When I got to college, the very first \u201cworldly music\u201d album I purchased was U2,\u00a0All That You Can\u2019t Leave Behind<\/em>. I\u2019d never heard of U2 before, although I soon realized that I\u2019d heard many of their songs on the radio. I finally learned their name in a professor\u2019s car on the way to an Indian restaurant for a study abroad lunch. Two other students heard me ask him, \u201cWhat band is this?\u201d If they were embarrassed for me, it didn\u2019t show.<\/p>\n The very next day, I ventured across the bridge to the artsy side of town. A used music store, soon to be the source of endless hours of enjoyment, huddled in a tiny brick row house with rainbow-colored chalk on the windows. At first, I was utterly lost. I\u2019d heard of Billy Joel, Elton John and Shania Twain, but most of the labels might as well have been recorded in quipu<\/a>. But I mustered up my courage and marched to the counter, asking for U2. I was shown to one of the largest sections \u2013 rock \u2013 where a shelf dedicated to the U2 discography dominated the lower alphabet. I scoured the albums and finally picked out the one whose name meant the most to me.\u00a0All That You Can\u2019t Leave Behind<\/em>. I\u2019d been leaving behind a lot of things lately.<\/p>\n The entire album was like an anthem to my escape. I imagined that Bono were sitting next to me, talking to me alone through the music. I sat in the history department lounge after hours with a CD walkman strapped to my waist, tears flowing as I watched people moving around the courtyard fifty feet below. I already felt like I was part of a story; U2 was the soundtrack.<\/p>\n The song below is the one that moved me most. I hope you enjoy it, too.<\/p>\n You\u2019re packing a suitcase for a place none of us has been<\/em>
\nA place that has to be seen to be believed to be seen<\/em>
\nYou could have flown away, a singing bird in an open cage<\/em>
\nWho will only fly, only fly for freedom\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n