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Somebody once told me that if you want to go to India, you have to give yourself time. Time to see, to taste, time to sink into the spirit of the land – but most of all, time to get sick. Because even if all the other things leave you cold and uninspired, you will…
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 smell of rain does not rise from the grass to be ignored, but my disregard that morning as I set out left me a weeping fool, caught beneath a dead lamppost as it poured.
Back home, I would have drawn the curtains back together and entertained the idea that it is okay to do nothing.…
On transitioning from inconsequential backpacker to time-constrained holidaymaker.
You may think I was in love with her. You would be right. But not in the way you think. She was one of my best friends. We met in year 7 at school, but didn’t become close till after school had ended. We were linked in a way I wasn’t with anyone else. We…
When I first arrive in New Caledonia, a small Melanesian-majority French colony in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, my French is shit. Like properly shit. Like, people can’t understand me when I try to order a baguette.
I knew it had to be bad. I did nearly fail half of my university French classes, and…
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…
Mount Yasur erupted up from the ashy ground, an understated but formidable entity. Plumes of volcanic smoke crowded the top of the mountain, hinting at an active crater below. The air was electric with anticipation as swathes of tourists waited eagerly at the crown. They were ready to gawp at the pyrotechnical displays from Yasur…
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…
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…
3:32am
I am barely five feet tall. He is a professional kickboxer, stocky and red, and a breath away from my face. His furious words land on me as spit droplets. His finger wags, like he knows everything in the world, and I know nothing. He calls me a little girl.
“Don’t point…