Have you ever looked back and thought what you were doing when you were 11 years old? Probably playing with Barbies, playing soccer, or even obsessing over anything that was fun at that time. Well, in my family the story is kind of different. My cousin's life is kind of different. Besides going to school and being a normal kid, she is also a sailor and a ballet dancer. Not shabby at all.

The most interest thing is that she has been doing this for a while, so it is not something that she is she just trying out. It is a lifestyle. She started ballet was when she was 4 years old, and sailing when she was 7 years old.

So her new adventure is that she is going to compete in the South American Tournament for Optimists. In here she competes with kids that are even 15 years old.

I have also sailed since my family enjoys sailing and we all know that there are some things that all sailors can identify with.

1. Capsizing can sink your chances of winning.

When you are in a regatta and the boat capsizes, you just feel like you are going to lose the regatta and that you are up in a bad start.

2. When a boat approaches you, you just feel like you will die.

So the optimist boat is really small, and when big boats approach you, you can't help by wonder if the boat can even see you.

3. You're afraid when a whale is next to you.

There are several animals that you can see while sailing; some of them are tortoises, dolphins, humpback whales, and even blowfish. But when a whale is right next to you, aside from being way bigger than you, it also causes waves that will probably capsize your boat.

4. You always have bruises.

This one is for real. Since you never stop moving, you just always have bruises.

5. You never have a normal life.

Once you start sailing, you learn how to defend yourself. You are in a really small boat, so you can only fit there until you are 15 years old. It is you against the giant ocean. You just feel so small that you learn how to advocate for yourself. It is not something that you learn in class or from someone teaching you; you learn by paying attention and having contact with the environment. There are times that you will cry -- not only because other people are winning, but because you can lose trust in yourself and it may seem like you are going to lose -- but then the wind blows in your face so you just continue against all odds to get to the finish line. You learn not to listen to what other people say because there would be kids from other boats shouting mean stuff just so that you can lose focus and lose the regatta.

But in the end, after all the challenges, you learn to laugh at yourself and others because it doesn't matter how much you trust you abilities, your boat can still capsize and, on top of getting wet, you need to turn your boat back up. And the ones that help you through this are your family because they stand up with you through the highs and lows of it.