Reading Segment

Questions:

1.       What was it that caused Her’s father to go bowling a second time?

- She took him bowling to regain the relationship she had with her father. She thought that by doing that and spending time with him like they did when she was a child, maybe everything could have changed and their relationship could have improved.

2.       Do you agree with Her that it must have been “frightening” for her father to live with children who had adopted American culture and an American lifestyle?

- I believe that when the father saw how his children were adopting different cultures, he felt isolated by it and couldn’t figure out how to interact with them. He felt inferior because he knew less than his children and was also afraid to be embarrassed in front of them.

3.       Why does the author feel “odd” teaching her father to bowl? Have you ever taugh a parent or grandparent something new? Explain the feelings you experienced as you did this.

- Perhaps she felt as so because usually, when we are little, our parents are the ones who teach us, but at some point of our lives it’s us who teach them, and that can make us feel uncomfortable. In my case, I have been the one who has taught my grandmother about many things and I find it funny and cute at the same time. I laugh because it is amusing to see them try and tap the phone so hard it seems as if it would break. Then, once they learn how to use it, I feel proud for them. On the other hand, I consider it charming because we are actually spending time with our with our elders and showing them the things we know, even though we may not view is at though.

Essay:

       Us human beings often don’t value what we have until the moment we lose it—this is what happened to me with my grandfather. It is also the reason why if I had the opportunity to improve or make a relationship stronger, I would choose the one I had with him. Even though I was very young at the time he passed away after dealing with cancer, I know I could have done more with him while he was alive.

        There were many moments during his illness in which I didn’t treat him well. I was just an ignorant little girl who could barely understand that I wasn’t always going to be the center of attention and that maybe someone else needed it more than I did. It is obvious that someone who is going through such a disease needs a lot of care, but again, I didn’t understand that. I remember a day in which I had a school field trip that I wanted to go to really bad, but I couldn’t because he had a relapse the night before and had to go to the hospital. I became really angry at him because all of my friends and peers went, except for me, and I viewed him as the one responsible for it. He knew how I felt and told me the moment he saw me “Alondra, it was my fault you couldn’t go to the fieldtrip. Please, forgive me,” and it broke my heart.

        That was only one of the events that happened during his battle with that horrible illness. Even though I didn’t treat him as I should have, he still kept being as sweet as always with me because even when I couldn’t understand what was happening with him, he was well aware of what was going on with me. Nowadays, 8 years after his death, I regret that I didn’t try to comprehend the situation he was in and that I didn’t give him the love and support he needed. That is why if I could turn back the hands of time, I would love to give him all of the things I couldn’t and I would also apologize for the way I acted during his living days