Sisters

I’ve never had a sister before.  I never knew what it was like to share my house and my life with any girl besides my Mom.  I was always the only girl, and I grew to like it like that.  I loved growing up with two brothers and I wouldn’t trade them for anything.  Since I moved to college in 2006, I haven’t really lived with my brothers, so I forgot what it was like to have siblings around every day.

Since May of last year, I’ve slowly been relearning how to live with a sibling and learning for the first time how to have a sister.  And not just any sister, but a sassy, 11-year-old, Peruvian sister.  How different it is from growing up with two brothers!  I was not properly prepared to have a sister, and it has been a constant learning experience for me.

Having a younger sister is hard!  She constantly wants to know what I’m doing.  She looks over my shoulder as I’m reading or on the computer.  She wants to know where I’m going every time I leave the house, and if she can come with me.  Her and her friends always want me to play volleyball, paint their nails, or do their hair.  She wants to go to the river, have dance parties in the living room, and watch movies on my laptop.  If I decide to skip out nightly television shows, she needs to know why and begs me to stay.  Instead of taking an afternoon nap alone in my bedroom, she insists we take one together on the living room floor.  She wants to play racing games on the computer and is constantly cheating at Monopoly.  She tickles me, picks on me, and always nags.

Usually, I love spending time with her and I don’t mind being her personal entertainment.  Sometimes I even get upset if she doesn’t want to go somewhere with me.  But other days, I dreamily wonder what it would be like to be an only child.  No one to constantly talk to or entertain; no one to follow me around; and no one to annoy me.  How wonderful peace and quiet must be.  Some days she just annoys me to no end and all I want is to be left alone.  I imagine these are the thoughts of older sisters around the world.

But for every time she annoys me or makes me mad, there are a million more times when she is the difference between a good and bad day.  Her hugs could change the world, and when she says, “Kelsey, te quiero,” my heart melts.  One of my favorite sounds in the world is her giggle, and it will always bring a smile to my face for as long as I live.  I will always look back fondly on our nail-painting sessions and our dance parties in the living room.  For as much as she nags me,  she is my favorite part about Peru.

At first I felt bad when I didn’t want to hang out or I snapped at her, but then I realized that that’s what sisters do.  Sisters fight and nag and get annoyed with each other, and an hour later or the next day everything is fine again.  Sabrina really is my sister and I love her just like I would have loved a biological sister.  She is my biggest source of joy in Peru, and she’s the biggest pain in my side.  She is a real little sister and she plays the role perfectly.  I love her and would do absolutely anything for her, much like I would do for my brothers.  She will always be a part of my family and my children will grow up knowing they have an Aunt in Peru.

The perfect example of how much we act like sisters happened the other day when my friend Kaeli was visiting my site.  Sabrina had been hanging around us and annoying me all day long.  I invited her into my room to hang out and offered her a Hot Tamale knowing that it would burn her mouth.  When she popped it in her mouth and made a surprised face, I started hysterically laughing.  She retaliated by pulling my hair and we both ended up in fits of laughter.  Kaeli started laughing and said, “You two are SO sisters!”  I guess Kaeli is right; Sabrina and I truly ARE sisters.

I never wanted a sister, but life threw one at me and introduced me to all that I had been missing.  Thank goodness for surprises.

“Even though they may drive you up the wall sometimes, there is no doubt that a good, strong, loving family can make a big difference in your life.”
                 -- Unknown