Once upon a time in a distant land, I packed my bags, said goodbye to my folks and decided that I was going to be away for a few months on a Fulbright programme. It became one of the most interesting decisions of my adult life. I saw the world on my own terms. I fell in love, and wrote poems, and challenged authorities, and danced, and travelled, and did all the things that I wanted to. Most of it. It was a most memorable experience. The theme song of my trip must be either Frank Sinatra’s My Way or Whitney Houston’s One Moment in Time.

In a few weeks time, I’m heading back to Edwardsville for something else, perhaps for a longer time. A true story. I guess the countdown should already begin by now. This time, it is definitely going to be a different experience, don’t you think?