The Disparities That Changed My Life

I lived my childhood and adolescence in Brazil, during the decades of 80 and 90.
The early 1980s in Brazil is marked by a series of changes in the political field and accompanied by an economic crisis. The population had a standard of living precariously under great disregard of the state on investments in social policies. (Retka, Centenaro, Junior & Rizzotto, 1993). I can identify some disparities that the social context brought to my family.
I am the oldest of three children. My parents did not have a chance to finish middle school. However, they had jobs that gave them the chance to provide for me and my siblings better opportunities of life that they have. We lived as a middle-class family and we had a chance to attend reasonable schools that gave us the structure to go to college
I used to help at the store since I was very young. I am sure that my friends used to see me as a very fortunate kid because I could eat all kind of sweets that my grandfather had to sell. Soda, candy, and cookies were part of my daily nutrition and I was very picky to eat my meals. It helped me to develop non-health habits of nutrition. Although I was never overweight, last year I was diagnosed with insulin resistance. I am not sure if this is a long-term consequence of years of a poor nutritional diet with lots of carbohydrates and sweets. However, right now I am working hard to develop good health habits regarding nutrition to me and my whole family.
Another interesting fact that I remember from my childhood is that my grandfather used to sell alcoholic beverages and cigarettes at his convenience store. And even being very young, I use to handle drinks and cigarettes to his costumers. Today I can see how risky was this environment for a child. I am glad that this fact never affects my life. And even though my grandfather used to sell this kind of products, he never drank or smoke, and it was a very respectful and respectable