My father told me to believe in myself and that I can do anything in life. He was blinded in an accident. I was his eyes, describing everything for him so he could make sense of our environment. He used to tell me he was a pirate because he was missing one eye. I’m a pirate’s daughter. We grew up on the ocean, in yachts and sailboats. I was cooking at five years old right on the ocean. I have memories of all kinds of fish, seahorses, whales, and dolphins. I’m a beautiful mix: part Finnish, Irish, Gypsy, Spanish, and pirate. I have few memories of my dying Finnish grandmother. I went to Finland last July, and I got to meet that part of me and see family members from Finland. This made me better understand myself. But Finnish people are very quiet, and I don’t have a hair of quietness. I wish I had more kids. I was in fertility treatment for seven years. Every time I had my period I cried because I wanted to have a baby. Then I had one baby. Now I have a granddaughter that looks a lot like me, and she’s my joy.
-Guadalupe