Jan 2018: As I walked into the university, my undergrad life flashed in front of me. I was looking for a memorable time here too, except it would be more difficult without my friends but I had my best friend with me, my husband, who had encouraged me and supported me to do what I wanted.
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But little did I know that there was something more in store for me. Little did I know that my little angel would make his comfort place and start growing inside me.
My joy knew no bounds. No one could be more ecstatic than me. My mind already started running on a lot of things for my baby. I wanted to be the best mom in the world.
Just as I was preparing to start the euphoric journey with the beginning of my 1st trimester, my final exams began too. All the moms out there would understand how unbearable the morning sickness could be. My exams were right on the horizon and I almost felt like giving up. But then, I remembered that I couldn’t give up. I was much stronger than this, and with my little baby taking form inside me, I made my way through the finals.
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2018 Aug: As my second semester had started my little baby had started growing. Then, one day, when I was at home, making virtual scenarios with my baby, the special moment happened. My little munchkin was knocking on my stomach (oh, he was kicking) that moment was so rapturous. All this time, I could reach out to my baby mentally and for the first time, he responded physically.
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2018 Nov: It was like a race between the arrival of our munchkin and my final exams. My husband was no less supportive. He used to pack me my lunch bag and drop me till the class and see to it that I never had to go through any troubles. It looked like my baby would be winning the race. My professors were kind enough to permit me to write my exams beforehand, as I had to prepare to welcome my baby.
At this point, I was at my final term of pregnancy, and I had to finish my exams. I can’t even put it out in words the mixture of thoughts I had. Finally, as my second semester exams ended, I could now focus completely on the arrival of my sunshine.

2018 December 7th: My little boy had come into my arms. There he was, my baby, my little munchkin, my darling, my sunshine- Yudhav. The day he brought immense happiness into my life. The day he had come into his rightful place: My Arms.
My son was born a fighter. He had to fight a few hurdles before coming to his mom. That is when I knew that he was destined to do great things.
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2019 Jan to 2019 Dec was all his time. We got to go back to our home in India, be with family, his grandparents, his aunt, his uncle. It was like a fantasy we were living in for those 11 months.

2020 Jan: The time had come for us to get out of our fantasy life and go back to the real world cause I had one last semester to be a postgraduate. It was time for me to leave my home in India and go back to the US for one last battle.

2020 March – Alas!!! The whole world had come to a stop. A pandemic and lockdown! It was like life was bombarding missiles on me. I had a toddler who had started to walk around on his own. The timing just couldn’t be better.
While the world was in chaos, so was my home. My little cute bloopy boy was running around. It became difficult as there was a pandemic going around the world and I had to finish my assignments of Machine Learning and Android. And here was my baby boy smudging chocolate all over his face and running around the house (can’t deny the cuteness though). It was an absolute mess. I slowly started to slip back on my studies. I thought that maybe I should put a full stop to my studies cause nothing is more important than my son. I thought that I’d done what I could but my son needed my full 100% focus and attention.
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And then it hit me.

“What would I be teaching my son if I give up just before the finish line?“

“What example would I be setting to him in times of discomfort?“

“What example would I be setting to all the girls and ladies who are always either in a dilemma or have to compromise one thing for the other (family over studies)?“

I didn’t want to be stereotyped like that. I didn’t want to be the girl who gave up her studies. I didn’t want to set a bad example for my son. So I dusted all the discomfort, moved out of my comfort zone, gave my baby all the attention he needed, and gave myself all the attention I needed when he fell asleep. I forgot what sound sleep felt like for a lot of time. I pushed my limits as much as I could and had successfully finished my post-graduation.
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2020 August: Now I stand here for my graduation and I just remembered my whole journey. All the pain and discomfort was all worth it.
All the girls out there who are pursuing their studies and all the moms out there know how difficult each of their lives are and here I am succeeding at BOTH.

Today I stand here, a postgraduate mom. I stand as the mom my son can be proud of; I stand as the wife my husband can be proud of, the daughter my parents and in-laws can be proud of, the sister and friend that my sister and best friends can be proud of. It feels like I have achieved a lot and I wouldn’t be feeling this satisfaction if I had given up.
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So, never give up, no matter how hard, NEVER GIVE UP.
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Now I can say this proudly, but with a tinge of modesty too, that some have a story and some a legacy, but I made it happen with a baby and a pandemic.
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This is my Story and my Legacy!!!