Learning from, appreciating, and contributing to the world. This is a space for sharing my experiences, thoughts, and visual expressions.
"Kia" has been my mum's nickname for me since I was a child, and "tía" is the Spanish word for Aunty (which I proudly became in late 2015).
Mexico has been been taking a hard beating from natural disasters over the past 2 months, including being rattled by 3 very strong earthquakes. The community support that has been demonstrated to help those in need has been truly amazing and inspiring - something that I think can encourage us all to help our neighbours (near and far) in times of need.
There are a whole range of things that once surprised or even shocked me, but which have now become part of my daily life in Mexico. Some of those I had already become accustomed during my travels in other parts of Latin America and Mexico, and others are fairly new to me. I'm sure the list will continue to grow, but for now, here is a snapshot of 33 of the new "normals" in my life here in Mexico.
Recently I moved to a local Mexican town to work in the field of refugee law. Being the only gringo/a around, settling in could have been much more challenging if Mexicans weren't so hospitable and welcoming.
Find out about my next volunteering project in Mexico, where I will be helping provide free legal help to people fleeing from their countries, for example those fleeing life-threatening gang violence in Central America. You can also find out here how to make a donation to help me cover my costs of living while I live and volunteer in Mexico.
Cuba is such a incredible, fascinating (and often mind-boggling) country, that is completely different to everywhere else I've been, and there is no doubt about the beauty you can find there every day. I highly recommend getting to know this wonderful part of the world! Here are some visual tasters from my time in Cuba in March-June 2017.
Travel insurance is something I highly recommend taking out before going abroad. It can help save you thousands of dollars in the event of something going wrong on your trip, and you may not realise how many things can actually be covered by your travel insurance.
I always use 1Cover as its the best value I've found (from Australia) and they've always been very responsive on my claims. You can get a quote for your next trip here.
Getting sick is never fun, especially when you're travelling and supposed to be enjoying the experience of new places. A travel buddy is one of the best things to have when you're sick and abroad, not only to help you through the tough moments, but also to laugh about the challenges with. There are also other ways you can be prepared for the unfortunate event of being sick when travelling. Read more here.
Read about why Ecuador ranks up as my favourite country in South America, as well as the top places within Ecuador that I recommend visiting (with photos).
There are many excuses we can come up with for not travelling or living abroad, or for putting it off for a few years. But here is why you should stop putting it off, and go now!
My article published on 16 Sept 2014 in the Asian Century Institute regarding Australia's agreement with Cambodia in 2014 for the resettlement of refugees detained by Australia on Nauru. From my experience of living in Cambodia, whilst it is an incredible and beautiful country that I absolutely love, I definitely do not think it is equipped to be the sort of place that Australia should be sending vulnerable refugees to.
A collection of some of my most memorable meals and food experiences in Ecuador - either because the food was delicious, strange, and/or because of the local interactions it brought.
This is the story of the most memorable bus journey I've had whilst travelling. It doesn't involve any hardships or funny anecdotes of things going wrong or what shocked me; but just the pure bliss of authentic interactions with wonderful local people while on a journey. I often think back to this bus trip and the little girl I met that day, and it fills me with emotion every time...
