In 2007, I got my first computer. I don't remember the exact model/manufacturer, but it was a bulky desktop PC with a CRT monitor and Windows XP as the operating system. This wasn't my first exposure to computers, though. If I had to name my first exposure, it would be a book. I don't remember its title, or the author, but it was a Spanish book about computers, and I couldn't help but fall in love with it. The book contained a lot of screenshots that I used to reconstruct in my head, and imagine myself using them. I would often spend hours daydreaming like this, until I got my own. Needless to say, I was hooked.
During this time, I was also introduced to the internet. I made different accounts trying stuff out, like Hotmail, MSN Messenger, YouTube, Yahoo, etc., but I never made a blog. There was an attempt, with the blogger platform, but I abandoned the idea. I was too young, and I didn't have much to say.
Something that fascinated me about the internet was the amount of information you could find. And, during this time, I noticed a pattern: I got more results when I searched in English. This comparison was made against Spanish and Italian, the languages I knew at the time. I barely knew English, so I realized I had to learn it well if I wanted to get the most out of the internet.
I didn't have anyone in my closest family who spoke English: My mom's side spoke Spanish, and my dad's side spoke Italian. I had to set myself some strict rules to be able to learn it well and fast enough, so I decided to immerse myself right away by setting all of my devices to English and searching in English. Essentially, I was trying to make English my default language, consuming all the content I could with it.
It was difficult to adapt at first. I still remember the struggle I had initially with fan-translated manga. It was the most difficult, but I got used to it eventually. I started to understand more and more, and the rule just became second nature to the point where it kind of became an obsession. I remember some of my classmates not being very fond of my passion for the language.
Fast forward to today, and I still hadn't attempted to make a blog. I recently started craving for a space where I could collect my thoughts and share them with the world, so I decided to make this one. It won't be a tech-exclusive space, but something more personal, with random content about my experiences, thoughts, and feelings, for my future self and anyone who might be interested.