He lives in a home with walls constructed of bamboo, elevated on wooden stumps ten ladder steps from the ground. I have cycled or tuk tuked along this track which runs parallel with the Mekong countless times over the past four years. The track passes through many impoverished communities, an interweave of Buddhist and Islamic … More Boat Baby Update
Anyone else with a tendency for writing would have blogged ceaselessly had they lived the month I just lived. Midway through my one year assignment in Cambodia, I traveled home to Australia and New Zealand to visit family and friends, visiting two major Australian cities, the Australian outback and various locations around the south island … More Culture Clash
My heart sinks in Australia whenever I get a cold call at home, or accosted in the streets by charities looking for donations. Ditto when friends write saying they have a cause and would I donate? It is not possible to help everyone and the phenomenon of donor fatigue is something I experience on a … More The Excruciating Fundraiser
There are so many cultural quirks in Cambodia that you could write a book on them, if you were confident enough in your knowledge. One of my favourites, perhaps because of the similarity with Central Australian indigenous custom, is the practice of referring to people according to an assumed kinship status. Here I am often … More Bongs and Tycoons
Balancing two boxes of mangoes on her head, a complete stranger greeted me gregariously as we came face-to-face around the same corner this morning. The only word I understood was “American” but I recognised a sales pitch and turned her down as graciously as possible. Lifting my parasol to dodge the roofs of tuk tuks … More Pearls of Maternal Wisdom
Existence would be intolerable if we were never to dream ~ Anatole France These words could have been written specifically for Paula. After developing severe, chronic abdominal pain during pregnancy in 2011, her interim years have been a living hell. We met on one of her most wretched days, approximately 16 months ago. She had … More Cambodia In America
That’s my thong buried deep in Mekong Delta mud. My foot was down there too, a moment before I took this photograph, at which time I was doubled over laughing. It was a strange combination of hilarity and panic. The idea of parasites burrowing through my skin into my capillaries and worming their way to … More Parasite Paranoia
alicespringstomind 