History is mysterious...

Well, I'm deciding to depart from the text a little today. This morning, while studying for a World Religions quiz, I realized that there is so much history placed in every person. Let me explain that a little bit.
These past few weeks there's been a ton of cultural events. Mostly, these events will focus on countries in Eastern Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and sometimes Eastern Europe. I haven't seen one yet about Poland, though. Both sides of my family are Polish, so it's kind of a big deal for me. So for the past few weeks, I've felt a bit rudderless on the culture front. But that's kind of beside the point.
When I was studying for my World Religions quiz, I realized something. My family is built from amazing people. Farmers, WWII radio operators, Franciscan monks, machinists, tool makers, teachers, and the list goes on. And almost every story I've heard about my relatives has been about their resiliance, their drive, their values, and their passion. My paternal grandmother, for instance, was studying to be a doctor (mind, this was in the 1930's) before her father became gravely ill; she stopped her schooling to take care of him, with no complaints. She was in passionately in love with learning; later, she was passionately in love with my grandfather (who later became a machinist). My great uncle (on my mother's side) was also a man in love with learning. When he was growing up, Polish families usually sent the oldest son off to become a monk. He did become a monk, but he also became a man of higher learning. He traveled around Europe, studied at great universities, and was often in Rome. When he would come back to my mother's home in Milwaukee, he would tell stories that fascinated her. He was also an exceedingly kind man; he took my mother on her first trip to New York City. To further illustrate, my maternal great-grandparents owned their own store during the Great Depression. My mother often says that my great-grandmother was so driven and so demanding that could have run a Fortune 500 company or could have been a high-profile lawyer. As another example, my paternal great grandfather and his family were forced onto a Nazi farm camp in Poland. His leadership soon emerged as he was singled-out by the other contained farmers in the camp as an unwritten leader because he kept morale high, and did what he could to keep people alive in the camp.
I guess what I've finally realized is that I'm not alone in my "culture quest." Everything I need is inside of me; it's my history, my roots that give me strength.
Sometimes I feel like I have a lot to live up to when I think about what my relatives have done. But then I realize that if they were great, then maybe I have some of that greatness within me. I think that an engineering education here at U of I can help me cultivate that excellence. My education will provide me with technical challenges, and I think that will be the driving force behind my growth and develpment into a person that has the determination and love of learning of my relatives. I hope that when my courage/values are tested that I can honor my relatives by taking the noble and right path.
Well, I don't really know what that has to do with engineering or iFoundry, but now it's stuck ingrained in your subcranium. Have a great Friday, and until next time, keep your stick on the ice!