My Sister Sylvia

When I am getting to know people it is always common for them to ask questions like: “where is your mother?”; “are you married?”; “how many children do you have?”, and “how many sisters do you have?”. I have noticed that they rarely ask me, “where is your father?” or “how many brothers do you have?” and I am attributing this to being that I am a girl. I guess they assume my mother and my sisters are what would matter the most to me. Only I don't have any sisters.

So basically the conversation always goes like this:
Q: how many sisters do you have?
Me: none
Q: none?
Me: none, I just have one brother
Q: but aren't you lonely?

I guess without any sisters I should be really miserable, and maybe not have had anyone to spend time with growing up. I tried to explain that when you don't have sisters, you have friends that become like your sisters to you, but families here are so big, I guess it is hard to imagine.

So one day I was talking to a couple of the youngest students after school when these questions were asked yet again. I am sure the same girls have asked them before, but maybe I will just attribute it to them wanting to practice asking questions in English? Anyway Sylvia was the one asking me this time. So Sylvia asked the sister question, to which I answed “majun” as always. “But no, how many sisters do you have?” “None, Slyvia”. “But miss, you don't have any sisters?” “no” “Miss, aren't you sad without sisters?” I guess having two sisters and three brothers she can't imagine just one brother. I don't remember how I answered this question or what exactly happened next, but the next thing I remember was Sylvia hugging me, laughing and calling me her sister (cause a girl can't be without sisters).

When I left school that day, I didn't think much more about it. It wasn't until I was talking to the infants teacher a few days later and Sylvia walked in and greeted me “good morning my sister megan!” that I remembered this conversation. For the last two months, Sylvia has greeted me everyday saying “my sister Megan”. So I can now forget about being sad, I am no longer sisterless :)

Thanks to my sister Sylvia meeting my mom, I now have a picture of the two of us :)