My dearest FrogDiva Jr,
Another year and another trip around the sun! How time flies! I can’t believe it has been 26 years since you came into my life and turned my world upside down – and I say this with all my heart.
1998 – Heaven to Delhi: you taught me what unconditional love means and entered the world during the festival of colours.
1999 – you taught me the true meaning of growth
2000 – we learned to dance in the rain together, with and without umbrellas
2001 – Delhi to Berlin: you moved to another country for the first time and showed the world your resilience
2002 – we both learned that not all kindergartens are the same, especially in Berlin
2003 – best friends come in the most peculiar packages
2004 – moving up to the big school, where we both learned that winter layers and clocks were not are best friends
2005 – who knew that the library would be our refuge and rummage sales our great joy?
2006 – Berlin to Manila: another move, another country, but you took it all with a sense of wonder and adventure, trading bread for rice with a grin and a song
2007 – imbibing your Asian roots, celebrating the duality within you
2008 – First Communion and Girl Scouts, never a dull moment
2009 – discovering your singing voice and expanding your artistic horizons
2010 – coming full circle and returning to India, a journey into your authentic self
2011 – the beginning of the rainbow hair saga
2012 – a short stint with football, only to discover that your true calling was with music and art
2013 – the teenage years of discovery and identity, but through it all, a fierce sense of loyalty to those you love.
2014 – From Delhi to Bangkok and everything that came with it
2015 – navigating streets, life, food, languages, and academics, not to mention jumping out of an airplane together!
2016 – Bangkok to Stuttgart: graduation and relocation, backpacking through Europe, you taught me how to let go so we could both spread our wings
2017 – Stuttgart to Florence: close encounters with the masters of art and antiquity
2018 – confronting the darkness, and holding on to each other to get through it
2019 – Florence to Berlin: the beginning of the pandemic years, and learning how to be housemates
2020 – let’s call this the Pursuit of Light year
2021 – we grew together in our art and existentialism, and thanks to you, I grew as a portrait photographer
2022 – Berlin to Fuerteventura: your first solo flight of organising an international relocation, which you did with flying colours!
2023 – Fuerteventura to Valencia: a return to the land where your ancestors once roamed and accepting the challenge of academics once again.
2024 – friend, muse, daughter, confidant, and light of my life.
Thank you for the most incredible 26 years of my life.
Happy birthday Maike!
Eternal love and friendship,
Mommy
FrogDiva Thoughts 