Personal Narrative: Living In My Car

The smell of febreze, tight spaces, and gas station dinners were all I knew for quite some time in my life, I didn't have a proper place I could call home. All I had to turn to was my 2002 Honda Civic. But this experience allowed me to realize that as long I remain optimistic and focus on educating myself that I can do anything. This experience taught me crucial life skills and even though I was miserable, I am grateful for this experience. Living in my car helped shape me into the optimistic, hardworking person I am because even given my circumstance I wanted to overcome it and thrive in school. I learned to be resourceful and appreciative of what I had, I learned to eat until there were no crumbs left, to drink until cups were
dry as a bone, and appreciate the warmth my sweaters provided. Above all, this experience has taught me the most important life skill of all, independence. When I had nobody to turn to or believe in me, I toughened up and believed in myself because if I wasn't going to then no one else was. Naturally, I was distraught and let my grades slip. As soon as I realized the path I was headed down, I reminded myself that this wasn't who I was. I refused to waste 10 years of education so I would study as late as 2 A.M in the back of my Honda Civic hoping to rescue my grades and prepare for upcoming AP exams. Even though I was miserable, I am grateful for this experience because it taught me important life skills and that I am stronger than I think. Most importantly, I learned that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.