Shortly thereafter, my heart and mind were freed from obligations and I knew…

It was time to go.

On NYE 2019, I wrote on the party’s wish-board that I wouldn’t be in the US for the following NYE.

And I wasn’t. But that’s a story for a couple days from now.

I’m a Long Beach boy, through and through—a year later, I wrote:

I absolutely love my hometown. The food, the culture, the people, the weather… I could happily spend the rest of my life there.

And that’s exactly why I had to leave.

A person wearing a dark jacket and wireless earbuds smiles while taking a selfie on a sandy beach at sunset, with soft orange and pink clouds over the ocean.A smiling man dressed in a black vest, white shirt, and black hat holds a small sign reading Kiss Me in front of a gold sequin curtain backdrop.A younger and older man take a selfie outdoors in front of a green apartment building with a sign reading Forty Nieto.Close-up of a man in a light athletic shirt and earbuds, leaning against a brown wooden slat wall.Railroad tracks lead into the distance under a dramatic sunset with orange and blue clouds, flanked by industrial buildings.