My Memories

This picture was taken when I was five years old and my sister seven years old. We were wearing the Michoacán traditional Indian dress because it was Our Lady of Guadalupe day. Catholics around the world celebrate the day the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared to the Indian Juan Diego and told him that she wanted to build a temple for her in the place where she appeared. Since then, every December 12 is dedicated to her. It was a holiday my dad did not work, I remember that we went to church and at night we went to La Plaza and walked around. Then my mom bought me a balloon and my sister and I played with it. We were waiting for the time when the people started the fireworks that burned El Castillo, a structure that lit up with shapes that spun full of colors, followed by El Torito, a type of firework that was like a puppet that chased the people in La Plaza. I remember that it was fun and colorful.

When I was six years old, I remember my birthday party where my friends and I had fun. The children participated in different activities; some of them played soccer, others ate, and others hit the piñata. I felt like the most important person in the world because I was with my friends, sisters, and parents. I also was wearing a princess dress like one I've seen in a cartoon movie. I told my mom I wanted the dress to look like the one that princess had, so she made it and I wore it on that special day. What I liked most about the party was when my mom put the cake on the table. Then, she placed six lit candles on top of the cake, and I had to blow them while my friends and family clapped and sang "Feliz Cumpleaños." Finally, my mother gave everyone cake, and the party continued. I will never forget this party because it was one of my first memories, and it was very special to me.

I remember that my grandparents lived in a little town far from the city, and my sister and I always went to visit. I liked to go there because my grandparents had many animals, such as horses, chickens, pigs, and dogs. I did not have animals at home, so I enjoyed feeding, cleaning, and playing with them. My grandfather took me to ride a horse; it was something that I liked a lot. Sometimes I was a little afraid of falling down, but my grandfather hugged me and told me he would make sure that nothing bad happened to me. That place was very nice because I could get in touch with the nature. There I could find many fruit tree. My sister, cousins, and I climbed up the tree together to cut fruit and eat them. Then we made natural fruit cocktails with oranges, apples, and mangoes. We also made lemonade or tree leaves tea. At night, all the children slept together. We spent the night sharing horror stories. After that we were afraid because we thought that the ghost, dead, and monsters of those stories could be real and could appear at any moment. We covered ourselves with blankets and closed our eyes. We did not have notion of what time we fell asleep. The next day we woke up and did many things because the most important thing was to have fun.

My mother and father are the most important people in the world. I remember when they gave me advice because they always wanted the best for me and my siblings. Since I was a child, they told me that they wanted me to be a good person, and to fight for everything I wanted. Thanks to them I am the person that I am today. Now, I am a mother and I am fulfilling their desires because I become the person that they wanted me to be, and I hope to raise my children as they raised me. This is something that I will never forget and I will always thank God for giving me them as parents.

My memories are wonderful because they represent experiences that I had one day, and they became a part of my life through time. Even the life I live today reflects childhood events that shaped me into the person I am today, and those will prevail in my memory and heart forever.