from Nicole Granacki, College Relations Manager
Dear Baby Asha,
You are only nine months old, but your Acha and I cannot wait to show you the world. You won’t remember this, but you took your first plane ride a few months ago, and you loved it. Your face was glued to the window as we flew through the clouds far from home to explore another country and culture. You embraced everything with open arms. Your first swim was in a cenote, a natural limestone sinkhole, in Mexico. Some of your first solid foods were fresh papaya and avocado. You loved napping with the ocean breeze in your brown hair. You smiled whenever you heard live music in the streets.
As a baby, you love to explore, and as you grow older, we hope that you will inherit the same curiosity about the world that brought your Acha and I together. We know that sometimes children turn out differently than their parents, but we hope that at least in this one way we might rub off on you. We hope that you’ll learn as many languages as your Acha, and that you’ll visit as many countries as your Mom.
"As you explore the world, you might find that you learn about yourself. Being a mix of so many different cultures and religions is not going to be easy at times."
Although it’ll make us nervous, we hope that you’ll go away to college, and then study abroad somewhere far away from home. We hope that you’ll make friends who are different than you, that you’ll challenge yourself in new ways, and that you’ll grow into an independent young woman.
As you explore the world, you might find that you learn about yourself. Being a mix of so many different cultures and religions is not going to be easy at times. You might decide to explore your roots and the cultures of the people who make you who you are. You might visit family and friends who live close to home and who live on the other side of the globe. We hope that you learn and grow through all of these experiences, and that when you’re old enough to go on your own, we hope that Mom and Acha might be invited to tag along every once and a while.
Love, Mom and Acha
Read more Letters from IES Abroad Moms.
