misfortunes to myself, I traced all the different paths
that would have led to lives markedly different from
where I was then. Would I have been happier or would
I have met another wall eventually?
It’s been a year since the longest horseback ride of my
life. Many things have changed, I’ve left my job at the
magazine and moved to another continent. Instead
of writing food and alcohol stories and detailing my
adventures in exotic locales, I’m coming full circle and
beginning the process of going back to school. My
time at Monash, and SASS in particular, will always
be contained in a treasured place in my memories
because it was there that “Why the hell not?” emerged
full-form in my psyche. But I chose not to submit any
of my published work to this e-Magazine, they can be
found easily on the Web, nor any real reflection on my
years in MUM, because in the spirit of metamorphosis
I’d like to submit fresh material going forward.
*Gama was a famous Indian wrestling champion. The
Dalai Lama, coincidentally, was in town when we were
out gallivanting in the mountains.
Lestari Hairul studied International Studies and
Communications between 2012 and 2013. After
several years working for an international lifestyle
magazine, she is now a ghostwriter.
Drinking tea the traditional way
in Ladakh (2017). ▶
127
In a few weeks, I will be going to a country famed for
trekking and climbing, but the only trekking I will do is
a short one of just a few hours that will bring us within
squinting distance of that mountain I’ve dramatically
sworn never to attempt. My husband is not willing to
shit in nature, as he puts it, and that should limit my
propensity for rash decisions, at least on this trip. My
“Why the hell not?” has been tempered with a “Yes,
but let’s have some backup”.
◀ Trying out a traditional
Visayan female garment
weaved out of pineapple
husk during ISO Iloilo (2013).