One of my favorite toys was a Meccano (erector set). I guess building machines, cars, cranes was my favorite pastime.

I also had a doll that was a rabbit made out of fabric. It was light blue and had a square body with arms and legs attached to it and long ears. His name was Pepe. He and my black doll Budy were the main artists of the circus in my room. I would tie a cord from one upper corner and secure it in the diagonally opposite lower corner. Then I would make Pepe and Budy walk the cord. Or I’d attach a metal hook to Pepe’s vest and let him slide from the upper to the lower corner of the room. I did not do that with Budy because his head was made of paper mache, was hard, and could brake. He had such a beautiful face. I also made Pepe be the circus clown. I dressed him up with long pants and colorful vest but I never dressed them like girls.

My dreams when I was a child was about what I was going to be or do. First I wanted to be a veterinarian because I loved animals. But while I still was in high school, I met a veterinarian student, Mario, who told me that sometimes a vet has to kill animals and that was something I could not see myself doing.

Then I wanted to be an architect. I wanted to build houses. I spent many vacations days drawing a house that I wanted my father to build at a beach in the south of Chile. I carefully drew on grid notebook paper so each square represented a meter. It was a split level house with a sunken living room. The details were meticulous and I specified materials for building and wall coverings. Stone laja, wood rauli and pine, etc. Of course the house was never built, but my parents enjoyed the work that I put into designing that house.

Then I discovered that I did good in writing. One of my teachers suggested that I could be a writer or a journalist. I liked the idea of asking questions to people and let people know the true answers to their questions.

My father wanted me to be a dentist so I could continue his practice. But my mother would have preferred for me to be a pharmacist. She wanted me to have a very secure profession that would require me to be in a very protected place.

So I was really surprised when I told them that I wanted to be a journalist. Without hesitation they gave me all their support.