When Rebecca Wilson (‘17) first wakes up, her aunt and uncle are already gone. Soon, her mother and grandmother are awake and getting ready for work. When she leaves for school, her two sisters and cousins are leaving with her. When they get home, it’s just the kids until around 5:30, when everyone else starts to return. By the end of the day, all eleven members of Rebecca’s family are under the same roof: her mother, her mother’s boyfriend, her two sisters, her mother’s parents, her aunt and uncle, and her two younger cousins, and Rebecca herself.

   Two years ago, her mother’s side of the family moved in with them for financial reasons. “I liked it at first, because I hadn’t seen them in so long,” she said. Having the whole family together was fun in the beginning. But after some time, however, having a full house became less convenient. At dinner, most members of the family are in different places.

   “We tried to do the whole ‘eating together’ thing, but after a while it got too hectic, so now we just all eat separately,” she said.

   And when you’re surrounded by ten other people, hectic is certainly the right word. “No one has any personal space,” she said. Needless to say, most of the kids share rooms. “I probably interact with my older sister the most, because we share a room,” she said.

   One thing is for sure: Rebecca’s house is rarely without action. In fact, that’s the best thing about her house. “You’re never alone,” she said. “You always have someone to talk to.”