The story of Aiya Varghese and her quest for identity can be told of a young girl who had been abandoned at birth by her birth parents as they fled to the United States in search of freedom. She was taken care of by foster parents, whom she believed would help her in achieving stability in life. However, all that she experienced were lies and deception from these foster parents. In fact, her foster family didn’t just abandon her but also made her work hard in order to support their life style as well as their desires to keep her from her natural parents, who are still living in Russia. This made Aiya very lonely and she somehow developed an identity crisis even though she tried to fit in and join in any activities she observed around her home.
It is when Aiya started to notice the different people treating her like a stranger because of her height that she decided to use her newfound skills to find her true nationality. Having been adopted as an American citizen by the Venezuelan government employee, Aiya set out on her mission to change her name to Hugo Varghese and eventually finding herself in Washington D.C., where she became interested and enrolled in an American School for Social Work and Social Service. During this time, she learned enough about herself to know whether she wanted to pursue her goal of changing her nationality legally or not.
After completing her studies in this school, she continued her studies in law by joining the Bar Association of Lawyers in the District of Columbia. Through this experience, she finally managed to change her name legally to Hugo Varghese and worked as a social worker while taking care of her mentally ill mother who was being abused by several individuals including her own stepfather. She finally managed to turn her life around, which is why she decided to return to Venezuela to live with her family. Although Aiya’s story is inspiring, it must be noted that she had to adapt her personality to a new nationality and culture. Because of this, there are times when her actions do not mesh with the people she lives with, as she had to constantly adjust to their beliefs and lifestyle.