When I received my diagnosis in 1988, I wasn’t nervous. I never had any opportunistic diseases, never had anything. I simply went and got tested because I thought I should. I had no symptoms. The doctor expected me to have some kind of crisis and wanted me to look for a psychologist. I said, “There is no need, everything is OK.” I got my results and left. She expected me to throw myself under a car or something. But I got the results and went to the beach. After two years, I told my sister about it.

Sometimes I think, “I caught it so fast,” because I was never a promiscuous guy. I thought it was unfair because I never used any drugs, never took part in any sort of orgy, and I thought this happened only to promiscuous people. I have done nothing wrong. I was a bit upset about that, but I do not moan about having AIDS. I don’t know how it happened, but I don’t spend the whole day thinking I’m going to die. I let life take me, and that’s it.

I started taking the drug cocktail in 1996. These medications have really bad side effects, nausea, you get shaky. So to get away from all this, I go to the beach. I was born by the sea. I go there to relax, to talk to people, or just to stay by myself and go for a swim. Because if I’m stuck at home alone, I get kind of down. I have to go out and see people so I can feel better and so I won’t have time to think about negative things. I go on with my life.