In Alice Springs, 2004, I was walking on the pavement with a bag of shopping in each hand when I encountered an Aborigine coming the other way. He slowly reached over to take my Tilley and I, just as slowly, ducked and avoided his grasp. I gave a little laugh of bemusement [...]

I was on a bus tour in Australia. Most of the tourists were kids in their early ’20s but there were some around my age (turn of the 30’s) one of them seemed to feel the need to mock everything about me. When she found out I did salsa, she was most disparaging.
“Salsa, [...]

In a tiny community in Queensland, consisting of a few shacks, a fuel station and a crossroads: We stopped for a comfort break, and in the garage I saw ‘Aussie Pie’ advertised on a hot cabinet. I asked the cross-eyed drooling girl behind the counter what ‘Aussie Pie’ was. She looked at [...]