First Full Year In America, New Year's Week January 1990, Coral Gables Florida - IMRAN™ I feel a deep gratitude for the amazing life I've lived since my birth in Pakistan to the world's most incredible parents. I'm particularly blessed to have spent the majority of my life, the last 35 years, in America. While I don't know what the future holds or how much time I have left, every step has been an adventure and a gift from God. My New Yorker soul was born the moment I first landed at JFK in January 1987. I endured a Christmastime tourist adventure in America and Canada – smack dab in the frigid winter of Manhattan and even colder Toronto! Returning in 1989, I chose New York over California to be the start of my new life. Columbia University Graduate School of Business welcomed me with a full academic scholarship, granting me an MBA and propelling me into the next chapter. Ironically, though I call New York my forever hometown, my first Christmas (1989) and New Year (1990) in America were spent in Coral Gables and Miami, Florida. So, Florida has been my "second home state" throughout my American journey. And that continues to this day with my calling Tampa Bay region home too. That fateful first visit to Florida, facilitated by the Council for International Visitors in Miami, and being hosted by a wonderful Dutch-American family, led me to several cherished and many lifelong connections. This candid photo was taken by one of my dear Miami girlfriends from that time. Facing one of Florida's coldest winters in decades, which tragically decimated the orange crop that year, I, the New Yorker who had brought no warm clothes for that trip, was blissfully comfortable at her Coral Gables home, as the new year of 1990 unfolded. Grateful, for all the experiences, all the love! Keep your prayers and love coming, my friends and loved ones. © 1990-2024 IMRAN™ #IMRAN; #Florida; #Miami; #CoralGables; #1990; #Anniversary; #autobiography; #relaxing; #youth; #history; #gratitude; #blessed;First Full Year In America, New Year's Week January 1990, Coral Gables Florida - IMRAN™ I feel a deep gratitude for the amazing life I've lived since my birth in Pakistan to the world's most incredible parents. I'm particularly blessed to have spent the majority of my life, the last 35 years, in America. While I don't know what the future holds or how much time I have left, every step has been an adventure and a gift from God. My New Yorker soul was born the moment I first landed at JFK in January 1987. I endured a Christmastime tourist adventure in America and Canada – smack dab in the frigid winter of Manhattan and even colder Toronto! Returning in 1989, I chose New York over California to be the start of my new life. Columbia University Graduate School of Business welcomed me with a full academic scholarship, granting me an MBA and propelling me into the next chapter. Ironically, though I call New York my forever hometown, my first Christmas (1989) and New Year (1990) in America were spent in Coral Gables and Miami, Florida. So, Florida has been my "second home state" throughout my American journey. And that continues to this day with my calling Tampa Bay region home too. That fateful first visit to Florida, facilitated by the Council for International Visitors in Miami, and being hosted by a wonderful Dutch-American family, led me to several cherished and many lifelong connections. This candid photo was taken by one of my dear Miami girlfriends from that time. Facing one of Florida's coldest winters in decades, which tragically decimated the orange crop that year, I, the New Yorker who had brought no warm clothes for that trip, was blissfully comfortable at her Coral Gables home, as the new year of 1990 unfolded. Grateful, for all the experiences, all the love! Keep your prayers and love coming, my friends and loved ones. © 1990-2024 IMRAN™ #IMRAN; #Florida; #Miami; #CoralGables; #1990; #Anniversary; #autobiography; #relaxing; #youth; #history; #gratitude; #blessed;

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