“Mari! You are an older sister now! One more girl will join into our family!” This was what my mother told me on September 28, 1994, the day my sister was born. Since the day, my life has been changed a lot. I was not the only little princess in my family any more. My mom told me to behave well and try to do everything by myself. When I saw my sister first time in the hospital, I did not even think like she is my sister. I thought she is an alien who came to steal my mother.


As I thought in the hospital, she stole everything what I had. She stole my mother’s attention, cute clothes, and even our neighborhoods’ attention. Everyone said “oh my goodness how cute she is… she is as pretty as princess snow white!” For me she was not more than a strange creature. I hated her. She was a thief.


When she turned to five years old, she started to copy everything what I had and did. She wore skirt if I wore one. She bought exactly the same thing as me. She started to like the same person as me. One day, I finally shouted at her, “Do not follow me!” and do you know what she did? She ran directly to my mother and cried, “My sister bullies me! She does not let me wear what I want! I just simply wanted to be as cute as my sister…” She always acted like an innocent kitten in front of my mom and exaggerated what I did. She grinned at me and went back to our room. My mother started to shout at me. “Mari. She is the only sister you have in this world. Would you please be kind to her? She copies your stuff. So what? What is wrong with that?” This hatred continued till she became 11 years old, the year when we moved to Thailand.


When we just entered RIST, we really had difficult time with completing homework. We could not understand anything, especially for my sister. It is because I learned little bit in Japanese middle school, sometimes I could help my sister. My mother and I stayed whole night with my sister to complete her homework together. I think this was the first time for her to respect me as an older sister. Since then she became less annoy than before. She even said, “My dream is to have an English skill like my sister!” She gradually changed the behavior towards me. She started to be quiet when I told her to do so. She does not make fun of me or lie to my mother like before. I think she learned how to think before she does something.


Right now, we are like a best friend. Not only her appearance, but characteristics changed a lot too. Some people even thought that I am younger than her. She knows much more things than me, such as make up skills and nail painting skills, so I always go and ask her what I should do. She often said, “I cannot leave Mari alone. If I left her, she will start wearing something crazy”. We share everything together, we often stay in the same room, and we go to shopping together. She does not act like a kitten in front of my mother anymore, but instead she is like a dragon. She sometimes fights with my mother to protect me. Our relationship has been changed a lot.


Next year, I have to go to United States for a college. This will be the first time for us to be separated. I am sure that I will miss her, and realize the importance of her. I also learned many things from her. I become more careful to think about others before I do something. I also learn how to forgive a person. We are family, even though I go somewhere or she goes somewhere, we will see each other again. Now, I really feel thank to my mother and father for giving me a best of the best friend. My dream is to travel around the world with my sister when she turns to 20-year-old.