When you grow up in a family which cherishes music (and all forms of art, really) more than anything, music becomes the center of your life. So when you get to the point in your life when you need to choose your MA Thesis subject, it is only natural that it will be music-related as well. For mine, I chose the life and career of Muddy Waters, with the Great Migration, the birth of Chicago Blues and, in consequence, rock’n’roll, as a background. Since I had visited Chicago many times long before even starting to write my thesis, the process of writing it felt like revisiting some of my favorite places. It was fun; it didn’t feel like obligation or work, at all (and yet I received a higher education title for it — what a great deal! :)) I can’t say I remember visiting Chicago for the first time as it happened when I was a little girl on family vacation. I do remember coming to the Blues Fest for the first time, which happened in 2001 when I was in my late teenage years. I remember the feeling of being immersed in music and American culture, but also in the wonderful melting pot of the great people working in the photo pit. It was a wonderful feeling. I went back to Chicago and to the Blues Fest many more times, and it always felt like being home (only more exciting!) Ewa Matysik www.twojblues.com