“Tell me a few things about yourself.”
“What would you like to know?”
“Anything you’d like to share.”
“I’m the oldest of nine children…”
“From the same parents?”
“Yes.”
“Are your parents still together?”
“Yes.”
“Incredible. Please, go on.”
“I had a happy childhood, and I’m very close to my brothers and sisters. They are everything to me. And they were the ones with whom I began practicing my teaching skills from a very young age.”
That was how my first job interview abroad unfolded, with the principal of the American School in The Hague. I knew nothing about interviews, about what I was supposed to say or keep to myself. I was simply authentic, as people like to call it today, and I got the job.
Maybe it was a miracle. Maybe my story moved them. Maybe my degrees and experience helped. But when I look back, I can’t help wondering how much I owe that little girl.
Against every hardship, against every expectation, she endured. She fought. She found a way forward with the tools she had.
Early responsibilities, the education she chose, faith in something greater than herself, creativity, courage, unwavering hope, and relentless determination helped that little girl build the life she once dreamed about while staring out a window.
A life even bigger than she had dared to imagine.
I remember how I used to hold her back from dreaming too boldly. How she would apologize, feeling guilty for wanting too much.
“We made it, my love.
Your dreams planted the desire in me to make them come true.
I’m the one who owes you an apology for doubting you.
I know now that you planted every dream inside me for a reason, and I’m grateful for your faith, your boldness, your stubbornness, and your resilience.
I know you had to learn strength far too early, but thank you for it.
I’m grateful that you left home while you were still so young, carrying a suitcase far too heavy for your age.
I know how hard it was.
I admire you for continuing to believe in goodness even when life didn’t seem good.
For getting back up every single time with the same determination.
You are the true heroine of this story.
I love you more than words can hold.”