Mom, there's a whole lot of stuff that I have to thank you for. Giving birth to me, feeding me, changing my stinky diapers. And in ten or so years when I'm doing all of those things for someone else, I'll be sure to give you another hearty thank you, but fortunately for both of us, those are not the struggles I can relate to right now. Right now, I'm struggling with living on my own across the world, and it's making me realize just how much you do for me.

1. Thank you for the fully stocked kitchen.

Living in a big house in the suburbs, I've always assumed that there was a fairy living in my pantry who ensured food would always be there. Of course, sometimes I would have to make a last minute run to the store for butter or I wouldn't have food dye for my red velvet cake, but hey, not even pantry-dwelling fairies are perfect. Now that I'm living in my own apartment, and not in the comfort of your house or my college dorm with a dining hall, I'm starting to realize that baking essentials like flour, sugar, and baking soda don't just magically appear; and if I want eggs in the morning, I actually need to go out and buy myself eggs to cook. If you could give me the number of our kitchen fairy, I could really use it.

2. Thank you for cooking my meals.

Every once in a while when I'm home you ask me, "What do you want for dinner?" Generally, my answer is an indecipherable grumble of, "I don't know." If I can't decide what I, one lonely individual, wants to eat, I have no idea how you figure out what five of us want to eat. But every night, we have a hot meal on the table without fail, and you somehow always make it delicious. Without you, I have the occasional night of trying to roast vegetables, burning them to ashes, and eating plain pasta for dinner in resignation, while I call you and drool over the menu back home.

3. Thank you for answering all of my painfully obvious questions.

"What's the difference between chicken broth and chicken stock?" "How long do I leave my vegetables in the oven?" "Where does the liquid detergent go in the washing machine?" Have I mentioned that I've never lived on my own before?

4. Thank you for dealing with my emotions.

I know that when I'm home, you generally have to deal with me never expressing my emotions, and I'm sure that can get frustrating when all you want to do is help. Luckily for you, I make up for it when I'm away with the occasional crying FaceTime or necessary complaining session. I'm sure that this, too, can get frustrating when all you want to do is help and it seems hard to when we're on different continents, but trust me, I always feel better after I hang up the phone.

5. Thank you for letting me be here.

I know it was hard for you to let me go. You have a hard enough time saying goodbye when I leave for school--just a mere three-hour drive away, so I know how much trouble you had putting me on a seven-hour flight. At times, it's hard for me to be here, too, as I'm sure you know by now, but I'm sure you also know that I'm having an experience that can never be replaced. Studying abroad is one of the few times that a person can just pick up and leave and not feel bad about obligations back home. You can argue that me being here is incredibly selfish, so thank you for understanding that this is my time to be selfish.

Google knows a lot, but there are questions that even Siri can't answer and conversations that no one else would understand. I don't know how I would navigate living alone without you just a quick phone call away. I'll be back home in just a couple months, and as promised, I'll be sure to cook you dinner...as long as you promise to help.