Tag: Australian abroad
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Who tells Timor-Leste’s stories?
Felix and I were at Nari’s, the Korean restaurant, for dinner last night. We were eating dumplings on the balcony and catching up on our days, and I mentioned to him with not a small amount of pride that I’d had some good feedback on the freelance piece I’d written for the Interpreter about last…
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Everything I haven’t done
On making plans and clearing mental clutter. My good friend Naomi shared on Facebook last week an article containing a neat tip about to-do lists and how to manage the weight of tasks. I bookmarked the link, of course didn’t read it, but have uncharacteristically returned to it for two small, compatible reasons: first,…
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Thoughts on a year in Timor-Leste
One year ago I moved to Timor-Leste. Keen eyes will notice I’m actually writing this fourteen-ish months after I departed Australia for Dili, which is an uncharacteristic delay for a person obsessed with celebrating every anniversary. Truth is, I had no thoughts on the one-year day when it happened. It was just a normal day. Which,…
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April, an update
Read about what I got up to in January, February and March. Where the hell did this month go?! And why the hell am I writing like a dippy aunt who can’t believe her nieces are growing taller every year? Peak mum tourist selfie. Friends visiting is a brilliant reason to see the Dili sights I’m…
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9 things I wish I knew before I started my AVID assignment
I’ve recently completed the mid-term evaluation of my AVID assignment, which means I’m just over halfway through my 18-month-long placement in Timor-Leste. Here are nine things I now know that I wish I did before I started. 1. It’s really that slow In the pre-departure training required as part of the AVID program, staff warn…
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How it feels returning home to Dili
This time last year, I had just returned to Melbourne, where I was living, from a Christmas trip across Australia to Perth, where I’m from. I thought I’d be excited to be back in my own little space: to ride my bicycle up Wellington Street and chatter with red wines at book club and work…
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What I do differently in Timor-Leste
How is life different in Timor-Leste compared to Australia? How is it similar? Last week I came across Haley’s brilliant blog, in which she documents her life as a Peace Corps volunteer living in a village in Aileu district in Timor-Leste. In a recent post, she prompted herself to share three similarities and three differences…
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The last 12 months
Remember, remember, the end of November. Snatches of déjà vu this week, like trying to remember a dream upon waking but instead of chasing the thoughts they somehow find me. Looking back at it, last November was one of the most important months of my life so far. This week, I’ve been reflecting on everything…
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Activist abroad
It was stinking hot in Dili today. The thick open-oven-door heat of a 40-degree Perth day blasting out into a wet, sticky, muggy tropical afternoon. A Bikram yoga class at my front door. Sweat at the small of my back. My landlady and I, chatting idly on my porch, both agreed that while we’d each…
Sophie Rai Liur 