Dear Oli,

I am writing this letter 8,972 miles away from you, and I have been missing you every single day since the day we parted.

You are seven years old right now, and I have never been so proud of a seven year old before. Just like my oma, the woman I adore, you are beautiful both on the outside and the inside. I am so happy of the girl you turn out to be; a girl with a beautiful heart. You are filled with kindness and love, and I am so proud of you. I fell in love with you from the moment I laid eyes on you. You are a blessing to a 14 year old girl who dreamed of having a little sister. You are my soulmate and my best friend. I cherish every moment we spent together. I cannot seem to forget all those times where we went to see movies in the theater, played pretend, sang, danced, and laughed. I remember how you used to come to my room in the morning and jumped on me, only to wake me up while telling me that breakfast is ready. It is the little things that I seem to miss the most. It hurts me knowing how much you cried because you missed me, and how much you begged for me not to forget you. My love, you should know that there is not a single day goes by without me thinking of you. My nights of unbearable cries are countless. I miss you with all there is inside of me. You may not understand right now, but in time, you will understand that what I am doing right now is also for your sake. I need to study real hard and have a nice job so I can take care of you. I promise you that I will take care of you. When there is nobody else, you know that you will always have me. You are my baby. I will always watch over you, care for you, and love you.

Thank you for showing me how beautiful the innocence of a child's heart is.
You mean the world to me.

Dear Oma,

I am sorry it took me this long to finally say what I have always been wanting to tell you.

There are too many things I am eager to say. Some even where words cannot convey, but let me start off by saying thank you. You have shown me what it was like to be a caring and loving person. You have given me great love; one that is unconditional. You were always there for me, loving me every step of the way. You have taught me something that I will cherish for as long as I shall live; you have taught me how to love. Because of your love, care, and patience, now, in turn, I have grown to be a girl who stands close to such things. I am saddened by the thoughts of not spending more time with you when I had the chance. I remember that every time I got scolded by my father, you were the person I wanted to go to. I would sleep with you at night, and you would keep me warm. I just wish that I have one last chance to say how much you mean to me. I remember you telling me and my cousin, Sara, about your childhood. How you used to live in a farm with your grandmother, and how you loved her dearly. Maybe such feeling is hereditary. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever known. Not only on the outside, but what is inside you shine out of you like sunbeams. I fell in love with your gentle smile, and I have been missing it ever since the day you left. Yet, what I adore most of all is your kindness. You were filled with kindness, and I was ever so lucky to receive such a thing from you each day. There are too many memories for one's heart to hold. Being able to call you my grandmother is one of the most precious gifts God has given me.  I hope that I can be the person whom you are proud of, and I believe that you are looking down on me from Jesus' arms.

I love you, Oma.
You have a place in my heart that no one could ever replace.

“I would have saved myself from five hundred years' imprisonment beneath a mountain of rock had I only realized how good it is to be a monkey." 

In today’s world, a lot of people are unable to accept who they really are. They imprison themselves with self-dissatisfactions. Therefore, people try to change the way they look. They start to get their eyelids lifted, their hair changed, or their skin tanned in order to satisfy themselves. The book American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen Yang, encourages its readers to accept their “true form.” Through three different stories of The Monkey King, Jin, and Danny, the book depicts the efforts of fitting into society. Each character in the book is shown with his own distinctive characteristics.

Sometimes, people’s idealization of a beautiful figure is what they create in their heads without realizing that their own figure is just as beautiful.