Vasana Vichaidit

In the Greeks a hero was a mythological or legendary figure of great strength and courage, a person admired for there achievments and qualities. My hero is my mom, Vasana Vichaidit. Born on July 6, 1963, she has been a hard working person since the day she was born. Moved from Thailand to America in 1979. When she moved to Sylmar, California from Thailand, it was difficult for her to learn the language and to learn the customs of the American way. Difficult? Yes. Work? Yes. Thoughts of giving up? No. She never gave up on learning new things. She tried and tried until she finally learned the language and the American ways. She had strength like a hero would. I am probably her hugest "fan." She does everything for me. Most of the things she does for me are unnecessary. But she does it anyways.

In 1989 she married my father and had a child on August 21 (me). My mom works so hard that when she felt better after my birth, she went right back to work. Knowing that she needed the money to live because in these days money is the one thing you need to have in order to have shelter, lighting, gas, food, and clothes. To get money, you need to work and that's what my mom did. In 1999 she attended Alhambra Beauty College. In 2000 she graduated as a cosmetologist and a hair stylist. Courage brought her through school and through problems and courage is what a hero must have to be able to conquer fear or dispair.

Unluckily, the issues with trust in my family caused it to break down. My mother then got a divorce and went through the hassle of signing papers. She couldn't keep up with the rent and so we had to move out of our apartment building. We didn't have any other place to go other than my aunt's house, so we moved out here in Woodland Hills. My mom didn't have a steady job then but since we moved to Woodland Hills she found a job with her friend as a cosmetologist next to Universal Studios. I think that that her getting a job after her problems were a really great achievment because although all of her problems had gotten her thinking a lot, she kept on working and not let her thinking get in the way.

She's always doing things for other people and never asking for things in return. In other words she is very generous. Like if you had old clothes that don't fit you anymore, you throw them away, right? Well my mother doesn't. She thinks of the many little kids and children who don't have money to buy clothes to wear and she donates them. Her promises are always kept and she always does what she said. There were some problems with money sometimes and no one wanted to help her. Not even some of her brothers and sisters. Although they never helped her, she never cared. She always ended up finding the money to pay off the bills without any help at all. No one knows how hard she works only me, my brother, and my grandma and grandpa.

Even without a spouse and her brothers and sisters, she survived all the problems that came to her. Hoping, wishing, and knowing all the problems will end sooner or later. My mom gives me the strength and the courage to survive in this world. If there were more mothers like her, I think that there would be less violence and less suicides. People who know that their mother cares about them more will give them courage and strengths to do the best for the one they love. Like my mother, she does the best she can for her family, her kids, and herself. These qualities of great strength, courage, and achievments make my mom, my hero.