Hi there! Well, let's start by saying that I like to set a casual tone and colour in my writing. Please notice that ahead of time. News flash, I am not an essay writer and English was sort of my first language but not really. The following will explain why. Well with that out the way, I can feel like I am talking to you.
I was born where international soccer players seem to have a hard time breathing due to the high altitude offered by the Andean mountains- Bogota, Colombia. Not ColUmbia, Colombia (my fellow Colombians would appreciate that). I have two parents (really?) and a sister. My Dad is this passionate Colombian 6'0 tall guy who has many interests, one of them being Architecture(Pin that for now). My mom is this sweet, hard-working banker lady that will be your moral compass without judging you. Then there is my sister. Being 6 years older than me wasn't going to defeat our friendly interactions. We are so close! She is a smart goof and her goofiness is unstoppable.
So those are the people that saw me grow up and so did Canada. I moved here when I was a year old. Canada received us with white snowman arms in 1997. I don't remember a thing about Vancity and everyone keeps saying it is beautiful so I better go see my first migration stop soon. We lived there for 3 years and moved back to Colombia. That pattern didn't stop until I was about 11. What I mean by "pattern" is moving back and forth between Canada and Colombia. In between, there was a brief summer fling with Florida for a year as well. With that being said, at age 11, I had gone to about 8 schools and had lived in 4 different cities. I can hear the jaw-drops and brow-raising right now. Don't worry, this has been a point of discussion with my therapist (haha). It was an unconventional life that felt normal to me. My parents always gave us the basics and more! Food, a home wherever, education, lots of love and some love for spontaneity which later on while adulting, was a bit daunting. Overall, I can say it was a great childhood.
By age 15 was the first time I had stayed in a place the longest- 5 whole years! Thank you Bogota, for bearing with us for so long. 5 years was a long time to my understanding. I went to 3 private schools during that time and was bullied in one. Definitely some learning curve years but by the 3rd school, I was conquering the world. This almost 15-year-old was having a blast. I was going to "quinces" (google it) every weekend, starting to have stupid crushes and playing lots of soccer. Life seemed great! Until one day the big Sis was like " hmm I think I'm missing out on being in a Canadian University". We were already Canadian citizens at that point, and in Colombia, there aren't some student loans to go off of. Every semester my parents sweated their butts to pay off my Sister's university semesters, which were expensive. Every Colombian parent can agree with that.
So 2011 was the year of change in my life, it was a complete switch from oblivion to a new world. Our next victim, was Alberta, specifically Calgary. Moving to another country in your teen years is a different ball game. You are starting to be set in your ways and your friends seem like your number 1 priority (hard bs)
So It was HARRRDD, with emphasis on the R. My English at this point was weird. I had a native Canadian/American accent but grammatically butchered some sentences and the vocab. was low. Canadians were confused about me- "does she know English? is she acting? because she has a good accent". Maybe I was acting. I was trying to fit in a Catholic middle school near our house, going to the ESL sessions, wearing thick black eyeliner because I couldn't wear make-up in my previous schools. Anyways, those 3 months were strange and culturally shocking for me. I also graduated from Grade 9. (Who has a grade 9 graduation?)
Then High school started. At this point, I was trying to find what I liked and didn't like. Tried out on the soccer team, didn't pass because of the try-out intimidation and lack of confidence. Tried to see if I wanted to get into helping the disabled teens. Tried the drama scene, too dramatic for me. Then forced by my Dad to get into choir. I was confused by the insisting on his part but will forever thank him for that. So feel free to stereotype me, I was a choir kid and yes, it was so much like GLEE. At this point I wasn't "conquering the world", I was starting to gain some fulfillment in life. I found what I was good at, singing and understanding that I was inclined to work on my creative brain. My teachers can tell you though, I was not the greatest musical theorist. So let's leave it, I was just a good singer. I got to travel to Europe with the school choir. I got to face my fears and perform at the school talent show. Danced a little by the end of grade 12 and just overall had a good, healthy and clean time. I know shocking to have a clean time in high school.
Also, something that I usually miss out on is that my parents did get divorced in 2013. My dad moved back to Colombia for a bit and both parents were painfully growing. I still have a great relationship with both and didn't take sides on the matter. It was overall for the best.
Now, it was time to make big girl decisions- University?
To be continued.....
Favorite book given to me at this point of my life and also an easy-read for the non-reader. I also felt like I could relate to the main characted due to his extensive journey to find the meaning of life. Recommended for teens!
Synopsis :
An Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried in the Pyramids. He is both a simple sheep herder and an ambitious explorer. He follows his dreams, literally, a well as “signs” from his environment.
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