Those were the days when I did not scream and run about the entire time as the regular kids do. I was born wise and a thinker, with smart eyes, which looked at my parents as if I had lived for at least 10 years. As a child, I was in love with pictures and words.
From the very beginning, I fancied pictures and alphabetical letters like I still do. I spent a lot of time cutting out drawings that I enjoyed from ordinary newspapers and magazines, which in those times, 40 years ago, were primarily black and white. A motley magazine in those days was a luxurious and rare commodity. Just for fun, I used to delineate the faces with a pen and drew both beards and glasses on the countenances of both men and women.
Learning to Read
My mother sensed my passion when I was three years old. She supplied me with an envelope of plastic letters and showed me how to pronounce each of them. I played for hours comparing them to the letters in books. At the innocent age of three, I was soon able to read even the most complicated words in the newspapers. So I immersed myself in the magic of books and have loved reading dearly ever since. I used to eat noodles in the morning, which were shaped like letters as well.
The first book I read was “The Greek Mythology” – a huge collection of beautiful myths, and ever since, the Gods and Goddesses have always been fascinating to me. I started school when I was only 6 years old. In my spare time, I loved to paint, and I read voraciously. I painted forests and seas, spring and autumn. Until I became 16 years old, I had read almost every book I could lay my hands on. I read about love, adventure, and fairy tales with concentration that could last for hours. Very fascinated with nature, animal life, and diversity, I wanted to know all about birds, insects, mammals, and dinosaurs – so I loved the children’s encyclopedias as well.
Friendship and the Village
I was very friendly. I had a tribe of friends that I used to call “the people”. I loved to invent and organize games for them, which lasted for hours. Games about beautiful princesses who were kidnapped by evil witches and were rescued by valiant princes. In the summertime, I used to live with my grandparents in a village. Fresh popcorn and wreaths from daisies – rural life was lovely! Most beautiful view ever – the view of the bridge over the local river. I went there every day to immerse myself in the lovely natural scene.
I fell in love for the first time at the age of 5.
In Sparkling Michael Jackson, who made the world dance, and who made the music come to life. My parents were very worried when I fell in love. My father tried to explain to me that there are other successful and talented pop performers, such as Adriano Celentano. Needless to say, I wasn’t very impressed by the bald, old man with the guitar.
I was a happy and extraordinary child. At this innocent age, I knew what love was and what drama was. I used to write poetry. I had a totem animal – that was the butterfly. The teachers placed my portrait on the school board “Our Pride,” and somebody had even managed to draw vampire teeth on it. I used to be an amazing child, and I have kept my childhood perception of the world – that every creative effort is worth my unwavering attention. I loved to watch shows for kids, and I still do – I watch National Geographic Kids. Nowadays, I watch even Sesame Street with pleasure, and it’s for toddlers. My entire world is magical. I have kept that eternal child alive in me.
