got drunk, he would always say some strange things. My mother always tried to protect us.

During the school year, the people at home worry nonstop about our studying, and about having enough food to eat. This year, my mother again brought back fifty kilograms of white rice from her sisters' houses for us to eat. If she can't get anything from her eldest sister, she asks her other sister. They have always been willing to help us and ensure that we can eat enough. When we didn't have enough money for me to go to school, we also relied on them to help us pay. I'm very grateful to them.

Last year, my brother injured a joint in his hand, and my parents had to get treatment for him. After a few days, we had already spent several thousand RMB, and we had to borrow a lot from family. Now, my brother has healed, and I've really realized how important money is.

I will study hard. I really want to study well. I will remember all the people who have helped me, and when I grow up, I will help them, too. The sky after a storm is even more blue. People who have suffered are stronger. I believe that tomorrow will be even better.