Our international summer has begun!

My granddaughter Emma has wanted to visit other countries since she was eight or nine and had started a correspondence with Dame Jane Goodall, the British primatologist/anthropologist.

As she grew older, Emma changed her focus – to teach underserved kids. She also changed her geography – from the African jungles to anywhere in the world, including Texas.

Emma’s Terry Scholarship made it possible for her to spend a summer abroad in her field. She had chosen a one-month Spanish Language Immersion opportunity in Mexico and a two-month teaching assignment in Morocco. Thanks to COVID-19, neither were possible. Her dream was put on hold.

Two weeks ago, Emma graduated from Sam Houston State University, Summa Cum Laude with Honors, Honors College. She had spent the last year, despite our fears of COVID, student teaching in a second-grade class. Her lead teacher, who was fresh from maternity leave, gave Emma additional teaching responsibilities so she could leave the classroom several times a day to express milk for her little one.

Emma hopes to teach in the fall – and wherever she goes, she will be an invaluable asset. She has a proven heart for teaching.

Thanks to a graduation gift, she left a couple of days ago with a friend to realize her dream – she will be visiting Alexandria, Egypt for a month --getting to know the culture, the history, the people and just chillin’ after four years at the university. I confess, I wish I had been born a bit later when international travel was more the routine than the rarity.

I didn’t go to the airport… I’m not good at goodbyes. But her dad and I, thanks to a wonderful app, tracked her Turkish Air flight from Houston to touchdown at the Istanbul airport. She sent a text, “We’ve landed.”

I have researched the Istanbul airport, which makes New York’s LaGuardia look more like the city dump than a 21st century airport.

Also, she sent photos of the food they were served on their 18-hour flight – and it appeared to be enough to require 18 hours, just to eat it all. Definitely a change from the bags of peanuts served (or not) on U.S. flights.

I remember when Emma’s dad learned to drive and how it was difficult to sleep until I heard his car in the driveway. A granddaughter on an international flight requires the same vigilance – except this time, it was her grandmother, waking up every few hours, checking her flight’s progress.

Saturday night at 6:30 p.m., Emma sent another text: “We’re safe and sound in Alexandria.”

Emma’s entire family heaved a sigh of relief.

My emotions are mixed: I am so proud of her college success and so excited about her beginning her teaching career, but I know this new chapter may take Emma far out of my “comfort zone.” I am thrilled she’s finally realizing her dream of traveling to experience another culture, but as I write this, my granddaughter is more than 7,000 miles away when, for the first nine years of her life she lived just down the block.

Oh, and just one more thing: Last Christmas, Emma became engaged to Adam, a very special young man with American and Egyptian citizenship. During her trip to Alexandria, Emma will meet Adam’s family in person after two years of face-time, texting, etc. Emma and Adam will marry next fall.

So, I have a feeling this won’t be the last of my sleepless nights while my granddaughter travels halfway around the globe.

Maybe next time she’ll take me along. I can sleep on the plane!