A letter from Jun 19th, 2021

Dear FutureMe, 5 years away doesn’t seem like a lot to me now, but to you it must have felt like a lifetime. I can only imagine what 25-year-old me is like, when my life feels like it’s rapidly changing with every turn I make. Are you healthy? Are you happy? To me right now, these seem like the only important questions to ask; the only two things that have ever mattered to me. I’m at 19 right now, turning 20 in a couple months which scares me to ***** sometimes; how did it go by so fast? Anyways, I'm doing my bachelors right now, it’s going well, I think. Recently I've gotten a lot into gaming with friends, remember Aya and Mohammad? I hope they are doing well now too. It’s almost summer 2021, I'm so excited for a vacation; I’m thinking of spending the summer in Istanbul with my sister. Speaking of Istanbul, have you been travelling? Have you moved out yet? We both know that was always the goal. As I mentioned, I’m turning 20 in a couple of months, 20 has always been one of the “scary” ages for me. What scares me the most is that I have no idea what I want to do after university, so many choices and opportunities; the possibilities are endless. What scares me even more is the fact that a global pandemic just cooled down, there’s no way you could’ve forgotten about that right? I’ve become introverted and shy after spending so much time inside, hopefully I’ll be able to overcome that and help you, so you don’t struggle with that. As for faith, I can say I'm going through a rough patch right now. It’s understandable to question everything you’ve ever known, but it definitely doesn't feel good. I’m Muslim, I believe in God and an array of values and standards that I hope you still stick to. Are you still honest? Do you still try your best to be an amazing and supportive friend? Do you still accept people as they are and don’t judge them? If you are, I’m so proud of us. These days I've been doing a lot of digital art, I’m good at it. I’m still struggling to become a freelancer. People say my work is great, but the market is not helping. I’m really good at gaming as well, I think this and the fact that I’m studying to become a developer means you’re still spending hours upon hours in front of a computer screen, I hope you’re not bored yet we still have a long way to go. All this preparation is for you, are you thanking me yet? Or are you regretting not working hard enough? Right now my biggest concern is GPA, I’m at 3.00 right now, not good enough I know but I'm trying my best. Have you done a masters after graduation like we always planned? I’m hoping you did; I’m really looking forward to it. I want to do my masters in Sweden, did that work out? Also, have you been investing like we planned? Remember how important that was to us? You should do it now if you have not; better late than never. Do you remember what we planned for the big 25? Are you planning to start your company yet? How is it going? You must be stressed out; this was the big milestone we were always so confused about after all. Don’t worry too much, everything will work out eventually; it always does. How are things with mom and dad? Are you seeing them or calling them regularly? If you haven’t, go give them a call, say hi for me, and thank them for everything they did for us. How’s Sana (my sister) doing? Are you guys still close? I hope you stuck together through everything, after all we both know family always comes first. Anyways, I must go now. As I told you, it’s almost summer; it’s finals season. Have fun, and don’t stress too much like you do now. I'm sure you’re making me proud in whatever you’re doing. Best, Salma.