Hello everyone
I just wanted to say hi really... But seeing as most people gave a bit of a backstory here... I decided I must too!
My name is Alessandra (Ale for short...) I'm 26 (just turned just over a week ago!) and I started HRT on the 4th of August (still no changes, but I guess that's normal...) And here's my (short version) story...
I think I started to realize my situation when I was in Year 1 (first grade, for Americans...) in school... I never quite understood why I had to go and get changed with the boys to play football when I really didn't want to... Matter of fact simply changing with the boys made me very uncomfortable... But of course, I simply ignored this and many other signs due, partly to simply not understanding, and well.. I do come from a rather conservative background, both family and location-wise..
As such I grew up as masculine as I could for most of my life, I was never quite popular and even my friends (the few I had) would consider me very 'strange'... This lead to me eventually deciding I wanted to live online, as a girl and never let the 'real world' know... I eventually had a career in IT (as this could help what I said a few moments ago...), a fully specced rally car, skinhead-like clothing and, well... Shaven head... You get the drill.
It was when I turned 22 and my first visit to America, in San Francisco, California that I became friends with a girl my age who happened to be transgender.... Talking with her openly I managed to both... A:) Start to understand myself more... B:) Remove much of the prejudice I had in my head in first place, which was a main reason to not accepting myself as what I am... I later returned to Spain, I lost my job and a couple of years of depression followed suit.. No friends, no life, no nothing....
Then one day, and I do know this sounds stereotypical.. I actually heard 'her' she said Hi and I was freaking out.... It was time to face my problems face first and stop running from everything... And this is when I realized this world isn't as dark as it seems... The first person I told was my cousin, who pushed me tell my aunt and eventually my father.... After a (rather uncomfortable at first, if I dare say) 'reunion' it was concluded that whilst they might not quite understand, they would support me... I then went on to tell my friends... And well.... I couldn't really ask for any more luck than what I have had... Everyone has been very supportive, and ever since I started to be me, my life has changed completely... I'm usually out every day, I'm always round friends and I barely ever get much of a chance to go online! I hadn't really up until now considered even kissing anybody... Now? I get stressed to get guys off my back! But to be honest the greatest surprise has been just how accepting society and people around me have been, despite how scared I was all these years from telling them the truth... The world really isn't as dark as it seems
Unfortunately however the health system where I live is rather slow, and these situations take even longer time... At late 23, early 24 I visited the Gender Identity Disorder unit at my local hospital... 2 years and a half later I have started HRT and I'll be positioned in waiting list for ops in two years time... (So I'm guessing another 4 or 5 years till I get seen by a surgeon..) ... So now all I have is patience, really....
TL:DR: It's not all doom and gloom!
