Chelsea S. / Do not give up hope!
The most defining moment being in the foster care system is that the foster parents that my little sister and I were placed with only spoke Spanish, and we only spoke English. Our social worker did offer to place us with an English-speaking family, but that meant we would have to switch schools and school districts. We both already had so much taken from us within one day, we didn't want to lose our school and friends as well. So we both decided to stay with the Spanish-speaking family just so that we could stay enrolled in our schools and see our friends every day. Also, the parents did not like my little sister and I. Everyone in the house was Hispanic, except for my little sister and I (we are White). Even though I did not understand Spanish, I knew enough to understand when she would say derogatory remarks about our ethnicity. They were the type of people who only became foster parents for the money. I had to pretend that I did not know what the foster parents were saying in order to protect my little sister from the hateful things that were being said about us. Even though I was scared, sad, and frustrated, I had to stay strong and composed for the sake of my sister.
If I could give one piece of advice to someone in the system now it would be to not give up hope! There will be hard days, but there will also be better days. Every day is a new day. Own that day! It will be tough adjusting to this new lifestyle and new home, but this is not something that will define you or hold you back forever. If you need to cry, cry! Don't think that you always have to be strong and brave and hold back your thoughts or feelings. Strong people cry too. Do not let anyone take away the light that is inside of you. You are special and there are people who care about you, even when you don't believe it. You are the strongest person you know. You can get through anything! You can do this! You can do anything!
Being in the foster care system taught me that no matter how tough a situation may be, I am too strong to let it worry me, define me, or stop me. I learned how much my sister really needs me in this world, and how much I need her. I learned the value of family and friends, and to never take them for granted. I learned that I need to spend as much time as possible with the people I love and never take those moments for granted. Lastly, I learned that no matter how much hatred someone could have, you can always find the good in someone and give them compassion in return. You will feel more peace that way.
The thing I needed the most when I was emancipating from the foster care system was a hug. All I needed was a long and tight hug from my family. I just needed to be reminded that everything will be okay and that I am stronger now because of what I, and my sister, had endured.
