“The biggest insurance company in Australia collapsed in 2001, and there was a royal commission to find out the cause. At the time I was working as a journalist. I’d been getting the itch to write a book, so I decided that I’d become an expert on the subject. Kind of a weird t … | Continue reading
“Since there are only two million Assyrians left, there’s a feeling that we might not survive. So we lean on our rituals. We lean on our church. We lean on our language, which nobody else speaks. It’s a ‘we’ culture. Everything is about the group. And if you wander too far … | Continue reading
“I do lifesaving training every weekend. Sometimes we have races where we have to paddle out to buoys in the middle of the ocean. There was one really tough race a few weeks ago. The ocean was messy like today but the waves were even bigger. And there were lots of bluebottles … | Continue reading
“I come from a village. My life would have been nothing if I’d stayed home. I’d just wake up, cook for my siblings, and clean the house. I wanted to do more with my life, so I’m working in the city to save for my education. It’s been a lot lonelier than I expected. I’m so fa … | Continue reading
“I work on cargo ships. I’m usually at sea for nine months at a time, but sometimes it can go past a year. My last trip was 25 months. It’s tough out there. You’re so far from your family. It’s been easier since we got Internet last year. But before that you could only make … | Continue reading
“My boyfriend left as soon as I got pregnant. I was terrified to tell my father, but he discovered my pregnancy test hidden in a drawer. He didn’t speak to me for a few days. We’d always been close, so I knew something was up. Finally he asked me if I wanted to tell him somet … | Continue reading
“Soon after my father passed away, my mother got addicted to gambling. We began falling behind on the rent. I realized what was happening when I found a Casino Filipino membership card in her wallet. I tried confronting her, but she got furious. She told me I had no right to t … | Continue reading
“I’d always been very curious as a kid. I remember taking apart electronics and putting them back together, just to see if they’d still work. But I lost all that enthusiasm during my teenage years. My house became very dark, literally and figuratively. The lights were always … | Continue reading
“My father died on the day he got out of prison, so I never knew him. I was on my own as a child. I wasn’t able to go to school. I was hungry all the time. I’d wait all day by the marketplace until they threw out the rotten food. And if I couldn’t find any food, I’d steal it … | Continue reading