Achievement

Growing up from a Chinese family, striving for achievement was embedded in me ever since I was conceived, it was a sense of accomplishment and relief knowing that I am victorious against my brothers, all 100 million of them.  Competing against 100 million was a daunting task, I was glad I did not have to go through that again.

Or so I thought.
When I was apartment shopping, I wanted to live closer to work.  I looked at apartments around Culver City and they were too expensive especially for a first year teacher.  I decided to look toward the ghetto.  When I came across an apartment in Hawthorne, I fell in love with the 800 square foot space.  With out any hesitation, I gave a deposit for the apartment.  I was proud to say living in my own space, going by my rules, and knowing that I can be independent was one of my greater achievements. Up until then, I lived  at home.  The journey I needed to embark was living in the ghettos. A strip club around the corner, barbed windows everywhere, and hearing the sounds of gun shots firing and people moaning was a life-changing experience.  Over the course of the time I spent living in my apartment, I began transforming into a man who exuded confidence, a man who was radiating with light, above all, a man who puts one pant leg at a time.