Answering innocent questions can be difficult.
Q: What were you doing in the tropics for so many years?
Me: Uh. I was in a cult, following the teachings of a madman.
No, that won't do.
I did volunteer work.
Q: Cool! Volunteer work! What exactly did you do? Did you work in the slums?
Me: I was a childcare worker, maid, and FFer. For some reason, I don't think they'd understand that.
I mainly taught the kids of other volunteers.
Q: So you were a teacher in Japan, right? Where did you teach?
Me: At enormous Combo Homes caring for large groups of children 24/7 and working myself to exhaustion and nervous breakdown, all while struggling against sin and self in my striving to learn "submission."
At a private international school.
Q: What was it called? Would I know it? What train line was it on?
Me: Should I say The Heavenly City School? No, that's going to sound nuts. I have no idea what train line anything was on. I never went out.
It doesn't exist anymore.
Q: Have you been to [insert any sightseeing or famous destination in any of the countries where I lived]?
Me: No, I was busy at home.
uh....
That life was inexplicable. Please don't ask me any more questions.