I can’t recall the exact date, but I know I was in middle school. It was an experience I had never had before. I remember being filled with curiosity and anticipation. For the first time in my life, I was about to see people I’d never seen, doing things I couldn’t even imagine.

I didn’t grow up in an environment that respected people who were different. The world I knew revolved around narrow-minded people who only respected themselves—people who thought the world began and ended with them. So of course, I couldn’t go to the circus alone. I went with the people who never really succeeded at being my family. But this memory is mine alone. I will tell it as it should be—without them.

The circus tent was set up beside a large open-air parking lot, part of a massive mall and amusement park combination. I don’t think I’d ever seen a tent so huge. I stepped inside with childlike wonder, unsure if something like this could even exist in real life. It reminded me of the scenes I used to see in Western shows and films—activities made for children who grew up far from where I did.

That day, I understood why I never wanted to leave my room. I didn’t have a world outside my tiny neighborhood. I had no real activities, no real freedom, and no real happiness. I had locked myself away, thinking that was all life had to offer. I was a scared, undeveloped teenager who had never tasted joy.

Throughout my childhood, I would see happy families at parks or cafes—laughing, sharing stories, simply being together. It hurt every time. I had no one. I was always alone. Alone in my room, at school, at work, on the bus… and I was afraid. Constantly afraid.

But that day, something was different.

The tent was buzzing with life—vivid colors, loud music, people clapping and laughing. We saw so many different performances, each one more magical than the last. I must add: the only reason we went was because the tickets were dirt cheap. Don’t get me wrong—my family wasn’t being generous. They were just being themselves.

Still, that day, I got a glimpse of something else. A different world. A world where wonder existed.

And for a short moment, I wasn’t afraid.


—