Isabel Palma

Hero is a word that people hear and makes them think of Spiderman or Superman. My hero doesn’t fly, have super strength, or anything a superhero does in books or movies. My hero is important to me because she didn’t have a perfect life, but she always tried to make the best of it for her children. My hero is my grandmother, Rufina Isabel Palma Ramirez De Gonzalez.

Isabel Palma, for short, was born in 1940. She was the eldest of three children and the only female. At the age of five, she worked with her parents at the farm. She helped sow the seeds to make plants. They raised animals for food. Isabel helped her family with the money because her family was very poor. As a child, she worked in different places in Mexico for money. She worked very hard as a child and she still does. Isabel didn’t begin school until the age of thirteen. She only went up to 6th grade.

When she was older, she met her future husband, Ismael Gonzalez Gonzalez. They dated for six years and then got married in 1965. In July 1966, they had their first child, which is my mother. They had five more children, and their kids then had children. This means, if you don’t understand, it became a big family.

My grandmother is an Ottomi Mexican Indian. She knows how to speak their language. It is a very interesting tribe. Her family has been an Ottomi for many generations. I think my great-grandmother knows more of that language than my grandmother. When you hear that language you might think she isn’t from our universe! Their clothes are very relaxed. You don’t see them with a tight shirt or anything you wear today. They wear like a flowing shirt and loose pants. They make dolls of cloth by hand, which were very popular back then.

My grandma owns and works at a store called “La Unica.” It means “The Only One.” She sells drinks, candy, cookies, chips, candles, brooms, magazines, water bottles, jars, and birdcages. Now, she lives in Reynosa Tamaulipas, Mexico.

I consider her my hero because even though she didn’t have much schooling, she always wanted all of her children to go to school from kindergarten until they graduate from high school. Another reason is that she didn’t have a rich, happy, Barbie-like life; she worked hard and never gave up. She suffered so much, yet she continues to make a better life for her children. Just this weekend, my grandma was slaving away, trying to make food for the whole family. It is so hard to watch her cook for all of us.

My grandmother is nice, honest, caring, loving and a hard worker. When she is working at her store and sees a child or anyone without shoes or their clothes are old, she gives them clothes that she stores for them. She is always asking for clothes that no longer fit us.

One positive effect she has in this world is to be the strong foundation for a very decent family. I think the world would miss her because she has helped so many people including me. Even though she only went to school until the 6th grade, I think that she is the smartest person I’ve ever met. I’m not just saying that because she’s family. I say it because it is true. She has taught me about caring for people, being patient, and, most important, to respect people. She cares so much and tries to help everyone else that sometimes she forgets about herself. For all these reasons, I consider my Grandmother Isabel my hero.