Growing up with nystagmus and albinism, I hated school and social interaction. I was always self-conscious and easily embarrassed that my weak eyesight, poor balance and hypersensitivity to sunlight made me rubbish at activities like sports and hiking. I was, however, always good at academics and especially loved reading. In my early years at school, I enjoyed stories so much that I was usually a reading level ahead of my class. Writing, on the other hand, was much more difficult. My mother recounts how slowly and painstakingly I learned to form each letter and number, giving both her and my teachers a hard time throughout the journey. Then, in about the second or third grade, we began learning how to use computers and I promptly fell in love with technology. I loved typing instead of writing even though it was – and still is – difficult to read the small font on a computer (and now smart phone) screen. I was embarrassed to have to lean close to the screen, but I was also having too much fun to be deterred. As the years passed, I kept getting better at writing and using computers despite my weak eyesight. At college, I finally learned HTML and that led me to start a simple blog and customise it just the way I liked. I went on to pursue a master’s degree in Communication and topped the class. Today, I am a writer and online content creator, leveraging technology to do what I love, despite the challenges. Facing screens all day is often so tiring because my eyes strain easily and I don’t have the best posture while working (in order to see better). But I love what I do and I enjoy learning new technologies all the time. I am currently teaching myself web design and working on setting up my own website. I have been blogging informally for years but have decided to get more professional with it now. I am also working on my first novel and hope to finish it soon. I feel that having nystagmus and albinism has made me a much stronger, resilient and empathetic person. I still get self-conscious and afraid to interact with others, but I am also much more confident than I ever dreamed I could be. I appreciate the fact that every single person faces challenges, but we just have to keep going and work out a way to do whatever it is that we really want to!
