“My name is Jazz, and I am eleven years old. I live in Payatas, with my mom and dad. There are only three\u00a0in the family, because I am an only child.
This year, I faced one of the hardest moments in my life \u2014 my grandfather passed away. He was very dear to me, and losing him left an empty space in my heart. Sometimes I still cry when I remember him, but I also tell myself that he is now watching over me from above. I carry his memory with me every day, and I know he would want me to stay strong, keep dreaming, and never give up.
Every morning in Payatas, I wake up early to prepare for school. The streets outside are already alive \u2014 neighbors greeting each other, children in uniforms rushing to class, and people heading to work. My parents also prepare for their day. Both of them work as housekeepers. Their jobs are tiring, but no matter how long and difficult their days are, they always come home with love for me. They ask about school, they encourage me, and they remind me to keep studying hard. I know they work so hard because they want me to have a brighter future, and that\u2019s why I want to make them proud.
I study at Papaya, a place that feels like a second home. My teachers guide me with patience, and my friends bring laughter to my days. I love learning new things, even when lessons are difficult. That moment when something suddenly makes sense is like discovering a hidden treasure.
During breaks, I share stories with my classmates and those simple joys remind me that happiness can be found in little things. Outside of school, I spend time on my hobbies. I love reading books, because they take me to magical places far away from Payatas. Books give me the chance to dream big and imagine a future filled with possibilities. I also write poems, which are like pieces of my heart written on paper. Sometimes, I write about joy and laughter. Other times, I write about sadness and missing my grandfather. Writing makes me feel free \u2014 as if I am talking to the world through my own voice.
When I come home after school, I do my homework, read, or write poems. At night, when my parents return home, we eat together. Even if they are tired, we laugh and share stories about our day. Those moments of love and togetherness make our small family feel complete. Life in Payatas is not always easy, but it has taught me something important: that love makes everything brighter. I may not have many material things, but I feel rich with the love of my parents, the memory of my grandfather, the lessons I learn from school and the dreams in my heart.
Someday, I want to finish my studies and give back to my parents for all their sacrifices. I want to build a life where our family can live comfortably and happily. Until then, I will keep studying, reading, writing, and dreaming \u2014 carrying with me the love of my family and the memory of my grandfather who continues to inspire me.”<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
“My name is Jazz, and I am eleven years old. I live in Payatas, with my mom and dad. There are only three\u00a0in the family, because I am an only child. This year, I faced one of the hardest moments in my life \u2014 my grandfather passed away. He was very dear to me, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3693,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3690","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kalinga.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3690","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kalinga.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kalinga.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kalinga.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kalinga.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3690"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.kalinga.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3690\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3692,"href":"https:\/\/www.kalinga.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3690\/revisions\/3692"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kalinga.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kalinga.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kalinga.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kalinga.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}