Jaime Hoerricks, PhD: An Expat from Værensland I hail from Værensland, a place unseen on maps, where words grow like moss and being is valued over having. In this fourth act of my life, I finally feel settled, embracing my path. But before you understand who I am now, you must know the journey it took to arrive here. Act I – A childhood marked by tragedy, abuse, and neglect. I clung to fragments of myself, surviving a world without grounding or connection. Act II – An illiterate wanderer, living by strength, anger, and violence. Martial arts and sports brought solace, discipline, and my first glimpse of literacy—a crack of light. Act III – Freemasonry and a career in forensic science offered order and answers. As I travelled the globe, emerging literacy helped me build a family, a career, and an identity. My autism diagnosis unlocked new self-understanding. Act IV – Retired from forensic science, I now write articles, papers, and books. I am a schoolteacher, a PhD, a poet, and finally, a trans woman living openly. This is not the end but a new beginning—embracing identity, neurodivergence, and the joy of creation. In this act, I weave my journey into words, offering them to others who might find resonance in this story of reclamation and transformation.