When I began teaching in Austria in 2021 as a visiting Religious Studies teacher, I knew my presence would be unique. As a man of color, standing in front of eager pre-primary and primary students, I could already sense the curiosity in their eyes. One day, during class with my pre-primary students, a little boy looked at me, wide-eyed, and asked, "Why are you brown?" His innocence was disarming, as he followed up with, "Are your wife, kids, and mother also brown?"

Once upon a time there lived a spirited young boy named Uche. From the moment he could walk, he was drawn to something most people barely gave a second thought—the sight of a priest dressed in a gleaming white cassock. There was something magnetic about it. Whenever Uche saw that flash of white in the distance, he would drop whatever he was doing and dart across the street, his small legs carrying him as fast as they could.

Once upon a time in a little town, there lived a priest of foreign descent who had a peculiar wish: he really wished he could be a lover of cakes. While everyone around him delighted in the sweet treats, he found himself indifferent, unable to appreciate their sugary allure.