My mother was born an draised in the Andes mountains of Peru, in a dinky little village called Contumaza. She claims she always dreamed of traveling, and thanks to some money her older brother lent her, she flew to Seattle, Washington (U.S.A.) when she was in her early twenties. She worked as a nanny for a few wealthy families while learning English and saving her money. She decided to relocate to Los Angeles, because there was a relative there persuading her to do so. So, my parents met at a social function or something, sparks flew, yadda-yadda-yadda, and one-by-one, out popped 5 youngin's. By this time, the family had moved to Northern California.
As a kid I was self conscious of my unusual name and background. Adolescence was no fun. I felt out of place and very much a "wierdo" around my peers.
Now-a-days I feel quite the opposite regarding my background. I'm proud of my unique background and realize how fortunate I am to speak Spanish fluently (unfortunately, I was never taught Czech). Now I take it as a compliment to be considered wierd; there are enough boring people in this world!
