Even at a young age, I have already experienced a lot of struggles in life. I remember losing the house my parents really worked hard to put up. I have made decisions like transferring to a high school in the countryside rather than continuing my studies in the international school I studied elementary in, so my parents could save money again. It has been tough, but I still consider myself lucky because my parents were with me during those times.
The struggles we faced together weren't as heavy compared to just one person trying to face everything alone. Life is still tough nowadays, but I got the support from not only my parents but also the friends who became part of my family as well. I feel very lucky about it.
Recently, my younger cousin is also experiencing what I have experienced in the past. There are times when he couldn't go to school because he doesn't have enough money for the fare and his school is quite far from where he lives. I used to walk to school when we transferred to the countryside, but most of my friends do the same, so I found it fun. When we don't have money for food, our relatives used to give us some food or we could just get some from the garden. But for my cousin, he used to live a life where everything was provided for him. So, I can only imagine how he struggles now.
I try to help as much as I can, but my situation isn't also that great financially. I'm just happy that my family is healthy and that we're able to eat meals every day. We also thought of making my cousin transfer to our house and school nearby next school year. This way, he won't be able to miss school. His mom is doing her best, but unfortunately, I don't see the same effort from his dad.
He is a seaman and could actually earn big, but he's addicted to gambling. I've always thought that if I could earn that big, I would already be able to build a house and have a small farm in the countryside. But no... I really feel bad for my aunt and cousin. Their current situation is similar to what we have been through. I hope they'd be able to get through it and I hope for my uncle to open his eyes. My cousin just entered high school, so it'll be much more difficult once he's in college. I'll do my best to continue helping him, though.
Despite these things, I thought having financial problems is much easier to solve. We can always work hard and earn money. I opened more classes recently, became more active with blogging and do my best with my side hustles. However, I try to keep it in a way that I don't overwork, because health is my investment.
Yesterday, one of my friends called me and told me that he's having health issues due to overwork. He used to work in an airport in Japan and had to do shift-work which is pretty stressful. Because of his health issue, he had to go back to Korea and might get a surgery soon.
I couldn't do anything for him, but I'm glad that simply listening and comforting him made him feel much better. He might have earned a lot from his job, but he's also about to spend it for his health. I really do hope his health condition becomes better soon.
Let's all take care and do our best to find the best way to relieve stress. We all struggle in various ways, but with the right attitude in facing such struggles and having the support of people dear to us, then the burden would at least be tolerable.
Take care everyone and see you around! :)
PS: All photos are taken by me...