Anika Kumar: spending time with cousins

Freshman Anika Kumar anxiously waited before spotting her cousins at the airport. She immediately ran to greet her 3-year-old and 13-year-old cousins with a hug. “It was really awesome to see them,” Kumar said. “I wish they could come back again. I’m still missing them even though it’s been a while since they left.” This summer, Kumar and her family resumed their yearly tradition of seeing her cousins. Her household went from four to seven. Although she hadn’t seen them in three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it felt as if no time had passed.

Kumar was able to create a lot of memories in the span of two weeks. “My favorite moment was seeing my 3-year-old cousin,” she said. “I’m the kind of kid that loves babies, so it was really fun to see her. Because she is related to me, it makes it a lot more special.” Kumar’s relationship with her cousins grew throughout the two weeks as they spent a lot of time together doing fun activities such as playing mini golf, cooking and walking around the park. One of her favorite activities that she did with her cousins was play Pictionary. “I feel like anytime our family plays Pictionary it always ends in laughter because the drawings are pretty silly.”

The challenging part for Kumar was when her cousins went back to their home in Michigan. She is now patiently waiting to reunite with her cousins next summer. “I was very lonely when they left,” she said. “I miss them a lot.”
As Kumar reflects on her time with her cousins, she is thankful for creating fond memories
with them. “It’s important to spend time with people you haven’t seen in a while because it really
makes you feel good,” she said.