Sisterhood
Kailey Yeo
The honorific achi means “elder sister” in Philippine Hokkien, a Chinese-Filipino dialect. This is how I refer to my 26-year-old sister—my achi. In this image, I’m on her left, riding Disneyland’s ‘It’s a Small World’ ride in Anaheim, California. It was my first time on this ride in many years, so it reminded me of my childhood.
Achi had work the day that we went to Disneyland, and I had just finished my first finals week as a high school freshman. Still, we managed to find time to spend with each other and used our annual passes to visit the “happiest place on Earth.”
Although achi is nearly double my age, sometimes I honestly think I get along with her better than I do with most people my age. Even when it’s just the two of us, I find it enjoyable; I admire how she can make almost any place my happiest place on Earth.
As I grew up, one shocking thing I noticed was that many people don’t get along with their siblings. Most of the time, siblings find each other annoying, like when they have to share a bathroom or when their sibling steals their clothes. This was never the case for me; my achi has always been my best friend—not just my sibling. When my sister left for college, the house had never felt emptier. The room that I had loved to barge into when I was younger suddenly felt bleak; it was no longer filled with our silly laughter or our shared jokes.
One thing that I almost always stand by is the belief that people take their siblings for granted. A sibling isn’t just someone who burdens you by taking up extra space in your house. A sibling can be a companion, a friend, and a blessing. Siblings never really go away—no matter how much they pester you—and vice versa. So I hope that all siblings do their best to get along and make the most out of the time that they have together. One day, they might realize that they can have an achi like mine in their lives.