At eighteen, I left my home smelling of crushed cinnamon, cardamom and star anise. I stepped into Australia in the intense summer of 2013. The air smelled of eucalyptus and rosemary – a smell that I still pick up inRead more…
Sir
‘Hello ma’am,’ the charity woman called out to me, but then her face clouded. ‘I mean sir.’ Another flustered pause before she reversed again: ‘I mean ma’am.’ Years of practice enabled me to politely decline making a donation without laughing.Read more…
The toxic language of clean eating
My grandmother died at 98. In all her 98 years, she never counted a calorie or step. She ate bread and butter and she baked using white flour and sugar, and never tracked her nutrients with the vigilance of aRead more…
Cricket diplomacy: the impact of a sport on international relationships
Finally heading into summer, most of us will make it to at least one cricket game. If you end up watching the Indian cricket team, perhaps consider how the game, the competition it engenders and the fandom that follows representRead more…
Girls with Curls – society’s response to curly hair
I have curly hair. No, I’m not talking about a single, vague ‘S’ shape wave that I’ve had people my entire life insist to me is curly – I’m talking real curls. On the Andre Walker hair typing system, I’mRead more…