15 years is a long time to be gone. I was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Hercegovina in June of 1990. I have been back exactly one other time: when my parents, in 2006, aching to return to their homeland, bought 4 plane tickets and stuffed every belonging they had into shipping containers, with only a glimmer of nostalgia to guide the way forward. 11 months later, in July of 2007, my dad passed away while working in America. Friends were made, Bosnian became my main language, but all it took was 72 hours and 2 planes and I was back in New Jersey. I came up with endless excuses for not returning, from lack of time to lack of funds, and ultimately decided I would go when it was “right.” Apparently that time was July 2022. Turns out 15 years is not that long.