The Tertangala Issue Six, The Travel Issue

THE TERTANGALATHE TRAVEL ISSUE ISSUE 06 VOLUME 52

NURSING SCHOOL METHODS QUESTIONED

ON YER BIKE M8

THE REGULARS

Brittany Carter investigates student allegations that Bachelor of Nursing ECG practicals are too invasive.

Nicolas Ozolins shares the highs and lows of his 29-day bike ride from Airlie Beach to Sydney.

News, Opinions, Arts and Culture, a Gig Guide, an Alaskan Photo Essay, Exchange Advice and much more.

• Onceyou’vesubmittedyourpiece,itdoesn’tendthere.Youmayhavetocompleteuptofourorfivemoreedits.

• Statingthatyouthinkit’scoolyourmagfeaturedtheword‘c#nt’onthecover inaroomhalf-filledwithbabyboomers,will leadtoamixtureofuncomfortablelaughterandoneboisterouslaughfromyourbestmate.

• “IsaidTert,notturd,”willbecomeacommonphrase.

• Howtopushpastthatlatenight,braindeadfeeling.Nocturnalwritingisgoingtobecomeacommonthing(hint:trygoingtobedearlyandwakingupearlytoharnessthatmorningenergy).

• SmileyfacesduringFacebookconversationsareaneffectivecommunicationtechniquetokeepthepeacebetweeneditorsandwriters…especiallywhenit’soneam,you’rewearingtracksuitpants,havefoodstainsonyourshirt,arestressingaboutfinishinganarticleandanassessmentatthesametime,andareprobablyyellingatyourcataboutit.

• Whatyouthinkmightbeagreatstorymayactuallybereallyproblematic.

• Theuniwilloftendeclinetocommentonseriousissues.

• Deadlinesmayoverruleperfection…andthatfactwilldriveyoumad.

• You’ll need a larger diary that’s got enough room to write your ever-growingto-dolists.

• Genevaisthetrollofthefontkingdom.Ifyouuseit,preparetosaygoodbyetoallyourdoublef ’sintheprintingprocess.

• Yourprintersareangelsthatwillpullyouthroughsometoughtimes(weloveyouPrintandMail).

• Yourdesigners,artists,photographersandwriters,arealsoangelsthatwillpullyouthroughthetoughtimes.

• The university internet will die at the moment you try and send themagazinetotheprinters…andthatwillhappenthreetimes.

• On your desktop youwill have‘to clean’ folderswithin your‘to clean’folders…andtheninfinite‘toclean’folderswithinthose‘toclean’folders.

• Studentpoliticiansonlymakesensenever.

• Journalismishardandcoffeeisgreat.

• InDesignwilloccasionallyruineverything.

• Yourgrammarkindofsucksandwhydidn’tyourealisethistillnow?

• KeeppastEditorsclose;they’relikepublicationfirstaidkits.

• BeinganEditorisactuallyajobthatmainlyentailsmanagingpeople.

• Howtosay‘Tertangala’.

TH INGS YOU ’ LL LEARN WH I LE VOLUNTEER ING FOR THE TERTANGALA

EDITORIALS

CONTENTS

POETRY EDITOR

FICTION EDITOR

CONTRIBUTORS

DESIGNER

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY

SUB-EDITORS

ILLUSTRATIONS

PHOTOGRAPHY

NEWS AND OPINION

ARTS AND CULTURE

THE TRAVEL ISSUE

Editor’s Notes

The Trip That Keeps On Giving

Exchange Advice

Global Travel Warnings Amidst The Ebola Crisis

When People Think Brazil, They Think Rio De Janeiro

Travelsick

Exchange Student Tasered At Kooloobong

Backpacking At 16

Students Deem Nursing Faculty’s Methods Too Invasive

Stepping Up And Getting Shit Done

Yet Another Urban Outfitters Controversy

Logging Off

The Debate

Your Opinion

A Cultural Taboo

The Ultimate Music Internship

On Yer Bike M8

Hostel Etiquette 101

A Lethal Combination

North But Not Forgotten: An Alaskan Photo Essay

To Fly Or Not To Fly?

Anywhere But Here

The Pros And Cons Of ‘The Plan’

Breezy Booking

Don’t Judge An Ashram Guest House By Its Garden

Ethical Travel

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5

18

6

20

7

26

14

8

28

30

9

32

12

34

36

56

38

60

40

62

50

63

51

64

54

CO-EDITORS

Belinda Quinn Brittany Carter

Joel Ephraims

Chloe Higgins

Gemma MollenhauerCailin KramerBec WigginsKelsey McIntoshZofia ZayonsKelsey SutorGeorgia HollowayNatalie McLarenHeather Wortes Emily Ritchie Caitlin MorahanHayley CaseyAmy Fairall

Jess Nesbitt

Alex Pike

Isabelle ChesherBelinda Quinn

Brittany CarterGemma Mollenhauer

Jaya DegurJess Nesbitt

Milo Kelly

Belinda QuinnNatalie ZagaliaAmy FairallGeogia HollowayAlex PikeEuan Malcom

Laura PolsonNikolajs Ozoliņš Lauren Joy BaretttEuan Malcolm Tilly KiddAlex PikeJamie ReynoldsJosef FerraroTrent ThomasJake EvansAlexandra SmithBrittany CarterBelinda Quinn

Kelsey SutorEmily RitchieHayley CaseyNikolajs OzoliņšLaura PolsonJohn Glenn-Doyle

PRINTER

Print & Mail23-25 Meeks Road, MarrickvilleNSW 2204 PH: (02) 9519 8268

Leaping The Language Barrier 24

DISCLAIMERACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRYDISCLOSURE

Responsibility for Tertangala is taken by the WUSA council. The University of Wollongong accepts no responsibility for this publication.

Tertangala and WUSA acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land upon which we meet and work, that of the Dharawal people, and pay respect to their elders past, present and future, for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and the hopes for Indigenous Australia.

The content of this publication is made for and by the students of the University of Wollongong. Views expressed are of individual authors and do not necessarily reflect those of WUSA or the publisher.

[email protected] twitter.com/Tertangala facebook.com/Tertangala

Beaten Bodies

Profile Feature: Ain’t Nothing But A King

Artist Profile: Jason Bloomfield

Gig Guide

11 Quick Questions With Cover Artist Alex Pike

Our Creatives

Ninja Turtles Review

Creative Writing

Poems

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E D I T O R ’ S N O T E S

There’s an overarching theme in the last editorial of each Tert

generation. It seems it’s common to have mixed feelings finishing

upthelastissueandourtimemakingtheTert.Astate-of-mindthat

combinesreliefandnostalgia,reflectingtheexhaustingandexciting

rollercoasterwe’vejustjumpedoff.It’sfinallytimetoputontheblue

hatandrobe,graduate,andheadoutintothe‘real’world,wherethere

willalwaysbemorestoriestotackleandmoreexperiencetogain.

Many of you guys are probably feeling the same way about your

achievements thisyear; reminiscingover thegreat timesyou’vehad

duringyourdegree if you’regraduating too (although if you spent

afairbitoftimeattheUniBarthenthisyearmightbealittlehazy).

You’reprobablyitchingtofinishthatfinalexamoressaybeforeyou

takeoffinaplane,hittheroadinacar,onabus,or(likeoneofour

writers)onyabike—toasfarawayasyoucangetfromhere.It’sthese

moments that keep us slogging through uniwork in the toughest

weeks,andit’swhywethoughtitwouldbefittingtoendthesession

andyearwithaTravelIssue.

InsideLauraPolsonfollowsthestoryofZillaVanDenBorn,aDutch

GraphicDesignstudentwhotrickedfriendsintobelievingshewason

afive-weekholidayinSouth-Asiabyuploadingmanipulatedimages

toFacebook.CailinKramerhascompiledamonthlycalendarthat’ll

giveyousometipsonwhat’sgoingonaroundtheworld,sothatifyou

haven’tplannedyournextgetawayyouarenowequippedtodoso.

LaurenBarrettbreaksdowntheprosandconsofplanningoutatrip,

andweexploreAlaskanlandscapeswithphotojournalismstudentand

keentraveller,AlexPike.

KelseyMcIntoshandZofiaZayonstradeopinionsonwhethersolo

orgrouptravelisbetter,andseveralofourcontributorshaveoffered

theirexchangeadviceandtheirbestandworst(someamusing)travel

experiencesforyourpleasure.

In our news section Brittany Carter reports on an international

student’s removal fromKooloobongwhich escalated to him being

tasered at least two times. Gemma Mollenhauer also reports the

hypesurroundinganotherUrbanOutfitterscontroversy.There’stwo

investigations:CailinKramerliststhefactsyouneedtoknowaboutthe

Ebolavirus,andBrittanyCarterinvestigatesclaimsthattheNursing

Facultyshouldreconsidersomeofitsteachingmethods.

InourArtsandCulturesection,AlexandraSmithchatswithlocalsoul,

jazzandelectronicbandBeatenBodies,andTrentThomasandJosef

FerraroreviewthenewNinjaTurtlemovie.

And to wrap things up, we’d like to say a huge thank you.There

wouldhavetobeclosetoahundredpeoplethatwearegratefulfor.

Thanks to our designer, Jess Nesbitt, for being able to constantly

work your magic, make everything look pretty and for having an

unlimited amount of patience.Thanks to pastTert Editors who’ve

keptussane(andboughtussympathybeers).Thankstoourwriters,

whomwithout,we’dprobablyjusthaveamagazinefilledwithpretty

lameandslightlyout-datedmemes.Tothewonderfulemergingartists,

illustratorsandphotographerswe’vehadthechancetoworkwith—

thankyou!Andfinally,toourfamiliesandfriendswhoarenodoubt

sickofourwhiningaboutwriter’sblock,andstress-fuelledtantrums.

We wish all the luck in the world to 2015’s Co-Editors, Gemma

Mollenhauer and RebeccaWiggins.These two enthusiastic, young

journoshavealreadygotsomegroovyideasuptheirsleeve.Theyhave

plansinplacewithanewdesignertomaketheTertevenbetternext

year!The chance to have complete creative and editorial freedom

within a publication is an inspiring (and rare) experience in the

publishing industry, sowe think thismag ispretty special.Wehope

yousupportthemandgetinvolvedintheprocessnextyear.

We’llleaveyouwithsomethingthat’sgotusthroughthisyear:

“Toavoidcriticismsaynothing,donothing,benothing.”

-Aristotle

Bowingout,

BELINDA QUINN & BRITTANY CARTER, CO-EDITORS

JESS NESBITT, DESIGNER

EDI T OR ’S NO T E S

E D I T O R I A L S4

Toourwriters:Readingyourpieceswasthebiggestblessingofthis

job.Ihaveseenyouallgrowandlearnandbetteryourselvesbeyond

whatIeverimagined.Thankyouforyouramazingstoriesthatfilled

thepages.

To the illustrators: Seeing an email titled‘Tert Illustrations’ in my

inboxwasthebestpartofmyday.Yourtalentedartworksgobeyond

illustratinganarticle-theyareastoryinthemselves.Thankyoufor

bringingourmagazinetolife.

To the dedicated team:Thank you Laura Polson- your dedication

to contribute and your friendly face never failed to cheerme up.

Thank you Alexandra Smith- you have gone above and beyond

and encouraged us in all of our endeavours.Thank you Gemma

Mollenhauer-yourenthusiasmfor learningandyourwillingness to

challengeyourself andotherswillmakeyouagreat co-editornext

year.ThankyouBecWiggins-Icouldnothavegottenthroughthis

yearwithoutyourconstantsupportandourmutualloveforanything

caffeinated.

Totheco-editors:Wedidit!ThankyouBrittanyforyourcommitment

to quality, your brilliant news pieces and your amazing ability to

juggle.ThankyouBelinda foryour thoughtfulapproaches to tough

situations, for doingmore thanoneperson should do ever and for

your hilariouswriting that always leads to embarrassing- andoften

public-cacklesoflaughter.

And finally, to my friends and family:Thank you for listening in

completebafflementasIwhinedabout‘grids’and‘spotcolours’,thank

youforbringingmesustenancewhenIspenttoomanyhoursinthe

Tertofficeandthankyouforyourconsistentloveandencouragement.

Thankyou,readers,forhavingmeandhere’stoanewadventure!

Now, looking back, I nostalgically

remember counting them and can also

appreciatethatIwentsomewhereascool

asYork; an awesomewalled city in the

RomanEmpire!

Looking back, things I took very little

interest inarenowthemost interesting

of all. I almost feel like Iwent on two

trips;likeI’mstillonatrip.Trippy.

That’swhy, forme anyway, travel is the

giftthatkeepsongivingand,luckilyfor

you,UOWcanhelpyoucatchyourvery

owncaseofthetravelbug.

Studying abroad is probably the single

mostremarkableexperienceanystudent

couldhope tohave atuniversity. It’s an

amazingwaytodevelopconnectionsand

meetnewandexcitingpeoplewhocan

becomelifelongfriends.

This way you don’t need to halt your

university studies in order to travel.

Applications for student exchange in

Spring2015arenowopen,soyoushould

definitely check that out.You can find

moreinformationattheUOWwebsite:

www.uow.edu.au/student/exchange/

index.html.

OtherwiseyoucanvisitStudentCentral

on the ground floor of Building 17,

between9amand5pmMonday-Friday.

Happytravels!

One of clearest memories I have from

my childhood is also one of my most

mundaneexperiences.Iwaseightwhen

mymumsatmedownforaveryserious

discussionaboutchangesthatweregoing

tohappeninourfamily.

One thing that stood out was how

tentatively Mum was speaking, taking

huge pauses to make sure every word

spokenwas exactly what needed to be

saidandwassaidinexactlytherightway.

Shebeganallatoncewith,“Yourdadhas

beenaskedtohelpwiththewatersupply

fortheCommonwealthGamesthisyear.”

“Uh-huh,”Iansweredprettydistractedly

(Imeancomeon,Iwaseight.Noeight-

year-oldisfocused).

“They’re being held in England,” she

pressed.

“Okay.”

“So,DadwillbeworkinginEnglandfor

6months,”shesaid,tryingtoconveythe

gravityofthesituation.

“Oh,okay.”

“…Bec,we’regoingtoo.”

“Oh.Cool.”

Iwasaveryunderwhelmingchild.

Although I didn’t know it at the time,

that brief, simple conversation marked

the start of one of the most exciting,

remarkableandbreathtakingexperiences

inmyentirelife,andsparkedmylovefor

travel.

Asachild,sometimesalotofthingsvery

easily feel like awaste of time.When I

livedinEnglandIhadtheopportunityto

haveauniquelifeexperienceandexpand

mymind,however,mostofthehistorical

and cultural aspects of the trip went

entirely overmy four-foot-tall head. In

saying that though, while I was abroad

Ihad tonnesof fun and enjoyed things

inmyownchild-likeway,butasIlearn

newthingsabouttheplacesI’vealready

been, I can appreciate them in entirely

newways.

As it was winter and England has

deciduous trees, I could see all the old

bird nests resting in bare branches. So,

with the attention and determination

that only a painfully bored child can

possess, I counted them. All of them.

No, professionals never really could say

exactlywhatwaswrongwithme,it’san

ongoinginvestigation...

Icountedbird’sneststheveryfirstdayI

wasinEngland,thedaywedroveupto

York(whichmuchtomydisappointment

wasnothinglikeNewYork).Andwhile

Ihadanice time inYork, thatmoment

was definitely the highlight for me.

THE TRIP THAT KEEPS ON GIVINGBY REBECCA WIGGINS @UOW101

T E R T C O L U M N

2015 E D I TOR !

U O W 1 0 1 5

EXCHANGE STUDENT TASERED AT KOOLOOBONGBY BRITTANY CARTER @_BrittanyCarter

N E W S6

T E R T N E W S

Trigger warning: This article deals with events that may be distressing for some readers.

Upset students have contacted theTertangala, asking that we investigatethe tasering of a UOW student atKooloobongVillage.

OnAugust28,anexchangestudentwasaskedtoleaveafterhesetoffafirealarm,triggering avisit fromWollongongFireDepartment.

The young man, who eye-witnessesbelievetobenoolderthan25,hadbeenburning incense and had apparentlyreceivedwarningsfromstafffordoingsoonpreviousoccasions.

Residents of the newest Kooloobongbuildingwereevacuatedtothecourtyard.They were told to go back inside butmany still witnessed the exchangestudent resisting police orders to leavethepremises.

Withoutshoesandstuckintherain,thestudent prayed as officers asked him tofindhis passport and leave immediately,suggestinghecatchatraintotheairportandgetaplanehometoDubai.

Studentssaidtheycouldhearthestudentyellinganda loudbangingnoiseoutofsight,whichtheybelievemayhavebeenthemankickingapolicecar.

Police tasered him twice, before hescreamed and fell, passing out on theground.An ambulance was called, andtheman’slimpbodywastakenaway.

While friends of the student wereunavailable for comment, otherKooloobong residents believed theburningincensemayhavebeenlinkedtotheexchangestudent’sreligiousbeliefs.

Second-year Engineering studentAnnaSands watched the scene unravel fromherOldKooloobongapartment.ShesaysKooloobong residents are still seekinganswers.

“Wedon’tknowanything[more]aboutit and it happened on our front doorstep...Thatdaytherewasafire[engine],twopolicecarsandtwoambulancesandwe’ve[been]toldnothingaboutit.”

Students that filmed the incidentwere later asked by staff to delete theirrecordingsforlegalreasons.

“Ithinkalotofpeoplegotscaredbythatanddeletedthevideo,”MsSandssaid.

ErrinClaypole,asecond-yearCommercestudentwhowas visiting friends in thecomplex, told the Tertangala she triedto email Accommodation Servicesquestioningtheircodeofconduct.

“Most of the residents on campuswitnessed a peer being tasered three

times... [it was] quite a traumaticexperience,especiallywhenwehavenotbeenprovidedwithanexplanation,”shesaid.

“WefeellikethoseinchargeatKoolabonghaveadutyofcareandresponsibilityforthosewhowitnessedtheeventandtothestudentwhowastasered.”

Shereceivedagenericemailinreply.

“The staff inAccommodation Servicesconsider it of utmost importance torespect[thestudent’s]privacy.Wearenotpermitted to discuss residents’ personaldetailswith theother residentswithouttheirpermission,”theemailread.

Staff confirmed that the student wasreceiving ongoing care and was “fullysupported” by UOW and the relevantconsulate. However, residents areconfused as to why the University hasnot publicly addressed the matter orensuredthatallwitnessesareokay.

WollongongPoliceDepartmentverifiedthattheincidentoccurred,butsaidthatamediareleaseoutliningitsdetailswasnotavailableforpublicviewing.

If you were distressed by the above events

please seek help. You can book a UOW

counsellor at Level 3, Building 11, or call

Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14.

Online fashion and assorted hipstergoods retailer Urban Outfitters, haveonce again come under controversyfollowingthereleaseoftheirKentState‘vintage’sweatshirt.

The Kent State sweatshirt, retailing for$129,appearedasanonlineexclusiveaspartoftheUOUrbanRenewalVintageline,whichtheydescribedas:

“Washed soft and perfectly broken in,this vintageKentState sweatshirt is cutina loose, slouchyfit.Excellentvintagecondition.Weonlyhaveone,sogetitorregretit!”

OnMay4,1970,studentsatKentStateUniversity were gunned down by theNational Guard, following protestsagainst theVietnamWar. Four studentswere killed and nine others werewounded.

The retailer claims to be naive of anyconnotations with the shirt and themassacre.

“Thereisnobloodontheshirtnorhasthisitembeenalteredinanyway.Theredstainsarediscolourationfromtheoriginalshadeoftheshirtandtheholesarefromnaturalwearandfray,”aspokespersonforthecompanysaid.

Theshirtisnowsoldout.

While UrbanOutfitters have issued anapology, the leadership at Kent StateUniversity issued a media statementvoicing their disgust at this item ofclothing.

“We take great offence to a companyusing our pain for their publicity andprofit. This item is beyond poor tasteandtrivialisesalossoflifethatstillhurtsthe Kent State community today,” thestatementsaid.

The blood-splattered, vintage sweatshirtdesign is not the first time UO hascomeunderfire for the trivialisationofserioushistoricalissuesaswellasculturalinsensitivity.

In 2005, the retailer designed a shirtreading ‘New Mexico, Cleaner thanRealMexico’andtheyearbefore,ashirtreading ‘Everyone Loves a Jewish Girl’wassoldwiththeslogansurroundedbymoneysignsandshoppingbags.

In 2010, a shirt categorised as ‘ObamaBlack’wasscrutinised.

And in 2012, another controversyemerged as a yellow shirt featuring anembroideredsix-pointedstaroverabreastpocket, was pulled as it was distinctlyreminiscent of the yellow badge Jewishpeople were forced to wear under theNaziregime.

Earlier this year, the fashion label wasagainunderfireforashirtthatseemedtoadvocateeatingdisordersanddepression.

ActressSophieBushwasoneofthemanycelebritiesoffendedby the shirt, stating,“It’s like handing a suicidal person aloadedgun…topromotestarvation?Topromote anorexia,which leads to heartdisease, bone density loss and a slewofother health problems, not least of allpsychologicalissuesthatnevergoaway?”

YET ANOTHER URBAN OUTFITTERS CONTROVERSYBY GEMMA MOLLENHAUER

Sixty-three-year-old founder and

chairman of Urban Outfitters, Richard

Hayne,iswellknownforhisconservative

politicalbeliefs.

Inthepast,Haynehasdonatedthousands

ofdollarstoultra-conservativepoliticians

suchasRickSantorum.

Santorum, a politician who doesn’t

approveofsame-sexmarriage,isknown

for his statement, “If we allow gay

marriage, next thing you know, people

willbemarryinggoldfish”.

Thissentimentwasreciprocatedin2008,

aftertheretailerremovedashirtwiththe

slogan“I Support Same SexMarriage”

from their stores and online website,

claiming they had received“too much

badpress”.

WithBuzzfeedreleasinganonlinearticle

titled the ‘26 Times Urban Outfitters

has Failed so Hard’, it seems, despite a

backlashofbadpublicityandcommunity

outrage, that the retailer continues to

focus on making money, whatever

thecost.

@GemmaMolle017

N E W S 7

T E R T N E W S

ThecurrentEbola crisis inWestAfrica is so

extreme it is being compared to past world

crisis’suchasThePlagueandHIV.Containing

the spread of infection is becoming more

difficultandtherearefearsitcouldpotentially

becomeaworldwidedisaster.

The World Health Organisation’s media

reportstatesthatasofSeptember19th,there

havebeenover5,500peoplesickenedbythe

outbreak, and 2,500 have died.The disease

has a fatality rate of 90%, however its latest

outbreak has a current fatality rate of 50%.

Thevirusistransmittedthroughdirectbodily

fluid contact, like blood or vomit, but there

are grave concerns it couldmutate to being

transmittedthroughsneezingorcoughing.

At the time this articlewent to print, seven

Africancountrieshadbeenaffected,however

in a recent studybyOxfordUniversity, they

haveidentifiedanother15countriesthatthe

outbreakmaypossibly spread to.Thiswould

potentially put 22 million people at risk of

contractingthedisease.

Withnoknowncure for thevirus,Liberian

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, has begged

UnitedStatesPresidentBarackObamatohelp.

“IambeinghonestwithyouwhenIsaythatat

thisrate,wewillneverbreakthetransmission

chain and the virus will overwhelm us,” he

wrotethroughletter.

Thevirus’sworldwidethreathasbeenbrought

totheattentionofmanyinternationalcountry’s

leaders. Obama dubbed it as a potential

“national security priority,” in an interview

onNBC’sMeetthePress,Tuesday,September

16th.AustralianPrimeMinister,TonyAbbott,

addressed the issue while opening the Peter

DohertyInstituteforInfectionandImmunity

in Melbourne, on Friday September 12th.

Mr Abbott said that Australia is “ready for

Ebola” should it reach our shores, but we

mustnotremaincomplacent.Healsoassured

thattravellersfromWestAfricaandreturning

Australianshavebeenscreenedforsomeweeks

now.

Researches from the University of Oxford

believe education is the key to stopping the

disease.PeoplecomeintocontactwithEbola

through infected animals, for example eating

bushmeetandhuntingsuchanimals,butalso

through the poor health care systems and

procedurescountriesinAfricaabideby.

Government run website Smart Traveller, is

urging travellers to seriously reconsider their

need to travel to the three most impacted

countriesofGuinea,SierraLeoneandLiberia.

Travellerswill alsofind it extremely difficult

totraveltosuchplacesandsurroundingareas

at themoment, becausemany airlines aren’t

operating and some land borders are closed

duetotheEbolaepidemic.

There are severe warnings for any travellers

intendingtovisitAfricaanditisadvisedtoput

travelsoffifyouareplanningtoheadthere.At

leastuntilthevirusismaintainedandtherisk

islowered.We’vecompiledashortlistofFAQ’s

aboutEbola,tohelpaidyourunderstandingof

thediseaseanditsseverity.

GLOBAL TRAVEL WARNINGS AMIDSTTHE EBOLA CRISISBY CAILIN KRAMER @cailinkramer

FAQ’S ABOUT EBOLA

Where did the virus originate?

Named after the Ebola River in the

DemocraticRepublicofCongo,theEbola

diseasefirstemergedin1976.Thisoutbreak

infected over 280 people in Sudan and

Congo.

How does it spread?

The Ebola virus is believed to have first

been contracted by a human that came

intocontactwithaninfectedanimal.Such

animals inAfrica include infectedordead

fruit bats, chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys,

forestantelopeandporcupines.

The virus is then spread through direct

contactwithbloodorbodilyfluids(suchas

urine,vomitorsemen),orthroughneedles

or syringes thatwereusedbythe infected

person.The current poor health standards

inWestAfrica have resulted inmany case

workerscontractingthediseaseanddying.

What are the signs/symptoms of

Ebola?

SignsandsymptomsofEbolacanstartfrom

twodaysuptothreeweeksaftercontracting

thevirus.Thesymptomsinclude:

• fever

• sorethroat

• musclepain

• headaches

Vomiting, diarrhea and rashes usually

followtheseinitialsymptoms,accompanied

by decreased functioning of the liver and

kidneys,andbleedingwithinthebodyand

alsoexternally.

Ifyouhave recently travelled toAfrica,or

have been in contact with someonewho

hasimmediatelyreportsuchsymptoms.

For more information regarding the

Ebola disease, visit The World Health

Organisation’swebsiteatwww.who.int.

T E R T I N V E S T I G A T I O N

I N V E S T I G AT I O N8


Students have criticised the UniversityofWollongong’s Nursing practices, thatrequire them to take off some of theirclothes inorder tocompletea seriesofpracticals.Twenty-five year old Sarah*,whowishestoremainanonymous, is inthe second year of herNursing degreeat UOW. Unhappy about the teachingmethods of the Bachelor of Nursingdegree, she voiced her unpleasantexperienceandopiniontotheTertangalaearlierthisyear.

Sarah recounts how uncomfortablestudents in her class felt when theywere asked to expose their underwearand in some cases their breasts, for anelectrocardiogram (or ECG) lesson. Acommon test, ECGs assess the cardiacimpulsesoftheheart.Electrodesorleadsareattachedtothepatient’slegs,armsandchest,whichthensubmittheimpulsestoanECGmachine.

TheBachelorofNursing’ssubjectoutline,instructs students towear“clothingthatwillenableanECGtobeperformedonthemwhilst maintaining their dignity”.Sarahsaysthatwhilesomepeopleinherclassknewtheywouldbelearningaboutthetest,shewasneverfullyinformedofwhattheclassentailed.

“Iwaspairedwithagroupoftwo-threepeople...weweregoing to learnwhereto put the ECG leads,” she said. “Wewere instructed that putting the ECGcordsontopofourbrawouldnotwork,andbecauseof thisweneeded toundoourbra, lift thebreastupandallow foranother student toplace theECGcordwhereitneededtogo.”

In the laboratory Sarah’s teacheroriginally grouped her with a femalestudent and two male students. Sherefused toworkwith the twomales, sowasgivenpermissiontoorganiseanall-

femalegroup.TherewereaboutsixmalestudentsinSarah’sclass.Onceorganised,the groups split up into curtained-offsections in the room. Sarah remembersthe trouble her group had trying tosecuretheECGleadsonherfriend,whowaslyingdownonthebedwithherbraon.

“Wewereallnervous...shewaswearinga sports bra that the ECG leadswouldnotfitunder,”shesays.“Noneofusaskedher to remove her bra but after a [bit]ofawkwardsilenceshesaid‘screwit’andremoved her bra so that she was bare-breasted.”

Thegroup tried to speed thingsup fortheir friend and make the procedureas quick as possible; this led to a lot ofmistakes.Thenextstudentinthegroup,although wearing a different bra, hadto expose her nipple to get a reading.The teacher came in to checkwhetherthe students were conducting the testcorrectly during this time. Sarah hasconfirmedthatothergroupsinthesameclasswentthroughsimilarsituations.

Later in the lesson, a class counter –althoughtoldbyfiveorsixpeopleintheclassnottoopenthecurtains–openedup the curtain next to Sarah’s group,before jumping back with a “Sorry,sorry”.

Nursing students are questioningwhether this is a suitableway to teach.Sarah is disappointed her peers weren’tproperly briefed before class, to ensurethat they all understood the outline ofthe lesson.“The fact that wewere justexpected to do itwas unfair...we havetheresourcesinthisdayandageandtheNursing Faculty chose to ignore that,”shesays.

While Sarah acknowledges that nurses

are expected to work on bodies, andthereforeneedtobecomeusedtoseeingandworkingon them, she says that thelesson was not dignified.“I felt that asa student, my needs were notmet andanyculturalcompetenceandrespectwasblatantly ignored... if a student had anybodyimageproblemsormentalillnessesthisexercise[may]havetriggeredthem.”

“A nurse... would be bound byconfidentiality rules to undertake thisexercise, however right now we areall students and do not follow anyconfidentiality laws,” she said. “We arenot trained professionals, and some ofusmaynothave the tools todealwiththis kind of teaching emotionally andphysically.”

RenéeMouchéCallender, President ofthe Student Nurses ofWollongong, isstudyingherMastersinNursing.Shesayssheremembersattendingasimilarclassinherbachelordegreebutinsistshertutoruseddiscretionandonlyaskedformalevolunteers.

“The suggestion of equipment andvolunteerstosimulatepatientswouldbeabetter alternative,” she says.“Exposingthemselves to get a full reading on theECGmachineshouldhaveonlyoccurredwiththosethatfeltcomfortable.True,itis inevitablethatnurseswillbeexposedto the human body, but this does notnecessarily mean they need to bepressuredintogettingundressed.”

Of the Nursing Faculty’s teachingmethods she says, “We learn over andoveragaininournursingstudiesthatnoprocedure can be performedwithout apatients consent and this is where themain issue lies. Ido realise there [aren’tmany]otherways to teacha student toperform an ECG, but this should notforcestudentstobethepatients”.

STUDENTS DEEM NURSING FACULTY’SMETHODS TOO INVASIVEBY BRITTANY CARTER @_BrittanyCarter

I N V E S T I G AT I O N 9

Associate Professor and Head of theSchool of Nursing and Midwifery,Angela Brown, says she is alarmed thatastudentwassoexposed.“Theyshouldhave sourced some guidance from theteacher before getting to that level,”she said.“We should never get to thatposition[ofexposure]”.

Prof. Brown was sad that the facultywas only made aware of the issue viathe Tertangala’s request for a response,however she was glad somebody hadbroughtittotheirattention.Shesaidshehadspokentoanumberofhercolleaguesabout the situation, but nobody hadheardanythingofitsnature.

“Atnopointhasanythinglikethisbeenbrought to our attention…becausewewouldhaveworkedwith the students...toassistthemtofeelcomfortablewhilstachievingtheoutcome,”shesaid.

Togain some insight into the situation,I spoke to seven aspiring nurses fromdifferent universities all overAustralia. IinterviewedtwostudentsinNewSouthWales, three fromQueensland, andonefromWesternAustraliaandVictoria.Onewasamaleandtherestwerefemales.

Noneofthesestudent’suniversitiesmadeECG patient participation compulsory.Most were shocked by the exposureinvolvedinSarah’sstory,andlistedvariousotherwaystheiruniversitiesapproachedECG lessons: using life-like manikins,employingmodels,requestingtheylearnthe practice on work placement, oraskingforoneortwovolunteers intheclass.

Evan Casella, a third-year Bachelorof Nursing Science student at JamesCook University, Cairns, said Sarah’sstorywasunfortunate.Themalestudentnurse,whoisalmostfinishedhisdegreebelieves thatwhile the university could

haveensuredtheprocessbealittlemoresensitive, it’s vital nursing students getusedtoworkingwithhumanbodies.

“Nursing is a professionwhere you dohave to work with human bodies andyouhavetobecomecomfortablearound[them],” he said.“It is quite importantto gain that while you are a studentbecause if you walk into a room as aregistered nurse and you have to do afemale urinary catheterisation and yourcompletelyawkward, it’s reallygoing tomakethepatientfeelquitehorrible.”

Evan’s university opts for volunteersfrom each group in the ECG practical,meaning it is not compulsory for allstudents to participate. He mentionedthat James Cook University willsometimes employ models to come inandbetestedbystudents.

Amy Wyborn, an Edith CowanUniversity student based in WesternAustralia, said her ECG practical wasconductedinasimilarway.

“Wehadtowearsportsbras,appropriateunderwear and [take]our uniform topsoff.Curtainsweredrawnforprivacyanditwasjustonepersonwithusbehindthecurtain...” she said. “ECGs were supersimpleandeasytolearn,soitdidn’ttakelongandwecouldputourtopsbackonprettyquickly.”

TheBachelorofSciencestudentsaysherclass were given the option not to dothe exercise, butwere being graded onECGsandthoughtitwasagoodchancetopracticeonanotherstudent.

RoseDavis, a fourth-yearNursing andMidwiferystudentatDeaconUniversity,in Geelong,Victoria, participated in anECGlessoninthefirstyearofherdoubledegree. She’s previously been made toherexposepartsofherback , legs,armandpartsofherchestforotherformsof

testinginclass.

While she didn’t have any problemsbeinginvolvedintheECGpractical,shedoes recall a classwhere shewasmadeto feel uncomfortable. She remembersstruggling to find definite points on apeersbodywhileshewaspracticinghowtoassessthelungfieldsofapatient,whena teacherpulled theactingpatient’s topuptothebackofherbra-line.

Rosenoticedthatbysecondyear,DeaconUniversity had a lot more life-likedummies for students touse, but is notsurewhetherthisisduetoareassessmentof its teaching, or if it is because offinancial or technology reasons. As aresultRose said,“we stoppedusingourpeersaspatientsinourlabs”.

“Ithinkit’sodd...it’scalledasimulationI reallydon’t think itneeds tobedonelike that... you can stick probes on adummy,”shesaid.

She also mentions consent. “There’salwaysaright...foryoutobeabletogo‘Heymygutfeelingisnot[right]’,”shesaid.“You’vealsogottotakealittlebitofresponsibilityforyourself.Atutordoesn’tknowwhatyou’refeelingifyoudon’tgooutofyourwaytosay‘Thisisn’tright’.”

What each of these students seemto agree on is making sure that eachsimulated patient is consenting to bepractisedon.TheybelievethatbymakingparticipationasapatientinECGlessonscompulsory, teachers may be forcingstudents to perform a task they areuncomfortabledoing.

However Prof. Brown insists all fiveUOW campuses regard passive, verbaland written consent as a high priority.She explained that the University doeshave access to life-like dummies thatECGtestingcouldbeperformedon,butthereisn’tquiteenoughtogoaroundand

I N V E S T I G AT I O N10


I N V E S T I G AT I O N 11

the teachers actually prefer to includestudentsinthepatientprocess,asaformofimmersiveteaching.

“We specifically intend that studentsengageandperform in this skill so thattheyunderstandtheexperiencefromthepatient’s point of view,” she said.“Priortothatlaboratorywhereitisundertaken,studentsareadvisedthat[they]aregoingtodemonstratetheskillandthattheyarebeinginvitedtopracticetheskilloneachother”.

“WhenstudentsenrolintheBachelorofNursingprogram,theyareconsentingtobeinvolvedinthelearning...theyknowand understand that they have to listentothelectures,participateinthetutorialsand labs simulation, and workplaceexperiences,“shesaid.

Prof.Brownsaysthefaculty’sexpectationsof participation are clearly outlined inthe student workbook, which statesthat all practicals are compulsory andstresses students wear clothing enablinga twelve leadECG to be demonstratedon them.She said this note is includedsothatstudentscanensuretheyweartheappropriateclothesthatwillallowthemtomaintaintheirdignity.

“Whenyou’relookingafterapatientinrealpracticeifyousaytothem‘CanItakeyourbloodpressure?’theygiveyoutheirarm.That’spassiveconsentandthat’sthesortofconsentweuseinthelaboratories.Thefactthatthestudentstandsup[and]it’s explained to them what’s going tohappen, by virtue of them being theretheyareagreeingtobeinvolved.Weneedstudentstobeabletosharewithusthatthey’renotcomfortablewiththat...”

“An ECG comes under the same levelofconsentinpractice,doctorsornurseswould say to patients‘We are going toperformanECGonyou’andthey’dsay‘Yeah that’s alright’. When somebodyappears at their bedside with themachine they’d [say] ‘I’m the personthat’scometodothatisthatalright?’andthey’dsay‘Yes’.That’saformofconsentandwewantthattobeemulatedinthelearning environment so that studentsunderstandthatyoudon’tjustgoupandgrab somebody.You actually speak andreceive... a shared understanding about

what’sgoingtohappennext.”

Prof.Brownsaysthatstudentswhoaren’tcomfortable only need to voice theirconcerns as the faculty has employedalternativemethodswithuncomfortablestudents in the past; based on moral,culturalandreligiousreasons.

“Weuseimmersivelearningexperiencesthatenablethemtolearntheskillsofthetechnique of the task, but also enablesthem to demonstrate knowledge, theappropriatebehaviours,andinterpersonalskills that are required in the care ofindividuals.Theartofnursingcareistomaintain respect and privacy and that’sexpectedinthelabs,”shesays.

Sarah said students were under theimpression that the faculty’s ECGlearning method was compulsory, asstudents are told that if they do notattend and participate in the labs thattheywillreceiveatechnicalfail.Shesaystheyweren’tmadeawarethattheycouldcompletethetaskanotherwayiftheyfeltuncomfortable.

The UOW Nursing staff body, bringstogetherarangeofteachersfromdifferentcountries,culturesanduniversities.Prof.Brown says they all agree their currentmethodsarethebestwaytoteachECGpracticals.HavingcompletedherdegreeinEngland, she says shewas taught thesamewayandthis learningmethodisacommonpractice inuniversities aroundtheworld.

NursingteachersareboundbytheUOWteachingCodesofPracticeandConduct,andbytheSchool’sWaysofWorkingandProfessional Boundaries. As registerednurses,theirworkethicisalsogovernedbyTheNurses andMidwivesBoard ofAustralia’sCodeofProfessionalConduct,which states, “The nurse respects thedignity, culture, ethnicity, values andbeliefs of people receiving care andtreatment,andoftheircolleagues”.

Prof.Brownsaysthatalloftheseresourcesaremade readily accessible for studentsto refer back to, and that students arethereforerequiredtotreatpeersasactualpatients, and teachers their pupils ascolleagues.“Wehaveavalue,wehaveacode,and‘oftheircolleagues’extendstostudents,becausetheyareourcolleagues.

Theyarestudentsof theprofessionthatwe belong to and they’re aspiring tojoin.”

Despite these comments, Sarah suggeststheNursingFaculty“usemoreresources,purchase propermedical dolls, and hirepeopletocomein”andbeamodel forfutureECGtesting.

The facultyhas disclosed that theywillendeavour to take the feedback veryseriously. “What we will be doing isusing this opportunity to revisit theinformation we share with students,considerthebestway[s]oflearningandthen building that into our curriculumreviewprocesses,”Prof.Brownsaid.

Although Sarah was uncomfortabletalkingtooneofherteachersabouttheissue,Prof.Brown is hopeful that othernursing students will not be afraid tocomeforwardandspeaktoherpersonallyasthey,“valueourstudent’svoice”.

SarahhascompletedtheECGpracticalforasecondtimesincethecommencementofthisinvestigationandsaysthistimeitwas specifically noted that“boys couldnot go with girls, and girls could notgowithboys”.Apersoncame into theroomduringthelessontomakesuretherulewasimplemented.ThisrulewasnotenforcedinSarah’sfirstECGlessonandshe isunsurewhether itwas influencedby theTertangala’s initial query for thisinvestigationearlierintheyear.

Sarahmadesuresheinformedherteachershewasuncomfortableandrequestedtositoutthetest-shewasnotalone.Sherecountsthatwhilestudentsinhergroupstillhadtotakeofftheirshirt,show,undo,andliftupthebaseoftheirbratogetacorrectreading,noonehadtotaketheirbraoffthesecondtimeround.

However she still strongly opposes thewayUOWconductstheirECGlessons.“I think if we are paying thousands ofdollarstolearnthenthereshouldatleastbe some sort of doll thatwe can learnon-maleandfemale,”shesays.“EventhesecondtimearoundImadeitveryclearthat Iwasn’tcomfortabledoing [it]andthe tutor just kindof brushedmeoff...Idon’tthinkweshouldhavetouseourbodiestolearn.”

*Name has been changed to protect the student’s identity.


ShirinDemirdag

WHAT’S YOUR OPINION ON PEOPLE WEARING CLOTHING ITEMS FROM

DIVERSE CULTURAL BACKGROUNDS AT EVENTS LIKE COSTUME PARTIES?

JAMIE SPRESSER

Y O U R O P I N I O N12

It’sculturallyinsensitivebecauseyoucanbewearingthingsthathavemeaning,butbecauseoftentimespeopleareignorant,you’redoingthingsthatareoffensive.Wethinkit’sacceptabledothesethingsbecausewe’reunawareofwhattheyactuallymeaninthesecultures.Itcomesfromaveryprivilegedpositiontothinkyoucanjustpickandchoosefromotherpeople’sculturesanddressupandappropriateitjustforfun.

No,it’sokaywitheveryonebecauseiftheywanttowearittheycan.Nowadayswithfashioneverything’schanged,eveninthewesterndress.

KarenvarSingh&PrinceSharme

Isupposeifit’sanaccuraterepresentationI’mokaywithit,butifyou’rebeingflippantlystereotypicalandracist,dependingonthecircumstancesImayhaveanissuewithit.

KieranO’Connor

@reyn0lds_559 @BelindaQuinn10BELINDA QUINN

V O X P O P S

Somepeoplefinditoffensive,butthensomepeoplealsorealiseit’sjustforaparty.It’snotreallyoffensiveifit’sabunchofmaturepeopleandtheydoitinarespectfulmanner,aslongastheydon’tgetdrunkandmakeajokeoutofit.

MustaphaBeri

Ithinkit’sfineunlessthere’salreadyanissue.TheNativeAmericanshaveexpressedoffencetowardspeoplewhodressupinthosenativeheaddresses,andyetpeoplestilldoitwhenit’spublicknowledgethatit’soffensive.ButIalsothinkit’sgoodtocelebratediversity,differentethnicbackgroundsandcultureatthesametime,aslongasit’sdoneinarespectfulwayandwithoutanyknowledgethatit’sgoingtooffendthatparticularculture[then]Ithinkthat’sfine.

EmmaPickford

Justaslongastheyaren’tdoingitinanoffensivemanner,andthey’rejustdoingittohaveagoodtimeandtogetintothespiritofthingsthenyeah,it’sokay.

HanaLee

I L L U S T R AT I O N : J E S S N E S B I T T 13

V O X P O P S

“The image of a warbonnet… has been created and perpetuated by hollywood and only bears minimal resemblance to traditional regalia of plains tribes. It furthers the stereotype that native peoples are one monolithic culture, when in fact there are 500+ distinct tribes with their own cultures. It also places native people in the historic past, as something that cannot exist in modern society. We don’t walk around

in ceremonial attire everyday, but we still exist and are still native.”

-Dr.AdrienneK,NativeAppropriationsForum

T H E D E B AT E14

Let’sbehonest.

Whenyou land in a newcountry, after hours of flying andbattlingyourwaythroughcustoms,dealingwithatravelbuddyislessthanexciting.

The rush and thrill of being in a new country comes aftera shower, after finding the hostel and most probably afterarguingwithyourtravelbuddywhethertotakethePiccadillyorJubileeundergroundline.

Travellingsoloisaterrifyingconcept.Knowingthatyoualoneareresponsibleforyourtransport,accommodation,andmoney–allwhilenotwantingtomissoutonwhateachnewcountryoffers – is enough tomake anyone signup for a 27-personContiki tour. But despite the anxiety of being alone in aforeigncountry,there’ssomethingsosatisfyingaboutbeingonyourown.

WhenIfirstarrivedinLondon,Iwasjust18andfreshoutofhighschool.IhadaweektospendinthecitybeforeheadingtoajobintheSouth.Forthenextfivedays,itwasjustmeandmyLonely Planet Guide.

IttakesadedicatedboyfriendorlikemindedtravelcompaniontositthroughanentirereadingofShakespeareinthesummer,to spend hours loitering over every detail of theTower ofLondon,or towatchmultiple re-runsofNotting Hill asyoupictureyourselfbuyingbooksfromHughGrant.ButthiswaswhatIwantedfrommytimeinLondon.

Travellingonyourownallowsyoutogainthemostfromyourtrip, without constantly worrying about the needs of yourtravel buddy.The freedom of doing what you want, whenyouwant,andhowlongyouwantfor,isjustthebeginningof

thebenefitsoftravellingsolo.Noamountoftherapyorself-helpclassescangeneratethesamesenseofempowermentthatcomesfromindependentlynailingaforeigntransportsystem.

Onmyfinalnight inLondon,Iwas transferredtoa30-beddorm.ItwasaFridaynightandtheroomwasfilledwithyoungbackpackers.Everyonewastoopoortogotothepub,sowemade our own funwith cheap vodka and some Sainsbury’slemonade.Oneofthegreatestperksoftravellingonourownisthatnobodyknowswhoyouare.Thatnight,IwasKate,theAussiebackpackerfromTasmania,heirtoacheesefactoryandenroutetoAmsterdamtocomparetheforeignmarket.Totallyuntrue.

Asclichéasitmaysound,travellingonyourownteachesyouthingsaboutyourselfyoumaynothaveknown.Ittestsyourmental strength and sense of independence.You gain moreconfidencewitheachchallengeyouovercomeandsoontherealworld,ormorepointedly, being lost in Istanbul, doesn’tseem that scary.This senseof self transcends into the restofyourlife.Unipresentationsaren’tasbadandyoufindyourselfevenoptingtorunorhikeonyourowntofindthatoldsenseoffreedom.

Perhaps the greatest lesson I’ve taken from travellingonmyown,ishowtobealone.Wedon’tcomprehendthenumberofhoursinadaywespendwithsomeonebyoursides,whetherit be in person, or online.When you travel by yourself, theexperienceisuniquelyyours.Scary?No,empowering!

Inreality,thetimeyoutaketotravelisshortcomparedtothedaysandyearsyouspendreminiscingover‘thatonesummerinItaly’.Thelessonsyoulearnwillstaywithyouforeverandifyou’reeveryfeelinglonely,justrememberthatyourfriendsareneverfurtherthanafreeWi-Ficonnectionaway.

TRAVELLING ON YOUR OWN TERMS

BY KELSEY MCINTOSH

FOR SOLO TRAVEL

@KMcintosh21

T H E D E B A T E

Itwasclosetomidnight.I’dbeentravelingsince6am.Alone.

IwasenroutefromSwedentoTurkeytobeginmyEuropeanSummeradventure.I’dspokentomyMumonlyhoursearlier.She’dtoldme,intrueMumfashion,becareful.

Eighteenhoursofbikes,buses,trainsandplaneslater,Iarrivedin Istanbul.A huge stormwas rolling in, as I collectedmybackpackandlocatedthebusthatwouldtakemefromthefaraway,lowbudgetcarrierairport,intotheheartofIstanbul.Itwastooeasy.IwasfeelingprettyproudofmyselfasIsettledinfortheride.Forthenexthour,IwatchedthestormrollinanddebatedhowIwouldgetfromthebusstationtomyhostel.

SteppingoffthebusatTaksimSquare,Iwasgreetedbyagaggleoftaxidrivers.Ichosethemostrespectablelookingone.HewaswearingBirkenstocks.Afashionable,Birkenstockwearingmanwasasafebet,right?

Duringthejourneyheaskedmetypical(andusuallyharmless)questions.Howold are you?Where are you from?Are youmarried?Doyouhaveaboyfriend?Ohyes, Iwasdefinitelymarried.Spontaneously.Yesterday,infact.

Westoppedabruptlyatthebottomofahill.Icouldn’tseeahostel.Or any accommodation for thatmatter.He toldmethehostelwasclosebyand that I couldwalk from there. Itwasmidnight.Iwasalone.ButIalsohadnowayofarguingwiththisTurkishman.ThemeteralreadyreadtriplewhatIwasexpectingtopay.Ihandedovermyonehundredliranoteandwaitedforchange.Butsuddenly,theonehundredlirawasgoneandinhishandwasatwentyliranote.HedemandedthatIpayhimmore,andineuro.

IwishIcouldsaythatinthatsituationIwasanindependent

womanthat‘didn’tneednoman’.ThatIhadwalkedawayfromthecabdefiantly,hadrefusedtopaymoreandaskedhimforhisI.D.Butthat’snotwhathappened.IhadnoideawhereIwasorhowtolocatemyhostel.Iwasinaforeigncountrywithaseedytaxidriverandnoonetobackmeup.SoIhandedovermoremoneyandmadearunforit.

Solo travelcanbeenlightening,empoweringandamazing. Icanvouchforthat.Butit’srisky.Andit’smomentslikethesethat highlight the importance of traveling with a group orcompanion.

Notonly is travelingwith a companion safer, the inevitablylongplane, bus and train rides aremore excitingwhenyouhave a travel buddy by your side.When you’re ridiculouslydrunk at a club and trying to hook-upwith the bartenderor pour yourself drinks, it’s your friendwhowill drag yououtoftherebeforeyou’rearrested.Andit’syourfriendwhowill bring you coffee and food inbed thenextmorning asyounurseyoursorryselfbacktohealthoncroissants/tapas/souvlaki.Whentimesgettough,it’syourtravelbuddywhoisbyyoursidelaughingandholdingyourhand.

It’s also your travel buddy who will encourage you to gosnorkeling,running,dancing, feasting,hotairballooningandsightseeing.They’ll be doing it all with you and probablytakingyourphotosforInstagram.

Traveling sees you not only at your worst, making it theultimate friendship test, but it also sees you at your best. Ifyour friendship has survived physical sickness, homesicknessand lovesickness (forthatdreadlocked,tannedfreespirit thatyouwereconvincedwastheone),chancesareyou’regoingtobefriendsforlife.Afterall,it’syourtravelbuddywhoyou’llsitdownwithintenyearsandsay,‘Doyourememberthattimeyoupuked/smooched/fellinlove/climbedthatmountain...?

NEVER TRUST A MAN IN BIRKENSTOCKS

BY ZOFIA ZAYONS

FOR GROUP TRAVEL

T H E D E B AT E 15

@zzayons

T H E D E B A T E

P H O T O : N ATA L I E Z A G A L I A

One of the aspects I cherish most about my study abroad experience is the friendships I forged and the connections I made.

Whilst in Tours, France, I had the opportunity to not only immerse myself in a culture and language so very different from my own, but to meet so many diverse and wonderful people from all around the world. One of these wonderful people was Paul, who I met on one of our first nights in France.

A few Australian friends and I were out drinking French wine in the Tours town square (called ‘Place Plum’), and discussing how ecstatic we were about the prospect of a semester in such a gorgeous town. Suddenly, a local French guy Paul, overheard us speaking English and came over to our table. He inquired as to where in Australia we were from and when we replied he gasped and said “Wollongong, that’s where

I am going next semester for my exchange!” It was incredible to make such an immediate connection with someone from the other side of the world. A few times during the rest of our time in France, Paul met up with my friends and I to show us the town or help us practice our French skills, which was really awesome.

Then, in the Autumn semester of this year, Paul came to study in Wollongong and I was declared his ‘Study Abroad buddy’. We would often meet up for coffee or lunch on campus; I invited him to family dinners and tried to show him my favourite spots in the Illawarra.

It’s friendships like these that have made me even more grateful for the incredible opportunity I had to study overseas, and it also means that now I have loads of places to stay on future travel expeditions!

The greatest piece of advice I can offer, is to work hard and save NOW. You will be presented with so many amazing opportunities that realistically may never be yours for the taking again.

I can wholeheartedly say that I will never regret the amount of money that I had to spend to get here. I left Australia a month before class started so that I could travel first. I spent two weeks in the United States and saw things that will stay with me forever. This trip added over $2500 to my already costly exchange program, but it was honestly worth every last cent.

I had the chance to fly over the Grand Canyon in a helicopter. Some people in my tour group turned down the offer as they were worried about the cost. If you are planning to travel, SAVE! I couldn’t believe these people had travelled to the other side of the world and were not fully participating because they weren’t sure if they would have enough money for the rest of the trip. Yes, this helicopter ride may have cost me $265 for 45 minutes, but it will be one of

the most memorable 45 minute periods of my life. How many people can say they have had a birds-eye view of one of the seven natural wonders of the world? Standing at the lookout is one thing, but you can’t understand how vast and incredible the Grand Canyon truly is until you’re flying high above it.

Once you settle into class, figure out a budget. Decide what you do and don’t need. Remember that while clothes and electronics may be cheaper where you are headed, you need to be able to fit them in your suitcase to get them home. Shipping anything back to Australia will cost an arm and a leg. Save your money for experiences not things. A material object can be purchased anywhere. But just remember if you forgo an experience in favour of a material object, it will cost you another return flight if you ever want to have that opportunity again.

Exchange will be an unforgettable time in your life. Don’t limit yourself by not saving. I mean it people. Less nights at The Grand, and more nights at work. It’s worth it.Natalie McLaren @nmae22

Concordia University, Montreal, Canada

Sweat trickles down my spine, pooling at the bottom of my sticky leather seat. I roll down the window in search of respite; hot wind claws at my face. Closing the window, I turn up the air cooler in a vain attempt to relieve myself of the all-consuming heat.

On this day, I am flying out of Adelaide, the hottest city on Earth. Forty nine degrees Celsius of fry-an-egg-on-the-pavement, heat.

After twenty-eight hours of shitty airplane food, not knowing what time or day it is, spontaneous napping and a drug-like addiction to my in-flight entertainment system, I am gently shaken awake by a Scandinavian Airlines flight attendant.

Rubbing sleep from my eyes, I gaze out

the window. I’m staring at an airport that looks like it was built in the Soviet era. I was expecting rows of solar panels, perhaps a marching band informing visitors that Sweden is the cleanest, greenest and meanest country in the world. What I was not expecting, was to be greeted by concrete as far as the eye could see.

“Hej då”, the flight attendant says cheerfully as we file out of the aircraft. Flakes of concrete fill my mouth, dust my hair and settle on the ground around me. I laugh silently to myself, realising that my jet-lag addled brain has deceived me. The airport is not constructed entirely of concrete, but wrapped lovingly in a thick blanket of snow.Zofia Zayons @zzayons

Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

EXCHANGE CONNECTIONS

By Emily Ritchie travel-ramblings.tumblr.com Université François-Rabelais, Tours, France

SAVING FOR THE EXPERIENCE

CONCRETE FLAKES / ARRIVING IN SWEDEN

E X C H A N G E A D V I C E18

Hi y’all! Now, I know a few of you reading this may one day find yourselves on exchange. Firstly, it will be the single best thing you ever do. Secondly, I have one very important piece of advice for you, regardless of where you’re off too: embrace every experience possible.

Whether it’s a spontaneous weekend trip away with a bunch of people you’ve only just met or deciding to stay in the country a bit longer, if an opportunity arises, grab it with both hands and don’t let go. Believe me, in six months or a years’ time when you look back on that experience, it’s the stuff you never saw yourself doing that you’ll remember most with fondness.

One of my favourite experiences that springs to mind, was deciding to go out five nights in a row the week before final exams.

Now, I like to party, but five nights now seems a little impossible. However back then, I figured I was almost at the end of my exchange and when would I ever be back in the same situation?

And so, despite waking up on the Sunday morning with a five-day collective hangover the size of Texas and heaps of study to do, I had the best week of my life that involved antics like trying to converse in Spanish at 4am and going to the bar of a rival school and attempting (poorly) to ride a mechanical bull.

The point is, that when your time is up and you’re facing seat 32C on the airplane back to Australia, you will want to have lived every moment of your exchange to the fullest. As those Contiki tours say: #noregrets

EMBRACE EVERY EXPERIENCE POSSIBLE

Trying new and exciting things doesn’t necessarily mean aeroplane food. Your safest bet on budget airlines is to opt for the vegetarian dish.

But seriously, in retrospect, the experiences of exchange can become a bit blurry when returning to life back home. You tend to recall the big events and nights out, but the details of actually living in another country become pushed aside for new memories.

The best advice I was given was to write down everything, no matter how minuet it may seem. Photos and videos can only do so much. It’s the little details that make the memories come alive.

My exchange diary is all hand written and covered in scribble. It begins by listing the first song that was playing on my iPod when the plane took off bound for a month at Oxford University. I’ve tried not to miss any details, recording the foods I ate on my first day in London, the colour of the flowers

during a so-called ‘British summer’, and the names of the local bartender’s children. I can clearly recall presenting my assessment at Oxford or our celebratory night out, but its remembering these little details of what you had for breakfast, that separate your time in exchange from being a tourist, to actually ‘living’ in another country.

There’s something so satisfying about writing about your adventures by hand. Putting pen to paper separates this period of exchange and travel as something so different to the everyday where we rely on our typing skills.

Admittedly, it does become a stretch to fill out an entry when you are trying to cram as much as possible into your days, but it’s worth it. The five minutes you spend jotting down what happened in your day (after half a dozen pints), become such a cherished possession in years to come, no matter how bad your handwriting is. Kelsey McIntosh @KMcintosh21

Oxford University, London, England

When you walk into a department store in the Czech Republic you never have to worry about a pesky, overly attentive shop assistant bothering you. In fact ninety percent of the time you won’t even be able to get them to crack a smile when they’re putting your sale through.

Whilst studying International Law and Human Rights in Brno, Czech Republic, in January 2014, I quickly learnt not to get offended if someone didn’t return my grin or ask me how I was going. Czech people are formal, reserved and private – until you get to know them.

A particularly vivid memory I have from the trip is of our final class at Masaryk University. We’d finished our exam and headed down to the cafeteria to get a beer. In the Czech Republic you can get beers everywhere – and they’re only $2! Naturally we’d stayed way past the twenty minutes allocated for

the break and our lecturer Katerina, came looking for us. We started sculling our bottles of ‘Starobrno’ but she told us not to worry and to bring them back to class!

Then, midway through her lecture on freedom of expression and hate speech, Katerina leant down behind the lectern and brought out a flagon of homemade honey wine for us. Now that’s what I call culture shock.

Katerina was a fantastic teacher. She’s worked at the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague and had her research published all around the world. Katerina taught me how incredibly hospitable Czech people can be. She even took us out dancing at her favourite club and got them to play Australian music all night!

I miss you Brno….your University, your beer and your wonderful people. I’ll be back soon.

Heather Wortes @HWortes

Masaryk University, Brno, CZECH REPUBLIC

Kelsey Sutor @KelseySutorUniversity of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA

WRITE THINGS DOWN

LECTURES AND BEER IN BRNO

E X C H A N G E A D V I C E 19

P H O T O : H E AT H E R W O R T E S ,M U M ’ S L I F E L O N G D R E A M - V I S I T I N G T H E E L E P H A N T S I N C H A N G M A I

“Sawadeeka!”Mumsaysasshetakesher100bahtofchangeandplacesitsafelyinherbackpack.Ilookovermyshoulderaswewalkoutoftheshoptoseethetwogirlsbehindthecountergigglingandpointinginourdirection.Mum’sjustsaidtheThaiwordsforhelloinsteadofthankyouforthesecondtimethatday.

“Muuuuumyoudiditagain!”

Andrew’s13.He’satthatagewhereyourmotherandsisterarethemostembarrassingpeopleintheworldandthere’snothingworsethanbeingstuckwiththemfor14daysinanothercountry.

Mum’stotallyoblivioustomybrother’scomplaint.She’stoobusylookingatthemapneartheshopentranceandworkingoutwhichwaterfallweshouldgotofirst.We’reatErawanNationalPark,anhourlongbusrideoutofKanchanaburi.Sevenlevelsofnaturalwaterfallsstretchaboveusandtherearelocalseverywhere.It’sthelastdayofSongkran,Thailand’sNewYearcelebrationandfamilieshavetakenadvantageofthethree-daypublicholidayandheadedoutofthemuggycity.

***

Kanchanaburi,twohoursdrivewestofBangkok,wasdeclaredwithastateofemergencyourplanelanded,twodaysago.Tensofthousandsofanti-governmentredshirtdemonstratorstooktothestreetstoprotest,ascelebrationsforSongkranbegan.Aswegotourstufftogethertogetofftheplane,Mumexplainedthepoliticalconflictbetweentheredandyellowshirts,andthegrowingcivilunrestshe’dreadaboutinthedaysleadinguptoourflight.

Duringthetaxidrivefromtheairporttoourhostel,allwesawoftheconflictwasalineofarmedtroopsblockingtheentrancetoBangkok’smaintouriststrip-KhaoSanRoad.Thenextmorningwhenwewentoutexploring,Mumaskedasoldierfordirections.Hewarnedhertherewereviolentprotestsoutsideagovernmentbuildingaroundthenextcorner.WetookataxistraighttoKanchanaburithatafternoon.

Whenwecalledhomeourfamilywerebesidethemselves.Onthenewsthey’dbeentoldofgunfire,Molotovcocktailsandbusesbeingsetalight.Meanwhilewehadseennothingbuttheheavysoldierpresence.

Despiteeveryone’sworrywewerefine.Mum’sasavvytraveller.SheknewwhatshewasdoingwhenshedecidedtotakeusbackpackinginAsiabeforewewereoldenoughtodoitourselves.

WhenIaskedherwhatmadeherdecidetodoitshesaid,“Iwantedmykidstogrowupwithanunderstandingandempathyforothercultures”.

AndI’msogladshedid.Itwasthetripeveryteenagershouldhave.

***

“I’vegotacamera!”Mumcallsout,clutchingittothetopofherheadandlaughingatusaswegetdrenchedwithbucketsofwaterandourfacesarepaintedwithchalkywhitepaste.

WearebackinKanchanaburifortheafternoon,andSongkranisinfullswing.Musicboomsoutofspeakersonthebackofpickuptrucks,filledtothebrimwithpeopleandhugeplasticbarrelsofwater.Kidswieldingwaterpistolsgiggleastheyblasticecoldwaterinourdirection.Motorbikesracepastwiththreeorfourpeopleonthem,theirdriversattemptingtododgethewaterthat’sflyingfromalldirections.TheThaiwomannexttomehasahugegrinonherfaceasshehandsmeabucketofwaterandpointstowardthenearestbarrel,urgingmetojoininthefun.ThewaterthrowingissymbolicofcleansingallthemisfortunesofthepastyearandwelcomingintheNewYearwithafreshstart.

It’sonegiantwaterfight.

***

AfterKanchanaburiweluggedour15kilobackpackstothecountry’sancientcapitalSukhothai,wherewecycled70squarekilometresof13thcenturyruins,beforeheadingtoChiangMaiinthemountainousfarnorth.

Weonlyjoinedtwoorganisedbustoursinthewholetrip–daytripswerenecessarytofiteverythingin.MumwaspetrifiedourminibusdrivingoutofChiangMaiwasgoingtofallofftheedgeofthecliff,aswewoundhigherintothemountainstovisittheelephants(Mum’slifelongdream),trektoahilltribevillageandgorafting-witha10-year-oldguide.

T H E T R AV E L I S S U E 21

BACKPACKING AT 16BY HEATHER WORTES @HWortes

In April 2009, Heather went backpacking across Thailand with her Mum and 13-year- old brother. This is what she remembers.

ChiangMaiwasourfavourite.MumandIspenteveryeveningwanderingthevibrantnightmarketsinsearchofbargainstotakehome.AndrewoptedforThaisoapieswithoutsubtitlesbackattheguesthouse.

ThelastpartofthetripwastwosunnydaysrelaxingonthebeachinKoSamet.TogettoKoSametwegotatuk-tuk(athree-wheeled,splutteringmotorisedvehiclethatisopenatthebackandsides,anddefinitelythecutestformofpublictransportinThailand)totheairport,adodgy$50planeflighttoBangkok,andanothertuk-tuktotheskyrail,whichwecaughtacrossthecitytomeetthebusthattookustocoastalBanPhe.

InBanPheweboardedaricketyboat.ItsenginesoundedlikeitjustmadeitacrossthedeepblueexpanseofwatertoKoSamet,thesameislandMumhadvisitedonhertripthroughAsiain1986.

***

“SevenformsofpublictransportinonedayMum.Canyoubelieveit?”Iask.

Icertainlycan’t,IthinktomyselfasIjumpontothebackoftheseventh-apickuptruckthatdoeslapsupanddownthelengthoftheislandeachday,stoppingattheguesthousesdottedalongtheperimeterofthesandywhitebeaches.

“Sowe’regoingtogetoffatthesecondone,thenifit’sfullwe’llkeepwalkingandtrytheonearoundtheothersideofthenextheadland.It’sabitmoreexpensive,”Mumtellsus,pointingtotheaccommodationlistinherLonely Planetguide.Iwipesweatoffmyforeheadandsearchformywaterbottleinmybackpack.AftertwoweeksinAsia,I’mstillnotusedtotheincrediblehumidity.

Thesunstartstosetandwefinallyfindsomewheretosleepaftertrudgingalongthebeachfortwohoursinsearchofanemptyguesthouse.

Afterdumpingourbagsandtakingaquickdipinthebathtemperaturewater,wesitdownonthebeachtodevourasteamingseafoodcurry.Foodtastessomuchbetterwhenyou’reeatingitwithsandbetweenyourtoes.

***

Publictransportwasdefinitelyoneofthebiggestlearning

curvesofthetrip(andtherewerelots).

WhenIaskedMumtosummarisethetripinafewsentences

shesaid:“Irememberthesights,smellsandtastesofabustling

Asiancountry.Thetraveladventureswehadonthatbusthat

hadnotoiletandthetraintoSukhothaiwiththeweirdfood”.

Andrewremembersthe“CrazybusridetoChiangMaiwhereI

keptfallingasleepandthenwakingupandwhackingmyhead

onthewindow”.“Icouldn’tpeefor6hours,”hesaid.

Despiteaskingthematdifferenttimes,theybothremembered

thebustripwetookona2ndclassbuswithnotoiletsorair-

conditioning.

Thentherewasaccommodation.Weknewwhichfriendsto

takerecommendationsoffthenexttimewetravelledandwho’s

advicetosteerclearof.

“Thebestexperiencewouldbethatdaywerodebikesaround

thetemplesinSukhothaiorwhenwewereinthewaterfightin

Kanchanaburi.Theworstwouldbethatcockroachgoingupthe

wallintheshittyhotel,”Andrewsaid.

TheJollyFrogBackpackersinKanchanaburiwasonesuch

recommendation.Thefirstroomhadbedbugsandcockroaches,

andAndrewleftmetodealwiththemwhilehebunkedin

Mum’sroomforthenight.

Butyougetusedtothebugs,andtoflushingtoiletswith

bucketsofwater,becauseit’scheapertostaysomewhere

thatdoesn’thaveatoiletthatflushesitself.Thedodgy

accommodationandpublictransportblendsintothe

backgroundbehindtheincrediblykindpeopleyoumeetand

thebreathtakingplacesyougettoexperience.It’sallpartof

travelling.AndIworkedthatoutbeforeIevenfinishedhigh

school.

ThanksMum.

T H E T R AV E L I S S U E22

“

“

The dodgy accommodation and public transport blends into the background behind the incredibly kind people you meet and the breathtaking places you get to experience. It’s all part of travelling.

P H O T O : H E AT H E R W O R T E S , A N D R E W , M U M & I S TA N D I N G

O N T H E T R A C K S O F T H E B U R M A R A I LW AY , K A N C H A N A B U R I

P H O T O : H E AT H E R W O R T E S , K I D S S P E E D I N G PA S T O N A

M O T O R B I K E D U R I N G SO N G K R A N

It’sanageoldpractice.Peoplehavelongdevelopedlanguagesandusedthemtocommunicatewitheachother.Languageispartofwhoweareandhowweidentifyourselvesinourglobalsociety.

AsanativeEnglishspeaker,Ifeelprivilegedtohavegrownuplearningthethirdmostspokenlanguageintheworld,followingMandarinandSpanish.Ihaveneverreallyhadtostruggletounderstandpeople,sincemanypeoplewithanativelanguageotherthanEnglishstilllearnitasasecondlanguage.Inmanycountries,beingby-lingualisanimportantpartoftheschoolingsystem,particularlyinpartsofAsiaandEurope.

PeoplearoundtheworldoftenlearnEnglishtobettertheirjobopportunities,travelexperiences,orjusttohavethegeneralskillofspeakingasecondlanguage.Yet,inAustralia,itseemsthatlearningotherlanguagesisnotdeemedasimportant.InhighschoolIlearntIndonesianforashortperiod,butthemostIcanrememberishowtocounttoten,whichisclosetouselesstome.Ourschoolcurriculumswoulddowelltofurtherencouragethelearningofotherlanguages,inordertobenefityoungAustraliansandtoshowthatwearepartoftheglobalcommunity.Wewouldbenefitfromagreateraccesstoinformation,amoresoundknowledgeofmajoreventsandtheworldaroundus,aswellasbetteringcareeropportunitiesandaddingtoourlifeexperience.

AsamemberofUOW’sStudyAbroadprogram,IrecentlystartedasemesteratConcordiaUniversityinMontréal,Canada.

WhenIwasaccepted,manypeoplesaid,“Ohyou’regoingto

FrenchCanada,doyouspeakFrench?”Theplainanswerisno,

andithasmadethingsmoredifficultthanIanticipated.

IattemptedtolearnbasicFrench.Justenoughtoorderfood,

askdirections,andbuytrainandbustickets.Buteventhough

CanadaisanEnglish-speakingcountry,itisn’ttheofficial

languageoftheprovinceofQuébec.WhilstIknewIwouldbe

encounteringFrenchonmytripIwronglyassumedthatpeople

wouldwillinglyspeakinEnglishwithmewhentheyrealised

thatitwasmyfirstandonlylanguage.Thisisabilingualcity

afterall(althoughIhavehadtorepeatmyselfmanytimeseven

toEnglishspeakers,whocouldn’tquiteunderstandmy‘exotic’

Aussieaccent).

IarrivedinMontréaltwoweeksbeforeIstartedclass,andspent

mytimeexploringthedowntownarea.Uponenteringevery

shop,IwasautomaticallygreetedinFrench.Thefirsttimeit

happenedIwastakenaback.Inervouslystaredattheshop

assistanttryingtomakesenseofherwords,butIcouldnot

recogniseasinglephrase.

“Sorry?”Iaskednervously.SherepeatedherselfinEnglishand

Ithankedher.WhenIhaddecidedwhatIwantedtopurchase,

sheagainstartedtospeakinFrench.SheknewthatIdidnot

understandher,butIwasinherworldnow.That’swhenithit

me:Iwouldspendthenextfourmonthsfacingalanguage

barrierinacountrywhere70%ofthepopulationspeakEnglish.


LEAPING THE LANGUAGE BARRIERBY NATALIE MCLAREN @nmae22

Ihavefoundwaysaroundtheissue.AnytimeIenterashopInowsmileandnodwhiletheygivemetheirspielinFrench,andthenpolitelyreplywithmerci.Idon’tneedtoknowwhatthey’vesaid.I’mjustthankingthemfortheirtime.Similarly,attheendofeverytransactionIamalwaysaskedvousvoulezunsac?Thecashierwillgenerallymovetheirhandtothesideoftheregisterasiftoreachforaplasticbag.Noticingcuesandtrendslikethisletsmeknowtorespondwithasimpleouiornon.

HereinQuébecpeoplecanbealittlerudeifyou‘disrespect’thembynotspeakingtheofficiallanguage.That’swhyI’vefoundithelpfultoatleastrespondwith“thanks”,“yes”,or“no”inFrench,acknowledgingonabasiclevelthatI’minaFrenchcommunity.Thisgesturegoesalongway,andmayevenconvincethemtothenhelpmeoutinEnglish.

I’vealsofoundthatinQuébec,therearemuchmoreseriouslanguagebarrierissuesthanthoseofoverwhelmedtourists.ThetensionbetweenproudFrancophonesandCanadianswhospeakEnglishastheirfirstlanguageisquiteintense.

I’veheardstoriesfromanoldermanwhoworksatthecampuscafeteriaaboutEnglishboyslikehim,beingconstantlybulliedandbeatenupaskidsbyFrenchboys.Thatwasjustthesociallyacceptedattitudebackthen,andaccordingtohimnotmuchhaschanged.Whilstthecityseemsharmoniousenough,promotingitselfasabilingualandmulticulturalmetropolis,alotmoregoesonunderthesurface.

Tomakemattersmoreconfusing,manyFrenchnationalscomplainthattraditionalParisianFrenchisnotusedastheofficiallanguageinQuébec.ThisaddstensionstoMontrealasalargeuniversitycity,whichattractsthousandsofFrenchstudents.TheCanadianFrancophonesseemtohaveasenseofself-importanceduetotheirlanguage,asorepointforFrenchimmigrantswhodon’tagreewiththewaytheyhavetransformedthetraditionalFrenchlanguage.

InlightoftheScottishvoteforindependence,thereisonceagaintalkofapossiblereferendum,wherebyQuébeccouldbecomeindependentfromtherestofCanada.Therehavealreadybeentworeferendumsontheissue,in1980,and1995.Thefirstofthesesawtheproposaldefeatedbyamarginof59.56%to40.44%.Butin1995,theresultswereexcruciatinglyclose,withtheproposalbeingdefeatedbya‘No’voteofjust50.58%.

IfQuébechadanotherreferendum,itcouldbesuccessful,especiallygivenQuébec’swidespreadmediacoverageandpublicsupportfortheScottishindependencecampaign.

Whilstlanguagecandivideus,itcanalsouniteus.I’velearnedtobeproudofthefactthatIspeakEnglish,asaskillthatmanyotherswouldlovetopossess.I’vealsolearntthatlearningotherlanguagesiscrucialifyouwanttotrulyconnectwithotherpeople.Weshouldembracealllanguagesforthelessonstheyteachusandtheexperiencestheycreateforus.


Z I L L A VA N D E B O R N C R E AT E D T H E I L L U S I O N O F A T H A I H O T E L R O O M I N H E R O W N B E D R O O M T O F O O L H E R PA R E N T S D U R I N G S K Y P E S E S S I O N S

InearlySeptemberthewebwentwildforDutchgraphicdesignstudent,ZillaVanDenBorn’stravelpictures.Theyweren’toutoftheordinary,justabasiccollectionofyourstandardholidayphotos.Wellwhatmadethemsospecialyouask?Theyweren’tactuallyreal.

VanDenBornpretendedtobeonafive-weekholidayinSouthAsia.ShespenttheentiretimeatherhomeinAmsterdam,photo-shoppingphotosanduploadingthemtoFacebook.Toaddtothefoolery,sheSkypedherfamilyandfriends,anddisguisedherroomasahotel’s.

Watchingherfriendandfamily’sreactiontothetruth;therewasamixofconfusion,laughterandalittlebitofanger.Byfoolinghernearestanddearest,itwasclearshewaswillingtogotoalllengthstogetherpointacross.Herpointbeing,thatshewantedtocalloutpeoplewholiketomanipulatetherealityoftheirlivesusingsocialmedia.Shequestionswhetherthosepretendingthattheirlifeandtravelsarebetteronlineareactuallyinfluencingtheirtravels?

InVanDenBorn’sinterviewwithDazedDigital,theonlineversionofDazedandConfusedmagazine,Ifoundthreekeyquotesthatotherscanlearnfromher‘trip’.

1. IT’S NOT A COMPETITION

“Wewanttocompetewiththeimagesweseeonlineofothers.Everyonecanbethedesigneroftheirowndigitalidentityandofcoursewewanttokeepupwiththerest.Andthiscouldbringsomepressure.WeallknowhowitisscrollingthroughourtimelineonFacebook,feelingjealousoftheapparentlyawesomelivesotherslivecomparingtoyours.”

2. DESIGNING YOUR OWN REALITY WON’T MAKE YOUR REAL-LIFE BETTER

“Wetendtoforgetthatpeoplefilterwhattheyshowonsocialmediaandoftenusefilterstomaketheirimagesmorebeautiful.Togetherwecreatesomesortofidealonlineworldwithwhichrealitycannolongermeet.”

3. DON’T GET CAUGHT UP WITH YOUR ONLINE IDENTITY

“Youarewhoyousayyouareanditispossibletocreateyourownidealimageofyou.Weshouldn’tbesoobsessedwiththisonlineidentity–weshouldliveforthehereandnow.Inreallifeyougettoknowmuchmoreaboutsomeonethroughinteractionandbodylanguage.”

Perhapsinfuturewhenseeingotherspositingphotosabroad,you’llremembertherealitymightnotbewhatitseems.Whentakinganduploadingyourownphotos,Ihopethatyou,asVanDernBornsays,“Liveforthehereandnow”.Yourexperiencescan’tpossiblyfitinsidetheconfinesofacoverphoto,buttheycaninyourmemories.

@laura_polson


HASHTAGS THAT SHOULD BE TRENDING

compiledbyLauraPolsonandKelseyMcIntosh

#idontcarewhatyoueatontheplane

#wowanotherplanewing

#thatsaniceplaceticketyoureholdingthere

#nomorethrowbackspls

#yourlegsaresowelltravelled

July rolls round on the uni calendar, and no matter how much you’re enjoying your break, you can’t help but think... am I the only one not in Europe/America/anywhere else a part from Australia? Newsfeeds transform into holiday albums and you start to feel all the more restless. But sometimes behind the scenes, these photos aren’t as amazing as you think. Laura Polson explores a student’s experiment of social media’s influence on travel.

LOGGING OFFBY LAURA POLSON

S A LVA D O R D E B A H I A , B R A Z I L

InRio,thefavelaslayneatlytuckedawayfromthecitylimits,behindahighconcretewallsotheslumdoesn’ttarnishthepicturesqueCopacabana.Rioisnotoriousforitsconstantwarsbetweengangsandthemilitia,amessyefforttokeepcleanforvisitingrich,whitetourists.

ButinSalvadordeBahia,acity1,649kilometresfromRio’swalls,thereisaworld–andanunofficialgovernment–thatremainsuntouched.

InSalvador,thefavelaslieamongmainstreets,wrappedaroundtouristsites,andunderneaththecity’sboardwalks.ThebiggestandmostnotoriousfavelaisVascodaGama,ironicallynamedafterafamedPortugueseexplorer.ThisiswhereIspentnearlyayearlivingandworkinginanorphanage.

TheapartmentIlivedinstandsonastreetthattwistsupwardsataneighty-degreeangle.Thehousesarepackedontopofoneanother,thegatesdouble,triplelocked.

ThewomanIlivedwith–whosenameisElyandonmyveryfirstdaytriedtomarrymeofftohernephewwhileInoddedalongstupidly-issupposedtoprovidesomekindofmentorship.She’ssporadicallyinsaneandtakesoffonspontaneoustripstoPeru,stockinguponsouvenirsshethensellsoutthebackofhercar.

Thedaysheleftforthefirsttime,Iwaswokenbythesmellofburning.Atthetopofmystreet,inthemiddleofthesmallmountedroundabout,whiteribbonsofsmokedriftedfromastackoftyres.

Elywasfussing,yellingtoherneighboursacrossthestreetanddownbelowus.Igathered–inmybrokenPortuguese–thattherehasbeenanexecution.ItwascommonofthegangthatrunsthefavelawhereIwasstaying-trappingthevictiminastackoftyresandsettingthemalight.Itservesasawarning,astampontheircompetition.

BeforeherfirstspontaneoustriptoPeru,Elytoldmeshewas

takingmetohernephewsplace,andthathewouldtakemeunderhiswingwhileshe’saway.Sheledmedownthedirtyalleys,withbulletholesinthefiberglass,amazeIwillneverremember.Wewentthroughtwolockedgates,wherehernephew,Julio,greetsmewithahug.I’malreadyfamily,hetellsmebeforeleadingmeintohisfrontroom.Asmallwindowlessroom.Thewallswerelinedwitheverykindofautomaticweaponyoucouldimagine.

JulioturnedouttobethemostprestigiousarmsdealerinVascodaGama.EverytimeIwentby,circlesoftattooedmenstoodoverduffelbags,givingmeawaryglanceasIwentbytomakecupoftea,listeningin.Theconversationswouldstartoutfake,lacedwithcordialpleasantries,andthenbecomeheatedandmorerapiduntilsomeonethrewapunch.Julio’shenchmenwouldripaparttheoffenders,theywouldsettleadeal,andeveryonewouldleave,alittlerougher.

ItwasinthedingybackroomIlearnedhowtoloadandunloadanautomaticweapon,toshoottargetsdrawnonwithcrayonsinthelivingroomwalls,howtothrowaproperpunch,howtostopsomeonefromchokingme,howtopickpocket,howtosamba,howtoeffectivelyhookmyfingertodislodgeaneyeball,andhowtodothatcoolthingwhereyouspinarevolveronyourthumb.Ilearnedthereweresystemsandnetworkssorespected,sointegrated,thelocalmilitiadidn’tbotherinterfering,becauseitwouldonlyendinblood.Ilearnednottojudgeabookbyitscover,andmadesomeofthebest–ifnotmostintimidating–friendsIneverexpected.

IhadsuchanideaofwhatlivinginBrazilwouldbelike,anidylliclandscapeofbeachesandsun-brownedskin,cocktailsandcoconutoil.Anditwas.Isurfedeveryday,drankcoconutsonthebeachandgotbrownerthanIeverthoughtpossible(forasafair-skinnedCaucasian).ButIalsogotmuggedfourtimes,tackledinthestreet,andhadtodropandrolltosafetyduringastreetshooting.However,allofthatcamewiththeopportunitytoreallyseetheunderbellyofatrulypatriarchalcountry.

T H E T R AV E L I S S U E 29T H E T R AV E L I S S U E 29

WHEN PEOPLE THINK BRAZIL,THEY THINK RIO DE JANEIRO

BY CAITLIN MORAHAN

KELSEY WENT TO THE UNITED STATES FOR EXCHANGE IN 2013.

Youknowthatsong‘Freefalling’byTomPetty?Youknow,“I’mfreeeeI’mfreefalling!”

Well,Iabsolutelyhatethatsong.

Itcameoninthecartheotherday.Justasthatchorusstarted,theseuncontrollabletearsstartedtoflow.BythetimeIwashome,Iwasablubberingmess.

Thatstupidsongcameonnon-stopwhenIwasonexchangeintheUS.Now,itactsasatriggerforrandommemoriesofmytimeoverseasandmakesmerealisejusthowmuchImisslivingoverseas.

Andforsomepeople,itdoesn’ttakeasong.Itmighttakeasmellorhearinganaccenttomakethemfeelasthoughhomeisn’tthesameasitwasbefore.

Peoplewhogoonexchange(whichI’msurealotofyoureadersareconsideringorhavedoneifyou’rereadingaTertangalafocusedontravel),gettoknowthepeople,thestreets,thelanguageandthecustomsofaplace.

Inotherwords,itbecomesfamiliar.

Socominghome,wherethingshaveeitherchangeddramaticallyornotatall,canbehardtoreadjust.

Formepersonally,theUnitedStatesrepresentedawholeotherworld.

Ididn’tknowanyone,Ididn’tknowmywayaround,andIhadtoforcemyselftobecomeapartofthecommunity,whichIdid.Itwasacleanslate.Itwasrefreshing.Thepausebuttonwashitonmyreallife.

Whilecominghomewaswonderful,nothinghadchanged.Everythingwasroutine.

Now,beforeIgoon,I’mgoingtoaddresswhatsomeofyoureadingthismaybethinking:

“Getoverit.”

“Youhavenothingtocomplainabout.”

“Don’tyouappreciatebeinghomewithfamilyandfriends?”

Unfortunately,I’veheardthisfromsomeoftheclosestpeopletome.Ifyouaregoingthroughthisorwillinthefuture,yourfriendsandfamilywillnotunderstand.

Why?

Becausetheyweren’ttherewithyou.Andwhentheyhearyousaythatyouwishyouwerebacktravelling,theystarttothinkacoupleofthings.

Firstly,theythinkyou’llleaveagainandsecondly,theythinktheydon’tmatterasmuchtoyouasbeforeyouleftAustralia.Now,bothofthesemaynotbetrue,especiallythelatter,butputyourselfintheirshoesforasecond,thepersontheycareaboutmostintheworldwantsnothingmorethantoleavethem,again.

Sohowdowecuresecondhomesickness?Wesimplycan’t,buttherearewaystomakeitbetter:

•Chattootherswhohavebeenoverseasandmissitjustasmuchasyoudo.Theytotallyunderstandhowyou’refeeling.

•BecomepartoftheexchangementorprogramthroughtheStudyAbroadoffice.Yougettoknowevenmorepeoplelikeyou,andhelpoutsomeonewhowasonceinyourposition.


TRAVELSICKBY KELSEY SUTOR & GEORGIA HOLLOWAY@KelseySutor @grumpygeorgia

GEORGIA TOOK A GAP YEAR, AND TRAVELLED AROUND 12 COUNTRIES IN EUROPE IN 2013.

WhenIdecidedtotakeagapyear,Iinvestedeveryfibreof

mybeingtoaccomplishingthat.Iworkedthreejobsforeight

monthstosave.Ispentcountlesshoursaweekresearching

placestovisit.Ihadplannedeverything,andthenplanneda

back-upplan.

ThetimeIspentinEuropewas,withoutsoundinglikeasappy

turd,lifechanging.TravellingchangedmeinwaysIhadnever

expected.Andaftersixmonthsaway,Iwasreadytogohome

andtacklenewchallenges.

ArrivingatCharlesdeGaulleairport,Ifeltrelief.Inthirty-one

shorthoursI’dbehome.Asmyflighttookoff,Istartedtocry.

Thewomanbesidemeasked,“What’swrong?”Tobehonest,

Ididn’tknow.ItwasclosetoChristmasandIwaslooking

forwardtoseeingmyfamily.Yet,Icouldn’thelpbutfeelalittle

lost.

WhileIwasexcitedtobehome,Iwasalsoscaredtoleave

Europe.Whilstbackpacking,Ihadbecomeacompletely

differentperson.Itriednewthings,madenewfriends,and

learntanewwaytolive.Ibelongedthere.Ihadmadeahome

outofallthehostels,trainstationsandairports.ThenIleftitall

behind.

WhileIwaitedatthebaggagecarouselinSydneyAirport,Ihad

thisexpectationthatallthosenewthingswouldresonatewithin

mypersonalitybackhome.YetIwasanothersleep-deprived

backpackerpassingthroughbordercontrol.Ihadthesame

clothes,gearandaccent.ButIwantedtoeveryonetoknowthat

Iwasdifferent!Iwasbetter,moretravelled,morecultured.Iwas

thenewGeorgia.

AfteramonthorsoathomeIslunkbackintotheoldhabits,

theoldconversations,backintoreality.IfeltthatnewGeorgia

slippingawayintonormalcy.NothinghadchangedwhileIwas

gone,butIhadchanged,andIwantedtostaythatway.Ididn’t

wanttoworryaboutuniorwork.Iwantedtoworryabout

wheretogonext.

Butastimewentby,IrealisedmoreandmorethatIwashome.

Thisfeelingoflosskeptgrowing,andIthought‘maybemy

senseofbelongingisn’tjustathomeanymore’.

I’vecometoacceptthelongingIfeeltobeaway.Towalkalong

thosestreetsagain,tosmellthesmells,toreallylive.Myfamily

doesn’tunderstandmysadness.MaybeIleftthenewGeorgia

inParisasIboardedthatflight.YeteverydayI’mhome,I’m

remindedthatIamloved,andEuropewillalwaysbewaitingfor

myreturn.

Herearesomethingsthathelpedmeoverthepost-arrival-hump:

•Talktoyourfriendsandfamily.Askwhatyoumissedouton,eventsetc.

•Dothingsyoucouldn’tdooverseas,gotothebeachoreatproperfishandchips.

•Taketimetoreflectonwhatyoulearntwhiletravelling.


P H O T O S : K E L S E Y S U T O R A N D G E O R G I A H O L L O W AY

P H O T O : C A S E Y M A D I G A N

Mostpeoplecan’tseepastthereasonswhytheyshouldn’tgotoIndia.Thepoverty,thepeople,thedanger,thesmell,theheat…

Andforthemostpartit’strue.Therearepilesofrubbishliningthedirt-cuffedroads,cowsroamingthestreets,andheatsointenseyoucanfeelbeadsofsweatrollingdownyourback.Someplacesaresocrowdedyoucanfeelthecontentsofthepocketofthepersonnexttoyou,andthewholecountrysmellsvaguelyofeggs.Indiacan–andwill–beatyoudown,butthatmakesitallmoreworththewhilewhenyougetoutontop.

Forsome40Ktroops,comfortzonesaremilesbehindus.We’vebeendepositedinruralIndiaonacrashcourseofsocialentrepreneurship,tobuildasocialbusinessthatempowerslocalsthroughemployment,educatingchildrenwiththeprofits.Soundssimpleenough.Getoutthereandgetshitdone.Intheafternoon40KwillrunPlusPods,after-schooleducationcentresaimingtobridgethegapbetweenpublicandprivateschooleducation,togivethekidsalegupintheworkforce.That’ssometimeawaythough;rightnowthey’reconcentratingonperformingtheThreeLittlePigs,fronttoback,inEnglish.Primarykidswouldscofftoseethemtrippingoverthewords,carefullyreadingtheirlinesinhaltingEnglish,butforme,it’sabeautifulthingtowatch.

Givemetherubbishandthesmellandthecows.RegardlessofwhatIndiausestobowlyouover,thepeoplewillpickyouup,dustyouoffandserveyouchai.I’dtakeanythingthrownatme,becauseI’veneverlearnedsomuchaboutaculturethanwhatMadhumalathitaughtme.

Thetinyshopacrosstheroadfromwherewelivedwasthesameasanyvillagestore,withtheubiquitouspacketsoftea,washingpowderandrazorshanginginstripsfromtheceiling.Biscuitsinmismatchedjarsandbottlesofskin-palinglotionsatinthecabinetbelowthecounter.

ThefirsttimeIspoketotheshopkeeper,wastoaskherifshesoldchai.“No,”shesaidwithagentleheadwobbleandprivatesmile.“Downtheroad.”

Ismiledpolitelyatherforthenextweek,asIcameandwentfromthecity,feetcollectingreddustasmybindisliddownmyforeheadfromsweat.Itwasn’tuntiltheendofthefirstweekthatIgottoknowhername.

“Madhumalathi,”shesays,graspingmyfingersinherhand.“Fromwhereyouare?”

Shehadadifferentwayofputtingthings,butshespokegoodEnglish.“Istudiedatcollege,”shesaidafterIasked.“IhaveaBachelorofComputerScience.ButafterIgraduatedImarried,havemychildren.Ididnotworkaday.”

ShecanseeinmyfacethatIdon’tknowwhattosay.Shesmilesgently.

“Eventhoughwehaveacceptedmodernmeansofliving,ourvaluesandbeliefsareunchanged.Wecanchangeourclothes,ourfoodorourhomes,butourcultureisrooteddeepwithinus,frombirthtowomanhood.”

Oneofherdaughters,Lakita,sitsonacrateoutsidetheshopinherblueandwhiteschooluniform.Shecan’twalk,butsheisperfectlycontent,percheduponherpedestal,liftingherfacetobeamateverycustomer.Sherunschubbybrownhandsthroughmyhairandleansintomylap,tracingmykneecapswithclumsyfingers.

“Herspinalcord,itdoesnotworkproperly,”sayshermother.“Shewon’twalk.”

Ihaveabetterunderstandingnowofwhatthatmeans.Lakitawearstwosilverbraceletsandsliversofbamboothroughherpiercedears,butshewon’tmarry.

Itwouldfuelafeminist-inspiredrantfromanynewbietoIndia.Theinjusticeofsocialpolitics.Blatantignoranceongenderequality.Thefreedomofchoice.Butafewweeksin,Ilearntittakesmorethanthattoinfluencetheculturalrootsofoverabillionpeople.

The40kworkersasagrouplearnmaybemoreinfourweeksthanwehaveourwholelives.Ilearnthowtoteach.Ilearnthowtouseasquattoilet,andneatlyatthat.Ilearnthowtocrossaroad.Ilearnthowtomakeachildunderstandnouns.Ilearntthevitalessenceofhumanitythatexistsineveryculture.

Somedaysyoufeellikeyouaren’tchanginganythingatall.Somedaysdealyouashitdeckandyoufinallyunderstandwhat‘burningfrustration’feelslike.Sometimestheyaskquestionsyoudon’thavetheanswerto.Sometimestheyaskforthingsthatyoucan’tgive.

Butwearethereforourselvesasmuchasweareforanyoneelse.Tolearn.Todemonstratesolidarity.Reassesspriorities.Exploreanewcareer.Learnalanguage.Learnanewculture.Learnfirst,helpafter.

Maybeyou’llhateit.Maybeyou’llneverfeelproperlycleanagainandfinddirtinyourearsformonthsafterwards.Maybeyou’llchangeyourcareerpath,traveltomorecountries,meetnewpeopleandhaveamazingexperiences.

Eitherway,Irecommendyougiveitago.For more information about volunteering with 40K visit 40k.com.au.

T H E T R AV E L I S S U E 33T H E T R AV E L I S S U E 33

STEPPING UP AND GETTING SHIT DONEBY CAITLIN MORAHAN

Trigger warning: This article deals with suicide and depression and may be distressing for some readers.

It’stheJunemid-semesterholidays,andI’mwaitingatthebusstopinKagoshima,SouthJapan.ThebussignisinJapanesesoIapproachayounglady,withwhatlittleJapaneseIdoknow.“Sumimasen,isthisthebustoKagoshimatrainstation?”Politelyshenods,confirmingbypointingatthestationonthemapI’mholding.That’swhenInoticeherscars.Decoratingbothforearmsfromwristtoelbow,shewearsthemarksofself-harmblendedwithcutecolorfulbraceletsandapinkHelloKittywatch.

Amidstthebustleofacountryleadingthewayintechnologicaladvancementswhilealsoepitomizingthemeaningof‘cute’,ablackcloudlingersoveritspeople.JapanistheonlydevelopedcountrytomaketheWorldHealthOrganization’stop10internationalsuiciderateslist,at0.02%.Withnumbershoveringaround24suicidesper100,000people-roughlydoubletherateintheU.S.andthreetimesthatoftheUK-Japanhasseenatleast30,000suicidesannuallyinthelastfourteenyears.

Althoughthatnumberisindecline,thesuiciderateinJapanisstillverymuchaproblem.Sowhy,inacountryimmersedinimmenseandrichtechnologicalandculturaldevelopment,doessuicidehavesuchahighprevalence?

Japan’shistoryisfraughtwiththeconceptof‘honorablesuicide’wherebySamuraiwouldatoneformistakesbycommittinghara-kiri,orritualsuicideinvolvingdisembowelment.Similarly,KamikazepilotsinWW2wouldintentionallycrashintotheirtarget,disregardingtheirownlives.Evidenceinthisissuestretchesasfarbackas1946,withRuthBenedict’sbookTheChrysanthemumandtheSwordsuggestingthatJapanesecultureisoneoftolerance,especiallywithregardstosuicide.Today,thisnotionofnoblesuicidestilllingers,especiallyinolder,traditionalindividuals.

CabinetministerToshikatsuMatsuokawasdescribedbytheformerGovernorofTokyoShintaroIshihara,asa“truesamurai”forpreservinghishonoraftercommittingsuicideinlate2007.AccordingtoUniversityofTexasPh.DJohnTraphangan“unlikeinmanyWesternnations,thereisnoreligiously-guidedmoralprohibitionagainstsuicide,whichclaimsthatlifeisagiftfromone’sdeityandthushastobepreserved,evenifitisintolerable”.

Stress,highsocietalexpectationsandpressuretoachieveintheworkplacewerethemostcitedreasonsforsuicideina

governmentstudyconductedin2008,accountingfor47%ofsuicides.WithrootsintheZenBuddhistreligionsaying,“hardworkisnotameanstoanend,buttheenditself,”itseemsemployeesareexpectedtoshowtheirloyaltytoacompanythroughpersonalsacrifice.However,Ph.DJohnTraphanganbelieves“Employmentissues…areclearlypartoftheexplanationforthecountry’shighsuiciderates,butonlypartial—theydonot,forinstance,explainhighsuicideratesamongteensandtheelderly”.

Ontheoppositesideofworkplacepressures,unemploymentratesarealsoamajorfactorinthecountry’ssuicideculture.Japanisrenownedforitslifelongemploymentpracticesandbenefits,includingsubsidisedhousing.Layoffsaredebilitatingnotonlytotheindividual,butalsothefamily.Butnotonlythis,beinglaidoffmeanstheindividualmuststartfromthebottomofthefoodchain.Sincetheideaofa“freeagent”isforeigntoJapan,accordingtojournalistDustinDye“amiddle-agedmanstartingalloverinanentry-levelpositionisclearlyuntenable”,thereforethisbecomesanotherpossiblereasonforhighsuicideratesintheolderpopulation.

Inherinvestigation,To Lonely to Die Alone: internet suicide pacts and existential suffering in Japan,AnthropologistChikakoOzawa-deSilvasuggestedthatstigmatisationandalienationwerecontributingtoJapan’ssuicideculture.Shelookedspecificallyatthemotivationsbehindsuicidemeet-upsandgroupsuicideorganisedonline.Thelatter,accordingtoDr.Ozawade-Silva,maystemfromfeelingsoflonelinessthataresomehowalleviatedinthecontextofkillingoneselfwithothers.

In2007,theJapanesegovernmentreleasedanine-stepcounter-suicideplan–theWhitePaper–tocurbsuicideratesby20%by2017.Atitscore,theplanaimstochangeculturalattitudestowardssuicide,andtopromptmoreinvestigationsintoitscauses.Thegovernmenthasalsoboostedthefundinggiventomentalhealthservicessuchascounsellingandtherapy.

WhileatolerantcultureisstillveryprevalentinJapan,theyoungergenerationisbecomingmoreopentoseekinghelpaswellasrecognisingthatmentalillnesscanleadtosuicide.Forthefirsttime,itseemsJapan’ssuicidecultureischanging.

For more information on suicide in Japan, visit www.tofugu.com.

If you think you are depressed and struggling, or having suicidal thoughts, you can book a UOW counselor at Level 3, Building 11, visit www.headspace.org.au, or call Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14.


A CULTURAL TABOO BY GEMMA MOLLENHAUER @GemmaMolle017

2015 E D I TO R !

Asabuddingmusicjournalist,ifabandmanagerweretoaskyoutofulfilltheroleofWilliamMillerinAlmost Famousyou’dthinkyouweretripping,right?Wrong!

OnaquietafternoonattheUOWlibraryeverythingchangedforme.TherevelationthatIwasthewinnerofTripleM’smusicinternshipmeantthatIwouldbejoiningtheendofKISS’40thanniversarytourinSt.Louis,OklahomaandHouston,andIwasleavingintwo-and-a-halfworkingdays.

Thepremiseofthisinternshipwastotravelwithoneofthesupportbands.TheDeadDaisies–asupergroupwhocompriseofsomeofthebestmusiciansinrockandrolltoday.Ohanditgetsbetter,DefLeppardweretheothersupportbandonthistour.

AsImetthebandsIbattledwithmyselftoremaincomposedwhilstathousandquestionsplayedscrabbleinmyhead.Theywerestronganddiverseincharacter;Ihadtobequickinassessinghowtoapproachthem.Weaknesswouldmeanmydemise.

Meetingthesebandsattheendofatwo-monthtour-ontheirforty-somethingshow-washardlywhentheywereintheirprime.Ifeltlikethenewkidatschool,excitedbyanewscenethateveryoneelsewas‘soover’.

Pre-showI’dwatchoninamazementasthedressingroomresembledacircus.Showtunesandan‘anythinggoes’attitudetotheinstrumentswasthestandardwarm-up.ItwaslikeanADHDexperiment,anon-conventionaljamboree.

Iwasexposedtoallfacetsoftour-life,someglamorousandsomenotsomuch.OneminuteIwasshoppingwitharockstarandthenextIwasstandingoverthemlikeakindergartenteacherforcingthemtosignfan-merchandise.

Ifeltlikeanactressrunningfromstage-to-stageplayingdifferentparts.Itwasbusiness-as-usual.

AtnightIwouldgobacktomyroom/bus–annihilatedfromcoveringsomuchgroundattheshow–andwritetillungodlyhoursofthemorning.IranonadrenalineandcaffeineforsixdaysandIlovedeveryminuteofit.HowcouldInot?Isleptonatourbusandrancirclesaroundhazardouscableriddenstadiums.Imarveledatguitartechniciansbackstagebusilytuninginstruments,whilstIwatchedcrowdsof25,000+peoplerevelinsonicbliss.

Therewasn’tonemomentthatIwantedtobeanywhereelse.Itwasgrueling,butitwasaddictive.

TherearemanyidiosyncrasiesfromlifeontheroadthatIwillrememberforever:nopoopingonthebus,sensitivitiesaroundpersonalspace,afreshpotofcoffeeshouldalwaysbebrewinganddonotbelatewhenthebusistoleave…ever!

Andifyouarefamousenough,youcantakeyourpetsanywhere.

Imadecontactsthatgottoknow‘me’.Wemayhaveonlyspentsixdaystogether,butthiswasverydifferenttoyouraveragesixdays.Ifyoucantoleratesomeoneaftertouringwiththem,you


THE ULTIMATE MUSIC INTERNSHIPBY HAYLEY MAY CASEY @HayleyMCasey

havepassedtheshowbusinesspsychometrictest.Observingjustonelittleannoyingmannerismorhabitcanturnyouhomicidal.

Whenyouliveandbreathemusic,exposuretothemechanicsof

touringisinvaluable.Itisnotsomethingthatcanbetakenoff

facevalue.Itisalabyrinthofblood,sweatandglitter.Roadies

andbackstagecrewleavetheirfamiliesformonthson-endto

engineerthesehugeproductionsforliterallynocredit.Theyare

someofthemostgenuinelyhardworkingpeopleIhavemetto

date.

Therearehundredsofpeopleworkingattheircrafttomakethe

craftofothersglorified.Youseewardrobegirlsgluing,buffing,

polishing,caterersturningovermealaftermeal,busdrivers

drivingallnight,roadiesunloadingtrucksandfinetuning

instruments.EverydayislikeGroundhog Day.Allthesepeople

aretheretoreachthecommongoalofaflawlessshowforthe

fans.

It’slikeadysfunctionalfamilyonsteroids,butitworks.

AfterthelastshowinTexastherewasabitter-sweetenergy.I

wasleavingthenextdayandthetourwereallgoingindifferent

directions.Wecelebratedinthehotelbar.

DefLeppard’sManager,Mal-whohasbeenwiththeband

for32years-gothimselfintoascuffle.Luckily,KISS’sTour

Manager,Gooch,wastheretosavehim.Goochwasabig

man–Mal,however,wasnot.JoeElliott(DefLeppard’slead

singer)wastryingtoenjoyaquietdrinkaftertheshowbutwas

barragedbyfansforpictures.ThiswaswhenMalpolitelyasked

forsometime-outandafanstoodoverhim.Itgotprettyheated

lotsofswearing,threatsandpushing.Ipulledmychairaway

fromthecloudoftestosterone.

Itwasclearthatbarfightswerenotanirregularoccurrence,

itwashandledmerelylikesomeonehadspilledsomething…

‘Cleanupthebodyinaisle5’.

Wecontinuedtodrinktequila,andsing80’sballadsplayedout

ontablesandchairsinthehotelbar.

ItwasamomentthatIhadfantasisedabout;cocktailsand

comradery,mixedwithalittlebitofanarchy.

IwenttobedonmylastnightcompletelysatisfiedthatI’d

embracedthisopportunitytothebestofmyability.Therewere

timesthatIwasalmostbreathless,feelingsooverwhelmedby

responsibilitiesgiventome–timesthatIreallydoubtedmyself.

ThenIkickedmyownassandrememberedwhyIwasthere

andhowbadlyIwantedit.IfIlearnedanythingfromaglam

rocktourit’sthatsometimestherewillbeblood,andsometimes

therewillbeglitter.

To read Hayley’s full two-part story, check out: thedeaddaisies.

com/triple-m-competition-winner-part-one-music-experience-

hayley-may-casey and thedeaddaisies.com/triple-m-competition-

winner-part-2-blood-glitter-glory-hayley-may-casey


P H O T O S : H AY L E Y M AY C A S E Y


Backpackersareadiversebunchofpeopleandcheckingintoanewhostelcanbeanexcitingandsometimesfrighteningexperience,especiallyfortheinexperiencedtraveller.Hostelsareagreatwaytosavesomepreciousdosh,butmoreimportantly,toestablishnewfriendshipsandgaininsightintotheworldaroundus.Recentlyasolotravellermyself,Ifoundhostelstobethebestwaytointeractwithotherlike-mindedpeople,swapstoriesandshakeoffhomesickness.

Butaftercheckinginandoutofover20placesinamatterofmonths,stayinginhostelscanbecomeanexperienceyouwouldrathernotremember.HerearetheeightunspokenrulesofhosteletiquetteIrecommendwillmakeyourdormonebighappyfamily.

1)Beconsiderateforyourfellowbackpackers.Hostelsareasharedspaceinwhicheveryoneneedstogetalong.Avoidtakingupthewholeroomwithyourjunklyingabouteverywhere.Ifsomethingwouldbotheryoupersonally,thinkagainbeforedoingittoothers.

2)Allbackpackersareonauniqueschedule.Somewillwakeupat6am,whilstotherswillsleepwellintotheafternoonafterabignight.Ifyou’reanearlyriser,trytopackeverythingthenightbefore.Nothingismoreannoyingthanwakinguptoanunorganizedtravellertryingtocramalltheirsouvenirsinoneshriveledbag.Crinklyplasticbagsareano-no,theFinalCountdownisnotanappropriatealarmtone,andneitherishittingthesnoozebuttonthreetimesbeforeyoufinallydecidetogetup.

3)Afteratoughdayofmarinatinginseawater,sweatandcoconutoil,nothingismorerewardingthananicelongshowerbeforeabignightout.Butweallwanttolook(and

smell)ourbestwhenwegoout,sopleasebemindfulofthelinetothebathroom.

4)Hostelsareundeniablyaplacewherelibidosrunwildandsomebackpackerswillinevitablyhookupwhilsttravelling.Proceedwithcautionhere.Drapingthesheetsoveryourbunk(ifyou’reonthebottom)isapopulartactic,becausenoteveryoneyou’reroomingwithwillappreciateit.Ifyou’retopbunkanddecidetogetsteamy,justkeepthesoundtoaminimum.Theshowerisalsoagoodalternative.

5)Returningtoyourdormlateatnightandturningonthemainlightsisnotokay.Useyourphonetolightyourpathwhilstpeoplearetryingtosleep.Thatbeingsaid,returningtoyourdormbefore12amisalsonotgreat.Youdidn’tcomehalfwayacrosstheworldtosleep.

6)Loudsnorer?Thinktwiceoratleastconsiderdeclaringitbeforeyoucheckin.Youcouldbesavingyourselffromabunchofgrumpytravellersinthemorning.

7)Bepreparedtoencounteratleastonebackpackerstereotypeduringyourstay.Myfavouriteistheguywhoinsistsonbringinghisguitar(sarcasm).Othersincludethevolunteer‘savetheworld’type,andthehippycouplewhowon’tstoptalkingabouthowmind-blowingIndiais.

8)Perhapsmostimportantly,embracehostelsasbestyoucan.Sayhelloandsharesomestories,asthisisthebestwaytogettoknowsomeone.You’reheretohavefun,meetnewpeople,seesomenewplacesandtrynewthings.Theshowersmaynotalwaysbewarmandthebeersmaynotalwaysbecold,butinmyopinion,there’snobetterwaytotravel.

COLD SHOWERS AND WARM BEERS -HOSTEL ETIQUETTE 101

BY EUAN MALCOLM @euanmalcolm18

I L L U S T R AT I O N : J AYA D E G U R

Travelling the south west coast of Alaska is a glimpse into the expansive, rugged and unforgiving landscape of the largest state in the USA.

Some say beauty takes time, and it seems that’s exactly what our planet had in mind around 150 million years ago, when several tectonic plates slammed together to create one of the unparalleled examples of fearsome beauty on this planet.

Alaska, the largest state of the United States, was purchased from Russia in 1867 for 7.2 million dollars, which works out be around two cents per acre. Many criticised the purchase of the land, as it was though Alaska had nothing to offer; however, the discovery of gold, oil and wild fish quickly earned Alaska the nickname ‘The Last Frontier’.

Undoubtedly a place of extremes, the monolithic mountains rise in a stunningly chaotic fashion, to give way to jagged, groaning glaciers that are constantly carving their way into the Pacific Ocean. The south west coast, that runs adjacent to the Yukon in Canada, is the gateway into this harsh environment that many are proud to call home.

A great deal of Alaska’s 700,000 people live on the south west coast, due to the prosperous fishing industry and the influx of tourists that the coast sees every summer. Flocks of holiday makers come to Alaska on cruise ships, which run up and down the south east coast stopping at a few previously small fishing villages. These have been transformed into tourist hot spots and tacky caricatures of Alaskan culture. Such places are easily avoided though, and travelling just ten minutes away can have you questioning what state you’re in, as it can be possible to not run into another person for miles.

Although it’s about as far away as you can get from the sun bleached beaches and tanned bodies of Australia, familiarity is easier to find in Alaska than I initially thought. The small, tight knit communities and surprisingly laid back and approachable people that populate them, produce an atmosphere similar to that of a quiet, coastal Aussie town. Fishing is the main means for income, and kids are taught how to navigate the Pacific Ocean in search for salmon, halibut and king crab before they enter high school.

While it’s impressive that these communities exist in such an extreme place today, it’s incredibly hard to imagine what life was like for the first human inhabitants, who made their way to Alaska from Siberia around ten thousand years BC. Could it be that whatever drew them to make such a dangerous journey all those years ago, is the exact same thing that still draws people there today? It was worth crossing oceans and braving the unknown back then, and it sure as shit still is today.

A photo essay by Alex Pike

NORTHB U T N O T F O R G O T T E N

The cheapest and most beautiful way to get into Alaska is on board one of the many ferries that run

along the inside passage. Depending on how far north you want to go, the trip can take a few days.

Trees cover the isolated landscape, which is occasionally dotted with a cabin or house. With only 700,00 people in the entire state, Alaska is

mostly raw wilderness and mountains.

A bald eagle dries itself after hunting for fish near Juneau, Alaska. Although a very common sight in

Alaska now, the American icon was almost hunted to extinction in the first half of the 20th century.

Vehicle sized chunks of ice break away from a receding glacier in Glacier Bay National Park, a

process which is called ‘calving’.

Steve Kroschel, owner of the Kroschel Wildlife Centre near Haines, holds up a pine marten on a

tour of his property.

Large colonies of sea lions can be seen along the coast in Glacier Bay National Park. A dominant

male will usually defend a small area on the shoreline to attract more females, all of whom he

will mate with.

Traveling from one place to another is made difficult in Alaska due to the high mountain passes.

Sometimes the most efficient way to travel is behind the hands of the extremely skilled pilots, who have to fly in some of the most testing and

dangerous conditions.

A monolithic mountain rises up from the shoreline in Glacier Bay National Park. Often brown bears

are seen walking close to the water.

Our pilot points out some local wildlife on the mountainside.

There is just over 13,000 square kilometres of ancient, harsh mountains within Glacier Bay

National Park.

The Alaska Highway was constructed during World War II to connect the lower states of the USA to Alaska, through Canada. As a result, one of the most scenic (and sparsely populated) drives in

North America was created.

ANYWHERE BUT HERE

1

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1. Natalie Mclaren - Helicopter Ride over the Grand Canyon.

2. Belinda Quinn - Kathmandu, Nepal. An Isreali nomad lets me paint his face with make-up before we head to a Jewish Halloween party for vodka and dancing.

3. Euan Malcom - Bangkok, Thailand. The street Alex Garland refers to in the first chapter of The Beach and is known for its budget accommodation.

4. Emily Ritchie - My friend Elodie amidst the fog on our climb up Mt Rigi in Luzern, Switzerland.

5. John Glenn Doyle - India, On the overnight train to Mangalore in late December 2012 we came to an abrupt stop. Some loud house music was playing outside in the dark. I pointed my camera out the window to see if I could catch what was going on. After this picture was taken, Santa climbed on board the train and continued to dance until the train began to move again.

6. Natalie Mclaren - Hot air ballooning over the Sonoran Desert, Arizona, USA.

7. Belinda Quinn - Tordi Garth, India. After struggling up steep sand dunes (and watching a woman in tradition Sari dance like a manic to Indian electronic music) we sat down for some Chai tea in the desert.

8. Alexandra Smith - This is a photo of me and my pal having a good ol’chat. He’s just one of the many incredible humans I’ve met on my trips to India. I don’t know if he was quoting Wayne’s World but as I was saying my goodbyes he smiled and said “live in the now”.

9. Emily Ritchie - The view I had from onstage with Belle and Sebastian at the 2013 Zurich Open Air Festival when Stuart Murdoch asked me if I wanted to come up and dance with them!

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T R AV E L P H O T O G R A P H Y50

Soyou’vehadalight-bulbmomentandwanttojetsetsomewherewithnowork,notroublesandmostofallnoworries.You’reworriedthatyoushould’vebookedmonthsagoandarehopingtofindreasonablypricedflightsjustdaysbeforeyouintendontravelling.Forgetworrying,becauseI’vecompiledalltheneed-to-knownumbers,datesandmonthsthatwillmakebookingyournexttripabreeze.

CheapAirspent2013analysingoverfourmillionairlinetrips,andfoundthatthemagicalnumberofdayswhereticketsarecheapest,isactually54daysbeforedeparture.Theysayinordertogetthecheapestticket,youneedtobookalmosttwomonthsinadvance.Whilethewebsitesays54isthemagicnumber,theyadvisethatthebestwindowofopportunityisbetween29and104daysbeforeyoutakeoff.Thiswillallowyoutomakethemostofthecheapestflightsavailable.

Airfarecomparisonwebsite,Skyscanneragrees,withtheirresearchstatingsixweeksprior(42days)todepartureisthe

besttimetobookforoptimumsavings.

Sowhataboutthose‘filltheplane’,last-minuteflights?

AccordingtoCheapAir’sdata,themostexpensiveplane

ticketisusuallythedaybeforetheflight!Theyalso

foundthatdaysleadinguptodeparture,offeredthemost

expensiveplaneticketsavailable.

Wollongongtravelagent,TaylorNashagrees.“Youhaveto

beluckytosnapupalast-minutedeal,”shesays.“Alotof

thetimetheysaytheyaredealsbutonceyouaddontax

andluggageitalladdsup.”

Sonowyouhavethemagicalbookingnumbers,whenis

thebesttimetogo?

Thishastodocompletelywithyourtravelintention,but

belowyou’llfindaroughguideofwhattobook,what

tolookoutforandthemostinterestingglobalfestivities

happeningeachmonthoftheyear!

BREEZY BOOKING – YOUR 12 MONTHGUIDE TO WORLDWIDE TRAVEL

BY CAILIN KRAMER @cailinkramer

I L L U S T R AT I O N S : J E S S N E S B I T T 51

JANUARY

NewYearsDay!Ifyouwanttogetawayfromtheratrace,thenyoushould’ve bookedback in JulyorAugust! If youwait until a fewmonthsbeforeyouheadoff,flightsmaybecheapbutaccommodationwillbeexpensiveandmostofthetime,bookedout.

If youwant to start your year escaping the heat,whynot stay inJapan’sigloovillage?InnorthernJapanLakeShikaribetsuKotaniscompletelyfrozenoverandanigloovillageisbuiltonthelake.The

FEBRUARY

A lot of accommodation is going to be booked out around thesecondweekofFebruary,aslovedupcouplesheadawaytocelebrateValentinesDay.

Anothermajordayon the international calendar isChineseNewYear. For 2015, the year of the sheep commences on the 19thofFebruary, and the year of theMonkey commences February 8th,2016.IfthisissomethingyouwanttoattendIsuggestbookingaboutsixmonthsinadvance.ThesecondhalfofFebruaryisabettertimetotakeanAustraliangetaway.ChildrenwillbebackatschoolandthelinefortheBatmanrideatMovieWorldwon’tbesolong!

Ifyouwouldratherfocusonculturethanthemeparkchaos,India’sHoliFestivaltakesplacetowardstheendofFebruary.Youmayknowthisfestivalasthe‘FestivalofColour’,wherecolourfulchalkisthrownincelebrationofloveandthearrivalofSpring.Theeventstemsfrommany cultural and religious beliefs, and is celebrated across all ofIndiasoyoucancelebrateitatpracticallyanyIndiandestination!

JUNE

June,JulyandAugustareprimeEurotripmonths!IsuggesttakingafewdaystosteerclearofthetypicaltouristdestinationsandexploreTurkey’snaturalwonders.

Hidden in Turkey’s southwest are natural hot springs calledPamukkale,locallyknownas‘cottoncastles’.TaylorNashagreesandsuggestsevenadaytriptothisphenomenonisworththeeffort!

“While you can no longer bath in the pools due to it being aUNESCO*WorldHeritagelistedsite,Pamukkaleissomethingyouhavetoseeforyourowneyes”shesays.

ThesiteisbelievedtohavebeentheancientcityofHierapolisandwhilebathinginthewaterisprohibited,themineralwaterissaidtohavehealingandwellnessabilities.

*UNESCO stands for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organization

APRIL

Bordering the vodka-loving nation of Russia and with a 6amnightclubcurfew,TaylorNashdoesn’tknowwhymanyyoungpeopledon’tconsiderBelaruswhentheyareplanningagetaway.ItscapitalcityofMinsk, isknownfor itsprovocativeandevocativenightlife.TheWorldHealthOrganisation’s heaviest drinking country study,revealedthatBelarustookthetopspotwithitspeopledrinkinganaverageof17.5litresofpurealcoholperyear.“Ifyouandyourfriendsarelookingforagoodnightout,don’tskipBelarus,”saysTaylorNash.“Youmightnotrememberitthenextday,butyouwillthankme.”

AprilisLondon’sshoulderseason.Flightsaretypicallycheaperthistimeofyearandtherearefewertourists.Youcan’tguaranteeahotsummerinLondon,somakethebestofthischeapopportunity.

MAY

BasedonTripAdvisor’s2013study,thecityofMarrakechwasrated#1foritsnightlifeandpublictransport.Marrakech,alsoknownasMarrakesh,isamajorcitysituatedinthenorthwestpartofMorocco.Italsotookhomesecondplaceforthecleanlieststreetsinthesamesurvey.TaylorNashobservesthatMarrakechisagainoftenoverlookedwhen young people are planning a holiday.“Itwas rated numberonefor itsnightlifeandMayis theperfect timetoseethebestofMorocco’sculture,weatherandnightlifecometogether,”shesays.MARCH

IfanAustralian‘schoolies’wasn’tenoughforyou,thenSpringBreakwill definitely provide youwith all the sleepless nights you couldeverwant!MypickforSpringBreakdestinationisFlorida,whereUScollegestudentsflocktotanandparty.AnotherreasontotraveltoFloridaduringMarch,istheMiamiInternationalFilmFestivalandtheUniversalOrlandoMardiGras.

Ifyoustillwanttoenjoythesunandwater,butwanttorelaxratherthandrink,Thailand’ssouth-eastcoastandislandsareMarch’shottestdestination- literally.With temperatures reachingmid 20’s to 30’s,diveintotheGulfofThailandoffKoTaoIslandwithyoursnorkelsand explore the coral reefs. If you’re feeling adventurous book awhalesharkwatchingtour,asMarchandMayareoptimumsightingtimes.

AlphaResortinTomamu,Hokkaido,allowsyoutoenjoylife’scolderluxuriessuchasafullyfurnishedicelodge,icetheatreandevenanicebar.Youwillbelivingandbreathingthecoldinthisepicfrozenvillage-isthereabetterwaytoenjoythecold?

JULY

TheAustralianBureauofStatistics(ABS)statesthat18%ofdeparturesinJulyarepeopleleavingtoexperienceEurope’snorthernsummer.WhiletheMediterraneancoasthasitsperks,TaylorsuggestsvisitingoneofEurope’snativesitestotakeyouofftheordinarytouristpath.

AlthoughDubrovnikhasbeennicknamedthe‘PearloftheAdriatic’anditstourismisbooming,shesuggeststravellingtoCroatia’slargestnationalparktogetaglimpseofwhatthebeautifulcountrysidehastooffer.

PlitviceLakesNationalParkisanUNESCOWorldHeritagelistedsite and its stunning beauty is breathtaking.The site consists of aseriesof16lakesandcostsapproximately$10foradultentry.

IfyouprefertoavoidEuropealltogether,thenhead200km’ssouthofKorea’s capitol,Seoul, to theBoryeongMudFestival.Over2.2millionvisitorsattendedthe2007BoryeongMudFestival,andnextyear its set toattractevenmorefromthe18thtothe27thofJuly.Forthoseofyouwhosawthewordmudandskippedaparagraph,thetruthisthatthemudisactuallygoodforyourskin.Itisrichinmineralsandisusedinthemanufacturingofmanycosmeticproducts(ladies now I have your attention!).The event is more than justfrolickinginthemudthough-jumpingcastles,mudwrestlingandmanyotherfuneventskeepsthisfestivalpartyingforthefull10days!

SEPTEMBER

IfyouarelookingtodoasummerEuropetripnextyear,thisisthetimetobookforoptimumdeals!Getinquickorpaythebigbuckslateron.Contiki,BusAboutandothertourcompaniesreleasetheirdealsandtoursforthefollowingyearinSeptember,andTayloradmitsthatifyouleaveitevenjustafewmonthslonger,you’llbepayingmore.

September isusuallyaccompaniedbyanextremeneedtogetawayandallIcansaytothatisAloha!Hawaii’sAlohaFestivaltakesplaceon every Hawaiian island but kicks off on Oahu in downtownHonolulu.Imagineleis,coconuts,traditionalHawaiiandance,music,andwidegrinned,warmingsmiles.TheweatheriswarmandwithWaikikibeachinthebackgroundyouwillbeexperiencingHawaiiatitsbest!

AUGUST

ManyAmerican hotel rooms are discounted through the end ofAugust,sothisistheperfecttimetobookatriptotheUSA.TravelWriter,MarkHodson says thatwhileAugust is a popular time totravel, ifyouwaituntil theendofAugust, thepricestendtodrop.Tayloragrees,“Augustisourmostpopulartimeintheoffice.Peopleseetheonlinesalesandrushintobook!”

While the United States is heating up, New Zealand’s coldweatherbringsoutthebestathletesintheirannualWinterGames.Internationalandnationalathletescompetefromthe21sttothe30thofAugust,withtheeventconsideredtobeoneofthetopfiveeventsontheinternationalwintersportsstage.Youdon’thavetobeaprotoenjoythewinterseasoninNewZealand,sograbaliftpassandheadtowww.wintergamesnz.kiwitofindoutallthelocationsandevents!

Head’s up!StartthinkingaboutyourNewYearsEve/Dayplans!Itmayseemtooearlytothinkabouttheendoftheyearbutifyoudon’tgetinnowyouwillbekickingyourselfinNovember!

DECEMBER

AccordingtotheABS,Decemberisthemostpopulartravelmonthfor Australian residents, with 13% of all departures leaving thismonth. If youwant to escape the festive season but alsowant toexperiencesomethinguniqueanddifferent,Antarctica is theplaceto go! Experienced traveller,AngelaDavies has travelled to sevencontinentsandover65countries,andstillfirmlystatesthatAntarcticaishermostmemorable.

“Thereisn’tadaythatgoesbywhereIdon’tthinkaboutAntarctica,”shesays.

Sheencouragesallyoungpeopletogettherebeforeglobalwarmingrunsitscourseanditbecomesafadingmemory.

While there is no best time to travel to Antarctica, cruises inDecemberwill showcase some ofMotherNature’smost amazingevents.Thebirthof sealpups,babypenguins andwhalewatchingwillallbehighlightstoremember.

DefinitelyonewhiteChristmastoexperience!

OCTOBER

Whiletheweathermightbecoolingdown,GermanyisknownforitsOctoberfestivities.ButwhatyoumightnotknowaboutOktoberfestcouldsurpriseyou!

Oktoberfest,despiteitsname,beginsinthethirdweekofSeptemberand continues on through to the first Sunday of October. It isconfined to thecityofMunichwhereonly sixbreweries are ableto participate in the celebration.The drinking is combined withtraditionalfestivalactivitiessuchasamusementridesandtraditionalGerman food- amix that youmay think don’t gowell together!However the combination proves popular, because Oktoberfestattractsover sixmillionpeople fromaround theworldeveryyear,andisbothTaylorNash’sandmytoppickforthemonthofOctober!

Remembertowaituntilyouhearthemayorannounce“O’zapftis!”andthenletthefestivitiesbegin!

NOVEMBER

November andDecember areperiods towatchout for schoolies!The crazed teenagers are no longer contained to just the GoldCoast.Australian travelcompany,UnleashedTravel,nowspecify inmanaging trips toother cheapdestinations, such as Indonesia,FijiandVanuatu. If you don’twant to squeeze through themasses ofschooliegenerations,whynotembarkonanAfricanadventure.

NovemberweatherinMauritaniaishotanddry,andperfectforsandduningandcamelriding.ThiscountryissituatedinthewestofNorthAfrica,borderingtheWesternSahara,andishometolargesanddunes.Ifyouneedtogetawayfromtheheat,goforaswimintheAtlanticOceantothewestofthecountry.

Animals Australia - Unleashedhasbeenmygotowebsitefornews

updatesonanimalwelfareforthepastyearandahalf.Itwas

throughthemthatIdiscoveredthatinMaythisyearSTAtravel

stoppedbookingtoursthatinvolvedcruelanimalattractions.It’s

greattoseethatsometravelagenciesaretakingactionagainst

animalcrueltyinthetouristindustry.However,it’snotjustlarge

corporationsthatcanmakeadifferencetothisurgentcause.By

choosingyourtraveloptionswiselyandexploringdifferentcultures

withoutinadvertentlysupportingtheexploitationofanimals,you

canhelpputanendtothissortofprofit-drivencruelty.

SeaWorldisaninternational,lucrativebusiness;theyaremore

interestedintheentertainmentoftheircustomersthanthemental

andphysicalhealthofthemarineanimalstheykeepcaptive.Orca’s,

forexample,arehighlyintelligentandsensitiveanimals.When

theyareintheirnaturalhabitattheyswimlongdistancesandstay

closetotheirfamiliesforlife.ButtheOrca’syouseeperforming

atSeaWorldhavebeenhunteddown,takenawayfromtheirpods

andhousedinapoolthatisonemillionthofthesizeofthearea

thattheywouldusuallyswimthroughinasingleday.Underneath

thefaçadeoffunthatSeaWorldpresentstoitscustomers,Orca’s

sufferseverementalhealthissuesbecauseoftheirenslavement,live

shorterlivesthantheynaturallywould,andaredeniedneedsthat

simplycannotbemetinconfinement.

Insteadoflockingthesebeautifulmarineanimalsupandforcing

themtojumparoundforus,whynotgoandvisitthemintheir

naturalhabitat?Whalewatchingisagreatwaytodiscoverand

appreciatethelifestyleofmarineanimalswithouttakingawaytheir

freedom.Youcanstillseetheseanimalsriseandbreakthroughthe

surfaceofthewater,slaptheirtailsandinteractwithoneanother,

allontheirownaccord.Youmightspotamotherfeedingher

calves,oraplayfulshow-offleapingoutofthewatertosayhello.

Whateverthemarineanimalsaredoingonyourtour,thebestpart

isthatyouknowitwon’tbeaperformance,andyouwillgainan

honestandspirituallyawakeningexperienceoflifeunderthesea.

IfitisatriptoThailandyouareplanning,youmightwantto

reconsiderputtinganelephantrideonyouritinerary.Inmanyof

theprofitbasedbusinessesthatofferelephantrides,theelephants

endurecrueltrainingpracticesandarechainedandconfinedwhen

theyaren’tworking.Druggingiscommonandthehoursofwork

arelong.Calvesareoftenseparatedfromtheirmothersandtheir

lifeexpectancyisreducedtoaslittleasfiveyearsbecauseofstress

andmalnutrition.

Alternativelyyoucanvisitanelephantsanctuaryandshareinall

aspectsoftheelephant’sworld.BoonLottsElephantSanctuary

(BLES)isafamilyrun,non-profitorganisationlocatedinThailand,

whichcaresforrescuedandretiredelephants,andprovidesthem

withasafenaturalenvironment.Thereareplentyofopportunities

toobservetheelephantsinthisindigenoussetting.Youcan

participateinactivitiessuchaswalkingtheelephantstorelease

sites,gatheringtheirfood,hikingalongsidethemandsettingup

campinthemidstofforestland.ByvisitingBLESorotheranimal

sanctuaries,youarecontributingtothewelfareandsustainabilityof

abeautifulspeciesratherthantheirdemise.

RecentlytherehasbeenatrendonTinderwhereguyspose

withtigerstolookbraveandscorethemselvesaswiperight.You

probablyalreadyhaveplentyofideaswhyitisadvisabletoswipe

leftonguyswithtigersintheirprofile,butwhataboutthetourist

attractionitself?Oftenanimalsusedforthesepurposesaretaken

fromthewildandtheirmothersarekilled.Believeitornot,wild

animalsdon’thaveprofilepicturestouphold,andtheydon’tlike

posingforselfiesalldaylong.Oftentheyarechainedupwhenthey

aren’tworking,theirteethareremoved,andtheyaresedatedand

cruellytrainedintocompliance.

Thereareethicalphotographopportunitiesthatyoucansafely

swiperightonafteryou’veswipedlefttothedodgytigerpicture.

Whynotvisitnatureparks,historicalsites,buildingsandthelocal

communitytotakesomesnapsofthecultureyouareexperiencing?

Thesearepartsoftheworldthatareworthcelebratingandwhat’s

more,ananimaldoesn’tneedtobechainedupforyournewprofile

picture.

Nexttimeyougotothelocalrodeoshow,orvisitSpainwhere

bullfightingisatradition,considerthis-IntheSpanish‘Running

oftheBulls’festival,participantsroundupbullsandleadthem

throughthestreetstoabull-ringwheretheyarethenviolently

killed.Thetraditionwascreatedbymenthatprovokedtheir

cattlebyusingfearandexcitementtospeeduptheprocessof

transportingthem.Itturnedintoapopularcompetition,anda

bloodyspectaclewithhorrificconsequencesforthebulls.Thereis

nothingglorifyingorbraveaboutthedeathoftheseanimals.

Bullfighting,rodeosandcockfightinghavebeendefendedas

culturallyimportant.Butthereareplentyofwaystocelebrate

culturewithoutscaringanimalsintorunningorfightingfortheir

lives.ASpanishtown,Mataelpino,hasfoundasolutiontothis

crueltywhilesimultaneouslykeepingwiththeirtradition.Animals

AustraliahasdescribedMataelpino’sfestivalasthe‘Runningof

theBalls’,whereagiant125kgpolystyreneballchasesrunners

downthestreetintoadefunctbull-ring.Thisplayfulandethical

adaptionoftheSpanishtraditionallowsparticipantstohavean

adrenalin-fueledexperiencewithoutterrifyinganybulls.Tourism

hasactuallyincreasedintheareasincethetownstoppedusinglive

bulls.Ifyou’replanningatriptoSpainyoucouldjoinMataelpino

incelebratingthe‘RunningoftheBalls’.

Wearesoluckytobelivinginatimewhereitiseasyto

experiencedifferentpartsoftheworld.However,wemust

rememberthatwesharethisworldwithotherbeings,andthey

havethesamerighttoexploreitaswedo.Nexttimeyouare

planningyourtripaway,pleaseresearchthecountriesyouare

planningtovisittofindoutwhatpotentialanimalissuesyoumight

facethere.Travelkindly,consideryourchoices,andyoucanhelp

makethisworldahappyplaceforeveryonetoexperience.

For more information on Animals Australia - Unleashed, visit

www.unleashed.org.au.

ETHICAL TRAVELBY TILLY KIDD

T H E T R AV E L I S S U E 55I L L U S T R AT I O N : J AYA D E G U R

P H O T O : N I K O L A J S O Z O L I N S

“Oldmateisgoingonanadventure”.Imotionedtowardstheroadatacyclistridingpast,theirbikeloadedwithpanniers.

“That’sthethingwithcycletouringthough,isn’tit?”Craigreplied.“Youcan’talwaystelljustfromlookingifsomeoneisgoingaroundthecountryoronanovernightcampingtrip.”WesateatingatsomepicnictableslookingoutoverLakeTuggerah,onanarrowstripoflandbetweenthelakeandthesea.

MybrothermovedtotheWhitsundaysinthemiddleoflastyear,andIdidn’thavetothinktwiceaboutwhetherit’dbeagoodideatovisitafterunibrokeforthesummer.Aweekspentloungingaround,swimming,andsailingwasaprettygoodoffer.Decidingtogethomebybicyclewassomethingdifferentthough.Nervousaboutgoingalone,Itriedrecruitingfriends,andobviouslyitsoundsfun,buttentativeyesesturnedintodisappointednoswiththerealityoftimeandfinancialcommitments.Bynowthough,Ihadreadenoughstoriesandarticlesofepicjourneysacrosstheglobe(towhichmyadventurewouldpaleincomparison),andwasitchingtogetatasteofit.IboughtaonewaytickettoHamiltonIsland,alongwithsomerackstohelpmecarrygearwhileIrode,atent,andasleepingbag.

Andsoonemorning,asschooliestrickledoutofthenightclubacrossthestreet,Isetoutalone,mybicycleheavyandloadedwithallthethingsIhadimaginedmyselfneedingtoridebacktoSydney.Ofcourse,myneartotallackofexperiencesawmecarryingsomeutterlyuselessitems,likeastove’sfuelbottleforwhichtherewasnostove(ithadbeenconfiscatedattheairport,goodtimes),andutterlylackingsomecrucialitems(i.e.creamforyourbutttopreventsoresthatcanpopupafterspendingendlesssweatyhoursonabicycle).OnlyoncehadIeverridden

morethan60kminaday,andwasnowsettingoutonajourneyofover2000kmhopingtobehomefortheholidays.

Thefirstdaywasdamnhot.RestingunderamangotreeinthemiddleofnowhereIscoffedatmyselfforromanticisingtheideaoftravel.Sure,itwasnicetochillunderamangotreeinthemiddleofnowhere,butIdidn’twanttodoitadinfinitum.Ihadsetmygoalforthatdayasa95kmjauntdowntoCalen,atownIknewnothingaboutotherthanitsbeing95kmfromAirlieBeach.WhenIeventuallymadeitIdidn’tfindalot,butafterchattingtoateacherfromthelocalhighschoolIwasgivenpermissiontousetheschool’sbathrooms,andresolvedtopitchmytentinthefairlyabandonedlookingchurchyard,nextdoor.

There’snotmuchbetweenMackayandRockhamptonbesides300kilometresandalotofsignswarningoffatigueddriversrunningofftheroad.You’reluckytomakeittoaplacewithdrinkingwateravailableafteraday’sriding,andIhadhadpeoplewarnofawholehostofdangers,asmildassunburnbutassinisteraskidnapping,andthewholeWolfCreekexperience,sanscrater.However,despitethestrangerdangeritwasonthislongstretchthatanindistinctfigureontheroadaheadbecameacyclist.IpedalledhardandcaughtuptoCraig,aBritcomingtotheendofayearawayfromhome,andcappingitoffwithsixweeksridingAustralia’seastcoastfromCairnstoSydney,afterbeinginspiredbysomepeoplefromhishometownwhomhe’dmetinVietnam.Theyhadcycledthere.Wemadeittoacampspotfortheeveningandontalkingfurther,discoveredthatwewerebothhopingtoarriveinSydneyaroundthesametime.Realisingwecouldsplitthecostsofcampsitesandotherthings,nottomentionthebenefitsofhavingsomecompany,itseemedtomakesensethatweridetogether.

ON YER BIKE M8


BY NIKOLAJS OZOLIŅŠ

Wefellintoaroutineofthreedaysonthebiketooneortwoday’srest,usuallydecidingonasleepingplaceforthenightoverbreakfast.NowthatIthinkofitthough,Craigwasprobablyalreadyinthisroutineandit’ssomethingIwashelpedintobyridingwithhim,butwebothlearntfromeachotherasthedaysandweekswentby.Idiscoverednewwaystoknowwhatwasaheadthroughthemagicofsmartphones,andCraigsaidhisdietimprovedafterseeinghowIate(I’mvegan!Party!).

Theexperienceofmeetingsomeoneandgoingdirectlyintoarelationshipwhereforamonthyouareconstantlyaroundeachother,takingmostmealstogether,andsometimesspeakingtofewotherpeoplefordaysatatime,wasreallystrange,anditssuddenendonatrainplatforminSydneyleftmewithafeelingthatevennowIcan’treallyexplain.I’mthankfultherewassomeoneIcouldsharetheshittymomentswith,andfranklyhumbledbythefactthatanyonecouldputupwithmeforsolong.

Andhumilityiscrucialfortraveltoo,especiallywhenitcomestobicycletravel.Youcometorealisetherearemanythingsthatcangreatlyimpactyourexperiencebutthatarebeyondyourdirectcontrol,andthatlayersofprivilegeareworkedintotheideassurroundingtravel.Sex,gender,socio-economicstatus,race,beingable-bodiedornot,allthesethingsamongotherscanchangetheexperienceyouhave,andevenyouraccesstotheexperience.ThiswasmadesocleartomeevenbeforeIdepartedthroughlisteningtothestoriesofpeopleverydifferenttome.IrodeasaprivilegedpersonandI’mnotexactlysurehowtoaddressallofthis,butIthinkit’simportanttokeepinmindasyouformrelationships,thatpeople’slivescanbeverydiverseandwildthings.

Anintrinsicdifferencebetweenbicycletravelandothermorecommonformsofgettingabout,isthatittakesalotlonger.Onhighwayswefounditgetsuncomfortabletodomorethan

100kmaday,formorethanafewdays.Althoughthereisasenseofachievementinseeingwhatyourbodycando,backingupa145kmdaywitha160kmday,hadmylegsshakingasIclimbedoffmybikeinBuladelah,cursingtheheadwindthathadpersistedmostoftheday.TheBigBananaistwosoliddaysfromByronBayratherthanafewhours,andallthetypicaltouristmomentsaremuchfurtherapart.Theinbetweentimescanbeprettyamazingthough,andthey’remomentsyouonlyarriveatbybicycle.

Thisisgoingtobecliché,butyou’releftwithnothingtodobutappreciatethesmallthings.Thesewerewhatbicycletravelcametobeaboutforme.ItwaswatchingGameofThroneswitholdbattlerswhiledrinkingbeergiftedoutofsympathy.Itwasturningacorneratthetopofahillandseeingdownhillandflatroads,orthefactthatitonlyeverseemedtorainafterwe’dreachedourdestinationfortheday.ItwascrashingbecauseCraigandIweredeepinconversationonthesideofahighway,payingwaylessattentiontooursurroundingsthanweshouldhavebeen.Itwassleepingintheshadowoffunnyshapedmountains,orcruisingthroughmorningfrosttobewelcomedintothehomesofpeopleIneverknewexisted.Itwasfeelingbrokenandfightingforeveryturnofthecranks,upasteepdirtroadtothetopofamountaininthemorning,andsippingfrostybeersatCapeByronintheafternoon.Itwasridinginonedirectioneverydayandgettingtanlinesonlyononesideofmybody,orgettingnoflattiresthewholetimeexceptforfouronthesecondlastday.Itwasallthechats,directions,andescortsfromfriendlycyclists,nottomentionthegreatfriendImadejustbecauseIwasridingmybike.Andlastly,itwaslookinglikeanidiotwearinglycrashortsandashit-eatinggrininthemiddleofSydney,butfeelingprettychuffed,andthehundredsofthousandsofpeoplegoingabouttheirdaywhohadnoidea.

Thewind’scallingyournameoutinpursuitofforeignlands.Livefreeordrive.


“

“

I rode as a privileged person and I’m not exactly sure how to address all of this, but I think it’s important to keep in mind as you form relationships, that people’s lives can be very diverse and wild things.

P H O T O : N I K O L A J S O Z O L I N S

P H O T O : L A U R A P O L SO N


IshouldhaveknownthatonemeetingwithAyeshaHasanwould

neverbeenoughtimeforhertoshareallofherexperiences.After

herhour-longfascinatingandsurprisinglyfunnypresentationfor

Femsoc’sFreeSchool,theaudiencekeptaskingquestionafter

question.Untilweactuallygotkickedoutoftheclassroom...

Hasanletusintoaworldweknowlittleabout.Aworldthatwe

relyonlinesservedtousinnewspaperstories,orinformationon

televisionandcomputerscreens,tolearnabout.Hasanisafemale

reporterfromPakistan.Aninterestingcombination,considering

Pakistanwasrecentlyvotedastheworld’smostdangerouscountry

forjournalistsandthethirdmostdangerousforwomen.

Despitethedangersofthisrole,Hasanisdeterminedtocreatea

strongfemalepresenceinPakistan’smedialandscape.Shebelieves

womenreportonissueslikewardifferentlytomen,whotendto

focusonviolence,thetechnicalitiesofweapons,andgore.Hasan

preferstolookcloselyatthoseaffectedbysuchconflicts,often

seekingthevoicesthatdonotgetheard:Pakistaniwomen.

ForwomeninPakistan,thefeministstruggleisoneforbasic

humanrightsandrecognition.Hasansaysthereareopportunities

forPakistaniwomenbuttheyalwaysinvolvechallenges.Fromday

one,theyfightforeducation,andtheyfightfortheirrighttowork

laterinlife.

ButwhenHasanoutlinedabriefhistoryofhercountry,Femsoc

presentationattendeeslearntthatitwasn’talwaysthisway.In1983,

PresidentialDictatorMohammedZia-Ul-Haqm,introducedstrict

anddiscriminatorypoliciesagainstwomen.UnderneaththeLaw

ofEvidenceOrder(1984),theEnforcementofHudoodlawstated

thatifawomanisrapedbutcannotproveotherwise,shewillbe

chargedforadultery.In2006,Pakistaniwomengained,asHasan

explains“ahugesighofrelief ”,whenleaderPervesMusharraf

passedtheWomen’sProtectionBillinanattempttoappealthe

ordinances.

Hasanposesaquestiontotheroom:“Couldfeminismbethebest

antidotetothedangerouslyprevalentmalechauvinismingrained

inPakistan’ssociety?”Rightnowthisquestiondoesn’thaveaclear

answer,partlybecausefeminismisverydifferentinourrespective

countries.ButforHasantoidentifyasafeministinherhome

country,shewouldbejudgednegatively.Pakistan’sversionof

feminismisfarfromtoplessprotestslikestheonesfromFEMEN.

Pakistaniwomenaresimplyaskingtobeconsideredhuman

beings.“Womenfromthefirstworldwillneverunderstandwhat

strugglingforbasicrightsislike,”Hasansays.

Whenherdiscussiontransitionsfromilliteracylevelstothe

brutalityofacidattackstheroomtenses.Sheeducatesusonnew

termssuchasVaniandKali.Vanioccurswhenwomenareswapped

foritemssuchaslandtosettleadispute,andKalimeaningblack,

happenswhenawomenisaccusedofbeinginvolvedinanextra-

maritalaffairorconnection.Sheisconsideredastainonsociety,

andisshunnedandbanished.

Thejournalistmentionsstoriesshecoveredthatshatteredher

emotionally,andsaysamajorchallengeistoencouragehersources

totakeactionagainsttheirinjustices.Fewdo.

Hasanalsosaysshediscoverswomen’sdreamswhileinvestigating

andreporting.Butthesearen’tyourtypicalaspirationaldreams.

Theyareinfactnightmares.Onesixty-year-oldwoman,wholost

bothhersonanddaughterinwar,hashadthereoccurringdream

ofrunningandbeingattackedeverynightforthelastsixyears.

Oneparticulararticle,‘AnOpenLettertotheKingdomofSaudi

Arabia’,inspiredHasantomakealistofreasonswhyPakistani

womenwouldnotwanttomarrySaudimen.Thearticleishugely

entertaining,raisingkeyargumentslike“It’s2014,andyoudon’t

letwomenvote”.Itlandedherinhotwater,andshewaseven

bannedfromenteringSaudiArabia.Yet,shesaysshehopestoone

daymakeitthere,justtosay“Hah!Imadeityourcountry!”With

thisthecrowdlaughsandadmiresherdeterminationofspirit.

Thejournalistismindfulthatshedoesnotfullyrepresentall

Pakistaniwomen,becausesheseesherselfasfree.Despitemoving

toAustraliatostartherfamily,shestillwantstobeanadvocate

forthewomenbackathome.Fornow,thatentailswritingabout

themfromafar,statingthathergeneration,“havethepowerofthe

pen.Peoplemightfindussillyandoffensivebutwe’reluckierthan

ourgrandmothers”.

Duringquestiontime,someoneaskshowWesternwomencould

bealliesforfeministjournalistsfromPakistan,andnotspeakfor

them.Hasanrespondssayingshebelievesface-to-faceinteraction

withpeoplefromothercountries,travelling,networkingand

listeningtoothers’first-handexperiencesofwar,areallimportant.

AsAustralianswehavetheabilitytoknowhowpeopleinour

societythinkandthereforewhatwillmakethemlisten.“It’slike

synergy,”Hasansays.“Itreallyhelps.”

To hear more of Hasan’s views on journalism and her advice to

students, see Emily Bennett’s piece on the UOWTV Multimedia

website at uowtvmultimedia.com.

Soon to start a PhD at UOW, Ayesha Hassan spoke to Laura Polson about her experiences as a Pakistani journalist, and issues effecting women in her home country.

A LETHAL COMBINATION BY LAURA POLSON @laura_polson

“Doyouwanttooffsetyourcarbonemissionsfor$1.79?”

Innermonologue:No,Jetstar,Idonotwanttogiveyouanextra

$1.79.I’vejustspentthelasthalf-hourremovingeveryoptional

extrayou’vesignedmeupforsothatmybudgetflightdoesnot

costthreetimesmorethantheadvertisedprice.Thelastthing

Ifeellikedoingisgivingyourmultimillion-dollarcorporation

moreofmymoney.

Foraverylongtime,thiswastheextentofmythoughtsaboutthe

environmentwhenplanningtotravel.Mydesiretotravelfurther,

fasterandmorefrequentlycausedmetocompletelydisregardthe

environmentaldamageIwasdoingintheprocess.

The‘travelbug’isslowlyinfectingusasasociety.Whenwetravel,

weconnectwithasocietalstatussymbolandaningrainedidealof

glamourandworldliness.Astravelbecomescheaper,itbecomes

moreaccessible.Itisnowjustasaccessibletosomeoneona

budgetasitistoawealthyperson.AccordingtotheAustralian

BureauofStatisticsInternationalMovementsReport,8.2million

Australianstraveledoverseasin2012.Thismarksasteepincrease

inthenumberofpeopletravelingoverseas;itwasreportedthat

in2011,7.8millionAustralianstraveledoverseas,andin2002

only3.5millionAustralianstraveledoverseas.Travelhasbecomea

ubiquitouslifestylechoice,andwiththatchoice,lifestylehastaken

precedenceoverenvironmentaljustice.

Theaviationindustryisthefastestgrowingcontributorof

carbondioxideemissions.AreturnflightfromSydneytoHobart

emitsapproximatelyfivetonnesofcarbondioxide.Thisisthe

equivalentofhalfanaveragesperson’sannualcarbonfootprint.

AsanAustralian,almostalltravelwillrequireaflight,withmany

ofthoseflightsbeinglonghaul.Ourlifestylechoicesareactively

contributingtosignificantenvironmentaldamageandclimate

change.Andunfortunately,anoptional$1.72offsetfeeisn’tgoing

tofixthesituation.

Sowhat’sthesolution?Shouldwenevertravelagain?Thereare

wayswecancontinuetotravelbydoingsomindfully.Hereare

three:

1. Reconsider your need for long distance air travel.

Doyoureallyneedtoflytotheothersideoftheworldmultiple

timesayear?Canyourbusinesstravelbeconductedinremote

ways,suchasSkype?Couldyoutakeaholidaytoacloser

location?Therearemanyoptionsforreducingairtravelifwetake

thetimetoconsiderthem.Overlandtraveloptionscanoftenbea

fasterandmuchmoreenvironmentallyfriendlyoption.Traintravel

isafarmoresustainableoption,asisbycar-poolingandbus.Some

peopleevenchoosetotravelbyshipinordertoreducetheir

carbonfootprint.

2. Discover your own backyard. Culturalpressuretoseenew

things,trynewfoodanddiscovernewexperienceshasblinded

manyofusfromdiscoveringthebeautyinourownbackyard.

Australia’svastsizeanddiversitymakesitatraveler’splayground.

Snowymountainstocoralreefs,desertstolushgreenvalleys,

Australiahasaplethoraoftraveloptions.Bytakingaholiday

withinAustralia,wearemorelikelytotraveloverlandoronlyfly

forashortperiodoftime,thereforereducingourcarbonemission

contribution.

3. Fly with sustainably focused airlines.Notallairlines

weremadeequalandsomeairlinesenvironmentalpoliciesare

strongerthanothers.TakeforexampleAirNewZealand,whoare

enhancingtheirfleetswithnewerplanesandbettertechnology,

areimplementingtheuseofsustainablebiofuel,andencouraging

scientificresearchintomoresustainableflyingpractices.Ifyou

conductairlineresearchbeforeyoufly,youareabletogiveyour

hardearneddollarstoanairlinethatyouknowaretryingtohelp,

ratherthanhinder,theenvironmentaltraveleffort.

TO FLY OR NOT TO FLY? BY ZOFIA ZAYONS @zzayons



Haveyoueverheardastudentsay,“Idon’treallywanttotravelthe

world”?It’snosecretthatthemostpassionatetravelersareamong

thosewhothrowcautiontothewindandannounce“I’mgoing

onanadventure!”withoutplanorpurpose.We’reyoung,carefree,

tightonmoney,andtheworldisabigplace-butdoesplanninga

triphinderorhelpus?

Undoubtedly,thelargesttravelconcernforstudentsisbudgeting.

Wewantalltheexperienceswithnoneoftheexpenses,andwho

couldblameus?Withyouthhostels,budgetairlinesandallkinds

ofearlybirddiscountsatourdisposal,it’sexpectedthatwewon’t

havetocompromiseonourideals.Thekey,asmanyempty-

pocketedstudentshavediscovered,isadegreeofforwardplanning.

Whileoninternationalexchange,UniversityofWollongong

studentZofiaZayonstookanumberofsmalltrips,andin

hindsight,shewishesshehadplannedmore.“I’dbookaflight

foramonthlaterandpre-arrangeaccommodation,”shesays,

“butIhadn’tplannedanythingbeforeleavingAustralia,except

gettingtoSweden”.Afterleavingherhomebaseonexchange,

shewasplanningonetotwocountriesahead.“IfIwasinGreece,

Iwasplanninghowtogettothenextcountryandwheretostay.

Nothingwasbooked.”

Ironically,westudentsdesirea‘carefree’andflexibletravel

experience,andaimtoachievethisthroughagenerallackof

planning.Thoughtotalflexibilityisattractivewhentravelling,

Zofiasaysthatforwardthinkingwouldhavepreventedstress

andspending.“Althoughitworkedoutfineintheendand

theflexibilitywasgreat,itwasreallystressfultryingtoenjoy

myholidayonabudgetwhenIknewthatthelongerIputoff

bookingsomething,themoreexpensiveitwouldbecome.”Ifshe

couldchangeanything,shesaysthatshewouldhavehadflights,

trainsandsomeaccommodationbookedinadvance.“Thesewere

thethingsthatbecameexpensivelastminute.Especiallyasit

kickedintopeakseason.”

Mostofusdesiretodo,seeandexploremorethanwhatis

humanlypossible,eventhoughweknowit’snotrealistic.It’seven

lessrealistictosqueezeeverythinginwithoutthinkingaboutthe

logisticsof‘seeingeverything’beforeattemptingit.Zofiashares,

“itwasdifficulttogetfromsomecountriestoothercountriesand

itinvolvedalotofre-workingtheplan.Forexample,whenIwas

intheGreekIslands,mytravelpartnerandIhaddecidedthatwe

wantedtogoCroatianext.Aflightwasgoingtocostus$500.In

theend,wehadtogetaferrytoMykonos,stayanextranight,

flytoGermany,staytwonights,getupat4am,andthenflyto

Croatia.Abitofforwardplanningprobablywouldhaveenabledus

togetmoredirectflightsoravoidthesituationalltogether.”

Althoughforwardplanningishealthyforstresslevelsandbudgets,

itcouldbearguedthattravellingisallaboutfreedomand

adventure.ForgraduateDylanSmith,havingthetripofalifetime

wasaboutfindingtheperfectbalance.Whiletravellinginthe

US,Dylanenjoyedknowinghehadplansinplace,butequally

appreciatedthefreedomofunplanneddays.“Sometimesyou

willfeellikeyou’rejustwastingtimeandnotbeingeffectiveon

unplanneddays,”hesays,“butthat’stherisk.Also,rememberthat

noteverydayisepic.Ifsomethingissurprisinglyepic,juststop.If

somethingisaletdownornotasgoodasanticipated,keepgoing”.

Headvisesthat,“sometimesyou’vejustgottothrowcautionto

thewindandgo‘YOLO’!”

Whenitallboilsdown,besafe,besmartandknowyour

limitations.Ifadventureisyourkeypriority,youmayjusthave

tocompromiseonbudget,andifallelsefails-atleastyouhavea

storytotell.

THE PROS AND CONS OF ‘THE PLAN’BY LAUREN BARRETT @LaurenLjbarrett

P H O T O : A M Y F A I R A L L

IfeveryougettoSouthIndiaandareindesperateneedofserenity,Pondicherryistheplacetogo.AnoldFrenchcolony,thesmallcityhasbecomeahottouristdestinationforIndiansandinternationaltouristsalike.TheFrenchQuarterofthecityboastshundredsofbeautifulcolonialbuildingslickedinboldIndiancoloursandstreetart.It’snotunusualtoseeschoolchildrengracefullyridingbicyclesdownthecobblestonestreets,ormiddleagementakingabreakwithacupofchaiunderoneofthemanybeechtreesthatlinethelaneways.

MyboyfriendandIarrivedinPondicherryafterathreehourbusridewithnoairconditioninginpre-monsoonheat,seatsthatdidn’tfitourlegsandthebiggestripoffbyatuk-tukdriveronourtrip.Mercifullywefoundourselvesinatrulybeautifulplacetostay,atParkGuestHouse.

Asweenteredthebuilding,wefeltasuddenshiftintheair.Withdirt-coveredfaces,disheveledclothesandabundanceofoverweightbags,westraggledintothequiet,coolreceptionroom.Wefeltwehadtowhisper.

Thelocationwasalmostunbelievable.Rightonthewaterfront,itwastheonlyhotelintownonthebeachsideoftheroad.We’devencaughtaglimpseofaflourishinggardenfilledwithgrassandtrees!Realgrass!

Atthefrontdesk,wewereaskedtoreadalistofrulesthatwehadtoagreetobeforemakingabooking.AsthehotelisintendedforthosevisitingtheAshram–areligiousmonasteryinthetown–allguestsmustbemindfuloftheexpectationsoftheHindireligion.Nosmoking,nodrinking,noguestsandacurfewat10:30pm.Noneoftheseseemedtobeaproblem,sowequicklyagreedandarrangedtostayfortwonights.

Westumbledintothebiggestandcleanestroomwe’dstayedinoverthetrip.Notonlywastherealoungeandcoffeetable,butaverandahthatlookedoutoverthelushgardenandontothebreakingwaves.Atonly400rupees,approximately$8eachanight,thedealseemedtoogoodtobetrue.Anditwas.

AfterrejoicinginourfaithintheLonelyPlanetGuide,we

decidedtotakeastrollalongthebeachpromenade.Eachnightbetween6pmand7:30am,theroadthatrunsparalleltothebeachisclosedofftovehicles,andbecomesalivelynightmarketandgeneralhangoutforlocalsandtourists.Withseveralcafesandrestaurantsfacingthewater,itwasagreatplaceto‘peoplewatch’.Wefollowedourtrustedguide-booktoasmallbarwherethebeerwascoldandthecocktailswerecheap.AfterafewtoomanyLongIslandIcedTeasandaquickstumblebacktotheguesthouse,Iwasasleepthesecondmyheadhitthepillow.

Butmynightwasrestless.Tossingandturning,Icouldn’tstopscratchingmyarms,faceandneck.InmysleepystateIdecideditmusthavebeenmosquitoesbitingme,soIpulledthesheetupovermyfacetoprotectmyself.Yetsomehow,thelittlebuggersstillgotthrough.Iwasitchyinthestrangestplaces.Abovemyeyebrows,onmycheeks.

IawokeearlyandmyboyfriendandIdeclaredthatbedbugshadbeenthesourceofourtroubles.Weweren’tparticularlyangry,justitchy,anddecidedtoinformthereceptionistofwhatwe’ddiscovered.Achangeofroomsoratleastanewmattresswassurelynotabigask.

Butoncewhenwebegantopolitelytellthewomenatreceptionabouttheunpleasantsleepwe’dhad,astrangethinghappened.

“No.Wedon’thavebedbugs.Itmusthavebeenants.Ormosquitoes.”

Thatwasit.Nosympathy,nocheckingofourbedsforproof.Justadismissal.Wefoundthisverystrangeaseveryoneelsewe’dencounteredhadbeenoverlyhelpful.WeinsistedthatwehadbitesonourfacesandthatDylanhadevenfoundabuginhissheets.Butshewouldn’tbudge.

Thatnight,wemadeamake-shiftbedoutofthecushionsfromthelounge.Theviewandlocationwerewellworthanightonthefloor.

TheParkGuestHousewasabeautifulandpeacefulplacetostay.Justbeaware:it’smorethanjustthestrictrulesthatwillmakeyouitch.


DON’T JUDGE AN ASHRAM GUEST HOUSE BY ITS GARDEN

BY AMY FAIRALL @AmyEloiseF

ARTS & CULTURE

B E AT E N B O D I E S , P H O T O : T O SC A

Reachingbacktothepioneersofgrooveandcatapultingthemintotoday’srichmusicallandscape,BeatenBodiescombineelementsofjazz,hip-hop,soulandelectronicmusictoforgeasoundthatisforward-thinkingandalltheirown.Thoughtfullyricsinspiredbythehumanspirit,arewoventogetherwithenchantingmelodies.Athree-piecehornsection,ridingfuturebeatsanddeepmulti-layeredgrooves,BeatenBodiesisanexperience.They’reaboutmovingthesoulasmuchastheyareaboutmovingthebody.(DescriptionfromBeatonBeatenBodiesFacebookpage).

InterviewwithNovakManojlovic.

HOW DID BEATEN BODIES COME ABOUT?

ItallbeganwithLiamandMarli,theywereantsytogetsomethingstarted.SoMarlicalledmeupandthenthethreeofusstartedlookingforpeopleweknewthatfilledtheinstrumentationwewanted.Wewerealsothrowingthisbandtogethertoplayatthis21stparty.Afterwedidthatwefeltthattherewasacoolvibegoingon...Sowestartedplayingandwritingourownmusicandyeah,itjustspiralledfromthere.

HOW DID YOU START/END UP IN THIS FORMATION?

Asthesoundchangesinabandyourealisethatyouhavetoalterinstrumentations,andascruelasthisis,altermemberstofitthestyleyouwanttomake.YouknowwhatImean?LikehavinganelectricalguitarintheSydneySympathyOrchestraforinstance,itwouldbeabitweird.Soyeah,we’vehadtoworkthingsoutbychangingsoundsorinstruments.Oursoundprogressedfrombigbeat-swing,feel-good,summerpophits,tomorelikegroovy,darker,hip-hoppy-soulkindofstuff,andsofromthatwerealisedweneededpeopletofitthatsortofsound.

BEATEN BODIES STYLE HAS CHANGED OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS - WHY AND HOW?

Ithinkthesearejustnaturalevolutionsthathappenwhenyou’replayingmusic,westartedwiththisthinginmindthatwejustwantedtogetpeopleonthefloordancing,andforexample,ifwewereplayingatapartywe’dplayallthoseclassiccoversthatpeoplewouldwanttohear…Sothenwestartedtowriteinthatstyle,andthenaftertimeprogressedwekindofhadthisrealisationthatnoneofusactuallylistenedtothatkindofmusic(laughs).Wedecidedtofigureoutwhowealllikedlisteningtoo(ErykahBadu,RobertGlasper,HiatusKaiyote,etc.),andfromtherewestartedtowritemusicthatwasmorelikethosestyles.Itwaskindofaslowtransformation,butthat’skindofhowweendedupwherewearenow,whichIfeelisalotmoresettled.AlsoIguessthethingabouthavingeightpeopleintheband,iswenowhaveallthesedifferentinfluences,cause’we’reallintodifferentthingsandbackgroundsetc.Whichiscool.

DO YOU LOOK AT MUSIC AS SOMETHING YOU’LL BE DOING FOR A LONG TIME?

Yeah,ImeanI’veneverthoughtofitinanyotherway.IjustassumedsinceIwas16yearsoldthatthisiswhatI’lldo.Idofindithardtobalancemusicbeingajobandenjoymentthoughhey.LikeforinstanceImighthavethesetwogigs,I’vegotonethat’sasellout,alsoknownasa‘jobby’,whichcouldjustbeafilthythingthatwedon’twanttodobutneedthemoney,andthenwemightgetthisawesomecreativegigthat’snotpayingmuchbutit’swhatweenjoy...andtryingnottoleantoomucheitherway.Youknow,youhavetopayyourbillsandalsoplaythecreativemusic.Iguesstheultimategoalistopayyourbillswiththecreativemusic.

BEATEN BODIESBY ALEXANDRA SMITH

B A N D I N T E R V I E W68

ARE YOU CONSTANTLY CREATING MUSIC?

Yeah,allthetime.WellIcan’tspeakfortheothers,Idon’treallyknowwhattheirownindividualprocessis,butIdo.Iknowthatintermsofthebandwriting,someonewillhaveanidea,likeastem,whetherit’slikelyricsorchordsandthenwe’llworkshopitforagesanddoafewrehearsalstoglueitalltogether.

HAVE YOU GUYS TOURED A LOT?

Wehave…We’vebeendowntoMelbourneafewtimes,andthroughregionalpartsofVictorialikeMildura.We’vetouredupthecoasttoBrisbane(ohthisismostlybycarbytheway),Sydney,Wollongong,etc.It’soneofthebestpartsofbeinginaband,apaidvacation!

DO YOU GET A LOT OF YOUR INSPIRATION FOR WRITING WHEN TRAVELLING?

Formepersonallyyes.IwenttravellingafewyearsagotoAmericaanditmademeactuallyinvolvemyselfinartasameanstorespondtoallthethingsIsawandexperiencedwhileIwasoverthere…andasaresultofthat,Ihavewrittenalotofmusic.Ithinkmusiciskindofaresultofthislifeprocessofgoingplacesandmeetingpeople,andtalkingaboutthingsandthensortoftryingtoconveythatinthisparticularwaythatspeakstoyou.

HOW DOES MUSIC REFLECT THIS EXPERIENCE?

Thereareheapsofways.Itcouldbereallyliteral,basedonasoundyou’reexposedtoorsomething.Iwrotethisthingbasedonmyringtoneoverthere.Everytimemyphonerung,Iknewitwouldbe‘her’soitwouldbethisemotionalthingfromjusthearingmyphone,soIwrotesomethingbasedonthat.Also

placeshavegeneralvibesthatcouldberelatedtomusic.Evenhere,Thirroul’sagoodexample,ifyouwerewritingsomethingaboutthistownitwouldbereallybeautifulandopen.

HOW HAS THE BANDS RELATIONSHIP EVOLVED OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, ESPECIALLY IN TERMS OF HOW IT IMPACTS THE MUSIC YOU MAKE?

Welltravellingtogetherinsuchatighttight-knitgroupyouwouldhopetogetalong.Ireckonthat’showwestartedtogetcloser...Andwe’vefounditaloteasiertobeopen,whichhastotallybeenreflectedinthemusic,whereasifyou’vegotabandthataren’tcomfortableandprettyself-consciouswithoneanotherthenthereprobablywon’tbeasmuchcreativeopenness.Sonow,afterspendingtimeandtravellingtogether,there’sjustthisrealsenseofopennessthatisreflectedinthemusic.We’reverycomfortabletositdownandtalkhonestlyaboutthingslike,howwecanmakesomethingbetter,orhowcanweconnectmoretothemusicratherthanjustbeeightacquaintanceswhoarejustplayingsometunes.

WHAT NEXT?

We’restillwritingonourEPthatcameoutafewmonthsago,andtherearetravelplans.We’reheadingtoMelbourneinNovember,afewcoastalregionalthings,gigsinSydneyandofcoursethegigattheBulliHeritagehotelonthe23rdofOctober.Thenwe’regoingtospendsometimewritingmusicforanewalbum.Hopefullywe’regoingtotourthatinternationally.

For more information on Beaten Bodies visit their Facebook page.

To listen to their EP head to www.triplejunearthed.com/artist/

beaten-bodies.

B A N D I N T E R V I E W 69

I L L U S T R AT I O N : J A SO N B L O O M F I E L D

A R T I S T P R O F I L E 71

“I think there’s a perception that kids don’t care [about art].

But kids do care.”

Whilemostyearelevenstudentswerespendingtheirtime

freakingoutabouttheirpreliminaryexams,JasonBloomfieldwas

organisinghisveryfirstsoloexhibitioncalled‘It’sOkayToBe

Different’atTheNowYouSeeMeartgalleryinWollongong.

Athisexhibition,thewhitewallsweredecoratedwithpastel

watercoloursofplayfulAfricananimals,likeatwo-dimensional

zoo.Thestylewasminimal,andthecreaturesseemedtospiritedly

demandattention.Acoupleoflightpurplebuffaloswereeven

goingatitinoneoftheframesinthecorneroftheroom.There’s

aredstickerunderneathit,indicatingit’sbeenadmiredand

purchased.

Jasonis17-years-old,astudsitsontheleftsideofhisnoseandhis

blondehairiscombedperfectlytotheright.He’sanenthusiastic

tenniscoach,acreativewriter,acatererandmostimportantly,an

artist.“AtmyschoolIsayeveryonecandoart,Ijusthappentodo

itmorethanotherpeople.”

Whenhighschoolseemstobeameasureofhowmuch

informationyoucanmemoriseandregurgitate,Jasonfeelslikethe

practicalexperienceofrunninghisownexhibitionhasbecome

invaluable.“Art’sbecomeabitmoreofaprioritytomethan

schoolbecausethat’swhatIwanttodo,”hesaid.

“Myarthastakena360degreeturn.”Aboutthreemonths

ago,JasontookatriptoAfricawithhisfamilythatwould

unknowinglychangehisdarkstyleofpaintinganddrawing.

“[Beforethetrip]Iwasjustfrustrated.I’mnotsomeonewho

wouldgoaroundandrant,itgetsinmysubconsciousandIsortof

doitthroughmyart,”hesaid.

Heworkedhardtoportrayanalmost-humancharacterinthe

animalsthathespenthourswatchingintheplains.“They’llchew

atuftofgrasshere,scratchthemselvesthereandambiguously

wonderoffagain.”

AftertravellingthroughZimbabweandBotswana,thelocals

theregavehimalessonthatpresentsitselfinhiswork;happiness

comespredominatelyfromaperson’sperspective.“Thatwasreally

inspirationalforme…Imissiteveryday,”hesaid.Arrivinghome

withachangedattitude,Jasonhasdecidedtoacknowledgehis

privilegesandworkharderthanever.

Thepeopleheworkswith,includingmentorandclosefriend,

TeganRussell,coordinatoroftheNowYouSeeMeGallery,have

alsoinspiredtheplayfulthemeinhisartistpractice.“[Itwasn’t]so

muchbytalking,butbyjustbeingaroundandalwaysencouraging,

andsaying‘justdowhatyouwanttodo’,”hesays.“Iguessthat

reallyhelped.WithoutTegan,noneofthiswouldhavehappened…

she’snotdoingitformoney,she’sdoingitforyou.”

InspirationjusthitsJason.“Sometimesit’llreallycometomeand

belike,thisiswhatIwanttodo…And[then]Ijustholdontoit

andgowithitandthenItryandfinishitstraightaway,”hesaid.

“IfIdon’tIjusthavesomanyworksaccumulateandthatIdon’t

finish.”

Whenhestartspaintinghehasago-tosong:‘2Trees’byFoals.The

smoothsynthdrones,fastdrumbeatsandplucky,metallicsounds

fromanelectricguitarcreatearelaxingatmospheretoworkin.

“Theirsongissomellowandsouplifting,itjustgetsthejuices

going.”Hepreferstoworkinhisstudiobecausehiscave-like

bedroomhasa“badvibe”.Hesaystheatmosphereheworksin

shapeshisart.“I’lldoworkswatchingTVandtheyturnoutreally

goodforsomereason,I’mnotfocusingtoomuchontheworkto

overworkit,whichcanbeagoodthing.”

Sincetheexhibition,Jasonhasbeeninvitedtoworkwith

independentartsorganisation,RAWAxis,andhasbeenforming

afreshconcept.“That’salwaysthehardestpart.Tegan’salways

like“givemesomething”andI’mlike,“Idon’tknow,youdo

something.Idon’tevenknow…”

WhenwetalkaboutmakingartinWollongongandhisfuture,

hethinksbacktohiselevenyearsofplayingtennis:“Greattennis

playerscomeoutofeverywhere.ImeanSamStosurlivedinthe

countryandshe’swonaUSopengrandslam…ifyoureallywant

toachievesomething,itdoesn’tmatterwhereyouareorwhat

you’redoing,you’lldoitifyouwantto.”

You can see more of Jason’s work on his Facebook page: www.

facebook.com/jasonbloomfieldart.

ThisarticlewillbepublishedintheNowYouSeeMeMagazine,

whichisduetobelaunchedonthe12thofDecember.The

magazinewillfeature15localemergingartists,andcanbepre-

[email protected].

ARTIST PROFILE: JASON BLOOMFIELDBY BELINDA QUINN @BelindaQuinn10

AlexPike,atwenty-two-year-oldBiologicalScienceandJournalismstudent,hasaneyeforstrikingimages.Currentlyonexchange,theJervisBaybornartisthasinternedforAustralian Geographic and Green Lifestyle,andisnowtryingtomakeaprofessionintheartandphotojournalismindustry.

Hislandscapephotographsaredefinitelysomeofmyfavourites,butAlex’sportfolioboastsarangeofdifferentsubjects.Andthecommonthemethattiesthemalltogether?Hisstorytellingability.

Whileweonlygetasnippetofnarrativethroughthestillshots,Alexinvitesourimaginationtodotherest.AUScoastguard,handstuckedintohishoodie,standsbesideabrightyellowJeepattheedgeofajetty,watchingtheafternoonwindsrollinandthecloudssweepover.Wollongong’swhitelighthouseprovidesastarkcontrastagainstanauburn,smokysky.Anelderlywomanhugsapelicannexttoariver-bankonawarmAustralianday,andleansawayfromthewrigglingbird’sbeak.

AlexPiketakesusonajourney.Icanfeelthecoldofthewindagainstmyfaceonthatjetty,it’shardertobreatheasIworrywhetherthethicksmokeisfromafireclose-by.ThetidelapsmyfeetandIfeeluneasyworryingwhetherthestrugglingbirdwillknocktheoldladyover.It’sthesestrongnarrativesthatsethimapartfromotherartists.

Inavote,ourcontributor’spickedAlex’sphotoforthisissue’scover.Weagreedthatitconveyedasenseofstrong,free-willedempowerment,perfectfortheTertangala’sTravelIssue.Below,Alexchatswithmeabouthiswork,influencesandaspirations.

WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU DO?

MynameisAlexPike,andI’mastudentattheUniversityofWollongongstudyingJournalismandBiologicalScience.I’m

currentlyonexchangein[the]USAfortheyearinBoulder,Colorado.

WHAT IS YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS?

Iliketotakeamoreobservationalapproachtomyphotography;Idon’tlikeanythingtobestaged,soIgenerallyjustgrabmycameraandseewhathappensfromthere.SometimesImighthavesomethinginmind,butit’smoreimportanttobeawareofanythinginterestingthatcouldpresentitself,andthenreactingtothat.

WHAT TECHNQIUES AND EQUIPMENT DO YOU EMPLOY?

Foralotofmyphotography,especiallyanythingrequiringalongerlens(suchaswildlife),IuseaCanon7Dwitha100-400mmtelephotozoomlens.It’sagoodcombothatisn’ttoohardtotravelwith,andIcouldn’tlivewithoutthehighframespersecondofthe7D.WhenshootinglandscapesIprefertostayawayfromultra-widelenses,duetothedistortiontheycreate.Iusea17-50mmf2.8formostofmylandscapework,pairedwitha10-20mmultrawide.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR MOST RECENT WORK.

RecentlyItravelledtotheSouth-WestcoastofAlaska,andintoCanada.Iputtogetherafewimagesforthephotoessayinthisissue,butIcamebackwithsomanyimages,I’mstillsortingthroughthem.

WHAT UNDELYING CONCEPTS ARE PRESENT IN YOUR WORK?

Ithinkthatdependsonthesituation,andwhatthesubjectis.Thenaturalworld,andhumaninteractionwiththenaturalworld,areconceptsthatIfeelarerepresentedacrossmanyof

A R T I S T I N T E R V I E W72

1 1 Q U I C K Q UE S T I O N S W I T HCOVER ARTIS T ALE X PIKEBY BRITTANY CARTER @_BrittanyCarter

P H O T O BY A L E X P I K E

myimages.Ithinkthatstemsfrommyfascinationwithnaturalhistory.

WHERE DO YOU GAIN INSPIRATION FROM?

I’vealwayslovedbiologyandnaturalhistory,waybeforeIeverpickedupacamera,soIguessthat’swherethefascinationcomesfrom.Ireallylovemountainsaswell,andlivinginColoradohaskindofturnedthatloveintoanobsession.

Ialsogetalotofmyinspirationfromotherphotographers.Seeingtheamazingimagesthatthesepeoplearecreatingalwaysencouragesmetostrivetoreachthatlevel,andthebarisbeingsethigherandhighereachday.

IF YOU WERE LISTENING TO SOMEONE ELSE DESCRIBE YOUR WORK, HOW WOULD YOU LIKE IT TO BE DESCRIBED?

Everyonewantstheirworktobepraised–I’dbelyingifIsaidIdidn’twantpeopletorespectandappreciatemine.IguessIreallywantpeopletobeabletohaveanemotionalconnectionwithmyimages,becauseIthinkthat’sareallyhardthingtoestablish...Itwouldbeprettycooltohearthatpeoplecouldfindthatwithmyimages.

WHAT IMPACT HAS THE WOLLONGONG COMMUNITY HAD ON YOUR ART?

TheimpacttheWollongongcommunityhashadonmyimageshasbeenprettyhuge.Therearesomanylocalphotographerswhoareabsolutelykillingit.Theyaresosupportiveofanyonewhoisintophotography.Itcreatesaprettywelcomingatmosphere.It’salsoinspiringtoseelocalpeoplebesosuccessfulintheircraftandhaveagreattimedoingso,especiallywhenIhopetobedoingsomethingsimilar.

ARE THERE CHANGES OR IMPROVEMENTS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN THE WOLLONGONG ART COMMUNITY?

Althoughthecurrentcommunityisgreat,Ifeellikethere’salwaysroomforimprovement.Itwouldbecooltoseemorevenuesopenup,butIfeellikesinceI’velivedinWollongongthingshavedefinitelyimprovedandwillnodoubtkeepdoingso.Moreyoungprofessionalsfromthecommunityseemtobegettinginvolved,soIthinkthatmakesahugedifference.

WHAT’S THE NEXT STEP IN YOUR CREATIVE JOURNEY?

Theultimategoalistogetintophotojournalism,butnothingisreallysetinconcrete.I’vegotafewgoalstogetmyselfestablished,butonceIgetbackfromtheStatesandgraduate,Iwanttobeprintingmyimagestosell.

IN LIGHT OF THE TRAVEL ISSUE, WHAT’S BEEN YOUR MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT OVERSEAS SO FAR?

MymostmemorablemomentsofarwasprobablydrivingoverthehugemountainssurroundingLAtoseethecityforthefirsttime.Wehadjustdriventwodayssolidthroughthedesert,and‘HotelCalifornia’wasontheradio.DrivingintothiscitythatI’dknownmywholelifebutneverbeentowasprettyamazing,andthecrazyhighmountainsblockedthecityfromourviewsowehadnoideawhenweweregoingtoseeit.DefinitelysomethingthatIwillalwaysremember.

To keep up to date with snapshots from Alex’s travels you can follow him on Instagram: @Mangerang. To view his portfolio and the images alluded to above visit www.alexpikephoto.portfoliobox.me/.

A R T I S T I N T E R V I E W 73

Whilststealth,camouflage,andsabotagearekeytothemasteryofNinjutsu,suchqualitiesarenotsovaluableinfilm,andTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesunfortunatelypossessessuchvalues.Thisnewadditiontothefilmfranchisefailedtoliveuptoourfondchildhoodmemoriesofthefourcrimefighting,pizzaloving,teenageninjaturtles.

ThepremiseofthefilmiskeptverysimpleasShredder(TohoruMasamune)andhissoldiers,knownastheFootClan,terroriseandcontrolNewYorkCity.ThatisuntilbrothersLeonardo(JohnnyKnoxville&PetePloszek),Raphael(AlanRitchson),Michelangelo(NoelFisher)andDonatello(JeremyHoward),risefromthesewerstodiscovertheircallingasTeenageMutantNinjaTurtles.TheturtlesworkwithreporterAprilO’Neil(MeganFox)andcameramanVernFenwick(WillArnett),inordertotryandsavethecityfromthegraspsofShredderandhisarmy.

FansofpreviousTeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesmovies,comics,animation,andvideogames,werecurioustoseeifproducerMichaelBaywouldbeabletocapturetheessenceofthefamousfranchise.Bay’saffectionforaestheticsandtheabsurdoftencomesattheexpenseofthestorylineandanytheatricaldepth. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtleswasimpressivewithitscomputer-generatedconstruction.However,asanticipated,itfailedtoexplorethefinerdetailsoftheplot,wasanchoredbypooracting,andservedupjokesthatfellflat.Thiswasparticularlydisappointingashumourisatrademarkofthefranchise.Ontheactingfront,MeganFoxhasagainprovedhowuninterestingsheis,attimesappearingmorelifelessthantheCGImadeturtles.TheonlyrealactingcreditcangotoWilliamFichtnerasEricSacks,thecultivatorofthemutagenthathasresultedintheTurtlesexistence,whoputsinafirmperformance.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesdidanimpressivejobofsettinguptheoriginsofthestoryline.FromanotableanimatedopeningscenenarratedbySplinter,thefilmcontinuestodelveintothe

originsoftheturtlesandallthecharactersinvolved.Theonlydownsideofthis,isthatthefilmseemstospendalittletoolongonuncoveringquiteasimplebackgroundstory.

WhilstthestrongeraspectsofthefilmcameviatheturtlesandSplinter(TonyShalhoub&DannyWoodburn),sadlythearrayofone-linersfromtheturtlesthatwereintendedtobefunny,werefrequentlynot.Theprotagonistswereoftenpushedtotheside,asthestoryfocusedexcessivelyonApril.Thisdisruptedthefilm,makingitfeelasiftheturtleswerenotthecentralfocus.Animportantcomponentofthefranchiseistherelationshipbetweenthebrothers,especiallyRaphaelandLeonardo.Whilsttherelationshipsandcharacterisationofthebrother’sonthewholewasdonewell,LeonardoandRaphael’sconflictoverleadershipofthegroupwasdevelopedpoorly.Therelationshipbetweenthesetwofeltun-even,asRaphaelattimeswasrepresentedasthemaincharacter.ThisunderminedLeonardo’sleadershipofthegroup,whichunhingedthedynamicbetweenthebrothersanddamagedthestoryline.

Thefilmisdominatedbyactionscenes,butflopswhenitcomestoprovidinganyrealnoteworthyactionmoments.Thesescenesaregenericandboring,untiltheendofthefilmwhereweseetheturtlesfinallyutilisingthefullcapacityoftheirNinjutsuasateamagainstthealmightywrathofShredder.

WithMarvelstudiosraisingthebarofwhatisexpectedwhenitcomestoproducinglargebudgetcomicbookmovieslikeThor and Iron Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesfailedtoliveuptoourexpectationsasitreliessolelyonspecialeffectsandmiscarriesinprovidingawell-roundedfilm.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesdidnotturnouttobethemonumentalbombthatmanyprojectedittobe,nordiditprovideenoughtomakeitanythingremarkable.Insteaditwasasufficienteffort,whichgarneredenoughgoodmomentstomakeitanenjoyablecinematicexperiencethatwillsomewhatpleasesomefansofthefranchise.

RATING: 6/10, GENRE RATING: 6.5/10

BY JOSEF FERRARO AND TRENT THOMAS

NINJA TURTLES REVIEW@JHF1993 @Trent1493

F I L M R E V I E W74

01:55

‘Arriba!Arriba!Vamonos!’shewasscreamingatthedriverashis

turnsbecamemoreandmoreerratic.Wewereallscreamingand

laughingandthedriverwasshouting‘escomolaFormulaOne!

EslaFormulaOne,sísísí!’andwewererollingaroundinthe

backandourvodkaswerespillingonourselvesandAmyinthe

frontkeptscreamingtogofaster.Wegunneditthroughthered

lightsandtorebetweenthewhirlingtaxisandslunginandout

ofroundaboutsandcareenedoverapedestrianislandandAmy’s

headwasrollingbackandherredhairwasfallingoutofitsbun

andourlaughingreverberatedinthelittleshellofthetaxi.The

driverwasdraggingwithothercarsandwewerescreamingfoul

fuckwordsandthrowingourfingersupatthescaredloserswe

werepassing.Thedriverrippedhiscarintoanillegalspaceright

atthedoorsatthefrontoftheclubandwewereshouting‘thank

you’sandscreamingandcheering‘wewon!’andthebouncers

rushedthetaxiandhespedoff.WemadethefreeentrytoLaTres

(02:00),ourdearoldfriendLaTres,byabouttwominutes.We

suckeddownthelastofourvariousmixeddrinksandunspilled

vodkaandburstintotheclubwithfireandenergyandasudden

needtopissverydesperately.

02:10

Wewerestumblingoutofourrespectivebathrooms,idlingwith

thesmokersinthehallway,passingfagsaround,moredrinks–

free-poured,asalways,indearSpain–nowwewerejoiningour

friendswhohadarrivedintheirmuchslowertaxis,andburning

ourfeettotheshitSpanishdanceandnowthingswereblurring

wellandOscarandMarinawerehookingupagain,goddamnit,

andnowIwasbuyingMarinaadrink–orOscarwasbuying

meadrink?AndAmywascominginandoutofvisioninwaves

ofblueandherheadwaslollingonhershouldersasshewas

screaming‘teamo!teamo!’andtryingtokissmeandIwas

brushingheroffandsaying,‘Iloveyoutoo!’

NowthefirewasburningrealgoodandMarvinGarrix’sskeleton

xylophonewastaptaptappinginourskullsandWeAreFucking

Animalsandweareburningourfeetbecausethisisthebestsong

wewillhearallnightandweknowitandnowthingsareareal

blur,andgoddamnit,whereisOscar,hehasslippedout,then

itallblacksout.Ihavevaguememoriesofstumblingalongthe

citystreetsofValenciatohomeandscreamingatpassingcarsin

SpanishandinEnglishandloosingangryfuckwordsbutactually

Iwasveryhappy.

InthemorningIfoundthedrunkenmessagestome:‘wherare

u??’and,god,IknewIhadslippedoutthebackatabout6am,as

wasmydrunkenhabit,walkinghomeandcursingmyfriendsfor

bailingonme,wheninfacttheywerestillintheclub.ThoughI

wasn’tinthemessthatOscarhadfoundhimselfin,thatgoddamn

fool.

11:00

Oscarwokeupaloneinaforeignbedroomandsatup,hisstubbly

facestaringatitselfinafloor-to-ceilingmirror.Hewipedhisface

withcuppedpalmsandtuggedattheearringsinhisleftear.And

then,shit,thiswasMarina’sroom.Whenherelayedthemorning

tomeatourregularcafé,Ithinkheembellishedthathehad

walkedoutofthebedroomtofindthatMarinawassittingina

chairinthemiddleofthelivingroom,lightlytappingheropen

palmwitharolling-pin.But,then,thereisalwaysthechancethat

thiswastrue,withMarina.Shewassittinginthelivingroom,

cleanandfullyclothedandmade-up,onekneefoldedoverthe

other.Oscarwasstandinginfrontofherinhisunderwear.Ihave

caughtOscarintighty-whitiesmorethanonce,god,Ihopehe

waswearingtighty-whities.

‘Oscar.’

‘HelloMarina!’OscarwasspeakingwithhisusualBritishcheer

andcharmbutwassonervousthathewasbackingawayfromhis

wordsashesaidthem(later,hetoldme,‘Iliterallyshatmyself ’).

‘Weneedtotalkaboutourrelationship.’

Apparently,Oscardidn’tmeantodisappearwithMarinain

LaTreslastnight.TherewassomeexchangethatIwasunder

obligationstostophim.Now,sittinginourregularcafétogether,

threedoorsdownfromMarina’s15th-floorapartment,Oscarwas

tellingmehehas:‘lit-er-allynore-coll-ectionofthatevening,’

hesayswithacheekysmirk.Goddamnhislittlecheekysmirk,

hidinginhisstubble.‘Nowshesaysbecausewe’veslepttogether

twice,wemustbeinarelationship.IthoughtIwasgoingtodie

upinthatapartmentJacob.Ithoughtshewasgoingtotiemeto

thechairandbeatmetodeath.’

‘You’reagoddamnfool.’

‘Shutthefuckup,Iknow.’

Wewerepaleandwornaroundtheedgesandweorderedsecond

coffees.‘Anyway,wherewereyoulastnight?Youweremeantto

stopme.IthinkIspent120Euroslastnight.’

‘Shit.’

Thatwasthreenightsinarowwehadblackedoutandblowna

handfulofcash.Worse,isthatitinEuros–anddrunkenEuros

C R E AT I V E W R I T I N G76

AND THE SUN ALSO RISES IN VALENCIABY JAKE EVANS

particularly–itneverfeelslikeyouarespendingthatmuch.And

tonightwewoulddoitagain,excepttonightIwouldaccidentally

smokeabluntwithsomeSpaniardsoutsidetheclub,getway

toohigh,andIwouldspendanhourontheupperfloorstaring

atgymjunkiesthroughgreenlensesandwritingsomeweedy

bullshitaboutgymjunkies.WheneverIgetdrunkandwrite,I

alwaysstartwith:‘writedrunk,editsober’,theoldHemingway

mantra.ExceptsoberJakedoesn’tknowhowtoeditdrunkJake.

Oscarpulledmefrommystupor.

‘Fuck.Marinaismessagingme.I’mnotgonnareply.’

Thenmyphonebuzzed:‘Hey:),wanttogetacoffeethis

afternoon?x’–Enviado13:07

‘Fuck.Tellhermyphoneisbroken,’saysOscar,buthehasahuge

grinonhisface.Helovesthedrama.Andnowhewasalready

ontohisnextgame.LeChasseEstOuverte.Hewaschasing

Özüm,theTurk,thoughnoneofusknewityet,exceptfor

Marinawhowassuspiciousasallhellandsuspiciousofeverygirl

andwhenOscareventuallydidhookupwithÖzüm,Marinaran

aroundscreaming‘Iknewit!Iknewit!Isawitfromthestart!’

Shewasalovely,angryyoungItalian,litheandfamousinasharp

coatanditmademorethanjustOscarwild.HelloMarina,yesI

wouldseeherat17:00,noIhadnotseenOscartoday,butIhave

heardhisphoneisbroken.

Elsewhereinthecamp,AmyhadgonehomewithEmilianothe

ItalianStallionagain,Charlottewastoostonedandhadstayedin

allnight,Eligotgropedinthegayclubandwasfounddrunkenly

humpingacarandweallwereplayingmusicalchairsand

scurryingandswappingbedsinapartmentsallaroundValencia

andfeastingonabeautifulbanquetofforeignmenandwomen.

‘WhydoesElialwayshavetogotothatgayclub?’

‘IguessheprefersthattosleepingwithMarina.’

‘HaHa,fuckyou.’

14:00

Iwenthomeandtriedtokillmyhangoverwithashower.Kate,

Amy,Eloise,Rachelandapizzawerelyingaroundintheliving

room.Theyhadnotleftthecouches,excepttoanswerthedoor

forpizza.MyroommateJoonasdecidedhewascomingout

tonight.‘Wherearewegoing?’Theyaskedeachother.Ijoined

themandtheirpizzaandItoldthemthatOscarwasDJingat

‘Aftershock’or‘Shockwave’,orsomethingdreadfullikethat,some

dodgyjointdowntown.ItmusthavebeencalledAftershock,

becauseitsdemographiccomprisedtheleftovertremorsofa

wastedgenerationofclubbers;churnedupandspatoutbyThe

Scene,butsunktoodeepintoTheScenetoknowhowtoleave–

thoughwedidnotknowthisatthetime.

17:30

IwentandfoundMarinaforacoffee.Shewasdreadfully

hungovertoo,butinagoodmood.Shewasnotthemad-eyed

ItalianthatOscarhadpaintedmethismorning.Inthecaféwe

bothstaredintoourcoffees.

‘Look,Oscarlikesyou.Hedoes.But,we’rehereforsixmonths.

Hedoesn’twantanythingserious.’

‘OscarandIarehereforoneyear.’

‘Still.’

‘Okay.’Shelookedintohercoffee.Itouchedherarm.‘Okay.’

Marinawasquietforawhile,andthenanastygrincurledupon

herface.

‘Say,Jacob,whydidyounevertellmeyoulikedElena?’

‘What?’

‘Well,youknowshebrokeupwithherboyfriend?’

‘Iknow.So?’

‘Ah.’

‘Wait–Marina–didshelikeme?’

‘Ah.’

‘Marina!’

Shedidherlittlegrinandherteasing‘ha!’and‘ah!’andweperked

upandresolvedtogetdrunkat23:00.

23:00

Thelivingroomwasroaringandwewerepullingdifferent

drinksfromourtableofSinandSqualorandspreadingaround

spiritsandglasses,spillingredwineacrossthefloor,workingit

intothedustbeneathourfeet.TheFrenchboyswereonthe

balconysmokingwithElenathetallItalianandtheGermans

wereinsidewithusdrinking.theBritishboys,Oscar,Dan,Chris,

cameverylateafterswearingtheywouldn’tcomeatallandthen

wealldrankuntilitwasreallytoolateandohnoOscarwas

meanttobeplayingandohshitwebettergo.Wepiledintothe

taxisandAmywasscreamingagaintogofasterbutthedriverwas

anoldSpanishmaninaniceshirtandcoatandherefused

tospeakwithus.

C R E AT I V E W R I T I N G 77

03:10

NowwewereinseedydowntownValenciainabackstreetnot

farfromthecentreoftown,butfarenoughintotheindustrial

areatobeunkindandstrangetous.Istumbledfromthegroup

andstruckaconversationwithagroupofSpaniardsandwe

passedaroundspliffs,thoughtherewereprobablyenoughmoving

aroundthecircleforustojusteachholdourownbutitwas

communityanditwasdumbandfun,andinSpaintheylovea

dumbandfunAustralian–oncetheyknowyouaren’tAmerican

orEnglish.God,everyonelovesAustralians.AndtheAustralians

werefriendlyandfunandweknewhowtoparty.

Thenwehadtroublewiththebouncerbecauseyouhadtobe21

toenterthisclub,andafewofuswerejustshy,myselfincluded.

fornorealreasontheyletusthroughanyway.Ah,theSpanish.

Themostsubjectivesecurityandbureaucracyyoucanfind–pray

thatyouhaveakindface.

WellIwasinside,butIwasrealhighnow,andthelightswere

burning.SoIhidintheupstairsbarandgawpedatthestrange

andshortgymjunkies,likeItoldyou.IwishicouldsharewhatI

wrotethatnightbutthephoneburnedoutandIlosteverything.

Pliedwithafewmoredrinks,andafewmoredrinks,Ieventually

camebackdown,physicallyandmetaphysically,andjoinedour

group.Theywerescreamingandcheeringbecausetheyhad

countedmelostintherejectedcrowdsoutside,andnowtopless

menwearingchickenmasksandlionmasksstompedonthe

stagesaboveus,flexingatthecrowdandblaringtheirairhorns

wapwapwapwaaaaapandnowRobinThickewasspinningand

itspunthreetimesthatnightandwewereallflushingandhot

anddrunkasshit.IwasstillhighenoughtofindmyFinnish

roommateJoonas’dancingabsolutelyfan-fucking-tasticandIwas

bentoverandlaughingandclappinghimon(haveyoueverseen

aFinnishpersondance?)Thenthewhirlingcoloursbeganand

SummertimeSadnesswarbledinandoutwiththeairhornsand

theclashing808sandwewereraisingourhandsandscreaming

asLanawasmourninginherodetous–Oh,MyGod,IFeel

ItInTheAir–andourfeetwereburningandOscarandIwere

playingthedevils-on-each-other’s-shoulders.Theangelslong

agopoisonedanddeadinthegutterfromthelongtoxicnights.

Burnedoutofus.Wewerefightingtheclock,andbeautiful

tattooedLindatheGermanwasdancingandgrapplingwiththe

crowd,OscarwaswaftingintheairofÖzüm,Marinawaseyeing

themfromherdarkcorner,TheFrencharrivedwithElenaat5,

andCharlottewastoostonedtoevershowatall,orwasItoo

stonedtonoticethatshewasthere?

IKnowIfIGo,I’llDieHappyTonight–Thefloorswererocking

withourburningfeetandwewerefallinginandoutofeach

otherinwavesandIcouldseeeveryonepulsingandpulsating

inthegreenlightandOscarwithhischeekysmilethroughthe

stubblewasleaningintoÖzüm’searandshewasclosinghereyes

inpleasureandthehorribleghostoftomorrowseemedfaraway

asweclickedandravedandthrashedinthewaningevening.

I L L U S T R AT I O N : M I L O K E L LY78

“Womanleftitontheseat,

Icalledouttoher,

shecameback.”

“OnceIfoundapurse,

onlytookthecash,

thengaveittothecops.”

“Theyshouldknow

itcouldofbeenworse,

ofcourse,thesenewcards,youcan

getoutahundred,noPIN.”

“I’vebin

ravinghungryallday.”

“Mikewasstarved

gettingoffit.”

“Like,allthetime?”

“Prettymuch.”

WepassColes.

“Geez,thatyacht’sspeedingalong.”

“Neverknewthey

couldgothatfast.”

“Hearthatbastard’sinplaster?

Goneandcrackedhalfhisribs.”

“Dotheyknowwhodidit?”

“Well,we’dallliketobiffhim,

dunnowhythatKassie

stillwantstobewithhim.”

“She’sscared.

RememberinAprilshe’d

bruisedhalfherface?

Showedupintearsand

pyjamasatmyplace–

shetoldthenurses

she’dfelldownthestairs.”

“Wellwhatscares

meis,whenIgothomeonbail

he’dpinchedallmystuff!”

“It’srough,

but.Itookherameal,

I’mnotmuchofacook–

justpastaprettymuch.”

“Look,shutupabouteating,

I’mstarving,love.”

ON THE BUSBY JEMMA PAYNE

P O E M S 79

MoreoftenthannotIkeepsilent,strugglingtountanglethemeaningfrommywords.Idon’tknowhowtoputitsometimes…‘Meaningisamandarin?Discardfromthefleshthepeeledskinandeitherword,ormeaning,ismadeintowaste.’Thatmetaphormadenosense…

IfeelasifI’mmissingsomeothersenseeveryoneelsehas,butwhichformeissilent,uselessandshrivelledlikeanappendix.Whatawaste.Forahuman,ourgreatestweaponsarewords,soshouldIjustgiveupandchokemyselfwiththeskinofamandarin?

Theskinisuseless,anyway.Whatapoeticmandarin.Howcancreationismmakeanysensewhenthereisthatkindofwaste?Ifeverythingisthereforushumans,whatuseisthatroughskin?…WhatamItalkingabout?Letme,foramoment,thinkandbesilent,andgatherupmywords,ratherthansetmybreathtowaste.

Infact,hasallthistimebeenawaste?WhydidIsay‘waste’twice?AndwhythefuckdoIwanttosay‘mandarin’?Ican’tcontrolmywords!Icanfeelsomething.SomethingIsensesomethinginsideme,speakingthroughmewhileremainingsilent.Oh,God.It’sinsidemyskin!

Wait….think.WhyamIrepeatingwords?There’sapattern.Skin.There!TwiceIsaidskin!Firstrepetitionwas‘sense’and‘mandarin’,thencame‘waste’What’stheorder?Letmethink,letmebequietforasinglemoment…SILENT!…Oh,God…Iknowapersonwhospeaks….Mandarin?No,no,no,Idon’t!Idon’tknowanyonewhospeaksMandarin!HaveIlostmysense––es?It’sallmangled!What’smanglingmywords?

Orwho?Who’sdoingthis!?AmIpossessedbythoserepeating(no,don’tsayit)words!Ah,no,no,no.Please,I’mstillaperson!Look,IbleedwhenIclawmyskin!WhathappenswhenIrepeatallthewords?Isense…willIdie?Whathappensattheend?AmIthewords’waste?Likea…no,likea,no,no,no,please,stop…likeamandarin?No,please,don’tpleasedon’tletmedie,Idon’twanttobeforeversilent.

Thatwassix?Don’tsaysilen-please,Icandoit…say,‘Words!’…Hah!Or‘Waste!’Ha,ohthankfuck.Ah,myvoiceisroughastheskinofamandarin.Well,it’snotideal,butIbrokethecycle.Imightbeabletocontrolmyownself.Avoidfallingsilent.

SESTINA – A HORRORBY DISAPOL SAVETSILA

P O E M S80

Atrainstationatnight. Darkobviously. Empty,mostly. Thebusislate,studentsarewaiting. Theticketwindowisclosed.

Shoulders.Hunched.It’scoldoutside.

Eyeliner. Sharpenedtoapoint;thewingscurledaroundtheeyelids.

Keys. Buriedinafist,theserratededgechaffingtheknuckle. AJapanesesouvenirandaUSBonalanyardjangle. Thepalmissweating.

Aphone. Foldedintothepocketofahandbag. Untouched,inpreparation.

Hair. Red,longish,tangled.Conditionerresiduebuiltuponthescalp. Splitends.Aponytail,removed. Hairscaughtinaraggedytie,haircaughtonacollar.

ReadersDigest. Readthreeyearsagowhichexplained whatconvictedrapistslookforinwomen; distractedwomen, unawarewomen, womenwithponytailstograbonto. Womenatnight,womenalone. Oneinsixhavebeenraped.

ZOOWeekly. Readtwoyearsago. Thereisamansomewherewhobelieves thatthepossibilityofmurderbringsacertainfrissiontothebedroom.Thereisamansomewherewhobelievesgirlsarelikeplasticine: ifyouwarmthemup,youcandoanythingyouwantwiththem.Thestatisticsaren’tclear;howmanyarerapists?

Men.Twenty-twoofthem.Aretheygettingoffatthisstation,orthenext? Aretheytheexceptiontotherule?Oneofthemsmiles:histeetharejagged.

Women. Eightofthem. Womenwithponytails,womenwithphones,womenlikeplasticine. Womenlikelabels:survivor,victim,theluckyexemption.

Aseriesofclosecalls. Luckysofar:yellingoutcarwindows, ahandwhichreachedbeneathaskirtonaschoolbus, amontageofmeninclubswithwanderinghands,anex-boyfriendwhoheldhertootightlyduringarguments. Isthislucky?

ChannelTen. JillMeagher’sfaceonrepeat. ThepeoplemarchinMelbourne. CCTVfootage:awomanalone. Awomanlikeyou.

AnAmericanSenator.Hesaid:Somegirlsrapesoeasy. Howclearwasherno? Didanyoneseeherencouraginghim? Inanoutfitlikethat,onanightlikethis, howsurecananyonebethatshedidn’tencouragehim?Whatisconsent,exactly?

Blurredlines. Playingonrepeat,slidingintocourts; coilingaroundthethroatsofteenageboys. Playinginclubs,pouredintovodkaraspberriesandTooheysNew, slippingpastthetongue,showingthroughthegapsintheteeth. Thickeframedbyhashtagstellingatoplessmodel he’llgivehersomethingbigenoughtotearherassintwo.

Thegirlbesideher. Relaxed,hairtiedback,texting,earphonesin. Oneofthemknowshowtomakesuretheydon’tgetraped. Atleast,oneofthemknowshowtomakesuretheyrapetheothergirl. Iguesssomegirlsdorapeeasy.

Atrain.Itsdoorsslideopen.

A TRAIN STATION AT NIGHTBY ASHLEIGH MOUNSER

P O E M S 81

L O C A L P R O F I L E 83

AgroupofSESvolunteerswalkintoSouvaKingandbefore

theycansayaword,Frank’sshoutingouttheirorderstohis

staff:‘Andextrajalapenosforthisyoungman.’Hefinishes

theorder,‘Grabaseatboys.’Theylaughandpullafew

flimsy,metalchairsaroundatable.

“InMelbourne,I’dknowatleast100people’sorders,butI

don’tknowtheirnames.Iknowpeoplebywhattheyeat…

Peopleappreciatethat,becauseitshowsthatyoucarefor

them.They’llcomein,we’llhavealaugh,they’llbelike,

‘thatboyknowseverything’.”

FrankKaadanistheproudownerofWollongong’sSouva

King,abusinessthatspecialisesinsouvlakia,aGreekdish

growinginpopularityinAustraliasincethe90s.Theword

souvlakicomesfromtheGreekwordsouvla,meaning

‘skewer’andfeaturesgrilledvegetablesandmeat,served

inpitabread,oronaskewerorplate,withgarnishesand

sauces.

Apro-tipforgettingonFrank’sgoodside(andimproving

yourchancesofreceivingahandoutofdeliciouslamb),steer

clearofthe‘Kebab’word.

“Youjustsworeatmebysayingthek-word,”hesays.

“[Kebabshops]useour[Greek]pitabreads,theflatpitas…

theyshouldbeusingtheirownbread.They’vegota

beautifulTurkishbread.”Hebelievesaround90percentof

Turkish-Australianworkersuseprocessedmeat,mixedwith

herbs,oilsandtomatopaste.“Theypumpitoutofatube,

putitonastick,andtheyfreezeit,becauseitwon’tstick

togetherotherwise…YouTube:‘Howtheymakekebabmeat.’

Idon’tthinkyou’lleatoneagain.”

Souvlakiaismadefrom100%purelambandiscookedona

horizontalspit.Therearezucchiniandchickpeavegetarian

options,andtheshopalsoprovidessweetMediterranean

treatslikeBaklava,asweetpastrythatissoaked,layer-by-

layerinsugarysyrupandfilledwithcrummynuts.

Frank’sfriendlyattitudepresentsitselfinthebusinesses

Facebookpage,whichlookslikeadrunkandhungry

versionof‘HumansofWollongong’.Hisfavouritecustomers

holdtheirSouvlakiuptothecamera,andarethenuploaded

withhisowncommentary.Oneofthesephotosshowsa

womansmiling,whileFrankwrites:“Inherhandisthe

famoustrophyforherotherhalfkickingbackonthecouch.

Legendarystuff,marriagematerial.”

In-betweenbitesofvegemitetoastinhislunchbreak,Frank

talksabouthowhegrewupinWollongong.Hewasjust

twoyearsoldwhenhisfathermigratedfromLebanonto

workforthesteelworksandhisearlyyearswerespentlazing

aroundWollongong’sbeaches.Asateenager,hehungout

onthestreetsofMelbournesoakingupthediverseculture,

cuisineandgainingapassionforfootyalongtheway.

“There’stwothingsinAustralia:there’stheAFLandthereis

CollingwoodFootballClub.Nothingelseexists…norugby,

nosoccer,justAFL.”Theshopisdecoratedwithvarious

NRLparaphernalia,aswellaspostersofemergingAussie

bandsandfestivals.

Frankbecomesanimatedandimpassionedwhenthefuture

ofWollongongismentioned,saying,“Whatyearisit,2014?

Wellrightnowit’sthe1980sor1970sinWollongong.The

peoplearemovingforwardandalotofthelocalbusinesses

aremovingforward,butthecouncilandasmallerminority

ofthecommunityareholdingthemback.”

HesaysplaceslikeHisBoyElroy,LittlePrince,Dagwood,

RadBarandartsvenuesarethefutureforre-energising

Wollongong.“[In]barcultureinMelbourne,peopledon’t

getdrunk...Theysocialise,theymeetfriends,they’llhave

twoorthreedrinks.”Buthebelievesthebarsarecopping

it.“Iftheystayopenpast12theygethitwiththesemassive

fines,we’renottalkingabout100or200.It’sinthe

thousands.”Hesaysthemessagethepolice,thecouncilanda

portionoftheolderpopulationaresendingtotheyouthof

Wollongongis:“Youcan’tgoout,you’vegottogotobed.”

Frank’sspentthelast20yearsrefininghisskillsasa

Mediterraneancuisinechef,returningtoWollongongtwo

yearsagowithhiswifeandsevenkids.Hesays,“Mylovely

wifewantsbabynumbereightbytheway,”andhiswife

laughs“no,no…I’mlookingtofindhimanewwifeifyou

knowanyone.”Hedescribesherasacrackupandlovesher

abilitytopulloutwittyone-liners.

PROFILE FEATURE: AIN’T NOTHING BUT A KING

BY BELINDA QUINN @BelindaQuinn10

I L L U S T R AT I O N : J AYA D E G U R

Frankoftenworkstwotothreejobstosupporthisfamily.

“You’reonyourfeet15hours,16hoursaday,minimum.

Minimum.Andyou’vegottotreateverysinglecustomerthe

same.Soyou’realwayson,alwaysalert.”

ThesecondmostimportantthinginFrank’slife,after

hisfamily,ishisreligion:Islam.Hisreligionisamajor

influenceintohowherunshisbusinessandhowhetreats

hisemployees.“Youcan’tlie,youcan’tsteal,youcan’tcheat.

You’vegottobegoodtoyourneighbours.”AllofSouva

King’sfoodisHalãlcertified.“AsMuslims,andevenJewish

people(theycalltheirfoodKosher,wecallourfoodHalãl)

themeathastobeslaughteredproperly,soitcan’tbekilled

inhumanly.”Halãlmeanspermittedorlawful,sohalãlfoods

areanyfoodsthatarepermittedtoeatunderIslamicSharia

Law.WhilesomefoodcanbeforbiddeninIslam,according

toIslamiclawit’shalãltoconsumeitemsthatwould

otherwisebeconsideredharam(forbidden)ifitisamatter

ofsurvival.

Franksaysthatinthehalãlway,theanimalisfacedtowards

Meccaandis“killedwithonecleanslit.Theknifehastobe

supersharpsotheanimaldoesn’tfeelanypain.We’vegot

tosay,‘Bismillah’,‘mayGodacceptourmeat.’”Thebloodis

drainedfromtheanimal,Franksays,“[if]theanimaldoesn’t

bleedout,it’sbadforya!”

Islambecamemoreimportanttohimfouryearsagowhen

hetravelledtoLebanonwithhisfamily.Whileoverthere,

theydecidedtodoHajj,anannualIslamicpilgrimageto

Mecca,SaudiArabia.Hajjisundertakenatleastonceinan

adultMuslimslifetime(iftheyarefinanciallyandphysically

capableofdoingso).

“Itwasjustamazing,itblewmeaway.Justtoseetheblack

stone,theMeccathatyouseeonTV,andtofeelitandIwas

justlike‘woah’.”Hedescribestheexperienceasifhewas

feelingaforce.“Thepressureofthethingthatwascoming

offofitandyoufeltit!Ifeltthat,youcan’tdescribeit.My

kidsfeltitandnowwewanttogonextyear.”

“EveryonesaysIslam’sterrorism,it’snot.Todohajj,youcan’thaveanenemy.”Hesaysallofhisargumentshadtoberesolvedandforgivenbeforehecoulddohajj.“Ifyou’vehadanargumentwithyourneighbourorsomeoneatyourwork,you’vegottoaskthemforforgiveness.Andifyouoweanybodymoney,youcan’tgodoHajjunlessyoupayallyourdebtsoff.”Hesaysthisincludesmakingsureyou’vepayedoffyourhomeloan,includinginterest.

“I’mnotoneofthemguys,thatyouknow,youseeonTVandyouhearaboutextremism…You’vegot1.6billionpeoplethatareIslam[ic].Maybe100,500thousand,maybe1million,maybe5million…areinvolvedinextremism.”ThemisrepresentationofIslambeingsynonymouswithterrorismbymediasensationalistsandshockjockshasraisedseriousconcernsforFrank,andheadmitstoexperiencingdailyoccurrencesofracism.

Hisnextcomment,whichaimstoreassure,isinsteadshocking:“Idon’tkillpeople.”It’sasifhe’shadtoexplainthisbeforetopeoplewhohavemisunderstoodhisfaith.“IfyoureadwhatIslamisintheKoran,[it’s]nothinglikewhatyouseeonTV…youprayfivetimesaday,youfast,youdoRamadan.”HesaysthatwhenpeopletrustthemediassensationalistrepresentationofIslam,itfurthersthealienationofhim,hisfamilyandtheMuslimcommunity.“Myfamilyandotherpeoples’famil[ies]arejustpracticingtheirreligion,theydon’tharmanyone.”

WhenaskedwhyIslamissoimportanttohimhesays,it“connectsmetoGodandmybeliefs…Noonelivesforever,that’showIlookatit.Everyone’sgoingtodieoneday.”

ThisappreciationforlifecomesthroughinhisworkethicatSouvaKing.Hesays,“Ifyoudon’tlovewhatyoudo,then

whydoit?”

“

“

The misrepresentation of Islam being synonymous with terrorism by media sensationalists and shock jocks has raised serious concerns for Frank, and he admits to experiencing regular occurrences of racism.

L O C A L P R O F I L E84

P H O T O : B E L I N D A Q U I N NSO U VA K I N G , F R A N K K A A D A N

N O V E M B E R

D E C E M B E R

Saturday 1st BRASS AT THE PROMS Illawarra Performing Arts Centre, Tickets: $22

Sunday 2nd THELMA PLUMB // SUPPORTS TBA Anita’s Theatre, Tickets Presale: $15+bf, Door: $20

Sunday 9th MORE THAN LIFE (UK) // PERSPECTIVES // SUPPORTS TBA RAD, Tickets Presale: $20+bf, Door: $25

Friday 14th DRUNK MUMS // SUPPORTS TBA RAD, Tickets Presale: $12+bf, Door: $15

Saturday 15th DUSKY AND DEJA VU Grand Hotel, Tickets: TBA

Sunday 16th LITTLE MAY // WINTERBOURNE // SUPPORTS TBA RAD, Tickets Presale: $12+bf, Door: $15 Or buy the EP + Ticket bundle for $18.95+bf

Saturday 22nd KALEIDOSCOPE 100TH SHOW // HOON // SCUMM // HOCKEY DAD DJ’S RAD, Tickets Presale: $10+bf, Door: $15, Ticket & Shirt: $25+bf

Saturday 29th JAKOB (NZ) // SUPPORTS TBA RAD, Tickets Presale: $20+bf, Door: $25

GIG GUIDETHANKS TO ALEXANDRA SMITH

Monday 1st THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS Wollongong Town Hall, Tickets: $26

Thursday 4th STEVE SMYTH // SUPPORTS TBA Anitas Theatre, Tickets Presale: $12+bf, Door: $15

Monday 8th FULL OF HELL (US) // MACHINA GENOVA // SNAKES GET BAD PRESS // HOME BURIAL // F.U.K RAD, Tickets Presale: $12+bf, Door: $15

Sunday 14th JACK CARTY Bulli Heritage Hotel, Tickets: $15

G I G G U I D E86

OVER THE YEAR THE TERT HAS BEEN CONNECTED WITH SOME INCREDIBLY

CREATIVE FOLK.

IF YOU’RE LOOKING TO COMMISSION AN ARTIST, THE BELOW CAN CRAFT

OUT CREATIVE WORK, WHILE WORKING TO A T IGHT DEADLINE :

JESS NESBITT behance.net/jessnesbitt [email protected]

ERIN DIXON behance.net/erin_dixon

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

LAUREN WEBB-JONES simplysweetstuff.wordpress.com [email protected]

MILO KELLY [email protected]

SPARROW HOMES cargocollective/bysparrow [email protected]

LEAH JANE leahjeane.com [email protected]

STEPHANIE KINSTLER loveatrainwreck.bigcartel.com

JAYA DEGUR jayadegur.com [email protected] Jayadegur

ARTISTS

GRACE POGONOSKI gracepogonoski.wix.com/photography

MOSTAFAR AZIZPOUR Mostafa Photography

ALEX PIKE alexpikephoto.portfoliobox.me

CHRISTOPHER FRAPE Chris Frape Photo

BRETT RANDALL brettrandal.net

ZK PHOTO ZKphoto.org

PHOTOGRAPHERS

FEATURED CREATIVES

JESS COCHRANE oncetwiceblog.com

REBECCA HURD rebeccahurd.com.au [email protected]

JOEL TONKS joeltonks.com

ZACHARY BENNETT-BROOK www.saltwaterdreamtime.com Saltwater Dreamtime

TEGAN RUSSEL nowyouseemegallery.com Now You See Me artbytegan

JESSE WAKENSHAW Artist Jesse Wakenshaw

JASON BLOOMFIELD Jason Bloomfield Art

OUR CREATIVES

The Tertangala Issue Six, The Travel Issue

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