Soy una hija unica

"Soy una hjia unica"...For those of you that don't speak spanish, or attempt at it as i do being a total gringa, this means I am an only child. Now, I know what you are thinking based off the stereotypical norms of this status. "She's spoiled rotten", or for every sarcastic response I've ever gotten from people I know, "Oh, that explains it"! Well, you know what? It does explain it. I was born to two hard working parents that probably wanted more children to begin with, then decided against the notion after having me. I was a handful. I was everywhere and into everything from the second i could move freely. I don't think much has changed.

Now, I wasn't the strange only child that grew up with multiple imaginary friends that still come to visit her from time to time. I was the kid that grew up learning from my own experiences. Those experiences usually involved the smearing of toothpaste on bathroom tiles and crayon drawings on the freshly painted walls of my aunt and uncle's house (what can i say? I was a young Picasso). I developed a taste for the finer things in life at an early age, like half 'n' half. I used to drink 7 or 8 capsules in a single sitting at restaurants like it was going out of style. I was a master of hide and seek. This was mostly due to the fact I had no sibling rilvary that could result in the disclosure of the most coveted and creative hiding spots in my house (I once zipped myself inside a suitcase for the better part of an hour). And of course, there was always the accidental breaking of mom's valuables while rollerblading through the house that I never got away with (when you are left with only the dog to blame, your case doesn't hold up very well!).

I loved being an only child, but I guess I never knew the difference in not having siblings. I always wanted someone else to play with at home, or someone to pester in the car during week-long road trips to Florida. Instead, if no one else was around, it was me, myself, and I. From this came a form of independence and a fearless sense of adventure. When presented with an opportunity to travel abroad for the first time at the ripe age of 13, it wasn't "Should i go?", "How far away is it?" or "How long will i be there for?"...it was, "How can we pay for it? Can I fundraise?". This sense of adventure I owe to the two individuals who have always urged me to see not only what's in my own backyard, but what the rest of the world has to offer, even if they haven't experienced it for themselves. Always putting me first, this is a thank you to my parents, the providers of all that is wondrous to me in this lovely world.