Dear Mum and Dad,

When I asked Gareth last week what he made of the Korea idea, he wrote out a list of what he thought were the main pros and cons. While he listed a range of pros, his only cons were: '1, it’s scary, and 2, mum will cry.' As usual, he was right. Tonight I told you Korea. As soon as I announced that I had some news (in a perfectly calibrated ‘now brace yourselves, you ain’t gonna like this’ tone of voice), you guessed straight away that I was going away. And of course, you cried ma. What I didn’t anticipate was just how quickly the two of you would come round to the idea. I didn’t expect you to try and talk me out of it, but to hear you say, even through the tears, that you though it was a great thing for me, and that you were both proud of me, well that was just what I needed to hear to dispel those final nagging doubts. You weren’t thrilled with the prospect of having to store all my stuff again after finally enjoying the luxury of a little spare room, or the idea of being without instant tech-support for a year, but you were supportive and together when I needed you to be, so thank you. For that, I’ll even let you cry at the airport. As if I’d be able to stop you. And once more, just for you ma, I reiterate my promise: I will return. Love, Ryan