Rosanna's Story

Rosanna Eang's story "Leading by Example" impressed and awed me. I found her story both well written and fascinating. Her family had been through so much, yet they never stopped working and living. I was especially astonished when Rosanna described where her aunt lived when she used to play there as a four year old. Rosanna described drug dealers, hookers, homeless people, and junkies all living in the same building and was exposed to these harsh realities at a very young age. At first I was shocked that her mother would let her into a place like that, but then I realized if they cannot afford to live anywhere else, what was her mother supposed to do?

Rosanna's mother is a truly inspirational force. The amount she worked and sacrificed for her family was breathtaking. Working up to 3 jobs and going to school, while still taking care of her family seems impossible, yet Rosanna's mother did this. To me, she displayed a true force of feminine power and determination that would stop at nothing. It was very interesting however to hear that even though Rosanna's mother was an advocate for proactive, independent women; she still believed in traditions like arranged marriage. I am curious to know what the class or other women would define Rosanna's mothers feminism as. She has a incredibly modern side that contradicts her cultural side, which almost at times seems to contradict her feminism.

Lastly, I found myself feeling very bad for Rosanna because of the amount she had to work as a child. I could almost imagine her standing next to her mother in the factory line barely even reaching the conveyor belt as it went by. I felt bad for Rosanna because I felt like her childhood had been wiped away due to poverty and work. She had to face many obstacles as a child, ruining her naivete. However, because of Rosanna's hardships, one can see how Rosanna rose above the suffering and grew stronger because of it. I admire Rosanna and her perseverance.