I’ve been home for almost 3 years now (wow that’s a lot of home), except for a few months in Delhi now and then. I have always hated small towns like the one I live in – they are too crowded; everybody knows everybody and there is an absolute lack of privacy. Also, people gossip a lot- news here travels faster than the BBC morning broadcast. Imagine a Hollywood movie’s portrayal of the Middle-East – a sepia/yellow filter, dust all around, dilapidated buildings and noisy streets, with some form of “exotic” background music playing. That is always how I imagine small towns like mine – with a permanent yellow filter on my eyes. Being here these past years have made me realize how sheltered I have been all my life – it was only in 2020 that I started going around the town and interacting with people other than my school friends. I also recently started going to the gym. All these years of stress-eating, PCOS and horrible body issues culminated in this impulsive decision. It will be ...