A number of things have made me conscious that I am no longer a young person. In addition to being one to two brackets above the 18-25 age range on any given survey or form, I’ve also noticed that any interest I may have had in new things like TikTok, fashion, and going out in general, is fast waning. I drink less and often find … Continue reading Growth and learning in my mid-30s
This evening I stumbled upon an old Word document I wrote back in June 2009 – a couple of years before this blog was birthed. In it was a short list of eight things I’d learned so far that year. It’s interesting thinking about the circumstances that led me to these conclusions. Naturally this got me pondering whether I have learned these lessons – or … Continue reading 8 learnings from my younger self
I call myself a failed lawyer because I feel like an imposter when people refer to my law degree. I’m not sure how I went from not wanting to go to university at all to doing a six-year combined Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Arts (Honours). It probably had something to do with getting the marks for more than “just an Arts degree” and having parents … Continue reading Five reasons not to regret my law degree
I’ve always fancied being a tour guide for a time. Sure, it would get old pretty soon, but for 3-6 months it’d be awesome wearing the brightly coloured jacket, holding the umbrella, and taking groups of tourists around my hometown (or adopted city), providing snippets of history and local lore. The other day we put on a travel-themed digital event for some of our supporters … Continue reading I’m an anti-slavery tour guide. Sort of.
It’s one thing to love writing; it’s quite another to love editing. Editing is a passion I only discovered through a university job I picked up after my time in Ecuador and before my year in Bolivia. I always knew that I had decent spelling, punctuation and grammar but as a Research & Editorial Assistant at my alma mater, I found even fixing typos can … Continue reading How to edit your life
Australian New Year’s Eve traditions mostly involve drinking hard, watching fireworks and calling it a party. This is followed by spending 1 January sleeping it off. Where Christmas Day is family time, NYE Down Under means time with friends. In Ecuador, I was introduced to the tradition of making and breaking monigotes (mon-ee-GO-tez): life-sized replicas of yourself and people you know. These effigies are also known as muñecos … Continue reading NYE lessons from Ecuador
If you’re anything like me, you’ll occasionally stumble into extended conversation with a random. It doesn’t happen quite as often as I’d like, but last week was one such instance. I was checking out a guitar I’d found advertised on Gumtree. The seller and I talked at length about his many guitars. And his guitar collecting habit. So when he asked me about my own guitar history, … Continue reading Reclaiming convenience
To avoid confusion, I generally insist that English is my native language. I received all of my education in English, it’s what we spoke in my family growing up and it’s what we speak now.
But technically, it’s not my first language.
What would happen if I were to relearn my first language? What might that unlock? Continue reading No Canto?
Note: I was pleased and privileged to have this post published on A Life Overseas. In that process, I was able to flesh out my original post, which I now consider a draft. This “draft” appears below but to be honest, I am much happier with the slightly amplified version and I encourage you to read it here: http://www.alifeoverseas.com/travel-delusions/ * It cost me USD436 to renew my passport. … Continue reading Travel delusions
