My First Memories Weren’t Mine

Ever since I was a child, I felt a strong pull toward the arts. I felt like a lonely child back then, but the truth is, I lived at home with my four older siblings. Being the youngest meant I had access to a vast collection of books, records, movies, and magazines that my family had kept over the years. It amazes me to think that all the space those things once occupied in our home can now fit into a single digital device.

I loved reading and reorganizing the bookshelves. I also remember, with a sense of nostalgia, the magazines I would flip through over and over again—and the excitement I felt every time someone brought a new one home at the beginning of each month. My sisters would bring fashion magazines—Glamour Spain was my favorite—and my mom had a lot of interior design magazines as well. I can still vividly recall several images from those pages to this day—that’s how often I looked at them. I also watched many Old Hollywood movies with my mom, and she would tell me interesting stories about the actors and directors. I loved every bit of it.

Most of those books, magazines, movies, or CDs weren’t meant for kids, but they still shaped who I am today. From a very young age, I developed an appreciation for the past. Even before I had memories of my own, I was already listening closely to those of others—feeling so much joy, as if I had been the one to experience them.