how to:
Travel From Home
WORDS BY CAITLIN L AWLER
B efo r e I ge t i n to m y h i l a r i ously w i t t y and
highly informative piece, there a just a few assumptions I have
to make for this to work the way I imagine. Yeah yeah, I know
generalisations only lead to the stereotypes that we, as 21st
century feminists, are all such big fans of, but give me a
chance.
Ergo, I am going to assume that:
• You can read (this will become apparent)
• You support independent print media as you are currently
reading this article in the good, old(e) fashioned form
embellished with glossy paper and thus support the arts as
a broader category (Go you!)
• You don’t mind me being so personal by using the collective
‘you’ (I promise it's my way of making friends)
• You are most probably in our target age group of 18-25,
whether that be in body or in spirit and therefore you want
to hear about some cool ways to educate yourselves in the
way of the world without the ridiculous price tag on an
airplane ticket to anywhere whilst doing so in the comfort of
your oversized, most prized possession — your bed (as I am
writhing this from my own asset)
• You are broke and spent your last $13 dollars on getting
this magazine (again — go you!)
• You have currently watched every Netflix series and need
something else to do
Well my friends, strap yourselves into an imaginary economy
class seat, find some cheap wine and a slightly uncomfortable
beanbag headrest ‘thingo’ (can be swapped for a normal
pillow) and internationalise yourself.
My French teacher, Madame Freeman, believed to the core
of her soul that the way to French fluency was through film.
I mean, ideally France but we live in the most isolated nation
in the world, so this is the next best thing. For a high school
student, I could happily compromise with this suggestion. It
is an absolute sure-fire way to delve to the heart of any given
culture. Experience the slang, see the scenery, marvel at the
food and drinks of the nation’s choice, interact with their
hottest celebs, discover the music of the times, get to know
their history— you see my point.
It goes beyond all those wonderful cultural-immersed
experiences. It is an action of pure unity. I love knowing the
fact that a viewer on the other side of the world can sit
through a 2-hour narrative and share all of the emotions I will
experience without knowing me in the slightest. Film has a
specific purpose – to entertain but as a by-product (and one
of the better ones at that) of globalisation, it is a most
invaluable educational tool. It is an escape. It is a journey. A
holiday even, if you have the same crazed level of engagement
with your imagination as I do. It's a saving tool for the real deal
in all senses of the phrase.
Next time you are scrolling through Instagram, getting all
moody about Em Raja’s bikini pics in Santorini while you are
in the dead of Aussie winter, press play on an international
film. Bite your tongue, because I promise the honey will be
all the sweeter when it’s your time to drink Aperol Spitz on
the Riva in Split, Croatia.
My last piece of advice: embrace subtitles. Evolution favoured
you with good eyesight and synapses to interpret, use them.
ORENDA 5
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