A sweat-slicked, overworked deli woman stands before me, arm extended with the weight of poverty and its favourite mystery meat – Devon. With sunken eyes and a tired smile, I get the sense we are both well acquainted with it. My last five dollars is spent and so am I, grocery bags digging into the…
I prepare for Tokyo by quitting vapes. One week until departure, and I’ve not bought a single item on my list. I’m a zombie, moving through life in a cloud of smoke. My share house from the last six months is ejecting me. I have nowhere to live. It’s a repeat of last January, when…
The allure of solo travel can promise what sounds like an easy escape into uncharted waters. New lands to be discovered by your feet and new sensations to be snorted up by your senses. Because you, my squirmish friend, have been stuck in the trap of the humdrum, day-to-day existence of ordinary life.
You’ve already had…
The events depicted below are based on real experiences I had in Australia from 2020 to 2022. The names of people and places have been removed. Not to protect them, but rather to accommodate the handful of names that have relentlessly built and pushed forward the same issues I am about to address. Think of…
Each day had a handful of half-an-hour drives. It was a halfa to swim in the sea. A halfa to work. A halfa to yoga. A halfa to the pub. A halfa to visit that mate who had a half an hour free. That collectively made for a lot of time in the car feeling…
“You couldn’t pay me to live in Sydney.”
I’d said those exact words growing up. It was the kind of place I’d visit on the weekends with my friends, but you couldn’t, wouldn’t get me to live there. I didn’t want to live in crowds, unable to know anyone for the hordes of people inhabiting the landscape.…
Content warning: This piece deals with the impacts of sexual violence, but does not go into detail about the act itself. If you think this will upset you, do not proceed. If you have had a similar experience and require support, you can contact the Sexual Assault Support Service on 1800 697 877 and/or 1800RESPECT…
She sits hunched on the edge of a garden bed on Cavill Avenue, carry-on suitcase beside her, head in her hands. The scenery is picturesque: perfectly preened garden, spotless blue sky, sun blazing, the sound of seabirds constant but soothing – at least to any other listener. Inside her head, a storm rages.
It wasn’t…
Hungary’s prime minister secured his position for the next four years in April, an outcome that pushes my beloved country further away from democracy and me further into an identity crisis. Who am I, if I don’t agree with the majority of my small nation’s population?
I remember when Viktor Orbán – and his party,…
When it comes to unconventional travel, visiting a city’s historic zoo isn’t exactly off the beaten path. However, I figured I’d make an exception while in the city of nipaluna/Hobart. Remarkably, there are no crowds. I don’t even need a ticket – which is refreshing if you’re a schmuck like me who travels to lutruwita/Tasmania…
Every morning on my way to work, I drive past a Vinnies op shop. Every morning – rain, hail or shine – there’s a pile of donated goods spilling out over the footpath.
If it’s a weekday, there’ll be volunteers in hi-vis sorting through the mountainous mass, tossing some items into giant crates destined for…
I'm sitting alone in a waiting room that I've never been in before, nor thought I’d need to.
There’s a sliver of light from the outside world peering through the small glazed window of the door into the clinic. It’s almost like any other waiting room - lifeless overhead lights, slightly comfortable seats and perhaps…