In my early twenties I travelled around a bit but never got to India. Then I got involved with a woman, and felt the pressure to get a career, so India went on the back burner.

Finally, by January 2002, just before my 30th birthday, I finally managed to put my whole life behind me. I could leave home for ever if necessary and use my hi-tech skills in a poorer country. I could get a job there, or do voluntary work or even go to a different country - whatever I liked!

My intention is not to travel, to backpack, but to live and hopefully work abroad. It has always been my ambition to work abroad, to have my flights paid etc., but I'm just not employee material. However I'm very lucky to have the skills to do freelance internet game programming work from abroad - which everyone seems to agree is pretty cool- as long as I have a client.

In my reading, I have been disappointed to observe that fiction is often more instructive, exciting and interesting than real life. My hope with these letters is to piece them together into a proper story, and yet for every word to be true. The story of a my taking control of my life! I did not want simply to hang around places and smoke dope. I wanted to do things, and make some money and practice juggling and unicycling. I would start by heading for Sai Baba's Ashram in Bangalore, then head for Auroville maybe in February.

Inventory:

• Rucksack
• Minimal clothing
• 20GB hard disk
• Unicycle
• Juggling clubs
• Camera
• SW Radio
• Compass, miniature Zen garden, books on Auroville

Unfortunately I left my accommodation in Cambridge on rather bitter terms with one of my housemates with some complicated financial sorting out still hanging over, but that's stuarts story The guy moving into my room happened to be from Bombay, and he put me in touch with his friend there . . .