My grandfather grew up in war-torn Europe. When German soldiers occupied his hometown, the prosperous Polish city of Tarot, he refused to obey them and finally joined the Soviet army to fight for the freedom of the motherland. "Stand up straight, stand up straight," he told himself. After the war, 1947, he boarded a ship bound for Manhattan. He is hungry and seasick. Alone in a new country, he is afraid of his future. Nevertheless, he plunged into the bustling streets of new york. Before long, he met other European immigrants, and each of them tried to find his own way. If they can do it, why can't he? "Stand up straight, stand up straight," he would remind himself. Thanks to the help of a loyal and reliable friend, my grandfather got a jewelry booth on Canal Street in new york. He once told me how nervous he was on his first day at work. He not only tried to learn this difficult new business, but also tried to learn a new language. To his surprise, the people at the next table-they may have taken advantage of him-offered help and advice. Within a few months, my grandfather took the position behind the counter, selling diamonds and breeding pearls as if he had been doing it all his life. Stand up straight, stand tall. In the next few years, my grandfather will lead my mother and her sister down the red carpet at their wedding. When he stood with each of them, he thought of their new beginning and the adventures and journeys they would experience together. He also thought of the children who would inherit his family name one day. I am proud to be one of these children. Listening to my grandfather's extraordinary experience changed my view of my life.