Telling my
relatives I loved them had never been an easy thing to me. Actually,
I do not even remember saying it out of loud or even writing it on a
card. I do not know if this is how we deal with our emotions in my
family or if it is cultural, but we never say “I love you” … I
doubt they will ever read this – or understand it as they do not
speak English. But just writing about them is a way to show how I
feel, because they really mean a lot to me.
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| My parents and my brother, Spain, October 2009 |
I was born
in September, in the early 90's, in an hospital in front of the
ocean. I have always been close to my parents, traveling around
Europe, singing and acting all the time. Two years and a half after
my birth, I got a little brother. I was really jealous and I tried
several times to push his buggy in the stairs ! Nevertheless, we get
closer through the years, especially during secondary school. I have
always been the protective big sister, and still is. We spent our
childhood between two loving parents and grand-parents who have been
looking after us during the holidays. My best memories as a kid are
those meals our grandmas used to cook or bake for us. They are the
best :) We have been lucky to grow up on the Atlantic Coast and spent
our summer holidays on the beach surrounded by plenty of friends. I
am feeling blessed for having such a loving family … Especially now
that I am (nearly) an adult and that I realize all the sacrifices our
parents have done for us, for our studies, our happiness. They never
stopped us from being who we really wanted to be and always
encouraged us to fulfill our dreams ...
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| The B Family in Jordan, April 2010 |
If I had to
chose someone who is inspirational, despite my parents, I would chose
my Granny. When I was a heartbroken teenager, she told me to follow
my heart, no matter what people said. She told me that when she was
my age, she was in love with a young man from her village. He wanted
to invite her to a dance, but some friends of our family told her
mother that he was already engaged. So she went to the dance with my
grand-father and found out that the man she loved was actually
waiting for her and had not any fiancée. Then she got engaged with
my grand-father, got married, had a restaurant, opened a bakery
(while she dreamed of being a hairdresser), had two daughters and two
grand-children. She does not regret the life she had and I know she
loves us more than anything else in the world, but she taught me to
follow my instinct and fight for my dreams and the people I love. We
both are really close to each other, as she is a second mother to me.
When she had a heart attack, two years ago, my world fell apart. To
me, my Gran was immortal. She would dance with me during my wedding,
would carry my first child and would always be by my side. She
survived it, she fought and after a month of reeducation, she was
able to walk and speak again. My best Christmas gift ever was to have
her at home with us. We often fight, because she is a strong woman
and I have to say, she has a terrible temper, but I guess I look a
lot like her. While writing this, my eyes are full of tears. I never
told her, but I love her …
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| Granny ♥ |
There are
also three other important people in my life: my uncle, my aunt and
my little cousin. My uncle is my father's youngest brother and also
my Godfather. Zoe, my ten years old cousin, is half Irish, half
French. Her parents moved to Ireland about fourteen years ago and
received me for holidays since I was twelve. I have spent my best
holidays as a teenager under their roof. I have been out for the
first time, having beer at the pub, going to amazing concerts, going
shopping in a super big mall … I experienced many things there and
I felt free and wild (ah ah). Every time I came to visit, I felt like
home and that this place could cure all my pains. Family and Ireland
are definitely the best cures ever when it comes to broken hearts and
teen issues ! Last January, I studied in Ireland for a semester, and
I stayed with them for four months. I do not know how I would have
managed to financially survive without them ! They are generous, kind
and I really miss them right now !
Finally, the
last “person” I would like to introduce is my lovely dog, Benji.
He is one of my (other) best Christmas present as we welcomed him in
the family on December 24th 2006 ! He is a black Labrador
and I am crazy about him ! He has this look when he stares at me …
It makes me feel like hugging him for hours ! Ben is the nicest dog I
have ever met ! He loves kids, playing and cuddling … Sometimes, I
like to think we have a special connection and that he loves me more
than the rest of the family. But it's only because I feed him from
time to time, ah ah. But honestly, when I am away from home, I miss
him a lot. Once, when I was in Ireland, I talked to him over the
phone (he never answered – of course) and I nearly cried ! Oh my …
! He is the best !
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| Benji, January 2007 & Easter 2013 |
So here we
are, welcome here, this is my family and the people I love. I am
about to leave my parent's house in two days now … You know what
they say … Home is where the heart is ...
