What are your earliest memories of the ocean? .... I'd say I have several from my childhood, although they're short, but I do remember one in particular; it was the first time my dad, some friends, and I went on a boat that September of 2011, and I remember it like it was yesterday because I only have two photos from that day 🥺.

During the summers, my father, my mother, their friends, and I would often go to the beach near the coast where we lived in Puerto la Cruz, bordering the state of Sucre, which has the best beaches in Venezuela after Los Roques 😅 according to people. So, we visited the coast a lot during my elementary school vacations. At that time, I hadn't graduated yet; I only had a few months left. I remember that my father, being a lover of seafood, would always buy seafood soups and pickles with vinegar and lemon. I never liked it, but he helped me to enjoy seafood now.

Following my parents' separation around that time, trips to the beach became even less frequent. I could only hold onto the memories of those times I went and enjoyed beautiful moments on the beach with my family. I won't lie, I still wish I could go back to that time when the days were nice and the beach was much more peaceful, when I was a child and didn't know about the hustle and bustle of adult life. But at some point, I had to grow up, and honestly, I can't complain. Fourteen years after that last trip, I returned to the place where I once thought my memories had died and my childhood had remained. After returning to the beach years later, I couldn't help but relive those memories. It filled me with melancholy and nostalgia, especially feeling the water lapping at my feet in the sand and remembering when I was 11 years old and would go there every July to enjoy my vacation.

<Returning to the beach after so many years was an unforgettable experience. New changes, new experiences. I definitely needed to go to the beach after all, to close that chapter in my life. Many things have happened, but life goes on. All that remains are the photos and memories to remember what was part of a pleasant moment and past in our lives. Life is full of moments that must be enjoyed despite everything, and we must learn from our experiences and mistakes. Thanks for reading, friends.