My mother was always a “home girl" or at least that's what my grand-
mother says, and she always tells the truth. My Father was without the love of his mother and father since he was twelve years old. My father's parents lived in Venezuela for many years and left my mother in Peru with her aunts and grandmother.

Whenever I did something bad or failed my grandparents in some way, my
father told me that "You have to value them and work hard for them because one day we will not be with you and you will wish you had done the opposite." My father had it very difficult at such a young age, that even though he
lived with his uncles and cousins, they did not take as much importance to
him as a mother would to a son. My father could have strayed from the path
and done many bad things, but he didn't.

For many, the figure of a father can be minimized by the mother, excusing
him because she is the one who gives you life. I believe that both are very important and my father showed that to me with each passing day. I had
the opportunity to have a father figure in my life. I know it is very difficult for
those that do not have one. It was difficult for him to be a first-time father.
The fact of having a child must be overwhelming. I remember him telling
me that he came home from work with orange feet because of his work at a
food condiment company and one of those condiments was orange. People
who worked in that company were very bad people and he had to put up
with a lot at his job.

I have been in the United States with my father for a year and 9 months, and
I have come to realize on several occasions that he is still a child. When he
has fun with me, I see the child he could not be before. On November 12,
2023, I was sleeping and it was 6 am when my father left for work and 6:10
when my aunt woke me up to tell me that my father had an accident; a car
had hit him while he was riding a bicycle. The doctor said that he was very
lucky since no one could have been saved from that.

During my childhood, I did not see my father much since he worked all afternoons. At night, he came home but I was sleeping because I had to go to school. I was afraid of him until puberty and he was always very harsh with the punishments he gave me. But he is not just anyone, he is my father. Apparently my mother agreed to let my father and I come to the United States and I think it was the best thing. I learned a lot from my father and my father from me. Thanks to my father's experience, he did not let me make mistakes and he helps me even now. We learn together about this country and move forward little by little for a better life for our family.

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