This is my story. It is not a sad or happy story. As every life, mine had its ups and downs. And since it is not over yet, there will be more to come. But today let me tell you about my father and how his story enriched mine.
My father came from a modest family. His father died when he was 17 and he supported his mother since then. When he got married his mother went to live with him and his wife. My mother and father worked all day. So my grandmother, who was the only grandparent still alive when I was born, took care of my only older brother and me. When I was 7 years old, my grandmother passed away. Less than a year later my mother died of breast cancer at the age of 36. Our house went from having 5 people (3 women and 2 men) to having only 3 (1 woman and 2 men) in less than year. Those were difficult times for my father who in a very short period of time lost 2 people who he loved so much. On top of that, he got the responsibility of taking care of my brother and me. He worked so hard to teach us and give us all he could. He sent me to classes of fencing, tennis, ballet, painting, Italian, and guitar. When I was 10, he bought the TI99 Texas Instrument computer and I learned how to code in BASIC. Who would have imagined that I would be developing algorithms today? I am very thankful for his ideas and vision of the world. He used to tell me “Hurry up, learn as much as you can because this is the right time. As you grow old, you will have more and more responsibilities and less and less time to do all you want to do”. And he was right. During high school, I only studied and played golf. Then, when I was in college I played golf only a few times a year. Now I am in graduate school with no spare time at all.
When I talk about my childhood and adolescence, I always mention my father. And that is just because it was him who guided me all along during that time. His life influenced mine. He showed me how life can be lived plentifully. Part of who I am today is because of him.
My father came from a modest family. His father died when he was 17 and he supported his mother since then. When he got married his mother went to live with him and his wife. My mother and father worked all day. So my grandmother, who was the only grandparent still alive when I was born, took care of my only older brother and me. When I was 7 years old, my grandmother passed away. Less than a year later my mother died of breast cancer at the age of 36. Our house went from having 5 people (3 women and 2 men) to having only 3 (1 woman and 2 men) in less than year. Those were difficult times for my father who in a very short period of time lost 2 people who he loved so much. On top of that, he got the responsibility of taking care of my brother and me. He worked so hard to teach us and give us all he could. He sent me to classes of fencing, tennis, ballet, painting, Italian, and guitar. When I was 10, he bought the TI99 Texas Instrument computer and I learned how to code in BASIC. Who would have imagined that I would be developing algorithms today? I am very thankful for his ideas and vision of the world. He used to tell me “Hurry up, learn as much as you can because this is the right time. As you grow old, you will have more and more responsibilities and less and less time to do all you want to do”. And he was right. During high school, I only studied and played golf. Then, when I was in college I played golf only a few times a year. Now I am in graduate school with no spare time at all.
When I talk about my childhood and adolescence, I always mention my father. And that is just because it was him who guided me all along during that time. His life influenced mine. He showed me how life can be lived plentifully. Part of who I am today is because of him.
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