After 441 days, five trains, and two planes, I landed in Kentucky for a quick visit with friends and family.

Being back in Louisville felt very nostalgic. It is a place with many happy memories. As I left the airport, I drove down the expressway we took to get to my grandma’s house every Sunday. I passed the exit for the mall that we shopped at for homecoming dresses. I turned down the road that led me right past my high school and the Circle K where my friends and I would get Polar Pops many mornings before class started.

This was the first time being back in America since October 2020, my first solo international flight, and the first time meeting my friend’s babies!

These are the friends I have known for 20 years. Growing up with them was the best and it’s only getting better because now I get to watch their babies grow up. While I am not a biological aunt, I am a chosen aunt 😊