Day 11 – My siblings

My lovely brother Jens is three years younger than me and he's the best brother in the world! He was born on the 12th of June 1982. I don't recall what it was like to get a younger brother back then but I'm sure I was chuffed! :)

When we were growing up we fought quite a lot I remember, but come on - who doesn't fight with their brother or sister!? ;) There was also a lot of laughter of course. Three years now is nothing at all when it comes to the age difference, however it was quite a big difference when we were kids. Like mentioned before we spent our summers in Åland and I used to hang out with my cousin Kim who is only one year younger than myself. I wanted only the two of us grown ups to do things together and I couldn't understand why my little brother wanted to join us all the time ;)

As we were growing older we almost didn't fight at all, I don't know when this changed but I think it was when I was around 15 or so. We got on really well together but still didn't talk that much. When I was 18, I moved to Ireland and stayed there for 7 years. During these years, my brother and I had hardly any contact at all since I was only really talking to my parents while I was over there. I don't know why, but it was probably just a time in our lives where we were both trying to figure out ourselves and who we were and had a lot on our minds. Thinking back, I regret not being closer to him but at the same time it has made me realise that I really want him to be a big part of my life today.

Since I moved back to Sweden we have been catching up a lot and I'm so proud to be his sister. We're really good friends, we can talk about anything with each other, we have a lot of fun together and we support each other - always! I love my brother dearly and I wouldn't want to be without him. He totally believes in me and has given me so much strength over the years, I hope he knows it's mutual and that I believe in him as much.

My brother and I are different in many ways but there are also a lot of similarities. When it comes to work, he likes practical work and I prefer sitting in front of the computer (or do I!? ;)). Currently he is working as a fireman and he loves his job. He's also an educated nurse and trying to get some experience so that he can further his career and hopefully become an ambulance driver in the future. I'm so proud of what he's achieved so far and I'm convinced he's gonna reach his goals, he's so professional at what he does.

I think we're similar in the sense that we're both homely and caring and we put our family first. We're quite sensitive and can be easily hurt, however I think we're always true to ourselves and to people around us. We're considerate of others feelings and care about the ones we love the most.

In January this year we went to Thailand together and had a really good time. Though my brother scared the sh*t out of me when he had an anaphylactic shock, which is a severe allergic reaction, while we were over there. He accidentaly ate tofu that came with the chicken noodle dish he ordered one day and he's allergic to soy protein. I've never been so scared in my life and I don't want to think about what could have happened if he hadn't brought those adrenaline injections with him since it took a while before he was taken to the hospital..

Jens - I love you with all of my heart and I'm so proud of you. You mean the world to me and I couldn't imagine a life without you. You're always there for me when I need you and you know I'm always there for you in return. I believe in you and wish you all the joy and happiness in the world. You're the best! ♥