📬 Dear Toska
I found a new blog in the Bear Discovery tab today and I was immediately fascinated. Toska is a multilingual American grad student (German and Russian through her own endeavor rather than circumstance) finishing up her PhD and considering her next steps. She was born in Russia, but adopted as a young child and raised in the United States by adoptive parents that are no longer part of her life. When she came of age she was able to track down her biological family back in Russia and made contact with her sister. But contact with her is fleeting. The absence of strong familial connections in her life is probably the single most striking difference to my lived experience.
Today's post really blew me away and left me compelled to respond. Toska relayed her doubts and conflicts about what being an American means to her and asked whether she's a "bad" American. My answer after reading most of her posts tonight is this:
Dear Toska,
You're a remarkable human being and the best kind of American: introspective, conflicted, insightful, and independent. So so independent. Independent enough to travel to Azerbaijan on your own and spend three weeks befriending the people of the Caucasus. Independent enough to consider preparing for and pursuing a life in Germany after completing your doctorate. The Fourth of July may have been your least favorite holiday, but the way I see it, it's literally your holiday: Independence Day. Whether by nature or nurture you embody the most American of traits and it's something to be proud of.
America needs people like you now more than ever, but I respect your desire to find your place in the world wherever that may be. I hope you will continue to share your unique perspective on your blog, and as a fellow American I'm rooting for you to find contentment and connection wherever your path leads.
Sincerely,
Jason