I’ve been giving some thought to returning home, not to live, of course, but to visit the place and see the people I still consider friends even though we haven’t met for a long time. It’s been three and a half years since I was last in the UK. I left for Bangkok in July 2005 and stayed in Thailand up until about two months ago. I now live in East Timor and expect I will return here after New Year.

What I’m most curious about is to see what people have been doing and compare stories about how we’ve spent our early twenties. As far as I’m aware, almost all of my friends still live in England and most of them have traveled a bit, even if only for a few weeks.

With the people I went to school with I feel confident that we will be able to slip into a familiar groove and vibe like old times. I think it will be the same with most of the folks I was friends with in Sheffield. But I’m worried that I might go back to Bath or London or Sheffield and people won’t recognize me. I don’t think I’m much taller than I used to be, but I’m sure my face has changed and I’m also more tanned.

If I do go back I will also visit my mother and brother in France, where they now live. My mother has a boyfriend I’ve never met and my brother, well, he’s still a mystery to me.

It’s exciting because I’m going to try and cram as many different cities into my trip as possible. I expect I will only go for about three weeks, but it would be a good way to end the year and to see what I’m missing.

I don’t imagine there will be much of a reverse culture shock other than feeling very cold all the time. What I can’t wait to do is to buy a family pack of Monster Munch and a four-pack of Woodpecker cider.

I’m still as simple as when I left.

Other plans include a month-long trip to China in February, a trip to parts of Indonesia in January and more travels out to the districts of East Timor.