Justin: where are you from?

People often ask, where are you from? And I never know what to say. “Long story,” I say. I usually follow that with, “I lived in Thetford in Norfolk (UK) for a number of years.” Being “from” Thetford is sort of embarrassing, especially as no-one knows where it is, usually. So then it was often “Norwich”, the nearest big city, where I also lived for sometime. Norwich is also a bit embarrassing. However, when I was abroad it was more simple to say London, where I have also lived.

The reason it is complicated is I wasn’t born in Thetford. I was born in Nottingham. However, that is also a problem as I left there when I was less than 1 year old. I then went to live in Whittlesey until I was five (above my grandparent’s shop). Then to Thetford. I then spent years trying to get away from Thetford. Norwich being the first stop. Well, actually, India was the first stop in the Thetford extracting. Anjuna in Goa. I was there for six months, then London, then Goa again for six months. Then Norwich.

So I sort of got stuck in Norwich again in 1999. More, I got a decent job there in printing. I lived in Thetford, Diss and Norwich in that time. 11 years. I was desperate to escape and I did in 2011. I went to Ecuador to save the planet. Then I went to India and Indonesia to save the planet. Then I went back to the UK to save myself (note: the planet it just fine as it is). London again featured for three years.

I now live in the Scottish Highlands in an old church, been there since 2018.

However, having said all that, one thing I can definitely say is, I am “from” England. My mum and dad are English. My grandparents are English. My mum’s parents have the name Gunn, so there is Scottish heritage in there. My dad’s dad was Dutch but became English. All of which makes me firmly from England. I know quite a lot of the family tree too on both sides going back a fair English way.

As a note, here is my nan’s website: J.M & E. Gunn plenty of English family there.