I come from a family of five people: my parents, my two younger brothers and I. My mother works as a nurse in a big hospital. She has to work long hours and once a week she has to work on a night shift. My father is a biologist. He works from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in a lab, but sometimes when there is a project, he doesn’t come home until very late at night. Although my parents are very busy at work, they try to spend as much time with their children as possible. It is generally believed that "men build the house and women make it home", but in my family, both parents join hands to give us a nice house and a happy home.

My mother is a very caring woman. She takes the responsibility for running the household. She is always the first one to get up in the morning to make sure that we leave home for school having eaten breakfast and dressed in suitable clothes. In the afternoon, after hospital, she rushes to the market, then hurries home so that dinner is ready on the table by the time Dad gets home. Dad is always willing to give a hand with cleaning the house. Unlike most men, he enjoys cooking. Sometimes, at weekends, he cooks us some special dishes. His eel soup is the best soup I have ever eaten.

I am now in my final year at the secondary school, and in my attempt to win a place at university, I am under a lot of study pressure. However, being the eldest child and the only daughter in the family I try to help with the household chores. My main responsibility is to wash the dishes and take out the garbage. I also look after the boys, who are quite active and mischievous sometimes, but most of the time they are obedient and hard-working. They love joining my father in mending things around the house at weekends. 

We are a very close-knit family and very supportive of one another. We often share our feelings, and whenever problems come up, we discuss them frankly and find solutions quickly. We always feel safe and secure in our family. It is a base from which we can go into the world with confidence.