In October 2025, I packed up my 15-pound hairless Xoloitzcuintli, Troy, and the rest of my belongings and moved from the north of England back to my hometown in California. I was exhausted, relieved, excited, heartbroken, and so hopeful.
I’d been living outside the US for 14 years — a year in Taiwan teaching English, followed by 13 in York. I was there for over a third of my life. I had no idea I’d stay so long. Those years brought growth and hard choices: a master’s degree, meeting and marrying a local, and a string of jobs unrelated to what I wanted, until I found work I cared about. I built a life through work, rugby, and volunteering, and…
