Date:  December 31, 2016

Dear Alex and Kathlin,

 

 

 

Sometimes in life, you have to “shake things up” to refresh your mind, body, and soul. Moving to India has been the best move our family made and pushed us to live life.  Mom loves working in India, you both know what it’s like to be a global citizen, and I went back to school. Who would have thought this would ever happen?

 

It’s never too late to go back to school and live life to the fullest.  When I started graduate school in April 2015, several of my Indian classmates and I decided to do just that – live life to the fullest by going on a road trip across the United States. It would be our unofficial capstone event as we complete our Executive MBA degree from Washington University and Indian Institute of Technology – Bombay.  It was also a way for me to repay them for looking out for me in India.

 

On September 20, 2016, this dream became a reality.  We finished our last classes in Mumbai and then started our 9 day, 7 states, and 2,500-mile road trip from San Francisco to St. Louis. On the way, we drove through California, Nevada (Reno, Tonopah, Goldfield, and Las Vegas), Arizona (Grand Canyon), Utah (Moab), Colorado (Denver), Kansas (Hayes, Kansas City), and Missouri (St. Louis) where we graduated.  Of course we had to visit Las Vegas (you are banned from going there until you have a job and demonstrated the ability to make good decisions), but the beauty of the trip was stopping at the national parks (Grand Canyon, Arches, and Rocky Mountain) and most importantly, meeting the people along the way. We met:

·       Cousin Shelley, in San Francisco, who taught us about leadership and the courage to be the one to make the change

·       Bob and Harold, at the Hawthorne Munitions Museum in Hawthorne, Nevada who exuded pride and patriotism (as a fellow vet, I salute your commitment)

·       Sharon in Goldfield, NV who epitomizes self-reliance and free thinking

·       Sumiati in Las Vegas who is a high school classmate that I cherish with her honesty (even if it’s brutal)

·       Bill in Boulder, CO who shared his love of space by giving us a tour of his satellite operations

·       Ron, the owner of my son’s previous childcare facility, in Broomfield, CO who was gracious to share his insights so one of my classmates can open a daycare facility in India

·       Cindy, our family friend in Kansas City, who hosted and endured us for an overnight stay providing a glimpse of US hospitality

 

While we formally completed our graduate degree, it’s not enough to be just “book smart”.  You also must be “worldly” and listen to life-long lessons – experiences that will shape your perspectives to understand, engage, and enjoy the company of others. We have much to learn if we are willing.  While our time in India will end soon, I couldn’t imagine our journey, and I couldn’t be any happier with the way it turned out. We will embark on our next adventure and see where that takes us.

One last piece of advice – If you ever go on a road trip like I did, make sure there is more than one driver. Or, if there is only one driver, make sure it isn’t you.

 

 

 

With love,

Dad (Brian AiChang)