• I moved to New York City shortly after turning 20 and moved to France after. • My mom visited me often, and we started traveling together. • She's in her early 70s, and strangers tell me I have the coolest mom.

You'd be amazed to discover a new side to a parent when traveling together. I did.

When I moved to New York City soon after turning 20, my journey quickly took me away from my familiar surroundings in Romania. Getting married early and fully immersing myself in a new culture meant growing up fast. Trips back home became scarce, at best once or twice a year.

Every time I returned, something was different. Each of us changed in some way. But what always stayed the same was mom picking me up from the airport, smiling.

My mom visited me

As the years studying in the US passed,

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