“My parents used to live on a farm in a rural area of Costa...

“My parents used to live on a farm in a rural area of Costa Rica, but there were no schools nearby. So they moved us to the city. They could only afford a small house made of wood. I was the youngest of eight children, and we split three bedrooms between us. All of us couldn’t even fit at the kitchen table, so we had to eat breakfast in shifts. We shared everything: school supplies, books, bicycles. One Christmas we got a single pair of roller-skates for eight kids. Adolescence was the most difficult. My mother would sew our clothes from the same piece of cloth. And I started to want a little privacy, but instead we’re sharing perfume, and shampoo, and deodorant. But all the sharing brought us closer. Everyone helped each other. We had no choice. When the oldest kids began to work, they paid for the younger ones’ studies. All of us eventually went to college and became professionals. When my mother passed away, she asked me to keep everyone together. We have a WhatsApp group where we chat everyday, even if just to say good morning and good night. Or to discuss ways to help my Dad. Here’s a picture of everyone at his 90th birthday. He still lives in the same house we grew up in, but we added a second story. There are four more rooms now. But whenever we get together, we still have to take turns at the kitchen table.”