In 1963, I was born in Awali, a small oil town in Bahrain with a hospital, church, school, library, swimming pool, cinema, and social club, among other amenities. Awali was where my grandparents moved for work, my parents met, and my third-culture childhood unfolded across 8 countries by the time I was 10. My father died in 1974, and everything changed. A few months before this loss, I had been placed in a boarding school and also my mother returned to work. Feeling different from others as I grew up, I often pondered my sense of belonging, my identity, and how displacement and unresolved grief had shaped me. Almost five decades later, these questions drew me back to Awali. My return was a journey to reconnect with a home and to understand my family's legacy. Seven days brought me overwhelming self-discoveries.
