When my son left for Seattle less than three years ago for his first job as a campus recruit, it was a mix of emotions—excitement, curiosity, and a little heaviness. At first, it was hard to process, but over time, I realized it’s just part of life. I’ve always tried to make sense of things by looking back at my own experiences, comparing them to the present. Back then, I left home and flew across the globe—an 18-hour journey to the U.S. My son? He was just five hours away on the other coast. That perspective helped me cope more easily.
The first few days were challenging, as you’d expect. But you know the saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” My son figured it all out by himself, balancing life and work. He even gave us the ability to track him on the iPhone, which was reassuring. I’d check in on him—see whether he was at home, work, or out shopping. It made me so proud that we were able to raise him with a good sense of responsibility. I constantly remind him of three things: have patience, believe there’s a higher power, and always put in the effort. I even tell him that life is like planting beans or coconuts—they take different times to sprout, but they always do eventually.
He used to visit us two or three times a year and even worked virtually from home occasionally. As a mom, I made sure to cook all his favorite dishes and loved sitting with him to watch Tamil movies. I’m glad he understands the language enough to laugh at the jokes—it’s such a joy to see.
By the end of his second year in Seattle, he worked it out with his manager and decided to move to the East Coast. We were over the moon! He invited us to come visit him during spring break in 2024 and explore places around Seattle before he moved. That trip turned into an amazing time. It was such a nostalgic experience to return to Washington State after 20 years. We had lived briefly in Federal Way for 6-8 months back then, so it felt like coming full circle.
My son, Hari, planned everything meticulously—from booking flights and accommodations to organizing sightseeing. He picked us up from the airport and even had a night stay arranged at a hotel. The plan included a road trip to Vancouver, Canada, during Easter weekend, and then driving back to Seattle—a quick four-hour drive. Hari handled the driving too. It was such a role reversal; we just followed along with his plans. It wasn’t about ticking off a long list of places to visit—it was the quality time spent together that I cherished the most.
We checked into an Airbnb in Vancouver, Canada, right in the heart of the city. Everything—coffee spots, snack joints, places for breakfast, lunch, or dinner—was super close and walkable. On Easter Sunday, we visited the Capilano Suspension Bridge, one of the top attractions there. Walking across the bridge was a bit nerve-racking because it shook as we moved, but with all the other tourists around, the jitters turned into fun. We explored the rainforest on the other side and really enjoyed the whole experience. That evening, we stopped by Sunset Beach. It was early spring, so it was chilly. We snapped a few pictures and didn’t stay long.
The next day, we visited the famous Steam Clock in Gastown. It just happened that our Microsoft office was nearby on the same street. I had my ID card with me, so we went up to the office terrace, played a few rounds of bean bag toss, took some photos, and grabbed some soft drinks from the fridge before heading out. Later, we had dinner at a fancy Indian restaurant called Vij’s. The ambiance was great, but honestly, the food didn’t quite live up to the steep prices.
On Tuesday, we headed back to Seattle and checked into another Airbnb, this one with a beautiful waterfront view. The next couple of days were all about packing up Hari’s apartment – again, all the heavy lifting was done by my boy Hari. By Friday and Saturday, we took some time to explore Seattle again. We met up with Guna’s school friend Iyaz and their family, visited several Microsoft campuses, and even stopped by the apartment we had lived in 20 years ago in Federal Way. He had arranged for his sister Sree to get her second ear piercing, and Guna decided to get his ears pierced again too. We also went to Pike Place Market, where the kids had a blast trying out all kinds of street food. To top it all off, we visited the Space Needle, the iconic observation tower—it was a perfect end to our trip.
We flew back home, so happy to be together with my son. Having him with us never felt like a burden; it’s always a joy to have him around, anytime and all the time. But as much as we love having him, he’s got his own life to build, to learn, grow, and chase his dreams. He stayed with us for almost a year but moved into his new apartment near NYC in early March.
What made me smile the most was hearing that he wanted an ‘Anjala potti’ (a traditional spice box) so he could whip up meals like a pro in his kitchen. Makes me so proud! ILU Boyya! God bless you!