woke up like this!

Priya opened her eyes in Chennai, sunlight streaming through her grandmother's window. She'd returned from London for the summer, feeling finally whole. At the PaybookClub gathering yesterday, surrounded by diaspora friends discovering their roots, something shifted within her. She'd spent years building a life abroad, but these mornings—chai brewing downstairs, her mother's laughter, Tamil melodies drifting through streets—felt like coming home to herself. Her friends back in England would never understand this awakening. How displacement had taught her gratitude. Here, in Tamil Nadu's embrace, she recognized her reflection clearly for the first time. Some journeys lead us forward by bringing us back.