I have always been intrigued by people who choose long or complicated commutes to work. When I lived in France I commuted on a packed urban train for what should have been 45 minutes but door to door was more like 90+, including time spent waiting at cold and over-crowed metro platforms. It was a battlefield to force myself onto the train and I am surprised I didn’t lose a limb to the doors, fighting the masses to climb aboard…
I really do not understand why so many people this summer have assumed I am Australian. It’s one thing to be unsure and ask, it’s even ok to guess and get it wrong but why do people insist on making casual references to Australia in conversation, leaving me utterly confused and feeling as though I have to almost apologise to them for the fact that they have jumped to the wrong conclusion? One such offender decided to strike up conversation with me…
Last weekend was Labour day weekend, marking the end of the summer holiday season and the last long weekend before the hard labour really begins. I’ll be cutting back my hotel hours and spending many of my days supply-teaching in the local schools. With the extra day off this weekend my brother and his girlfriend decided to do as the Mainland West-Coast locals do and hop on a ferry across to the island for some family time, although I’m convinced…
A Postal Project For many years I have enjoyed the art of letter writing to keep in touch with friends back home while I am living abroad, or to maintain contact with new friends I have met on my travels. In today’s uber connected world I find the instantaneity of email, text, messenger, snapchat, whatsapp, etc.. overwhelming to say the least. Often I am busy when a message comes through so I skim-read it with intentions of replying later, but…
There is nothing quite like a storm when you live by the ocean. Admittedly our little piece of the ocean is often so calm it could be mistaken for a lake but on days like to day it comes alive. We have had rain non-stop for almost four days straight and I have been anticipating the storm since day one when the ocean turned steely grey, reflecting the clouds above and every now and again the wind picked up, creating…