Dear Mom And Dad,

As I finalize my passport and flight details, fold my clothes to travel further than I have ever been, and start eating the last of my home-cooked meals, I realize that there is an abundant amount of things you should know before I begin my journey abroad.

Similar to the many other college students that are preparing to depart for the trip of a lifetime, I want you to know how excited I am for this opportunity. When I talk to many parents about my upcoming journey, they all note how exciting it that I’ll legally be able to drink, order wines or beers at dinner, and go to European bars and clubs. While yes, that is certainly a perk of an 18-year-old drinking age, I don’t want you to have the impression that my free-time abroad will be used to explore my palette of liquors.

I think that oftentimes, others assume that traveling college students’ primary objective is to have as much fun as possible. As much as I intend on having loads of fun, I also intend to learn so much, in every facet.

Academically, I will never have another experience like this. At what other time in my life will I be able to interact in a scholarly setting with other students my age who have grown up in a completely different culture? When else in my life will I be able to conveniently visit museums and landmarks that are ordinarily separated from me by an ocean? When will the next time be that I can learn about new concepts in new contexts and see their relevance and application?

In addition to the academic growth I intend to gain, I feel that the only area of growth that may outshine my book knowledge is my self-knowledge. From my experiences so far, nothing is more challenging or enlightening than immersing oneself in a new and unfamiliar place with people we don’t know. Please know that while journeying over the next few months, I hope to return back to you as my same self. Except, more sure, experienced and mature than I was before.

I know that as I experience this amazing opportunity, you will be at home, in a different country and a different time zone, with different distractions, doing entirely different things. But despite those many differences, one thing will stay the same: your fear for me. Being a parent, you’re morally obligated to worry about my well-being. After turning on the news day after day and seeing terrorist attack after terrorist attack, I can’t imagine how difficult it will be to maintain that fear. However, please know that you’ve raised me well and your important lessons from growing up have never strayed. I still remember the importance of “stranger danger” as much as I know to stick with my gut feeling whenever I may feel unsafe. Not to say that any gut feeling can predict potentially unsafe situations, but please ease your fears every night before you go to sleep and remember that I promise to take all precautions to stay safe, prioritize my protection and not make myself vulnerable to potentially harmful situations.

Lastly, and most importantly, I want you to know how thankful I am for this upcoming journey. Though there are no words to describe how grateful I am for this trip, but I can try my best to explain it to you. I know that you did not have these same amazing opportunities when growing up and that our lifestyles were very different. While I’m grateful for your hard word every day, it’s monumental privileges such as these that humble me and make me realize how lucky I truly am. Thank you for always putting your children above yourselves and allowing us to understand ourselves via experiences such as these.

Please know that I’ll be enjoying every last minute I get to spend with you and the family leaving up until my departure. Though we don’t often say it enough, I’ll miss you loads during my time abroad. Thank you for all that you do, be on the lookout for many international postcards coming your way soon!

Love you always,

Your Child