Lot's Wife Edition 2 2023

Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
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Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
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Lot’s Wife •• Edition Two
Contents.
Creative
8 With Love
9 Burn the Midnight Oil
10 Both Star and Shark
12 Good Rabbit, Baby Rabbit
14 Leave a Light On
16 The Little Sad Wolf
18 HOUND DOG
20 Clarity
22 Better Now
Analysis
26 How rock climbing served as
my rebirth - bringing new life
and a new chapter
28 P*riod.
31 Welfare not Warfare
34 The perspectives of young
Solomon Islanders: Essay
mini-series
35 Menstrual Health in Rural
Solomon Islands
36 Geopolitical Competition
Surrounding the Solomon
Islands
38 The Perspective of a young
Solomon Islander
40 To Deprive People, Forget
Education
Campus
42 The Science of Thriving
Culture
44 An Interview with Matt Cronin
46 Manifestation: a mindset, a
tool or a joke.
48 Discipline as self-care
49 Melbourne Again
50 The Eavesdropper
53 Mental health and how to
keep hope: A series of com
ments from women in
Afghanistan
54 Hopes and life
56 Afghan women struggle for
sustainable mental health
58 Hope Ignites: From Darkness
to Triumph
60 An Education: From
Fundamental Right to
Impractical Dream
62 A Conflict Between Mind and
Heart: The reason why I don’t
want to be stopped here
64 Hope for Survival
Lot’s Wife is the student magazine of the Monash Student Association (MSA). The views expressed herein are not necessarily
the views of the MSA, the printers or the editors. All writing and artwork remains the property of the creators. This collection is
© Lot’s Wife and Lot’s Wife reserves the right to republish material in any format.
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Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
Lot’s Wife.
Lot’s Wife acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land, the
people of the Kulin Nations. We pay our respects to their Elders past,
present and emerging. Sovereignty has never been ceded.
Welcome to edition 2 of Lot’s Wife for 2023! The end of semester is fast approaching
and that means we’re all in the thick of assessment work and exam preparations.
This time of semester can be a lot for everyone. That’s why it’s important for
all of us to look after our wellbeing and make time for ourselves outside of work
and study. Taking your shoes off, grabbing a blanket, and sitting on the couch
with a cup of tea and a copy of Lot’s Wife is a great place to start ;)
The theme of this edition is Mind, Body, Spirit. It is filled with wonderful pieces covering
mental health, social welfare, physical health, self-care, and stigma. We also
have two special essay collections amplifying the often silenced voices of young
people in the Solomon Islands and women in Afghanistan.
We have collaborated with MSA’s fantastic Welfare department to produce this
edition. Welfare works hard all year round to ensure the Monash community is
looked after mentally and physically, and we couldn’t be happier to be working
with them. They run weekly events like Free Food Mondays and are putting on a
special Welfare Week in semester two. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for more
information later in the semester!
Many of the pieces in this edition have required their authors to embrace being
vulnerable and delving into topics that are usually tiptoed around. We hope to
prodive a judgement-free zone for everyone to share their stories.
Some of these pieces may resonate with you, or remind you of a distant past that
doesn’t seem to belong to you. Either way, hopefully they will serve as a reminder
that, no matter what you’re thinking, feeling, experiencing, loving, loathing,
dreading - you are not alone.
We have very much enjoyed putting this edition together and were awe-struck, as
always, by the articulate expressions of everyone’s unique insights. We can’t wait
for you to see what our brilliant contributors have to say!
We hope our magazine offers you a reprieve from the stress of assessment season
and allows you to connect with your head, heart, body and soul.
Remember to take time for yourself, look out for your loved ones and have a great
break. We can’t wait to see you in Semester 2!
Big love and all the best,
Lot’s Wife 2023
EDITORIAL TEAM
Zoe Bartholomeusz, Jessica Oats, Tehseen Huq, Owen Robinson, Aadhya Vyas
EMAIL WEBSITE INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK TWITTER LINKEDIN
msa-lotswife@monash.edu lotswife.com.au @lotswifemag @MSA.LotsWife @LotsWifeMag Lot’s Wife
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Art by Zoe Elektra

Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
MSA Welfare
Hello from your 2023 Welfare Office Bearers!
I’m Stuart, I study a postgrad in Public Policy. I started getting involved with Welfare as
a committee member for the department, wanting to create a positive environment for
students.
I’m Krista, a fourth year Science/Biomed undergrad student. I got involved with Welfare
through my passion for psychology and wellbeing. I’m super fascinated by the huge impact
things like social-connectedness and meaning-in-life can have on a person’s wellbeing.
They can be the difference between being a successful, sane uni student and
barely being able to keep up with content week to week.
Together we have the goal to support Monash students’ wellbeing and success. We’ve
kicked this off by revamping our iconic Free Food Mondays and collaborating with MSA
Cultural Clubs, and by bringing back Welfare Week with a bit of a Swell switch-up.
We are super excited to be collaborating with Lot’s Wife for this wellness-themed edition
of our beloved student magazine. When you’re in the crux of exams, when you’re grinding
away at assignments, when you’re so overwhelmed with what’s happening inside,
outside and around uni, there’s one thing that keeps you grounded at the end of the
day. Wellbeing. That’s a huge part of what we aim to advocate for, for Monash students.
Whether it’s a free dinner on a Monday night at our Free Food Mondays events, or some
coffee and noodles to get your through mid-sem or exam study from our Welfare on
Wheels pack drops: we know how important it is to stay healthy in mind, body, soul,
spirit, creativity, academics, hobbies, finances, and the list goes on. All these aspects
of wellbeing can be tricky to navigate at times. We hope hearing the voices of fellow
students in this edition of Lot’s Wife offers a taste for where you can bring wellbeing into
your own life and experiences.
Keep your eyes peeled for our Welfare Week in week 2 of semester 2, “Swellfare”. We
hope to provide you with many opportunities to build on your wellness through expert
presentations, mindful activities and quiet spaces for reflection. And of course, get the
chance to pat some puppies between classes!
Make sure to follow @msa.clayton and @msa.welfare on Instagram and Facebook to
keep up to date on what’s coming up in the welfare space.
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With Love
Words by Mark Daniel Osborne
If you find yourself detached of
The breast of your lament, and yet
Your patronage! You may take heed
the hated words Of poets past
who celebrate Such situations
stiffening their mast.
Vale Rudyard. If only.
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Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
Burn the
Midnight Oil
Words by Abigail Oh
In youth, the mind takes another run around the clock.
days turn twice as long.
let the darkened skies swallow whole this
torn skin, ruptured eyes and fragile bone;
This is the promised time for breathing.
speak your oblivious divinations when pressed up
against the world’s silence:
you cannot be bigger,
you are only as small
as you have ever been.
return what you owe.
after these immortal nights, it comes to a renewed vow:
I no longer wait for dawn, I wake for it.
this too,
is forgiveness.
Art by Arwen Verdnik
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Art by Zoe Elektra
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Both Star and Shark
Words by Oliver Cocks
The days of arsenic are over
Now, I sit on a throne
of elegies and wear
my crown of limericks
I am lodestar lonesome,
firing up the firmament
(unless I don’t)
I am mobster loathsome,
murmuring to hired brutes
(unless I’m not)
I am priest and heretic,
blaspheming the creed I preach
I am me,
whoever that is
And now,
I live true,
shaking off
the blue blaze,
rising to
scrape the stars
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Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
Good Rabbit, Baby Rabbit
Words by Sarah Jane Hurst
There was a baby rabbit.
Except, she wasn’t quite a baby anymore—
especially compared to her younger brothers and sisters.
Baby Rabbit had a wound on her leg,
a nasty gash that was
seeping
dark blood into fresh snow.
‘Stop crying. It’s worse for your siblings to see you like this,’ said Mother
Rabbit.
‘Toughen up. Otherwise, foxes will get you,’ said Father Rabbit.
‘This is for your own good,’ they both said, before turning their hides and
hopping away.
COMFORT ME, Baby Rabbit’s heart shrieked.
CARRY ME, Baby Rabbit’s muscles screamed.
FOR FUCK’S SAKE, HELP ME!
But Baby Rabbit’s voice said nothing.
No shrieks or screams.
She stopped crying.
Because she was a good rabbit.
And good rabbits die quietly so not to disturb the warren.
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“Sydney on Aerochrome”
Art by Louis Perez
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Leave a Light On
Words by Belle Ryan
Content warning: contains discussion of depression, references to suicide
“I know maybe sometimes
you don’t feel like
it, but I think the room
feels lighter when you’re
in it,” she said.
He swallowed. “I feel
heavy,” he said, his voice
small and wavering.
“Never too heavy to support,”
she replied. Her
voice was gentle. A caress
to his cheek as he
held the phone to his ear.
She couldn’t see him,
but she could picture
him. Sitting on the edge
of his bed, head in his
hand, phone pressed
to his cheek, knuckles
white because he always
gripped his phone
with such ferocity when
he was sad; like it was a
weapon he was about to
throw. She could hear his
breathing and the rustling
of his jacket.
“It’s okay,” she said in
the most reassuring tone
she could manage.
A strangled sob cracked
through the phone. She
cringed away from the
speaker. Her mouth
pressed into a thin line.
“I’m coming over,” she
said.
“No -” he began.
“Yes. See you in thirty
minutes.”
She hung up the phone.
She was still in her
clothes from the day.
Her shoes are still on her
feet. Recently, it’s been
hard to settle when she
wasn’t with him. There
was a looming fear that if
she sat down without her
shoes on, she wouldn’t
be able to get out the
door fast enough to get
to him. Her keys jangled
in her hand as she hurried
down the stairs of
her apartment building.
The trees scratched on
the windows. It was an
eerie dragging noise, like
someone was trying to
slice the glass in two.
Her steps were quick and
quiet on the footpath as
she ran to her car. The
streetlights pierced the
early evening. The orange
glow pushed away
the shadows. Moths fluttered
and perched, and
then fluttered again.
They never settled when
they were attracted to a
flame.
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When she reached his
house, she sat in her car
for just a moment. Engine
off, the car clicked
over, cooling down.
His depression consumed
him. It was eating him
alive and leaving nothing
but a hollowed-out
carcass.
She would take all his
suffering and sadness,
if she could. Even if she
knew it would be almost
unbearable, she would
do it. She would drag
the weights off his back,
lay down, and shift them
onto herself. She would
swallow the cloudiness
around his brain and let
it consume her instead.
She’d rub the aches from
his bones along his back,
down his shoulders to his
fingertips, until the pain
oozed from his pores.
She’d collect it like an oil,
rub it into her skin, and
let her body absorb all
his hurt. She’d give him
her softness in exchange
for his hardness. She’d
take his dark circles and
dry skin and give him her
suppleness and bright-

ness. She’d give him everything
she could and
take anything he didn’t
want.
Sometimes, she would
walk into his room and
he would be lying on his
bed, staring at the ceiling.
For a second, she’d
wonder if he was dead.
Her heart would stop and
her breath would hitch.
But then, his eyes would
flick to her, and she’d see
him breathe deeply. And
while he didn’t seem happy
to see her, she was
happy to see his chest
rise and fall. Crawling
onto the bed, she’d lay
on her side and hold him
to her. His fingers would
trace her back sometimes.
Lazy and shaky.
Sometimes, he’d bring
an arm around her. Other
times he’d even turn
to face her and look at
her fully. Mostly though,
he’d lay there and continue
to look at the ceiling.
She’d close her eyes
and enjoy the feeling of
his chest rising and falling
beneath her arm.
His mind seemed entirely
detached from his body.
Like something had come
along and severed the
chord which connected
his spirit to his physical
self. She rubbed his
Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
temples and traced the
corners of his face. Maybe
if she touched him in
the correct way with the
perfect combination of
patterns, he would come
back into himself. Like a
code, attempting to communicate
with the deepest
part of his mind. I’m
here. They used to watch
all those films where the
explorer had to crack the
code. Find the pattern
and outsmart the temple
to get to the treasure.
She wasn’t an explorer,
but she knew this person
like he was a place. She’d
combed each corner, everywhere
the shadows
touched. His favourite
rooms and pieces, the
hidden treasure and the
cursed heirlooms. He
was her temple and she
just had to touch the
right piece of pavement
to find the path of salvation.
Now his body was a
temple without a God
to worship. There was
no one home. No presence
lingered. It was
empty and cold here. No
candles lit, no incense
burned. It echoed when
she walked. There were
no voices but her own,
bouncing off stone and
marble. Lifeless.
She opened her car door.
His bedroom window
was street facing. She
could see the room was
unlit.
A few months ago, he
had given her a set of
keys. Nothing was said
as he placed them into
her hand, but they felt
heavier than normal.
He’d picked her favourite
colours which made
her smile. The corner of
his mouth quirked to the
side because he knew
why she smiled as she
looked at them. A smile
for a smile.
Butterfly wing eyelids
hung heavy and low as
he looked at her. Looking
right back she said,
“thank you. I can let
myself in whenever you
need me.”
“I’ll try to leave a light on
for you,” he said.
Art by Suzy Jones
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Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
The Little Sad Wolf
Words by Will Hunt
Content warning: contains descriptions of sexual assault
One sees here that young children,
Especially pretty girls,
Polite, well taught, and pure as pearls,
Should stay on guard against all sorts of men.
For if one fails to stay alert, it won’t be strange
To see one eaten by a wolf enraged.
Translated Excerpt from Charles Perrault’s Little Red Riding Hood
The sweetest tongue has the sharpest tooth; and his teeth were sharp
and gnarled, his tongue a bloody red. His nose was flush by cider and filled
with blackened pores. His hackled-hair stood like fangs on his ugly-cute
head: the moon was out, and so was he.
She knew what he was as soon as she saw him; she could see danger
and know it, feel it in her stomach as it twisted and turned making her
want to vomit. Her dress was red, and redder still by the spilt wine across
her chest, splattered like a deranged crime scene. She hoped it did not draw
attention to her breasts but knew the man with the wolf tattoo would look
there, regardless. He was an animal.
Her friends had gone ahead, leaving her alone to the big bad wolf. His
eyes screamed with delight and opportunity: he was sick and deranged, no
more than an animal in heat. Mindless, moral-less, merciless. He was everything
he shouldn’t be, and by her dearest grandmother, she swore she knew
it and would get away. But I shouldn’t have to, she thought, and this narrator
would agree.
The moon was full. It illuminated his eyes, giving them a deadened-spark
of blood-lust ready to burst. He licked his lips. The food was here.
He was hungry, the sick fool: he was hungry. He was broken, as all monsters
were: his eyes shattered, his mind gone, his hunger consuming not food but
him, him, him.
Art by Zoe Elektra
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Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
Streetlamps stood vigil, wearily waiting in silence. The street sat still,
ready to fall either way or be drawn to a motion: to a sigh, a sound of relief,
or to a scream, and a run, and a hide. Darkness perverted the street and
made it nauseous and illusory. It was a forest of meaninglessness, except in
the nihilistic shades of the stars, the lights, and that dreadful moon.
She was fixed, beaten down by mother and father, told not to flaunt her
body, not to give hints and lead those boys (will be boys) on. But she had
recovered from that and knew where her strength lay. Not in her bodice, as
they saw with shattered eyes, but in her mind. Not in her cunning, for malice
was never right: she was smart, and educated. She was hard-working, and
strong. She was going to be a doctor. She was going to be good. She was
having fun, and that was never a crime.
The moon reached midnight, a pinnacle in the sky. Her plight had
arrived. The man with the wolf tattoo howled a terrible tune:
“Do you want to come back to mine?”
“No,” she tried to say, but the wine had slurred her words. It hardly
came out at all.
He smiled with canine teeth. “Okay. I thought maybe you wouldn’t
have wanted to.” He laughed. “I’m glad I was wrong.”
She clawed her jaw open, to say no, to plead no, you’ve got it all
wrong, let me be, let me be – You can’t do this! It is not my lesson to learn. It
is not I who should be on guard, but you who should not attack. This is all so
wrong, she wanted to say – but the words did not come, for her mouth was
trapped by the viscous and bloody tongue of the big bad wolf.
He pressed her against the wall, her red dress ripping.
Such big arms, he had.
But such a little mind.
Such big fingers, he had.
But such a little compass.
Such a big shaft, he had.
But such a little, broken, sad heart.
Moral
One sees here that deranged men,
Especially insecure boys,
Uncouth, well-fought and ugly as urine,
Should stay away from all sorts of women.
For if one fails to keep it away, it won’t be strange
To see it eaten by a broken heart.
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Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
HOUND DOG
Words by Lucia Lane
i won your heart with a loaf of bread,
many loaves of bread
i pray they feed you like jesus fed the fifty thousand
and you never go hungry again.
We reached the top of the mountain.
you bought blankets for the journey down,
you had plenty at home,
but couldn’t stand to see me shiver.
i saw my favourite green tea on your shelf,
you made it for me in the morning
i didn’t even have to ask
it flows from you like a river
i didn’t even have to ask
she’s been searching forever and
the hound dog has found it,
you won my heart with your scent
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Art by Zoe Elektra
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Art by Zoe Elektra
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Clarity
Words by Zoe Kelly
Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
Content warning: reference to mental illness
Imagine the feeling
Of putting glasses on for the first time
That moment you see leaves on the
trees
And realise you were missing the feeling
Of feeling alive
Now close your eyes
And imagine you’re walking
Not knowing where you’re going
But feeling every step you take
Reverberate
With the beating of your heart
As you let that thought go
Sit down in this room with me
And take comfort in the way you
breathe
Because that’s all we have left
And now it’s so quiet
Now I miss the way it feels to hurt
Or to love
Maybe you could tell me the difference
Or maybe neither of us know
What those feel like anymore
You describe growing up
Like riding a bike
You start with shaky steps
But before you know it
You’re flying
(So why do I still skin my knees on the
way down?)
And do you ever wonder what it costs
To pretend that growing can heal us?
I ask myself
If those scars are permanent
Or if I can peel away away the memories
Like paperbark between my fingers
And forget
I walk with eyes half closed now
In that place between light and dark
Because the light still hurts my eyes
Reality slips away
And I let the silence pull me in
Until my mind is not my own anymore
I pull at my own frayed edges
Trying to unravel them
As if they could give me a reason
To hold onto the feeling
Of feeling alive
So tell me I’m crazy
To chase something already gone
But I just want to open my eyes
Without hurting
I just want
To see those leaves again
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Better Now
Words by HH
Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
Content warning: contains themes of disordered eating, body image
You haven’t checked the numbers in a while. Do you remember how you used to
watch them light up from under your feet in the dark, hours after dinner? After,
you would quietly slide the scale back in its place, trying not to wake anyone.
On prom night, you danced with your friends, blistered feet and all, sharp corners
and angles submerged in silk. Your mind kept wandering back to those numbers.
When you got home hours later, there were cups lining the kitchen sink while the
plates gathered dust in the cabinet. Such a lonely sight somehow.
For what it’s worth, you looked lovely then. But I know that it never lasted long
enough for you and that each time you became solid again, it felt like a sin. It
couldn’t be helped, you lamented in the end. Looking back at all of it now: what a
relief.
What a shame, they whisper, what a waste, but you are already walking away.
Even though your feet sink into the soil when you dance now, you feel lighter than
you did before. Isn’t that ironic?
Here in this quiet space, allowing your limbs to unfold still feels foreign to you
sometimes. You don’t always recognise your own reflection. She doesn’t always
look like you – neither did that airy creature draped in silk.
Some days, you still spend too long in front of the rice cooker. Scooping less, and
then more, and then less again into your bowl, hoping no one notices. In some
ways you’re not so different to how you were back then, but now your footsteps
leave marks on the ground and you start to feel like you exist.
Doesn’t that make you a little hopeful?
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Art by Arwen Verdnik
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Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
Arts Precinct Checkerboard
Art by Lucinda Campbell
Oil on canvas
Arts Precinct Checkerboard uses the motif of a checkerboard
to explore the challenges faced by emerging artists in seeking
to enter the art world. By depicting Melbourne’s Hamer
hall in black and white, and including a gridded tiled
ground, the artists become metaphorically immersed in a
game like that of chess, where each artistic decision becomes
a deciding factor regarding their position in the industry.
The theme of mind, body, spirit is displayed by this,
for movement through the industry is intended to represent
the body, decisions are intended to represent
the mind, and art is intended to represent one’s spirit.
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How rock climbing served as
my rebirth - bringing new life
and a new chapter.
Words by
Rashi Undugodage
Rock climbing is defined
as climbing up,
down and across natural
rock formations or artificial
walls. The goal is
to reach the summit of a
formation without falling.
It’s an art, learning to
manage physical fatigue
and mental exhaustion.
However,it is also a journey
of self-discovery,
struggle, and even victory.
I started rock climbing as
a young adult, way older
than most avid climbers
but after multiple trips to
a local gym with a friend
I was hooked. I remember
when we started climbing.
Every day, for weeks
my neck and back would
ache - begging me to
take a break, to allow my
body to rest, but my mind
was addicted, and when I
wasn’t climbing all I could
think about was when I
would be back on the wall.
I was addicted to the feeling
of the rock holds, the
ones that grazed and left
marks on my calloused,
hardened hands, the muscles
in my back, shoulders
and legs tense and tight.
I acknowledge that this
‘suffer-fest’ will not sound
appealing to most people
- but amongst the
pain there were beautiful
eye-opening moments
that have sparked
a new beginning for me.
When I look at a climbing
wall, I don’t just see
rocks but rather I see life.
There are good moments of
nice large hand holds that
make you feel like you can
hang onto them forever,
but as you move upwards,
the holds become smaller
and less smooth, you’re
scraping the skin off your
fingers just to hang on. As
you move past them and
think the worst is over, you
get to the real crux of the
problem. There are large
sloping boulders that you
can barely put your hand
on before you slip off -
and suddenly, you do slip,
you fall and are back to
the start of the problem.
You are instantly humbled,
because unlike tennis
or soccer, where you
are trying to beat someone
else, the rock doesn’t
care. The rock doesn’t
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give a shit about you
or how you’re feeling.
All you can do is try and
be better than yourself.
It’s only you and the
wall and I’ll tell you,
the wall doesn’t care.
And isn’t that life? We’re
raised to compete against
each other in the classroom
and the workplace,
but actually the only
person we can ever be
better than ourselves.
Rock climbing has made
me better, it’s my therapy
and my passion. It allows
me to work through
so many feelings such
as anxiety, restlessness,
worry and stress.
I face them all when I
climb, I embrace them
as old friends and let
them go and each time
I move upwards I notice
that I am also moving
forward in life… stronger
and braver than ever.
“Inbound”
Art by Suzy Jones

Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
27

P*riod.
Words and Art by Zoe Elektra
Why does the thought of
telling my male unit coordinator
that I need an extension
on an assignment
due to period pain fill me
with terror? Why does admitting
to being caught
in the throes of menstruation
feel like such a copout
when I, a light sleeper
at the best of times, went
back to sleep for two and
a half hours this morning
because I was so fatigued?
Why does my excuse feel
so weak when I’m hobbling
around the house with a
hot water bottle stuffed
down my pants?
If it were a cold that had
rendered me so, I wouldn’t
think twice. In fact, I’d
probably play it up a little
bit:
Dear Dr Unit Coordinator,
Would it be possible for
me to have a two-day extension
on assignment 2? I
have been ill and bed-ridden
for five days with a
horrific cold. Additionally,
my constant sneezing has
given me a shocking headache,
and I am unable
to concentrate on recreational
activities, let alone
actual productive work.
Thanks for your understanding,
hope to hear
from you soon.
Zoe
Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
The only reason I play up
having a cold is to make
my ailment feel valid. The
truth is, I don’t grant myself
enough slack when I
need it. I procrastinate for
hours every day when I’m
completely well and I don’t
give myself a hard time
for it. But when I’m sick (or
suffering from… p-p-period
pain), I am so acutely
aware of every minute
I’m spending (wasting)
resting and feeling sorry
for myself. Yet, I do what
I did today and sleep and
then watch YouTube and
then write about my womb
woes.
So what is it about bleeding
out of my vagina that
makes me embarrassed?
When I first got my period,
I had just turned twelve.
Conveniently, I had worn
white underwear to bed,
and when I woke up in the
morning, there was a big
red stain. I called my mum
into the bathroom and she
came and sat with me. She
was beaming.
“Wow, Zo. Congratulations!
You’re a woman
now.”
But I didn’t feel like a woman.
I felt disgusting. I was
scared, embarrassed; I
thought everyone would
notice straight away. I
cried a lot and took the
day off school. My mum
cancelled all her clients,
which was nice of her, except
she told them about
my period. Now, on top
of being scared and embarrassed,
I had been exposed.
My mum went out straight
away and bought me a
pack of pads and a pack
of tampons with applicators.
When my first pack
of pads ran out, she asked
me if I wanted her to continue
to buy pads for me.
“No, thanks. I can sort it
out.”
Eleven years later, I can’t
help but be baffled at this.
You have to understand at
this point that I wasn’t allowed
to go to the shops
by myself. I didn’t really
have my own money for
spending on everyday
items. I think my savings
account had about $400
in it, but that was reserved
for something special and
I had no means of actually
spending it. In truth, I had
no idea how I would “sort
it out” on my own, and I
couldn’t exactly double
back on my decision; I had
dignity to uphold.
So, what did I do? I stole
my step-mum’s pads and
tampons. One by one, always
making sure to cover
my tracks by ensuring
28

Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
I left the designated bathroom
drawer precisely the
same as how I’d found it.
And when I wasn’t at my
dad’s place, I would stuff
toilet paper into my underwear.
When I went to gymnastics
training, I would
either fumble around with
a tampon, only managing
to stick it up halfway so I
could very much feel it, or
I would repurpose sports
tape and make my own
version of a toilet paper
pad. I’ll give it to myself, I
was remarkably resourceful,
but it seems silly to go
to such lengths when I had
a supermarket full of legitimate
“sanitary” products
just down the road, and a
willing and able mother to
buy them for me. Eventually
I would start accompanying
my mum on supermarket
trips and I would
sneak a pack of pads into
my basket, making sure
to bury it under other unassuming
items so that no
one else would know that
I was a woman. But this
courage took a couple of
years to develop.
In high school, I tried my
best to conceal Aunt Flo
for the first couple of
years. Pads were always
transported from the locker
to the bathroom either
stuffed up my sleeve or
in my pocket. Even when
I was in the bathroom, I
opened them as quietly as
I could. I made sure to put
the sanitary bin lid down
slowly. If I’d left a streak
of blood in the toilet bowl,
I would put toilet paper
over it so that it looked
natural, but also so that
it concealed my womanhood.
We did not have toilet
brushes at school.
It wasn’t until year 9 that
we had sex education. By
this time, the majority of
those with uteruses inflicted
upon them would have
already started to menstruate.
So the question
must be asked, shouldn’t
we be giving kids comprehensive
period education
before they start menstruating?
By the time I was in
year 9, I was already three
years into my period. Before
sex education, I had
no idea why I menstruated.
Sure, I could have
looked it up myself, but I
was too embarrassed to
even type the words out.
If we had learned about
periods in primary school,
I would have felt comfortable
talking about them
with my mum. Likewise,
if we’d learnt about menstruation
earlier in high
school, I wouldn’t have
felt like I had to conceal
29
all evidence of menstruation,
which was an alienating
and shameful experience,
one that young
teens should not have to
go through.
Have you ever been
ashamed to tell your parents,
friends or teachers
that you have a cold? Although
the average adult
only gets two to four colds
a year, no one bats an eyelid
when it comes to taking
sick leave, or getting an
extension on an assignment
so they can focus on
getting better. Menstruation
happens every month,
and it can cause severe
pain and discomfort.
Symptoms include stomach
cramps, lower back
pain, diarrhoea, fatigue,
weakness; the list is extensive.
Menstruator or not, if
you’ve experienced these
symptoms before, you’ll
know how awful they can
make you feel.
So I must return to my
initial question: why do I
hesitate to give the real
reason for my extension
request to my male unit
coordinator? I messaged
my group of close female
friends to ask them if they
thought this was an appropriate
opportunity to
break down the (uterine)
walls of the period stigma.

Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
One of them told me to just
say I was feeling “sick and
fatigued”, which another
one agreed with, pointing
out that period pain is often
“undermined” and that
whether or not the extension
was granted would depend
on how compassionate the
coordinator is. This in itself is
sad. To think that perhaps a
heartless coordinator would
dismiss period pain as an
insufficient excuse for needing
an extension is angering,
simply because they haven’t
been educated on how awful
period pain can be. This
hasn’t happened to me personally
because, frankly, I
don’t want to risk it. Isn’t it
high time that we educate
everyone on periods from
an early age? None of this
“waiting until they’re mature
enough” bullshit like we’re
seeing nowadays. The problem
isn’t that kids are immature,
it’s that our education
has made us associate reproductive
organs with awkwardness
and shame. Periods
are natural – as are the
formation of scabs when we
graze our knee – and should
be treated as such. They’re
not disgusting, they’re not
freaky, and they’re certainly
not something that anyone
should be ashamed of. But
they’re part of having a uterus,
and many uterus-havers
must live with them.
Anyway, my extension was
granted.
Art by Zoe Elektra
30

Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
Welfare not Warfare
Words by David Williams
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect those of Lot’s
Wife or the MSA.
It is undeniable that students
are being hit hard
by the cost of living crisis.
the cops[4],[5],[6] and the
army[7]. We have to sacrifice
our quality of life for
year. Yet people are struggling
to afford the cost of
visiting a GP or to access
The cost of rent, gro-
the sake of the economy life saving medical
ceries, power bills. You
name it, the price has risen
considerably over the
last year or so. The hardest
hit are the poorest and
most vulnerable, those on
welfare or disability payments,
working class and
or national interest.
This has been best expressed
by the recent
announcement that the
Australian government will
be spending up to $368
billion on a handful of nuclear
treatments, such as abortion.
This is even worse for
those on visas, especially
international students,
who have little to no access
to medicare. Essential
services like the National
Disability Insurance
migrant communities, single
submarines, as part Scheme (NDIS) remain
parents, the list goes
on. It is little wonder that
of the AUKUS pact. What
is the purpose of these
woefully underfunded[9],
only last year news outlets
a record breaking number
submarines? To better
such as the AFR ex-
of people are making
calls to support services,
like Lifeline, citing the difficulty
making ends meet
as being a driving factor
for their declining mental
health[1].
maintain Australia’s domination
of the Asia pacific,
oppressing the people of
the pacific islands, and
of course to better wage
war against China, as the
drums of war beat ever
claimed in horror that the
NDIS budget would “blow
out” to $50 billion in a few
years time[10]. But none
of these outlets are complaining
about this +$30
billion expense yearly that
louder[8].
provides nothing to ordinary
people.
Yet for the world’s wealthiest,
business has never
been better, with no shortage
of companies posting
record profits out of
making basic services inaccessible.
Governments
around the world, who
have argued for decades
that there isn’t enough to
go around, are simultaneously
telling us to tighten
our belts[2],[3], whilst
they wave through tax
breaks for the filthy rich
and increase funding for
Ignoring that many of
these sorts of projects regularly
far exceed their initial
budgets, and the operational
costs of these subs
throughout their lifetime,
$368,000,000,000.00 is a
fairly difficult number to
wrap your head around.
So exactly how much is
$368 billion?
It is well above the $106
billion that is estimated
to be spent on health this
31
Alternatively, with $30 billion
a year, for ten years,
as is planned, we could
double the average salary
of each of the 450,000
registered nurses and midwives
in Australia. That’s
$170,000 a year, but instead
health care workers
across the country are effectively
getting a pay cut
with below inflation pay
rises, they are overworked
and told that there isn’t

enough to hire more staff.
Or we could address the
housing crisis, a source of
a great deal of stress for
a lot of people, students
being no exception. 368
billion dollars could house
every one of the nearly
150,000 households
that were on the waiting
list for public housing in
2019. We could even buy
each of them a median
priced house in Sydney
($1.2 million in Sept last
year, ABS), hardly a cheap
place to buy, but we’d
still have nearly $200 billion
left over. With which
we could expand public
housing to renters and
students, allowing people
to live without the fear of
getting thrown out of their
own home by profiteering
landlords.
So many people are forced
to live in poverty by our
welfare system. Many students
are all too familiar
with the abysmal rates we
get from Centrelink, which
could barely cover rent
even before the rising cost
of living. According to the
Australian Council of Social
Services, the poverty
line is at $489 a week for a
single adult. But many students
will be on Youth Allowance,
most likely capping
out at $337 a week if
they live away from home.
Using an overestimate of
Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
the number of people on
Youth Allowance and Jobseeker
is about 2 million,
closer to 1.8 based on 2021
numbers. With the amount
spent on the submarines,
we could close that gap
for at least 17 years, likely
more considering the bulk
of those people are on the
higher jobseeker rate.
In education, public
schools in Australia receive
on average only
91%[11],[12] of their required
funding, overwhelmingly
impacting
poor and working class
areas. Whilst the government
is putting $319 billion
into schools between 2019
and 2029[13], that’s $31.9
billion a year. Some quick
math means that we could
fulfill required funding at
around an extra $3.1 billion
a year[14], but let’s be generous
and up it to a total of
$40 billion a year instead.
That will still leave us with
about $260 billion, from
the amount being spent
on submarines, more than
enough for real wage rises
for the teachers that are
taking pay cuts across the
country, most often handed
down to them by state
Labor parties[15],[16].
Whilst on the topic of education,
we could wipe
out all existing HECs debt
and still have nearly $300
billion to spare. This would
effectively make university
32
32
free for many people, and
would go a decent way
in addressing the gender
pay gap, as recent studies
have shown that, unsurprisingly,
HECS fees disproportionately
hit those
studying for qualifications
in low paying industries,
traditionally dominated
by women, such as teaching
and nursing.
And this is all just considering
the single instance
of the purchase of submarines,
there is in fact
far more cash out there
when we consider the profits
and wealth of the super
rich, like the Forrests,
Rineharts, Palmers and
Packers. These fortunes
will only grow with the introduction
of the stage 3
tax cuts, whilst vital public
services are left to atrophy
from their lack of funding.
There are so many ways
that the almost $400 billion
dollars could be spent
on bettering the lives of
working people and students.
It is possible to seriously
address the rising
cost of living, as basic necessities
become increasingly
unaffordable, leading
to a great deal more
hardship for those that
are already in difficult situations.
For decades, we
have been told that there
is never enough to go
around. But as we can see

there is always money for
warmongering, to better
carve up the world for the
rich and powerful.
But it doesn’t have to be this
way, we gain nothing from
barbaric wars against other
ordinary people around
the world, in fact, as this
example shows, it comes
at our expense. We only
need to look to the incredible
strikes and protests
happening in France for
a guide of how to fight
austerity. The Macron government
is increasing that
retirement age, from 62 to
64, to squeeze more out of
French workers. Note that
thanks to the Rudd Labor
government, Australian
workers can retire at the
age of 67[17]. The response
from the French working
class has been to shut
down business as usual,
refusing to work, over a
million protesting across
the country. Power workers
have shut down power
to businesses, whilst
providing power for free
to poor communities. Students
have barricaded
their schools and joined
the protests, rightfully acknowledging
that this is an
attack on them as well. The
resistance has made Macron’s
attack impossible
for politicians and bosses
to support. This is exactly
the type of movement we
need to organize, we need
Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
to build campaigns to
challenge the warmongers
in government and put the
resources that we create
into addressing the real issues
that impact us.
33
Art by Louis Perez
Please find listed
references in digital
article on the Lot’s
Wife website

Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
The perspectives of
young Soloman Islanders:
Essay mini-series
Words by Isabelle Zhu-Maguire
It is exhausting to be alive right now. Catastrophic
climate change is here and yet
powerful countries (and their media subsidiaries)
are insistent on focussing their
efforts on fear mongering about our new
global cold war.
Whether it is the silliness of Chinese ‘spy
balloons’, the ‘dangers’ of Sino-Pacific
partnerships or the ridiculous claims
that China will invade the Australian
mainland in three years, western governments
and media are fixated on making
us, the everyday ‘westerner’, petrified of
China.
For Australians, we are made to believe
that war is at our doorstep. Our media
is force-feeding us this narrative that Pacific
Islands are being coerced by China
to help build a PRC military presence in
the region. In reality, this is not the case.
The Solomon Islands in particular is at
the centre of this ‘Pacific war’ frenzy.
The country’s security pact with China
has been portrayed as a disaster for Australian
security. This is despite Australia
having our own security treaty with the
country.
In my opinion, this fear-mongering is
wildly unhelpful. It is the creation of another
stressor, designed by the corporate
media to induce more clicks and to keep
us, the working class, subservient to our
capitalist overlords.
Hence, this essay mini-series is meant to
alleviate one part of this stress and help
you see that war in the Pacific is a figment
of the media’s imagination.
This series has essays written by young
people who live in the Solomon Islands.
It contains their real experiences of geopolitics
and the major development issues
that their islands face. However,
throughout these pieces, you can feel
their optimism. You can clearly see that
despite their country being a focal point
for Australian fear, they see the potential
for bright futures.
Hence, in the spirit of self-care, I hope
you can read these essays and feel at
least one of your fears slowly dissipate.
That if our government and our media
stopped beating the drums of war, we
as Australians, are safe from China’s
‘wrath’. I hope you also can see that
maybe we should be focussing on other
issues that have a little more merit - the
big issues of capitalism, inequality and
climate change - issues that these young
Solomon Islanders care for and want
you to know more about.
34
34

Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
Menstrual Health in Rural
Solomon Islands
Words by Paul Taka
Menstrual health in the Solomon Islands
is one of the topics which is considered
taboo and is socially forbidden to be
talked about openly. This is especially
the case in rural communities. It is, however,
one of the major challenges that
women and girls in rural communities
have to tackle every time they have their
monthly period.
Three years ago, I was working on a
WASH project (an initiative to increase
sanitation in the country) and the following
are some of the significant challenges
we found through WASH surveys
collected from female primary and secondary
students, as well as community
female mothers and female leaders.
Female students in the rural Solomon Islands
don’t have much access to sanitary
pads and therefore, during their monthly
period they would miss their classes
and spend the whole day in the river
washing clothes or dirty plates. According
to some women, during their monthly
period, it is embedded in them to use
such time to wash clothes, beddings and
kitchen utensils. This is a particularly
worrying issue as some told us that these
long periods spent in rivers would lead to
pneumonia and other cold-related complications.
In classrooms, some young female students
told us that they would sometimes
stain their clothes as they did not have
proper access to sanitary pads. The students
get teased by male students which
can lead them to stay out of school for
fear of being teased. In the rural Solomon
Islands, some girls didn’t attend
school because of such a situation.
The following are some options young
girls use instead during their month period
when they cannot afford or access
sanitary pads: Some female students
use dry leaves, coconut husks, or used
cloth rags to manage their period which
obviously is not healthy and can cause
diseases if they aren’t careful. Others
who weren’t comfortable using these
chose to spend the whole time in rivers
or water taps washing all day long just
to manage their monthly period.
Menstrual health remains one of the
challenges our young women in rural areas
have to face monthly. Breaking the
taboo barrier, and educating our young
girls and mothers are among the solutions.
Art by Kelvin Kelo Neleta
35

Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
Geopolitical Competition
Surrounding the Soloman
Islands
Words by Kelvin Kelo Neleta
The geopolitical competition
between the US
and China in the Solomon
Islands has become
a political risk for us, our
neighbouring countries
and the entire surrounding
Pacific Islands region.
We have all known this
since the day the Solomon
Islands gained its
independence from the
British coloniser’s protectorate
after WWII. Since
independence, the world
has seen our country become
a crippled nation,
even labelled as one of
the poorest countries in
the Pacific. Yet, despite
our relative poverty, the
world’s major powers
have had an interest in
the Solomon Islands and
have been competing for
favourable decision making
by our government.
This international competition
once happened
before. Now it returns.
During the Cold War,
there were worries about
the Soviet Union working
closely with the South
Pacific Region and signing
a fishing treaty. This
prompted a quick response
from the US which
opened an embassy in
the Solomon Islands. As
time went on, the embassy
faded out from the
country. Now that Beij ing
signed a National Security
Agreement with the
Sogavare Government,
the media revealed that
the US reopened its embassy
in the Solomon
Islands. It was shocking
news for the world, given
that the US has an embassy
that was actively
established in nearby
Papua New Guinea.
Importantly, this switch of
bilateral recognition from
Taiwan to China, caused
a highly stressful situation
within the country
of Solomon Islands itself.
As a result of this switch,
mass social unrest happened
in the capital of
‘Happy Isles’ in 2021. This
sadly resulted in innocent
youths losing their lives
for nothing. Much of the
reasons why this unrest
occurred was due to a
36
rapid outbreak of information
all over the Honiara
Town Council which
then spread throughout
the nation. As the message
continued to spread,
there was much misinterpretation
and misleading
information that was also
spread from blind leaders
and elders. Since then,
the country has been settling
and is now steady
enough in preparation
for the upcoming South
Pacific Games this year,
2023.
After reading about the
discussions made about
the Solomon Islands, it
seems that the general
intentions of the US and
Australia in our country
is purposely for their own
protection. To me, there
seems to be increasing
fear among Australians,
New Zealanders and in
other neighbouring Pacific
Countries that there
could be another wave of
terrorist attacks to Australia
and others. Clearly
the people of Solomon
Islands are innocent, but

Lot’s Wife •• Edition Two
the Sogavare Government’s
decision to bring in
such an agreement with
Beij ing to the country is
clearly for the betterment
of their political leadership.
This has led the
people of Solomon into a
great confusion, resulting
in last year’s tension in
Honiara. Moreover, Solomon
Island is meant to
be a democratic country
and China is an authoritarian
country. Many in
the Solomon Islands see
this as a conflict of interest.
This is very similar to
what was being said of
the Soviet Union before
they became partners
with many South Pacific
countries when signing
fishing treaties.
Moreover, my opinion and
my advice to the Sogavare
government is that this
feels like a Chinese money
trap. I am concerned
that the country won’t
be able to afford to repay
all the money China
has loaned us. This would
lead China to continue
harvesting all the natural
resources that belong
to the innocent people of
Solomon Islands. If China
does not have these
intentions, they should
be more clear that all the
funding they give us is because
of true friendship.
Art by Kelvin Kelo Neleta
37

Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
The Perspective of a young
Art by Kelvin Kelo Neleta
Solomon Islander
Words by Jason Gagame
As a youth growing up in
a society where the youth
populace is growing rapidly
every year, it’s inevitable
that poverty and
social injustice are likely
to be the main causes of
youth-related issues in
the Solomon Islands. As a
child growing up, my parents
used to tell me to go
to school, study hard to
be able to pass all levels
of education until I graduated
from university. But
after completing my undergraduate
degree at the
University of the South Pacific
and returning home
to enter the workforce,
everything changed. The
simple story of going to
school and getting a job
after university was just
a mere checklist for every
individual growing up in a
society that assumes having
a job is for everyone.
I am saying this because,
as a young Solomon Islander,
much has changed
around me and the society
I live in. Globalisation
has changed people’s livelihoods
and how we see
things.
As I reflect on my personal
38

Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
opinion on poverty and social
justice in the Solomon
Islands, I want to stress
that poverty to me means
a lack of opportunities for
young people in the Solomon
Islands and the social
injustices that continue to
put many youths at a disadvantage.
Thus, for this
reason, I am going to reflect
on a few points that,
in my experience, I think
are the key issues facing
youths in the Solomon Islands.
To begin, youths in the
Solomon Islands face several
complex issues that
require urgent attention
from the government and
the wider community. I can
see that there is a need for
greater investment in the
education and training of
young people, as well as
more comprehensive support
for their mental health
and well-being. One of the
most pressing issues facing
youth in the Solomon
Islands is a lack of access
to quality education and
training. Many young people
struggle to complete
their education due to a
lack of resources and support,
which can limit their
opportunities for employment
and further study.
The government and other
stakeholders should work
to improve access to education
and training, including
vocational education
and apprenticeships,
to help young people build
the skills they need to succeed
in the workforce.
Unemployment is also a
major concern for young
people in the Solomon Islands.
The lack of job opportunities
can lead to
a sense of hopelessness
and frustration, which can
contribute to a range of
social problems, including
crime and substance
abuse. The lack of access
to education and training
opportunities is another issue
that affects the youth
of the Solomon Islands.
Many young people in the
country do not have the
opportunity to complete
their education due to factors
such as poverty, lack
of resources, and the high
cost of education.
Another major issue facing
youth in the Solomon
Islands is poor mental
health and well-being.
Many young people struggle
with depression, anxiety,
and other mental
health issues, and there
is a lack of resources and
support available to help
them. The government
should prioritise mental
health services for young
people, including counselling
and therapy, as
well as community-based
programs to help promote
mental wellness.
There is a need for greater
investment in programs
and initiatives that empower
youth in the Solomon Islands
to take an active role
in their communities. This
can include initiatives that
promote youth participation
in decision-making,
as well as programs that
support youth-led community
development projects.
By giving young people a
greater voice and role in
their communities, we can
help them build the skills
and confidence they need
to succeed and thrive.
Therefore, the challenges
facing youth in the Solomon
Islands are significant,
but with greater
investment and support,
we can help young people
overcome these obstacles
and build a brighter future
for themselves and their
communities. It is up to
all of us to come together
and work towards a more
just and equitable society
where all youth have the
opportunity to succeed.
39
39

Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
To Deprive People,
Forget Education
Words by Caleb Maehanua Pollard
The International Day of
Education 2023 was celebrated
on January 24th
2023 by the Ministry of
Education and Human
Resources Development
with donor partners on
the theme ‘invest in people,
prioritise education’
(Star, 2023).
As I came across this
article and its theme,
I one-hundred percent
agreed with it. Education
is of great importance
because it is a catalyst
for development. Education
provides a pathway
out of poverty and importantly
it gives meaning
to life. When you have
been educated, having
a university degree increases
the chances of a
good-paying job but also
opens up many doors for
your career.
But on the other hand, If
we talk about the reality
of education here in the
Solomon Islands, from
my point of view, what
is currently happening
is the opposite. I would
describe the current situation
as ‘to deprive people,
forget education’.
Education is a human
right and sadly, I have
seen this right being
taken away by decision-makers.
In 2021, the
outbreak of COVID-19
entered the shores of the
Solomon Islands and this
resulted in the closure of
services such as those in
education. Schools were
closed for a period of 15
weeks in which young
people had little to no education
during that time.
Later that year, it was
announced that schools
would be cut short in
preparation for the South
Pacific Games. Schools
would finish by October
since the schools are being
used as venues for
the South Pacific Games
and thus are in need of
preparation (Star, 2023).
This year, 2023, schools
were meant to begin the
academic year in late
January but because of
some preparations for
the Solomon Games and
late exam results, some
schools actually started
40
weeks later or haven’t even
started as I write this. Education
is a human right and
based on these situations,
it seems to me that the education
of our young people
is not being prioritised and
valued. If we have a generation
that is uneducated,
we are depriving our nation.
If we are to prioritise education
then the economics
of education must be prioritised.
Because of globalisation,
the education
of the Solomon Islands is
being affected because of
unfair markets, trade imbalances,
infrastructures
and high unemployment.
Most parents send their
children to school to ensure
they are able to complete
their education and get a
well-paid job but what we
have now is a great number
of university graduates
who are searching for employment.
The majority of
the population of the Solomon
Islands is youth, and if
nothing is done about the
employment of youth then
I wouldn’t be surprised if
riots become a common

Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
thing every 10 years or
even worse (Short, 2019).
Unemployment of youth is
a serious issue as this is depriving
our nation as well.
Even though our nation
faces many challenges
and difficulties, I believe we
can still make a difference.
Instead of investing in people
as the theme suggests, I
am convinced that we need
to invest in technology and
entrepreneurship. In this
fast-changing society,
technology can advance
the education of our young
people and also encourage
them to be creative and
critical thinkers. Another
positive is that technology
can have a wide reach in
which young people can
learn more about the world
and how it works. Even if
a teacher is absent, a student
is still able to learn
through technology. Technology
can provide a pathway
for the betterment of
education in which young
people can be empowered.
Therefore, let us prioritise
people but also technology
and infrastructure. There is
no one size fits all solution.
We must continue to strive
and support any pathway
that helps our young people
to realise their potential
whether it be sports, music,
entrepreneurship, creative
arts and so forth. As such,
education must be valued.
41
Art by Kelvin Kelo Neleta

Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
The Science of Thriving
Words by Monash Thrive
There’s an abundance of information at
the tips of our fingers telling us how to
improve our mental health: “eat this,”
“do this exercise,” “read more,” etc…
How do we know what actually works?
Monash Thrive has you covered!
They launched their 6-credit point elective
unit “The Science of Thriving” this
semester. It’s open to all undergraduates,
and it’s designed to teach a combination
of critical skills and knowledge
around mental health and seeking
help. It has a bonus professional development
benefit, as you can learn skills
you can carry into job interviews, such
as teamwork, problem solving, and interview
skills (all the skills AI will never
be able to replace). You can learn how
to use industry forward software such
as Canva, Microsoft Teams, Zotero,
and Trello in the context of your assessments.
A bonus is that Monash Thrive
is using co-design research methods
to tailor the unit to what students need
and want to learn about.
To find out more about “The Science
of Thriving” visit https://handbook.
monash.edu/2023/units/PSY1013.
To find out more about Thrive and
the helpful resources they have, visit
https://www.monash.edu/thrive.
Art by Zoe Elektra
42

Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
43

Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
An Interview with Matt Cronin
Words by Krista, MSA Welfare Oce Bearer
Content warning: contains discussions of physical violence, death
When I think about wellness, I think about
meditation, journal writing, yoga. Taking
regular breaks, eating well. And sure I’ll
think about some more social aspects,
like hanging out with friends, being a
part of a sports team or a volunteering
group.
But sometimes we can do all of these
things, nail that perfect lifestyle-balance
- and out of nowhere, it can all be taken
from us.
That’s what happened to Pat Cronin on
the 16th of April 2016. He was a university
student just like us, and went out on
a Saturday night just like we do. But he
“never came home” after his night out.
I had the privilege of speaking with Matt
Cronin, Founding Director of the Pat
Cronin Foundation and Pat’s father.
and drag them away.” He was doing what
anyone of us would do, trying to get his
mates out of the fight. Pat didn’t “go into
that situation thinking someone would hit
[him] from behind.” Sadly he “paid the ultimate
sacrifice.”
“Pat had no chance to defend himself”
against this “coward punch.” The “coward
who hit Pat wasn’t involved” in the fight;
he just wanted to “get his excitement [from
fighting]…from someone who was unable
to defend himself.
“Often the person who gets hit gets knocked
out or hits their head on the ground…in
Pat’s case he didn’t.” “He was walking and
talking” as if everything was okay. A few
hours later Pat was being
“carried down the steps [of his mate’s
house]…unconscious.” They didn’t realise
Pat “was having a seizure at the time.”
Pat went “out for a quiet Saturday night..
[to a] Diamond Creek bar.” Matt was
”happy [Pat] wasn’t going to King St or
Chapel St” - nightlife spots notorious for
drunken violence. Out of nowhere a fight
broke out between one of Pat’s mates
and another group of people.
“We raised our children to always look
after their mates,” Matt explained. “Don’t
add fuel to the fire, grab [your mates]
“Two days later we turned his life support
o ff . ”
“Pat’s anniversary is the 16th of April.” Matt
said it will be “seven years since we last
saw him.” “We’ve got three children…, if
Pat was still here, he’d be 26.”
Pat was a “smart kid” studying his “second
year of health science” on a “vice-chancellor’s
scholarship.” He “would have gradu-
44

ated two years ago”, working in his
dream job of physiotherapy.
Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
with a situation like this… you have things
in your [tool bag].”
There are too many “could’ves and
should’ves”, Matt lamented.
The value of welfare in our communities
was really brought to life in the
days following Pat’s death. Matt shares
that “150 to 200 people came around
to…give us a hug.” Matt and his family
were “community minded people, usually
the ones giving support to others.”
“Never in our wildest dreams did we
think we would need support from others…
the welfare we were given from
our community was just phenomenal.”
“On our back verandah that day, the
seeds for the Pat Cronin Foundation
were formed.” One of Matt’s good
friends said “we need to do something
about this, there are too many stories
like Pat’s… let’s put our heads together.”
The main purpose of the Pat Cronin
Foundation is to “put an end to the Coward
Punch… [we don’t call it] a king hit
or a one punch... [it’s] a Coward Punch.
No one wants to be a coward.”
Matt is “really rapt to be coming out
to Monash” later in the year. “When
you look at the images of Pat, you are
gonna say he could have been in my
class. The reality is as young people
you’re out and about, and that’s fine,
it shouldn’t be about ‘don’t go out’...
What we’re about is trying to empower
young people to make wise decisions.”
“99% of people won’t throw a coward
punch. It’s the 1% that we have got to
try and change. We want to give all the
good people out there the best strategies…
so that if you do get confronted
The Pat Cronin Foundation has received
feedback from students, teachers and
professional organisations alike, that
this message has profound impacts on
the communities’ dynamics and their
behaviour. No one wants to have to go
through losing a mate, let alone in such
tragic circumstances.
Matt was working from his home office
“which used to be Pat’s bedroom,” and
“sitting at Pat’s desk … [which] still [has]
some of [Pat’s] scribbles on it.” In this
space the message of the Pat Cronin
Foundation is preserved; be wise, think
carefully, act kindly.”
After speaking with Matt, I felt I gained a
whole new perspective on the cliche reality
that “life’s short.” You never know
what’s going to happen. Every moment is
precious and every choice pivotal. Getting
this message out and possibly changing
the perspective of just one person can be
the difference between someone losing
their life or being able to live. The Pat Cronin
Foundation’s philosophy of “be wise,
think carefully, act kindly” is a simple way
to remember to do what’s in our control to
ensure the welfare of ourselves and others.
We at MSA Welfare hope to continue
spreading this message to university students,
an audience which the foundation
hasn’t had the opportunity to reach up
until now. You can find out more information
by visiting the Pat Cronin Foundation
website (www.patcroninfoundation.org.
au) and by following them on social media,
or by picking up a Welfare pack at
our next Welfare on Wheels drop.
45

Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
Manifestation – a
mindset, a tool or
a joke.
Words by qwertyplayer
Manifestation for me,
is the brief moment
before action, before
the formulation of a
plan and to me can be
viewed as the initial
conception of a goal.
I manifest the inspiration
for my goals, but
I do not believe by default
I will attract my
goals. When we begin
to discuss bringing
something from
our internal reality to
physical existence, I
don’t believe we can
attract our goals at
all. On the contrary, I
believe our goals are
attracted through various
appealing factors,
whether it be money,
notoriety or something
else. I also don’t believe
that our goals are
unique but it’s rather
our choices on how we
get there are. I also believe
manifestation is
as effective as a person’s
disciplines and
motivations. My motivations
for as long as
I can remember have
come from seeing the
impact my choices
have on the wider world
and how my treatment
of others can cultivate
positive environments
of growth.
Aspects of manifestation
that refer only to
positive energy, focusing
purely on the result
or even elements
of gratitude journaling
are lost on me. I believe
setting a precedent of
positive energy continuously
being associated
with your goals
sets a false sense of
what it means to work
towards something and
what it means to work
through tribulation. No
goal (for me at least)
has been 100% smooth
46
and often my greatest
achievements have
come as a result of a
mindset and mentality
that were shaped and
bent through hardship.
Likewise, focusing purely
on what you want to
achieve and letting go
of the process in the
hope of utilising the
power of attraction loses
the greatest part of
any achievement: the
journey. For younger
generations especially,
I can also see a
trend of manifestation
inciting false realities
of constant control, a
false reality of positive
resolutions and a sentiment
of visualisation
being the key driver to
achieving any result.
Something I find worrying
as our leaders of
tomorrow develop and
become fully fledged
adults.

Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
Where I do see value
with trends of manifestation
is positioning
people to consider their
futures, their desires
and their goals. If the
concept/trend of manifestation
is required
to ask tough questions
and provoke serious
inner dialogue then
I’m all for it. Especially
in a post COVID-19
world, people have
stagnated, become uninterested
and with a
“25% increase in the
prevalence of anxiety
and depression worldwide”[1],
after the first
year of covid, maybe
a culture of manifestation,
whether or not we
believe in its effectiveness
is what we need
to give insight into genuine
discussions about
where we want to go as
people.
I do believe manifestation
holds its true
strength in the adjustment
of language and
thought towards oneself
which can often
lead to creating a culture
of achievement,
teamwork and community.
Examples of internal
adjustments:
Don’t say “if”, say
“when”.
Don’t wish you had
more, acknowledge
what you already have.
Don’t view it as a problem,
view it as an opportunity
to grow through
challenge.
Language towards
others can also be altered.
If someone tells
you their idea or goal,
manifest a desire to
care, don’t disregard it
because one day you’ll
attempt to manifest
a goal and someone
will view you as crazy
and delusional until it
works. Be curious, not
judgemental.
I believe it’s a fine line
to make these internal
adjustments and not
become too invested in
the fad of what manifestation
is often made
out to be by influencers
and social media
– a clear cut method
to getting what you
want. I think if we can
find a balance that
works within ourselves
47
to shoot for incredible
goals but find realistic,
manageable steps to
achieve them, why not
adopt manifestation
to a degree? Observe
the “ways to manifest”
but don’t follow the
widespread routines
because you’re told to.
Create new routines
and processes unique
to you and create foundational
tools and habits
that will allow you
to push closer towards
your goals.
Like I said earlier I truly
believe we all have the
same goals but our approaches
are different,
whether you are hunting
for power, money or
something more we are
all fighting for freedom,
choice and for purpose.
“Dream big dreams.
Small dreams have no
magic.”
- Dottie Boreyko
Please find listed
references in digital
article on the Lot’s
Wife website
Art by Zoe Elektra

Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
Discipline as self-care
Words by Anna
Controversially, discipline
is my ultimate form of
self-care. I am not talking
about the drill sergeant
“do one hundred pushups,
run a marathon, survive
on nothing but scraps of
lettuce and bone broth”
sort of discipline. Without
a doubt, restrictive behaviours
and a lack of bal-
ance culminate in nothing
but severe burnout and
rapidly declining mental
health.
I am talking about prioritis-
ing the fleeting discomfort
of delayed gratification
over the hedonistic, short
lived pleasure of instant
gratification.
I am talking about set-
ting a 15 minute timer
and making a schedule to
complete that pesky sta-
tistics assignment due in
a few weeks because if the
schedule isn’t made and
the assignment isn’t started,
a teary, Red Bull fu-
elled, 11.59 PM mental
breakdown becomes inev-
itable.
I am talking about some-
times resisting the steamy
and greasy beckoning
calls of a GYG
burrito while studying
on campus, so the saved
money can sit pretty in
an exchange traded fund,
sealing a more financially
secure future.
I am talking about plan-
ning a drunken night out
in the city with friends in
advance, instead of succumbing
to another unplanned
mid-week blow-
out which isn’t enjoyable
anyway because I am
stressed about an exam I
have in three days and ha-
ven’t started studying for.
Marinating guilt-free in my
doona with a cheeky GYG
burrito and a large
sprite sounds far more ap-
pealing than a pounding
hangover, a million regrets,
a missed 9am lecture and
a detonated bank ac-
count.
Sure, sometimes discipline
can be exchanged for
compassion.
Sometimes,
it is okay to sleep in for
an extra hour and skip the
gym after a horrific night
haunted by sleepparalysis
demons. Some-
times, it is okay to binge
watch reruns of Gilmore
Girls while lazing on the
couch in order to survive a
truly shitty mental health
day.
But being able to navigate
the fine line between elaborate
excuses and listening
to my body is so im-
portant. Too many times I
have told myself I deserve
to procrastinate, to skip
class, to doom scroll, to go
on a shopping spree in the
name of self-care and in
the name of ‘living for the
plot’ because I am young
and I only have one life.
But self-care
shouldn’t leave me broke,
overwhelmed and full of
regret. Self-care shouldn’t
make me feel like shit.
Art by Suzy Jones
48

Melbourne Again
Words by Mark Daniel Osborne
Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
The smell is first.
No change, and no change
for the homeless.
Big Issue,
cashless purchase,
cashlessed purchased?
Manicured blue-collars,
hi-vis,
Add coiffe to the cost of living?
Asked a Golden Stranger for the cheapest beer.
“You remember,” I heard, stopped.
“You’re a member?” she said.
I remembered her, but two years past.
Confused and impressed, but then made sense of.
Energised her with humour, then ordered.
A bird sits upon a stool
Waiting for fries...
Smoking, supping, watching
Like the city I’d left
Changed yet not
diminished by its familiar rot
Growth within, cracked outside,
Smouldering, smelly, caught with time.
Familiar, because it is mine.
49

Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
The Eavesdropper
Words by Georgia
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect
those of Lot’s Wife or the MSA.
Eavesdropping, snooping,
stickybeaking.
These words undeniably
carry a negative connotation,
and rightfully so.
No one wants to admit
that they eavesdrop on
other people’s conversations.
But sometimes,
in certain situations, it
is unavoidable. So yesterday,
when I found
myself sitting on a quiet
and desolate bus that
had a knack for catching
every red light that
it came across, I had
no choice but to listen
to two male university
students, only a ruler
length away from me,
speak about their day.
I searched my bag in
vain to find my earphones,
but with no
luck, I resorted to listening
to their chatter.
The two men, both tall
and lanky looked strikingly
similar with mousey
brown hair and pale
skin. They looked fresh
out of school and eager
to learn, yet their tone of
voice and conversation
had a tinge of disbelief
and disappointment to
it. Thankfully, neither
of them looked my way
as I was forced to listen
to their conversation.
Luckily, they seemed
unfazed by my presence
and amongst the
gurgle of the tired bus
engine, I found myself
surprisingly impressed
with their conversation.
As these men were complete
strangers, I have
named them Lewis and
Oscar. Their conversation
about their class
that day went a little
like this.
“But what about what
happened in class today.”
said Lewis, shaking
his head.
“Yeah, you totally were
thrown under the bus
by that girl. She kept
going on and on. Calling
you a racist. It was
insane listening to it
all.” replied Oscar.
“I know right. So unbelievable.
I even stated
that I didn’t even believe
in the argument I
was arguing as you’re
supposed to argue both
sides of a topic. But she
kept hounding me, calling
me a racist. It felt
like I was going insane
trying to explain myself.
Am I going insane?”
said Lewis.
“Yeah. You were completely
shut down by
her. She would not let
it go. You may be a little
insane though, but
not for what you spoke
about today,” laughed
Oscar.
“The tutor didn’t intervene
either. He probably
didn’t want to end
up being reported on
in the news as a ‘racist
tutor in support of the
anti-immigration movement’.
He was totally
silent and then directed
the class to discuss another
topic. Did not even
mention the importance
of duality within an argument
without emotions
getting involved.”
said Lewis in disbelief.
The bus came to a
50

screeching halt as dozens
of car horns started
blaring. All eyes momentarily
focused on the
front of the bus. When
all the commotion died
down, their conversation
continued…
“I still cannot believe I
got called a racist today.
I’ll add that title to
the ever-growing list.”
said Lewis, with a shake
of the head.
“Yeah, getting called
a racist because you
argued for anti-immigration.
You even made
valid points. You aren’t
racist for expressing
a point of view. You
weren’t harming anyone.
Plus, Japan has
an immigration rate of
about 2%. But yeah,
that’s beside the point.
It’s scary how silent everyone
was while you
two just went at it...”
said Oscar.
“I’m sorry too man, I
should’ve shown some
support.” added Oscar
after some thought.
“Nah, don’t worry
about it. I will tread on
eggshells next time we
talk about anything remotely
‘confronting’.
But then again, if I do
that, I am just giving
in to the extreme peo-
Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
ple who label anyone
opposing their idea as
racist or a bigot. It’s a
hard one to navigate. I
don’t like being called a
racist though. Anti-immigration
isn’t always
a ‘racist’ policy either.
You need to think multilaterally.
” said Lewis.
“Agreed. She got so annoyed
at you for saying
that she was offending
you. It’s like of course
you are going to get
annoyed, you’re being
called a racist when
you definitely are not.
Imagine if you started
calling her a racist because
she keeps pointing
out people’s skin colour…”
said Oscar.
I got lost in their conversation
and almost
missed my stop. I quickly
pressed the red button
and monkey vined to
the bus door. I was both
surprised and comforted
to hear their open
mindedness towards
opposing arguments.
It appears there has
been a shift in mindset
over the last few years
around the meaning of
being ‘open-minded’,
‘progressive’ and ‘socially
aware’. People
are scared to voice their
opinion in fears of being
labelled something
they are not. The ability
to discuss a controversial
topic without calling
someone a racist,
homophobe, bigot or a
misogynist seems to be
a disappearing art…
As I started on my short
trek home, I wondered
about the direction
in which the world is
headed. The world is a
sea of grey, and viewing
everything as black
and white can harshen
the waters. Lewis and
Oscar know the distinction
between being
open minded and progressive.
However, will
their experience with
the extreme left of the
world ruin their urge to
speak up when they go
against the perceived
majority?
I opened my freshly
painted front door
and felt a tinge of disappointment
that my
eavesdropping session
had been cut short.
Thank you to “Lewis”
and “Oscar” for restoring
my faith in independent
thought, and providing
an entertaining
conversation to listen to
on the only day I have
ever left my earphones
at home.
51

Art by H. Hidai
Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
52

Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
Mental health and how to keep hope:
A series of comments from women in
Afghanistan
Words by Hannah Oates, Sam Reynolds,
Gemma Ferris & Isabelle Zhu-Maguire
Content warning: the following pieces contain discussions of violence,
classroom bombings, mental health, gender-based oppression
The mental health of Afghan women
tends to be overshadowed by
complex social, political, and economic
landscapes.
However, their narratives and stories
hold priceless insight into the
challenges, stigmatism, and barriers
that remain in the face of inclusive
mental health support. This series
of short stories based on their
real experiences delves into the
struggles and triumphs of young
women living in Afghanistan.
As these women challenge traditional
gender roles and advocate
on behalf of their peers, friends, sisters,
daughters, and mothers, their
writing has become a platform
in which they are able to express
their own struggles with depression,
anxiety, trauma, and a range
of other mental health issues.
Their stories shed light on the misconceptions
surrounding mental
health in Afghan culture, as well as
the external inattention the topic
receives.
Despite the eloquence of these
women and their incredible writing,
words can do little to demonstrate
the reality of their experiences
of violence, discrimination,
gender inequality, and overcoming
near-insurmountable societal
barriers.
We are privileged that these women
have chosen to trust us with
their stories. Their courage and
perseverance are not only humbling
and awe-inspiring but should
serve as a catalyst for our own reflection
on the value of prioritising
mental health in situations of violence
and conflict.
53

Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
Hopes and life
Words by Robina
All of you may ask yourselves these questions
from time to time. Likely you come
up with different answers about hopes.
1. What does hope mean?
2. Have you ever had hopes in your daily
life?
3. How can you keep your hopes in difficult
situations?
As you all know the structure of a human
is made from spirit and body, and both
of them have a serious need to be hopeful
and the ability to be cheerful. If you
think about something in an optimistic
way, it can give meaning to your life.
Hope means to want something to happen
or for it to be true. Or simply you
can say that hope is an optimistic state
of mind that is based on an expectation
of positive outcomes with respect to
events and circumstances in one’s life or
the world.
I can tell a short story about my daily life
and those experiences which I achieved,
which reflects such optimism.
I am a student in the public health field
of Kabul University of Medical Science.
When I was accepted into this field it
was a tremendous event in my life. But,
I experienced very many difficulties at
that time and I did not have enough encouragement
from my family. But I was
so optimistic for my better future.
Before this government, I was a teacher
in one of the best courses of English
language. I had a lot of students and
my students gave me positivity. Now
the present government is preventing all
the girls from learning and developing.
The present situation is very unbearable
for all Afghan girls. But I know that Allhumdu-lillah,
we are Muslims and Allah
would never leave us alone - the best is
yet to come.
One thing which I have learned from life
is that it is possible to identify one key
area of your life that you have created
with your own thinking and change your
thinking in that area to be more
successful. You can do this, even in the
most challenging of times.
54

Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
55
Art by H. Hidai

In many aspects, Afghan women’s
lives are a collection of
problems and difficulties. In
each step they engage with
obstacles. They tend to be the
only supporters of their goals.
In many families, they are
treated like second class citizens
which make them unconfident,
shy and then mental disorders
will often overtake them.
Bans on education, work, travel
and many other things have
pressured them more than ever
before. I’m currently working
in the psycho-social sector
which mainly provides services
for mentally affected Afghan
women. Every day, I meet dozens
of women who suffer from
the ongoing condition of the
country. I feel proud when they
share their stories and explain
the way of their resistance.
Even though they have a life
full of restrictions and obstacles,
they try to bring a kind
of stability to their lives, each
moment.
Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
Afghan women struggle for
sustainable mental health
is my illiteracy, and what I suffer
a lot from is the existence of
patriarchy.”
“It was very important for
me to graduate from school,
but I haven’t the right to enter
school now. I’m very upset
that in my last year of school I
am forbidden from education.
Even though there is ban on
education, I’m trying to continue
my education in home and
make myself capable to be financially
independent in the
future.”
“The most difficult situation
in my life is that I don’t have
family permission for studies.
Although my brothers are literate,
they don’t allow me to go
to school.”
“It is very difficult for me when
people say: she is a girl, she
is weak and she can’t do anything.
These kinds of thoughts
forced me to feel myself worthless.”
Every day, I receive letters
from girls and women where
they explain their feelings; and
whenever I read them, I realise
how life has become hell for
Afghan women. There is lot of
comments to be shared but I
want to highlight some of the
most important among them;
“What saddens me a lot in life
These girls are working day
and night to bring a kind of
happiness and improvement to
their lives. The only thing that
keeps their strength towards
their goals is their unstoppable
struggle. They are hopeful in
the dark ages of Afghanistan
and are trying to foster stable
mental health.
56
Words and Art
by H. Hidai

Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
57

Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
Hope Ignites: From
Darkness to Triumph
Words by Anonymous
As Samira navigated
through the murky waters
of her tumultuous life, she
encountered an array of
obstacles that would have
broken the spirit of the
strongest individuals. Her
unyielding determination
to fight for what she believed
in was awe-inspiring,
and her unwavering
hope in the face of adversity
was a testament to the
resilience of the human
spirit.
The trauma that Samira
experienced in her homeland
of Afghanistan was
a heavy burden that she
carried with her, a weight
that threatened to crush
her at every turn. Her journey
through the refugee
camps was an arduous
one, filled with hardship
and uncertainty. And yet,
Samira never lost faith. She
held on to her hope with a
tenacity that was both admirable
and humbling.
The challenge of learning
a new language was a
monumental task, one that
would have left many feeling
defeated. But Samira
refused to be daunted
by the complexities of the
English language. She approached
it with a determination
that was fueled by
her desire to make a difference,
to continue her fight
for women’s rights.
The experience of being
ridiculed and laughed at
during the women’s rights
conference was a bitter
pill to swallow. Samira had
poured her heart and soul
into learning the language
and sharing her story, only
to be met with derision and
contempt. But she refused
to be deterred. Instead,
she used the experience as
a catalyst to redouble her
efforts, to break down the
barriers that stood in the
way of progress.
However, even with her
unwavering strength and
determination, Samira still
struggled with the trauma
of her past. One day, while
waiting for the train at the
station, she suddenly mistook
the speeding train for
a rocket and began to cry
and scream in terror.
For Samira, the sounds of
the metro train and the
vibrations of the platform
triggered memories of the
bombs and explosions that
she had experienced in Afghanistan.
Her post-traumatic
stress disorder had
become so severe that
even the slightest reminder
of her past could send her
into a panic attack.
The other commuters at the
metro station were initially
taken aback by Samira’s
outburst, but soon realised
that she was in need of
help. They comforted her
and called for medical assistance.
Samira was taken
to the hospital where
she received the care and
support she needed to
manage her PTSD.
As a result of the strict gender
segregation and harsh
punishment for any form
of interaction between unrelated
men and women in
her home country, Samira
found it challenging to
form friendships with men.
Witnessing women being
whipped and killed for
simply owning a mobile
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Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
phone or conversing with
a man who was not their
Mahram or family member
had left an indelible
mark on her psyche. The
mere thought of interacting
with men outside of her
immediate family caused
her immense anxiety and
discomfort, despite being
aware of the cultural differences
in her new home.
It took Samira a considerable
amount of time and
effort to overcome these
deeply ingrained beliefs
and learn to interact with
men in a more relaxed and
natural manner. However,
her traumatic experiences
served as a reminder of
the importance of fighting
for women’s rights and the
need for greater gender
equality in all aspects of
life.
Despite this setback, Samira
did not give up. She
continued to work on her
mental health and sought
out therapy to help her
cope with her trauma. She
was determined to not let
her past define her and to
keep fighting for the rights
of women, no matter the
obstacles.
Samira’s journey was a
testament to the strength
of the human spirit, the
power of hope, and the
importance of community.
Through her struggles and
challenges, she remained
steadfast in her commitment
to make a difference
and inspire others
to do the same.
Through it all, Samira’s
heart remained pure and
her spirit unbroken. Her
journey was one of tragedy,
but it was also one
of hope, love, and resilience.
She was a true
inspiration, a shining example
of the power of the
human spirit to overcome
even the most daunting
of challenges.
Hope was the light that
guided Samira through
the darkest moments of
her life. Despite facing
unimaginable challenges
and setbacks, she never
lost faith that a better future
was possible. It was
this unshakable hope
that propelled her forward
and led her to the
biggest stages where she
could advocate not only
for women in Afghanistan,
but also for those
oppressed in Iran and beyond.
Samira’s hope was infectious,
inspiring others
to believe that change
was possible. Even when
faced with seemingly insurmountable
obstacles,
she refused to give up.
Instead, she channeled
59
her hope into action, working
tirelessly to promote
equality and justice for all.
Her unwavering commitment
to this cause was a
testament to the power of
hope to drive change.
Through her advocacy
work, Samira touched the
lives of countless individuals,
giving them hope
where there was once despair.
She showed them
that no matter how difficult
the road ahead may
seem, there is always a
path forward. And that
with hope as our guide,
we can overcome even the
most entrenched systems
of oppression and injustice.
In the end, Samira’s legacy
was not just one of
resilience and determination,
but also of hope. She
proved that hope is not a
naive fantasy, but a powerful
force that can move
mountains and change
the world. And though she
may be gone, her message
of hope lives on, inspiring
others to continue the fight
for a better tomorrow.
Art by H. Hidai

Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
An Education: From Fundamental
Right to Impractical Dream
Words by A. Sultani
People all around the world have
different hopes and dreams.
Some hope to study at Harvard,
others are dreaming about a
world tour and even travelling to
Mars, but here the story is different.
In Afghanistan, girls are
dreaming to get education and
the right to work like men. It’s been
almost two years since all Afghan
girls had their biggest dream to
go to school and university taken
from them. I teach some girls
English, and together we made a
collection of dreams. More than
20 girls, who are 16-21 years old,
wish that life was not too cruel for
them. Something surprising about
them is that they kept their hopes
in the middle of the chaos. Although
they know getting an education
is a crime for them now,
they come to learn with enthusiasm
and a strong motivation. I see
them as a diamond that becomes
shinier after each carve. The diamonds
who are coming from a patriarchal
family and society, and
then battling with restrictions but
still keeping their treasures: their
hopes.
Zahra’s story is worth mentioning.
She says “My parents were
against me going to school. Sometimes
my father throws away my
books, but I collect them back
with tears. It doesn’t matter what
happens, I want to continue and
study.”
In part of her dream, note that she
hopes to be free. The sweet feeling
of riding her own bicycle, hair
flowing free, where she could feel
freedom with her whole spirit.
Other girls like Anisa want to be
a doctor and serve their community.
The Taliban banned all male
doctors from treating female patients
while they also banned girls
from going to schools and universities,
so how can they get a female
doctor?
All Afghan girls and women are
living in an ambiguous situation,
and no one knows for how long
their dreams will still remain unachievable.
But something for
sure is that they will never lose
their hope and they will keep
fighting for their future.
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Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
Art by H. Hidai
61

Maybe it has happened to
you that you are uncertain
about accepting and following
what your head or
your heart is saying. But
this story is a more complex
conflict between these
two. If you have chosen to
read this piece of writing,
welcome to my world. A lot
of people all over the world
may not have the passion
to continue their education
without many facilities,
family support and
encouragement, but the
story is different here inside
Afghan borders, especially
for women. Although
they are passionate, and
have overcome many challenges
already in their
academic life, they still
face a high barbed wire
fence made by the Taliban.
Begin by imagining your
life as a marathon, where
you have passed many
obstacles, the days that it
was only you who supported
yourself, while abruptly
you face a barbed wire
fence and you have been
told “it is the end”. Meanwhile,
you look back at
the path and glance at all
the events you have come
from. Remembering your
Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
A Conflict Between Mind and Heart:
The reason why I don’t want to be
stopped here
Words by A. Sultani
first day of school, the
days I was praised as the
best student of the year,
but nothing can put someone
more in an ambivalent
situation than the threat of
death simply for going to
school. Still, I had remained
steadfast and was going
to school while every day
we had to check the classrooms,
under the tables,
behind the windows and
doors for any bomb’s that
might kill us. It happened
on Wednesday, August
15th, 2018, as more than 150
students were martyred
and injured at Mawood
Education Center, Kabul. I
remember we had started
with much more passion
in our University Entrance
prep class, a class full of
boy and girl dreamers who
were studying with all of
their power to learn complex
mathematical structure
and physics. ‘Black
Wednesday’ took all of
their dreams to the grave.
It was our free time. I was
standing with my friend
Jalila at the yard solving a
maths question, when my
classmate Kowser came
across to us and said, “let’s
go to the class, the free
62
time is over.” I said “Ok, we
are close to the answer. We
will come.”. Within a second,
she entered the classroom.
We were putting our
first step through the door
when BOOM!!! Smoke was
everywhere. The class roof
was flying through the air
with shards of glass from
the window. A girl was on
the ground with a bloody
body. Another classmate’s
white clothes had turned to
red with the blood of someone
else. At that moment, I
froze and my mind couldn’t
accept what had happened
while my heart accepted
that it was the last
moments of my life. Then,
someone opened the yard
door from the back side,
and I ran out to save myself.
Weeks later, I was still emotionally
destroyed with the
news of losing so many
of our friends, including
Kowser who spoke with
me just moments before
the explosion. But we had
started again, and continued
to follow our dreams.
I was trying very hard to
chase my own and our
friends’ dreams whilst
so many people were
telling me to stop, due

Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
Art by H. Hidai
to the danger of attending
educational centres.
It was not the end. Afghans
and especially Afghan women
endured many things
to reach their dreams and
be educated, and it is not
their destiny to be stopped
here when they found the
way of reaching up to their
goals.. This history is one of
my thousand reasons that
I don’t want to be stopped
here, and it’s why I want
to keep my hope and continue
my way. The things
I have lost on this journey
are far too expensive to
sit down and do nothing. I
want to continue and make
the future I deserve, because
I was made for this,
as my name means HOPE.
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Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
Hope for Survival
Words by S. Abedi
There is no place for hope in
the current situation of Afghanistan.
Afghan people do not
have any access to their most
basic rights, poverty has been
reaching its highest peak, social
justice does not exist, the
ruling regime is mono-ethnic
and authoritarian, women are
fading from society and in the
general forty years of war has
been exhausting the soul and
spirit of the people of Afghanistan.
So much so that their
hopes and dreams for better
life become less and less common
in Afghanistan.
From my point of view, I am a
girl currently living in Afghanistan
and the abnormal conditions
of my country have had a
direct impact on me: I lost my
young uncle in the war, I have
experienced a terrorist attack at
my university and currently I do
not have any access to right of
work or education, and almost
ten other different types of discrimination
against me and
other women. To revive the hope
of Afghan people once again,
we must understand two things
which will change our mind
about hope and mental health:
first, acceptance of these conditions.
I do not mean to accept
surrender, it will be different.
Like how the collapse of the previous
regime was not believable
for the first few months for me
and other Afghans, but then I
knew it was a fact. I ought to
know the way and the purpose
of my struggle.
Second, we must know hope is
a struggle for survival. In this
kind of struggle, hope for better
conditions is a basic condition
for victory. In the end, I want to
share a poem by Hafez Shiraze
which is a lesson of hope.
“Arrived the glad tidings that
grief’s time shall not remain.
Like that joy’s time remained
not; like this grief’s time shall
not remain!”
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Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
Art by H. Hidai
65

Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
Special thanks to all
our contributors!
Abigail Oh
Anna
A. Sultani
Caleb Maehanua Pollard
David Williams
Gemma Ferris
Georgia
Hannah Oates
HH
H. Hidai
Isabelle Zhu-Maguire
Jason Gagame
Kelvin Kelo Neleta
Krista
Writers
Lucia Lane
Mark Daniel Osborne
Monash Thrive
Oliver Cocks
Paul Taka
qwertyplayer
Rashi Undugodage
Robina
Sam Reynolds
Sarah Jane Hurst
S. Abedi
Will Hunt
Zoe Elektra
Zoe Kelly
Artists
Arwen Verdnik
H. Hidai
Kelvin Kelo Neleta
Louis Perez
Lucinda Campbell
Suzy Jones
Zoe Elektra
To contribute to the next edition, keep an eye out on
our social media for updates.
Visit linktr.ee/lotswife for links!
@lotswifemag
www.lotswife.com.au
@lotswife
Lot’s Wife
@LotsWifeMag
66

Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
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Lot’s Wife • Edition Two
...until next time
Lot’s Wife.
2023
Front Cover Art by Louis Perez
Back Cover Art by Arwen Verdnik
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