Hey guys.
It's been a long long time since I've blogged, and I feel like now it's about time to blog. I kinda need to write out my thoughts right now and let you guys know I'm still alive (I am :P)
I graduated from beauty school a couple months ago.. towards the end of September. It was overall a great experience; I met a lot of crazy girls that I've ever met in my whole life. I laughed every day and had a blast though where were sometimes where I wanted to clock out because of all the things that went on in there with the staff that directly affected us as a student body. But that stuff is over with, so I'm glad I'm out of what people call now, "Hell-lines Academy." I honestly wish I could go back; just to see all familiar faces that became my awesome ladies. I still keep in touch with some of them and I can't wait to see where they will go in life. There's some really artistic people out in beauty school. Coming from all different type of situations, I could relate to some of them with coming from a troubled past and then excelling.
After I graduated Beauty school, I received my temporary license to do "nails." Here in South Dakota, you need a license to actually even clip or "beautify" someone's nails (eg. working in a salon). I've been working full time with my uncle and occasionally would go down to our shop in downtown, which was about a 5 minute drive to and from our home. I get paid hourly but if my actual services performed (manicure, pedicures) surpassed the amount of my hour rate, then I would get paid whatever is the highest. So I guess that's good cause my uncle's an awesome guy by doing that. All my money that I've made has gone to the debt that I've occurred while attending Headlines Academy and I have about three grand to go. My day consists of waking up early, and then heading straight to work. It's been an exhausting few weeks..
We went to Denver a couple weeks ago to go grocery shopping since there isn't any Vietnamese stores here taking my uncle's toyota tundra. It's a huge truck that I have trouble driving with because it's a long bed/work truck. It takes about 8 hours to drive there to Denver and luckily there was no snow. My uncle said he goes there at least two times a year to stack up on supplies and most importantly, groceries in which you cannot get in the stores here. That's been a great experience to finally be in the city again, cars rushing down the highway and such. I drove most of the way but switched when we got in the city because the cars were so much. The traffic reminded of Atlanta during the afternoon where the cars would rush down the lane from both sides. I'm a comfortable driver but when there's too many cars running down the highway, bumper to bumper traffic, I get kind of "car-claustrophobic". I don't even know if that's a word but you get the point. We spent the weekend there and I got to see the city, so that was a change from the city I live in.
Family life.. well I guess it's going good. I get treated like a maid or housekeeper here by my aunt but that's alright because I'm going somewhere in life. We had a worker just leave today to go back to Arizona because she only works during warm months. She cannot handle the cold because it gets REALLY cold here during the winter, although we haven't had much significant snow except for an inch. She took my room, in which had all my clothes, and the table and bed I bought.
Before her leaving back to Arizona, I told my uncle that I wanted my room back since I bought the table and all the stuff in here, literally moved all my things in and stuff. He agreed that I would have my room back and that was it. Now today came my aunt, whose zodiac sign is a sheep (sheep's zodiac sign in Vietnamese culture are hard to live with, and are demanding, etc) She calls my grandpa telling him that I don't get the room. Now with that being said, the Arizonan worker just left and we have another worker whose a man, mixed, in his 40's taking my room now. My grandpa said I have nothing to do with this, then while moving all my clothes back (which were on the ground from the piece of mattress I've been sleeping on the past 6 months) I get a call from my aunt. Knowing that whenever she calls, it's up to no good and always something bad. I don't pick up. She textes me something and then my grandpa comes in to tell me of the conversation. She texted..
"Don't move in Ann room (the Arizonan worker) because Peter (the new worker) pay us $200 a month so that should be his room."
I respond..
"I'll pay 210 a month because I have a lot of clothes and the table for school already."
She textes:
"It's not the money tony. I want the worker to feel at home so they can stay n work for us."
First..
1. This worker DOES NOT have his license yet. He has a temporary license and he speaks HORRIBLE english. He's a terrible person who wants to use me all the time to teach him how to do the practical examination, translating the book and etc.
2. So if it isn't about the money, why did you mention the money that he paid? If I pay more than him shouldn't I get the room? I haven't been paying rent and I don't need to because my uncle invited me to live here, he's a great person but his wife is a butt.
That was the last straw for me as I was furious of all the things I've been having to deal with. Remember when I said I was a housemaid here? I clean two sinks full of dishes each day, help cook, mop and clean the floors and bathrooms, because that's my "duty" as she says. Cleaning after her kids too, who have no sense of respect or don't contribute to "chores" that kids these days have. All they do is play games on their iPhones. Did I mention they are in 7th grade, 2nd grade, and 9th grade? All of them go out ALL the time and sleep over at a friends house on the weekend. She doesn't let the 7th grader and the 9th grader help because as in her own words "They do enough in this house. And they are tired."
There was this one time in the summer the plants were overgrowing. She called me to cut them; let me mention to you that these plants are razor sharp and they are WEEDS. I directly said back to her that I can't do it because they are sharp. With the excuse of having no gloves, she insulted me saying that her own children have been doing it. And as a response, I tell her that why don't she call her kids to do it then or rent someone. And.. she said "You live here for free. You eat free. You use the water free. And the electricity, and you can't cut the weeds?".
I was silent afterwards because I know my boundaries. I'm a clever person and calm, many have said that so I stopped to avoid further arguments. That was the day I lost all respect for her as she sees me as this maid.
She is a huge, huge butt.. She wants me to basically live in the basement room where all the heater stuff is now. It's dusty in there. No way Jose...
THe last straw was today. My grandpa was so angered (poor him.. at his age he should be happy now) that we went out to look for apartments today. I have a whole list of apartments where him and I, along with his daughter can share two rooms. He's also a housekeeper too. Let me tell you how evil this aunt in law is: She purposely throws knives in the sink hidden under so that we can have a hard time to wash it and throw huge pans. You could at least leave the knives out and put the oily pots on the outside so there won't be hazards.
It's time to take action now.. and you know what, I'm a strong person. I've been through so much already that this is just another test for me, a test of strength and I will prevail.
My grandpa and I were on our way to look for apartments on the other side of town, and after looking and writing down numbers on our yellow, notepad filled with notes; something told me that I should ask my grandpa if wanted to go in Safeway to test his blood pressure (as it's been high these days.) He agreed. We walked in the doors and saw this young lady who looked Vietnamese. We walked right past her and stopped and then my grandpa said, "Is she Vietnamese? She looks Vietnamese!! Ask her if she speaks Vietnamese." And then I approached her and talked in Vietnamese, asking her "Are you Vietnamese?" And she replied, in vietnamese "Yes! I am!" And she sounded very delighted to talk to us!! It turns out she was just visiting from Minnesota which is 12 hours away. My grandpa and I talked to her, and said that we were looking for apartments. She said that her husband was a real estate agent and that they have rooms for rent in their 3 houses in MN. I was SO shocked because it was like, an epiphany hit me and my grandpa. I met her husband, and now tomorrow we have a lunch date tomorrow at noon. She said that there's lots of Vietnamese people where she lives, and that she does nails too. Bingo. Potential employer and also friend who is like a family... I have no idea where of the whereabouts of the city that she has her 3 houses in, but I know it's a lot closer to my university in Brookings (South Dakota State University - otherwise known as SDSU). This has to be the work of a greater power.. because while in the car, my grandpa said to me that "We are good people. We help people, but bad things always happen to us." I reassured him that "God has a way of helping those in need, and to not worry." Then, that incident with that Vietnamese lady, known as "Cho Thanh" pops out at the safeway right at the door, getting ready to leave the store. Amazing!!!!
This is gonna be another beginning for me yet again. As one door closes, another one opens until I'm on top of the world. I'm sure it's the work of God; or something supernatural because I do feel my dad around me sometimes.
Until next time,
blessings and hugs..
Anthony
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