Verse Magazine Edition 32

Edition 32 Free

VERSE

FREE

Neville Cichon

Ezra ThĂŠodore Tillet

Humans of UniSA

Thoughts from Jakarta

Verse Magazine acknowledges the Kaurna, Boandik and Barngarla First Nations People as the traditional custodians of the unceded lands that are now home to the University of South Australia’s campuses in Adelaide, Mount Gambier and Whyalla. Verse Magazine respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past, present and emerging. Verse Magazine also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia. It was and always will be Aboriginal land.

02 04 07 08 16 18 20 28 30 38 42 44 45 46 48 52 54 56 58 59 60 61 62

Editor’s Letter 10 ways to be a supportive ally this year This lonely hemisphere Imagine: Neville Cichon Something about the rain...

Playlist: Songs to cherish summer Interview: Ezra Théodore Tillet Taboo: Personal finance Humans of UniSA How we can be better together Thoughts from Jakarta Re: Marriage Story The drunk house call Metamorphosis Days unwasted Review: How do you like your eggs?

Puzzles Horoscopes: The signs according to Michael Scott Verse Recommends: Podcasts Clubs Feature: 2019 Club Awards USASA Calendar USASA President’s Letter USASA 2020 Student Reps Cover: Neville Cichon While you were sleeping #2, 2018, ink-jet print on cotton paper, 40cm x 40cm

EDITOR’S LETTE

Hey there!

First of all, thank you for picking up Verse Mag. This is our first edition for 2020 and the Verse team is stoked that you’re here. Whether you’ve been around the UniSA block a few times or you’re taking your initial steps as a first year— Welcome!

If you haven’t heard of Verse Mag before (it’s fine—we’re not shocked, hurt and confused), we are UniSA’s student magazine. Every word, photograph and artwork you see has been made by, for and with UniSA students and recent graduates.

A lot of thought, care and enthusiasm has gone into creating the magazine you now hold in your hot, little hand (or cool, large fingers).

Feel free to read it meticulously cover to cover or to idly flick through while you “study” in the library. Either are both highly acceptable ways to peruse Verse Mag (although I personally recommend the former).

Edition 32 packs a punch. We’ve done our best to listen as you return from your summer travels and get back in the swing of the uni routine, as you get angrier and angrier about our climate crisis, and as more and more of us find their voices in world that often would prefer quiet compliance. We hope that the stories in these pages will remind you to step out of the realm of comfort, embrace the unknown, properly take care of each other, and celebrate the different, funky, fresh things that make us all so interesting.

All the best, Anna

2

Head Editor Anna Day Comms and Digital Editors Jordan White and Nina Phillips Graphic Designers Leah Nolan and Emma Horner

|

Edition 32 2020

Verse Magazine

Created by students for all students.

Verse Mag is your UniSA magazine. It’s unusual, unconventional and pretty damn cool.

Submit your work and stay up to date with everything Verse, including the latest stories, reviews, release dates and heaps more at VerseMag.com.au Facebook.com/VerseMagAdelaide Instagram.com/VerseMagazine

10

Allyship

ways to be a supportive ally this year Words Tabitha Lean Artwork Rachael Anderson

New year, new you?

We’ve just had Amnesia Day (January 26) where Facebook posts boast “Aussie pride” and the shops were full of thongs and t-shirts plastered with the colonial flag. For most of us mob, our hearts were heavy knowing that people were standing around the BBQ, munching on their snags and toasting the invasion and brutal and violent dispossession of our people. However, it is also the time of year where good and decent people ask what they can do as allies to support us mob. And what a better way to start the year than with some suggestions and while this list is by no means exhaustive, it’s a start of the yarn: 5

|

Edition 32 2020

1

Challenge that racist uncle at your next family gathering. You don’t need to be aggressive, but every time we say nothing in the face of racism, we are silently siding with them

2

Gifts to buy loved ones this year? Buy from blak businesses, here’s just a few: Haus or Dizzy, Lake Tyrrell Art, Kookorrniny Koondarms beautiful dreams, Koori Circle Earrings, Bush Medijina, Brandi Rose, Murri Menu, Wangullay Art, Ginny’s Girl Gang, Andos Art Prints, Gunditj Art, Clothing the Gap, Nungalicious Art, Bec Lee-Creating Dreams, PUNU carvings

3

Support First Nations leading action on the climate crisis: https://au.gofundme.com/f/first-nations-fireknowledge-land-lore

4

Send toothbrushes and toothpastes to Maningrida’s appeal via Babbarra Women’s Centre: PMB 102, Winnellie NT 0822 Australia

5

Attend Reconciliation events—show up and show your support!

6

Now that Dutton has declared war on Bruce Pascoe, you could show your support for Bruce and buy his brilliant book, Dark Emu

7

Turn up for blak fullas and weaponise whatever privileges you have access to. More often than not privileges are simple things like time, access to venues, access to content, having a platform that you can share

8

Get to know which Aboriginal nation you live and study on; acknowledge the custodians of that land, and remember the lands and waters across this country have been stolen.

We never ceded sovereignty

9

Listen to and centre First Nation voices and knowledges—and respect our view points

10

6

Challenge people when they use reductive stereotypes of us…silence reinforces settler notions of Indigeneity and demean us every time

And most of all, check in on your Aboriginal friends and colleagues at uni. Our people have historically been denied education—we are still overwhelmingly under-represented across “Australian” universities, making up just 1.7% of the domestic student population. So, for most of us we are working on surviving within an academy built for, by and with whiteness and patriarchy at its core. Our existence within these institutions is a revolutionary act of resistance and evidence of our strength. Every day as an Aboriginal woman I am required to perform to and resist colonial imaginings of Aboriginality— it’s exhausting. Most days, we navigate the force of white settler hostility, hazardous and harmful race talk, and we study within buildings whose architecture itself represents violent dispossession…and still we rise. ☐

Poetry

This lonely hemisphere Somehow, say, I am flakes, hath fall to die Philosophise the descent, caught rye And galvanise the street below the slept bed Hakuba snow atop pillows, till morning And I knew, all truth I knew snow to fall transient See, Iimori, Goryu, overcast a cosmic highway Where I stole your arctic lips And harvested a voiceless abyss, No religion for the sudden; a luna ocean wave Drown the hour, submerge the minute A sea lion cave, commencing distance And I knew, all truth I knew mountains to grow Alas, thou midnight, shun once like daylight Far above the illuminated white and streetlights Trickle from cinder to alight a bronze gate Black hole sun rays, the minuscule epoch And now I know, all absence I know the stillness of jets Belief in a snow ascent Consumed by jagged clouds And fulfil the odyssey beneath Orion Make homely, this lonely hemisphere Words Nahum Gale Artwork Suhasini Balasubramanian

7

|

IMAGINE

Edition 32 2020

Neville Cichon Interview by Christina Massolino Right: Long term planning, 2017, ink-jet print on cotton paper, 50cm x 40cm

Neville Cichon’s artwork utilises the magnetic power of photography to protest the climate crisis by overlaying every-day scenes and objects with sinister overtones. His photographic series Unleashing Hell (2017) and Filter (2018) have taken on a new urgency in the wake of the recent bushfires and the escalation of our climate crisis.

Exploring ways to bring an Australian perspective to the climate crisis discussion, much of Neville’s work builds on insights of the climate that were formed during his formative years: as a young boy living by the coast in Reynella to the threat of bushfires after he moved to Lobethal in the Adelaide Hills as a teenager.

Neville has two degrees from UniSA in Visual Communication (Graphic Design) and Visual Arts (Photography), which he graduated from in 2009 and 2018 respectively. He has featured in exhibitions around the world including South Australia’s own Sauerbier House in Port Noarlunga, the McGivern Prize in Melbourne, and the Creative Climate Awards in New York. Despite these accolades, Neville is adamant that this is just the beginning as his artistic practice continues to emerge.

8

9

|

Edition 32 2020

Imagine

“In my research in 2017 around climate change, I was largely seeing polar bears and melting ice caps, so I wanted to bring an Australian perspective to it. I wanted to make it relevant to us.�

Left: How did it come to this?, 2017, ink-jet print on cotton paper, 60cm x 40cm Above: Turn down the heat, 2017, ink-jet print on cotton paper, 60cm x 40cm Right: Words fail us, 2017, ink-jet print on cotton paper, 90cm x 30cm

|

Edition 32 2020

What drives your passion for art and photography?

Well, thank you for asking! I think with photography, it’s simply the power of the image. Really, ever since I studied Visual Communication I’ve always believed in the strength, the impact, a photograph can make. So that has never changed. Otherwise, it’s about creativity and how that translates and reflects ‘us’ and our society and presenting something new—a new way of looking at things. Basically I have a desire to continue to learn and develop and be surprised by developing new things.

Within art and photography there’s often a lot of research involved, along with personal values and opinions, so it’s a good channel for a lot of creative people to go down.

Exactly. I create work for me, from a certain perspective, and when I put it out there, I’m more than happy for people to have their own take on it. I know people see things differently, but that’s just all part of the conversation, the dialogue and stimulating discussion.

I’ve seen a lot of your work and some of it is quite abstract, and then some is quite literal. It is in your face but it’s never in your face in the way that it forces an opinion on you. It simply presents you with an idea, and viewers can take from it what they want.

Yeah. So my interest in photography is not just in one style. In the current climate change work, you can say well there’s documentary and street photography that I’m doing by attending the rallies and documenting those, and then of course there’s the conceptual work with objects and things that are more studio based. Then there’s the landscape work, which often has an abstract aspect to it. For me, that’s reaching out to different audiences. Still, primarily, it’s about what I want to do. I enjoy using those different techniques and exploring the breadth of photography. The abstract work appeals to a different audience, often people who are more interested in painting, and it’s more contemplative—you can sort of ponder the environmental issues through those works.

To what extent do you believe growing up on a coastal town impacted your reaction to the climate crisis, and consequently, your art? Particularly with reference to your 2018 exhibition Filter that you created during a residency at Sauerbier House.

From day one at the [Sauerbier House] residency I hung up a photo of myself as a seven-year-old junior Surf Life Saver for the [Southport Surf Life Saving] club only a few hundred metres away in the dunes. A reminder of where I built my respect and on-going relationship with water and waves. I moved to the Adelaide Hills, to Lobethal, and formed new appreciations of the contrast in seasons, the isolation and connection to the environment. I understand how compelling the coast is 12

and how it draws in people far in excess of those that live nearby. This guides me to forecast how pissed off a large proportion of the community will be when their utopian coastal playground becomes a nightmare. So images such as ‘Circa 2030’ and ‘We are moving’ are blunt prompts to tune in to the topic. Whereas things such as the bather shots can generate a physical response and personal connection to the issue of us losing sand from beaches and things like that.

You said you moved to Lobethal, so you have that coastal experience which relates to rising sea levels and beach erosion in your works, but then you also have the experience of the danger of bushfires being in the hills.

Exactly. So there’s two photographs displayed as part of the Adelaide Hills Landscape Arts Prize which ends in January, which were both taken at Lobethal in front of my original house there. So you’re right, my appreciation for both environments has come out through my growth as a child through to my teenage years.

During your residency at Sauerbier House, you invited visitors to contribute to your work. How did this take place and what did it involve?

I gave them this activity—I had a black box and a white box, and some blank bits of paper and pens handy. I asked them to write down confidentially their brightest hopes or their darkest fears in relation to climate change, and then lodge those into the respective box. After a couple of months, I started reading through peoples’ personal reactions. I had assumptions about community perceptions [in Port Noarlunga], but I wanted to hear authentic and uncensored views of people in that area. While the issues they raised were not surprising, the degree of concern was, like how concerned they were for their grandchildren, and how frustrated they were with government inaction. That’s what lead to the thermographic portraits I did, where I borrowed a thermal imaging camera and took portraits of volunteers in the local area. I tried to capture their concern in the photographs. Then some of the handwritten notes became part of the installation, blown up to about one metre square.

That’s so powerful. I think the use of the thermal imaging is something in itself—about heat, temperatures and change. Having it reflected on people too, is not something you normally see.

Yeah, so it started as that cartoon concept of steam coming out of someone’s head. Then it was based on scientists, how climate scientists are feeling about all their effort not being recognised and how frustrated they must be feeling. It was technically challenging, because those cameras are not meant to make art, they’re just a tool.

Imagine

Southport SLSC circa 1972

“I don’t think an artist is compelled to be an advocate, but it is something they do well.”

13

|

Edition 32 2020

Your photographic series Unleashing Hell explores the extremely relevant bushfire threat Australia faces, which is increasingly exacerbated by climate inaction.

Can you elaborate on your rationale and approach to the series?

In my research in 2017 around climate change, I was largely seeing polar bears and melting ice caps, so I wanted to bring an Australian perspective to it. I wanted to make it relevant to us. I read a report [‘Future risk: The increased risk of catastrophic bushfires due to climate change,’ 2010] which talks about the connection between CO2, coal, setting the scenario for increased intensity and frequency of bushfires. So I saw bushfires as an Australian thing, and taking that a step further, I then focused on household objects, making it really personal.

One object was a book I found in the UniSA Library. I didn’t even need to open it, it just spoke the words that we’ve known about this and had massive conferences on this with thousands of people in 1988, ‘Planning for Climate Change’.

The noose I found very difficult, I was very reluctant to release that but I feel it was reflecting the simple fact that bushfires do kill people.

The strong link to electricity continues with the air-conditioning remote control that relates to our systemically poor house design and our reliance on an air-conditioning, thus increasing electricity consumption.

The remote has been melted to also reflect radiant heat that you can experience hundreds of metres away from a fire, which is capable of killing somebody.

In ‘Words fail us’ I refer to the fire danger rating where a value of 100 is Catastrophic and that means run. But, I found that the Marysville fire had a rating of 187 and recently when the Snowy Mountains were under threat, they forecast a rating of 200. So, how can we quantify these things for us to understand? We need to change our language at the same rate our climate is changing.

There were some works from Unleashing Hell in the New York Creative Climate Awards, weren’t there?

Yeah, I guess an opportunity for any artist in the climate change space is that there are a number of events and avenues to expose your work. In New York, there’s the Human Impact Institute and they’ve been holding the Creative Climate Awards each year for at least the last five years or so. So they had an exhibition for a month on 42nd street in New York in a high profile venue, and I had work from Unleashing Hell, and also from Filter in 2018. So that’s just a great recognition of work that’s been produced in Australia being recognised internationally over there.

14

It’s great to have artists from all over the world showing that it’s a very global issue. It’s not just localised to one place.

Exactly. Recently I was in Melbourne launching a public artwork part of the McGivern Prize, which had a focus on the Anthropocene. You go along to that and you see over forty artists who have been doing this for years as well.

So there is a large history to artists working in this space, and obviously a long future as well.

Do you find it encouraging presenting alongside other artists that are doing similar things to you and advocating the same things?

Yeah for sure. I think there’s artists of varying levels—I consider myself an emerging artist and it’s great to have your work around a lot of experienced artists, but still respecting that everyone’s doing it in their own way, having their own reference point, some more subtle some more hard-hitting.

Do you feel it is an artist’s role to advocate for climate action through their art?

I think artists can define their own roles. Beyond the artist that may specifically focus on the issue of climate change, there are many more who are concerned with the environment, human rights, leadership, and our actions that are just as important. Those things overlap and are interwoven. I don’t think an artist is compelled to be an advocate, but it is something they do well.

Are you currently working on any art projects, and if so, what do they look like?

Wet. I’ve just announced that I have a Helpmann Academy Elevate Mentorship, which I’ve been granted to seek guidance from Che Chorley. He’s well known for his ‘Land Sea You Me’ project among others. So I intend to shoot a lot of photographs on and in the sea. I’m researching the human impact on marine ecosystems.

That’s part of the plan to develop new work for a solo exhibition in 2021, back at Sauerbier House.

What do you hope to see in young, emerging artists as we continue to face the climate crisis?

Show us the future. We know what mess we are in now, but what comes next? Perhaps sprinkle in a dash of hope. ☐

Imagine

We Are Moving, 2018, ink-jet print on cotton paper, 50cm x 50cm

15

|

Edition 32 2020

Something about the rain...

16

Poetry

there’s something about the rain... it’s indiscriminate fall, the way it tickles parched earth with its dewy moisture, satiating thirsty ground to spring forth life we were hopeful then.... there’s something about the rain... the air ripe with the pleasant dewy, petrichor of the afternoon. i taste your tongue while the heaven’s tears fall on our bodies we were new then... there’s something about the rain... it falls so softly upon fresh grass, your face tilted to the sky as we fuck against your old car rain drenching your shirt covered back as you press into me we were in love then... there’s something about the rain... the way it dampened my t-shirt, you watched me dance in white fabric turning translucent, peaks of pink pushing against the cotton, droplets exposing hidden treasures we were fun then... there’s something about the rain... the way we used to dance in fields with no care as the heavens fell upon our warm, tanned bodies while you kissed me fiercely, taking my mouth in burning possession we were carefree then… there’s something about the rain... as it kissed the earth from stormy skies how its friend thunder, chased lightening and its showers formed puddles deep and muddy enough to drown we were complicated then… there’s something about the rain... and how it drizzled miserably as you bid me your final goodbye, the heavens mourned you while my heart shattered into shards we were over then....

Words Tabitha Lean Photography Mitch Ingham

17

|

Songs to cherish summer Edition 32 2020

Another summer has come and gone. You survived the holiday family drama, and those Netflix binges. Before you knew it, uni was back in full-swing; summer a distant memory.

This is a playlist dedicated to remembering the summer days you never wanted to end. To relive those midnight drives—windows down, music blaring. To try and recall those blurry nights out, the seedy Sundays in. Sounds like a distant memory? Here’s to reliving summer!

Playlist Jordan White Photography Dorian Stoici

18

Playlist

Jeff Rosenstock Angus and Julia Stone San Cisco Vance Joy Harry Styles Supertramp Jack Johnson Dominic Fike The Psychedelic Furs David Bowie Dope Lemon Powderfinger Drake The Velvet Underground Bob Marley

Dishes Cellar Door Awkward Saturday Sun Watermelon Sugar Sister Moonshine Sunset for Somebody Else 3 Nights Love my Way Kooks Marinade My Happiness Passionfruit Sweet Jane Pimper’s Paradise Follow us at versemag on Spotify.

19

INTERVIEW

To celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31, Verse sat down with Ezra Théodore Tillett. Ezra is currently studying Creative Writing and Linguistics, with a minor in French at UniSA. Much of his writing deals with his experience as a transgender, gay man. Although, his current bout of writer’s block has him building miniature libraries in his spare time. A tiny kitchen is also on the cards.

Ezra Théodore Tillett Interview Anna Day Photography Anna Day & Ezra Théodore Tillett

20

|

Edition 32 2020

What are you working on at the moment?

If I am being genuinely honest right now, I got so stuck trying to write that I just stopped entirely and started building a tiny library. Like out of paddle pop sticks and foam core and paint. I have a tiny shoebox library.

Do they all have little book titles and everything?

Oh yeah. I had friends over, we listened to Hozier and made tiny book jackets that are like this big. They’re great.

How long have you been writing for, and why did you start?

I honestly don’t know. I—Forever. I had the bottom drawer of my mother’s filing cabinet as a kid, and I used to fill it with manila folders of all these different character profiles and plots. I think when I was, like, four I wanted to grow up and be a cat and then when I was five I wanted to be an author, and it hasn’t really changed since.

What are the main issues you are writing about? Is it about trans experience?

Yeah, I mean it’s about being trans sometimes. I’m gay as well, so it’s about that. It’s about how I see the world. I really enjoy writing about people, much more than necessarily about concepts. Or I like to write about concepts by writing about people dealing with them. I like the Stephen King adage that he doesn’t write about extraordinary people; he writes about ordinary people and extraordinary events. I enjoy drama—not personally, I hate drama—but in writing, very effective. Moments of conflict. Moments of decision. The calm before the storm or the middle of it.

So what is your creative process like?

I write to understand. I often don’t know what I’m thinking about until I’ve started writing about it.

My best friend, who is also a writer, she says that when she writes she wants it to be like a very carefully arranged bouquet not like a garden. And I’ve always been of the opinion that I would prefer the garden. Someone once told me they would describe me as ‘verbose’. And I just fully leaned into that for a while and I was like fine. I will just write nothing but extremely descriptor heavy, long pieces. There’s a stylistic feature in Japanese manga where time and action are essentially suspended in order to have aspect-to-aspect transitions, and explore identity and character through the space they inhabit and how they inhabit it. And while I’m a cleaner writer now, and I’m better now at curbing those verbose impulses, I like to think my work still maintains an element of that timelessness and sensory connection.

I used to think that I had no voice because I would just write a whole bunch.

I sort of thought ‘I’m the one who writes a lot, that’s my style.’ I started transitioning and now I suddenly do have a voice. And I think that’s very interesting. It is wild to me. It is so wild to me how much coming out changes.

I don’t think I realised the depths of dysphoria and, like, brain fog I was under until I was halfway through transition and inexplicably thriving.

Did you feel like the fog was lifted? What was that like?

It just feels like becoming yourself. It’s like waking up. You feel like you’ve just been performing a character your whole life - some kind of weird, formless blob in the shape of a human but you don’t know if you actually are one? I only really knew how to cater to others and perform the role that was expected of me.

I do hesitate to use analogies like that because it implies that we’re not human somehow but that’s what it feels like. That you are just going through the motions; there’s some kind of un-real, dream-like element to it.

It’s also so hard to describe because a lot of the time it’s very conceptual. It’s hard to put your emotions into words. I intellectualise everything and, yeah, it is still very difficult to describe.

22

Interview

23

|

Edition 32 2020

What about when you were a little kid? Were you just not thinking about it?

Did you think about your gender much when you were a kid? You don’t until you’re made too. You don’t until you hit puberty and go ‘oh, so now I’m a sexual object.’

I maintain that I was a thoroughly androgynous child. I was like ‘yes I play with Barbies’ and I love the fact that I independently came up with the concept of lesbians as a child. I had no idea that gay people existed and I had no male Barbie dolls and I wanted them to have a family. So I was like ‘what actually happens if two of them get married, like it’s fine.’

I read a lot. Like, a ridiculous amount. I sometimes think about how much I read and I’m like ‘what happened, Ezra? What do you do with your time now?

Go on twitter? Watch the same shows on Netflix over and over again?’ No, I read and did art more than I did anything particularly gendered.

Also, gender is very mutable. You can’t define it. I mean, without describing your body, tell me how you know you’re a woman. You can’t. You just know.

It’s just a feeling. It’s not that you feel like you fit the role. It’s not that you fit the performance of it. It’s some combination thereof and also some other element that can’t be put into words.

Writing is how I understand but also not everything can be written or put into words and it’s not meant to be.

Transgender Day of Visibility is coming up on March 31.

What does visibility mean to you?

Do you think that more needs to be done for the representation of people who are transgender?

I definitely do. Most of my friends are British, so I don’t know many of the Australian statistics—and for my own mental health I avoid keeping up to date with a lot of media written about trans people, but I know that there are five anti-trans hit-pieces published every single day in the UK and that’s ridiculous. And for a marginalised group, the amount of media coverage that paints us as some kind of monsters, predators, or as pretenders or any combination thereof is absolutely ludicrous and disgusting. I do think that it is really important that trans people themselves are given the platform and the agency to speak about their own issues. So yeah, I do. I do think there needs to be a lot more work done.

Do you think that your writing is your way of fighting that narrative?

It is and it isn’t. Sometimes it is. I think my piece 106 [Suite for 106 in C minor] last year definitely was. That was genuinely about me being hate-crimed on a bus so…

That was real?

I mean, I read it and I was horrified while I was reading it.

24

Well, visibility means being seen, but it’s much more than being seen like you would see someone in a photo. Visibility in this context is about understanding someone else’s perspective more than it is about simply acknowledging that they’re there. It’s about engaging with that vast retrospect and all the context that surrounds being a trans person and understanding our experiences on a more complex level. And also, I’m white and middle class and I have a lot of privilege that isn’t afforded to other trans people and while I don’t think that invalidates my perspective, and I definitely don’t want to dismiss myself—it’s worth noting that I can only speak on my own experiences.

Yeah.

That was the approach and I felt like an asshole. I know that reading and writing and most art is supposed to be an emotional process. You’re expressing your perspective so someone can react emotionally to it but also I don’t like writing the ones that are designed to make people feel bad and that is what it aimed to do.

Interview

It was creating awareness.

I finished it thinking ‘I didn’t know that this is what it’s like before’.

It was supposed to make you feel upset in a way that was focused, yeah, not in a way that just made you feel like shit and then you have to go on with your day.

What are some things about being transgender that you wish more people knew?

I honestly get mistaken for a trans woman so often that it’s both hilarious and extremely frustrating. I am a man! Trans women aren’t the only trans people that exist. It needs to be mentioned that when it comes to fighting for equality and rights and respect and fair treatment that those frontlines are populated disproportionately by transgender women of colour more than anyone else.

And that visibility does tend to mean they are the people who face the most discrimination and the most of the ugly side of being publicly trans. But also there is less of a voice for non-binary people, and for trans men, for agender people, for intersex people, even, than there is for trans women—they do predominate the platform. And while I feel bad because I would never want to speak over trans women or trans people of colour, it is necessary to give everyone a platform because while a lot of the issues I face are universally applicable to trans people, a lot of them are also different to what effects trans women or non-binary people, etc.

I think it’s important to realise that when you’re cisgender—which is to say not transgender—you don’t have to spend emotional and mental energy every single day to justify your gender or general existence. It is exhausting down to my bones to explain myself over and over again, often in conversations where the topic is do I or do I not deserve respect or equal treatment. Sometimes I’m too tired to interpret my existence for you and be endlessly patient and educational, and sometimes it shouldn’t have to be my job to.

There is a lot to allyship that isn’t marching and shouting about who needs rights. It’s a lot smaller: it’s about welcoming people, it’s about giving them voices, and letting them feel safe a lot more so than screaming on the streets. Something as nuanced and tiny as including your pronouns on your social media (even if you think it’s unnecessary) can take a step to normalise the practice of doing so and allows trans people who spend all day being misgendered the space to request the right pronouns without facing harassment for doing so.

Do you have anything else that people can do as allies?

Being an ally isn’t just about being tolerant of your friends who are not like you. That’s not enough. It’s about actively and openly being accepting and stepping up whenever you can. About having difficult conversations, maybe, with your friends or loved ones who are homophobic or transphobic or racist or bigoted in whatever way. It’s about being supportive and using your privilege as a tool to elevate the perspectives that need to be heard. Speak to the marginalised people around you and ask what you can do as an ally, dayto-day, that can actually help them.

“It just feels like becoming yourself. It’s like waking up.”

25

|

Edition 32 2020

So the Taboo column for this edition is personal finance.

Do you have anything to say about personal finance?

Yeah, for trans people a lot of our transition costs for a whole number of things, not just surgery and hormones, won’t be covered by insurance. A lot of it has to come out of pocket. So trans people are disproportionately working-class and it is difficult to accrue wealth or really even get by sometimes. I’ve had international friends tell me that they have to choose between groceries or hormones that week. And there’s only so much I can do. So part of allyship is, I mean, if you can give $20 to a trans person’s GoFundMe for surgery costs. It is so easy to do. Just go on twitter; it is constant. Maybe it’s only constant on my twitter but there is someone fundraising for their transition all the time. That is a really easy thing to do as an ally is to actually put your money where your mouth is.

What is your advice to others?

It’s okay to be trans. It’s okay to question if you’re trans. It’s okay to question that and then realise you’re not. The only thing that is a prerequisite for being trans, the definition of being trans, is that you don’t identify or feel a connection with the gender you were assigned at birth. That can mean any number or myriad of things. It might mean experiencing dysphoria, or not, it might mean you know exactly who you are and what labels to use. You can also have no idea.

That is completely okay and I suggest finding someone you feel you can trust and letting yourself process it. Maybe perhaps another trans person maybe someone from the Rainbow Club. Just be gentle and have empathy. ☐

“Writing is how I understand but also not everything can be written or put into words and it’s not meant to be.”

26

USASA Financial Counselling

Need help putting the pieces together?

A Financial Counsellor can help you to develop a budget, understand your finances better, assist in dealing with university debt management & provide access to food support.

To book an appointment or find out more visit USASA.sa.edu.au/FinancialCounselling

TABOO

ersonal finance

Words Jordan White Artwork Isabelle Raven

C

hances are you did sex ed in school but were you ever sat down and told the ins and outs of money?

It makes the world go round but it’s taboo to talk about. Words like ‘budgeting’ or ‘superannuation’ might not be as exciting as the birds and the bees, but they’re just as important.

Financial literacy is a skill. It’s possessing the ability to evaluate your personal financial circumstances and make informed decisions about money. It’s knowing when to skip the smashed avos and soy lattes; and like all skills, financial literacy needs to be learned. But it’s hard to learn about something when you’re not allowed to talk about it.

Spending and earning money are at the cornerstone of our capitalist society. It’s especially easy in an age when endless advertisements bombard social media feeds, and even kebab stores on Hindley Street seem to offer Afterpay. Despite this mantra of “spend, spend, spend” or perhaps because of it, our society dictates a strange discourse around money. You can’t say how much you earn a year without being labelled a bragger; people who are suffering financially must do so in silence; asking someone how much rent they pay is outright invasive.

Have you ever tried asking someone how much money they make? One needs to awkwardly tip-toe their way around the question—typically with a polite preamble along the lines of “If you don’t mind me asking…” It usually doesn’t yield any clear answers, and so when it comes time to look for a job or consider your future career aspirations, you’re left wondering in the dark.

For too long, personal finance has been a taboo topic.

We need to have more frank conversations about money and break the nasty stigma surrounding financial struggles. If someone is struggling financially, or in bad debt, they should be able to speak openly about their struggles without judgement. By making money a topic open to discussion, people won’t need to figure out personal finance alone.

I remember being in shock when I opened a bank account for my shitty first job (that wasn’t worth the fryerinduced acne) only to find I had minus $5. ‘How can you take money off me if I don’t even have money?!’ I pleaded with the careless bank teller.

Since then, I have been fortunate enough to access resources to better understand personal finance. If I had grown up having more frank conversations about money though, perhaps I would’ve realised the reality of personal finance and ‘adulting’ sooner: money is challenging and isn’t always pretty.

This narrative is similar for many other university students. A lot of us cannot talk openly about money, which can leave people confused and overwhelmed when the time comes to make financial decisions.

Taboo

UniSA student Dorian Stoici grew up in a rare household where there were regular, candid conversations about money. He says shaking the taboo around money will help younger people make better financial decisions.

“Money never seems to be a big discussion […] when talking with my [friends]. It is a topic that gets brushed off quickly, if ever mentioned. Discussing one’s personal finances can be daunting and embarrassing because talking about our spending habits or salaries could lead to judgement.

“Personal finance in my family is a very discussed topic.

My parents were born in Romania and came to Australia in the late 80s. They were raised in a communist country, with both their parents working to feed their families of over ten children. Money was never really spoken during their youth but they understood that hard work reaps rewards.

“Conversations about money with my parents have helped me immensely to ensure I’m saving as much money for my future. I think these discussions helped as I am far smarter with my money now.

“We should have open talks about money, and get over this taboo of it. Healthy, non-intrusive talks about money are priceless for today’s generation as it could guide them into smarter saving and better shopping habits which won’t break the bank.”

The good news is that the conversation is shifting. The internet and social media have enabled us to start talking about money more, albeit anonymously most of the time.

The Barefoot Investor movement by Scott Pape has amassed a cult following across the nation, and people are talking about personal finance more.

There are countless YouTube channels dedicated to learning about personal finance, and there’s plenty of groups you can join on social media. Sites like BlackBullion teach students financial literacy, and UniSA students get a free membership.

USASA also offers free financial counselling to all UniSA students. For guidance with managing your money or emergency financial assistance, visit usasa.edu.au/ financialcounselling to make a free appointment.

If you’re someone who feels confident with money, support your friends and family members so they can feel the same. Let them know that it’s okay to talk about money openly and that struggling financially isn’t shameful.

Above all, make it clear that up-front discussions about money and personal finance aren’t taboo. When it comes to understanding the ups and downs of money, take another lesson from the school classroom: honesty is the best policy. ☐ 29

Oliver White Ballet, 2020, digital

Everyone has a story. Humans of UniSA is a deep dive into the lives of our fellow students to unravel the threads of their personal history, quiet ambitions, and their hopes, worries and joys. Take a fleeting glance into the vivid lives we pass by each day in the hallways and classrooms of UniSA.

HUMANS 31

|

Edition 32 2020

I

grew up in Mildura around a very sports focussed town, which I didn’t really align with very well. I really didn’t think I was going to be going to uni. I was in that headspace of ‘do I just get a trade or a general job?’ I think I was maybe going to do accounting in Melbourne because that was the only thing I got an offer for because my ATAR was just so bad from Year 12. Yeah, Year 12 was just such a waste of time for me; I just didn’t focus at all. I ended up thinking I was coming to Adelaide to learn construction. Then I got an offer for a Diploma of Business and I was like—I really don’t want to do construction, so I’m definitely going to do this—and that was at the college for UniSA. So, I did that in 2016 and in one of our last projects, we had to do a research project. I researched 3D printing and that led me to transfer into product design. So that’s how I worked my way here to communication design.

I was really glad that I did Verse Magazine [as the graphic designer in 2019] and I’m really thankful to Jackson for what he’s taught me, and I’m also excited to see what you do, of course. What was the question again? Yeah, it was a pretty constant thing last year, and it already feels like it’s been so long since I’ve been doing Verse Mag work.

Not working for Verse Mag this year is actually a really weird feeling but also a good feeling because I can still observe it. I still have third year to watch how it’s going and read through the magazines and go to all of the events that you guys are going to run.

I was trying to allocate the holidays as a self-teaching stage but then pretty quickly that finished because there were more people asking for work and I’m a bit of a ‘yes man’ so I can’t really say no to it. But it’s been good—it’s been a good balance of relaxing and working on stuff that I want to do.

Next year—I honestly have no idea. I’m still in that safety mode of my degree. It’s just like a cloud where I don’t really think that far ahead and I’m just keen to go back to uni. For a while, I wanted to move over to Melbourne, but the more I’m in Adelaide, the more I just want to stay because it seems to suit me really well. I’m not sure if I want to freelance or even if I could freelance and that would be enough work. I think I would like to work in a

studio for at least a good few years because it just seems like there’s so much more to learn and I would learn a lot faster being surrounded by people. I think just working at home I get kind of lost a bit, and there’s so many times where I get up and literally walk around the house for, like, ten minutes trying to like brainstorm but I don’t know if I could do that in a studio. So there’s positives and negatives to both. I think I would like to work in the industry for a few years and then maybe come back and do further stud. I think eventually I might like to do teaching, but I think I definitely want to be in the industry to start off with.

I started learning guitar when I was eleven years old and before that I was in my school choir. I had a high-pitched voice before it broke, but I actually really hated choir and wanted to quit, but they wouldn’t let me. So I cried and because I was crying they let me quit. Fast forward to sixteen years old, I started my first band. I’ve always been very much into metal, hardcore and emo music. So it was metal music in a town that hates metal. Our band was called Estates. Going into it, I thought we were just jamming, and then the person who was writing the songs left and I had to start writing songs. That was interesting.

We did recordings and used to give out demo discs at our shows. We actually went in Battle of the Bands and made it all the way to Melbourne and came second. After that, I didn’t really play music for ages.

The last few years I’ve been trying to get back into it, but not so much metal, more indie-rock kind of sounds because I’m kind of keen to be on a stage where it’s not so loud. Metal music is, like, so fucking loud and I never wore earplugs. At the moment I’m just trying to write songs and get a sound that works with our vocalist. It’s not like a serious thing; it’s just a really fun creative outlet that’s different from design.

What’s a secret about Oliver? Oh God! I don’t know, what’s a secret about Emma? Um, what do I hate? I hate pumpkin; I hate coriander. I mean they’re things that a fair few people dislike—yeah, coriander. It’s like spicy soap.

Everyone else in my family dislikes it too. Should I try another secret? My desk is never actually this tidy, maybe that should have been my secret. ☐ Interview and Photography Emma Horner

Oliver White Bachelor of Communication Design

32

Humans of UniSA

33

|

Edition 32 2020

34

Humans of UniSA

Lirvana Skye Bachelor of Primary Education (Honours)

I

chose to become a teacher because I want to be that person that my younger self needed and never got. A teacher that not only cares about a child’s education but one that also cares about their mental wellbeing and safety. I hate the thought of a child going through what I went through, and if there is any way to reach out to them and let them know they’re not alone, then I would do everything in my power to do so.

I never enjoyed high school. Whenever adults would say to me ‘Your high school years are the best of your life,’ I would never believe them. My high school years have been the worst years of my life so far.

When I turned sixteen, my mother forced me to leave home and my grandmother thankfully took me under her wing and I have been living with her ever since.

My mother was not a nice person. She was emotionally abusive, and made me feel unloved, alone, and scared nearly every day of my life. I’ve been in awful situations I didn’t know were dangerous up until I told my psychologist and it made her cry. That was when I knew I didn’t have to be alone anymore, and that I was in a safe space to talk about my mental health.

So much pain was inflicted on me at such a young age that I started to inflict pain on not only myself, but others as well and I couldn’t tell you how much I regret that.

I hated the person I was throughout high school. I think I was so angry with my life that I chose to be angry at everyone else. I thought I was a failure, and now I think I’m going to be successful and I’m going to get there in the end. I’m really happy with life now.

Year 12 came around and I wasn’t doing so well. In the end, I didn’t get all my SACE credits and so I didn’t receive the golden ATAR that everyone loves to talk about. I thought my life was over. Fast forward to March 2019, I started foundation studies at UNISA college.

The atmosphere was amazing. Everyone was so kind and generous. I excelled in foundation studies, and because of that I was accepted into my dream degree last September.

I want to show the future generations of this world that absolutely everything is possible, and that you shouldn’t doubt yourself.

I wasn’t the greatest kid and the greatest teenager, I’ve grown up knowing that I can be different. And that I am different now, and that I treat others with so much respect and I am—in my opinion—such a caring person and I just really want to show the world that I, you know, you can be nice and if, even if it takes just a smile at a stranger, and it’ll make their day.

I’ve been through some horrible situations myself, and I’ve always found a way. I’ve found a safe place, someone—a family member to talk to, and yeah.

Just open your arms for people that are hurting, and remember that just because someone doesn’t show that they are upset, it doesn’t mean that they’re not upset.

You never know what could be happening behind closed doors. Just always be kind.

Now that I’m approaching my twenties, and turning twenty. I think it’s—I think I’m excited and scared.

Everyone was scared about the new decade and the New Year but I am more excited. Because you know everyone —well not everyone—all your friends you know, some of your friends are gonna get married, and get jobs, and even have babies!

And I think that’s so exciting. This is a fresh start for me. My past decade has been hell, and my next one I just know it’s gonna be great: a new degree; a new life, almost. I’m just really excited and really happy about it.

You can never have too much hope, and you just need to realise that things will get better.

I think everything happens for a reason. Because, you know, in high school I was in such a dark place with my mother and with certain situations that I went through, and my circumstances and everything have changed. I believe everything that happened to me had a purpose.

And that’s what brought me to be here. I had to mature at a young age, so I think it happened for a reason. I guess I do believe in fate.

Be patient, and things will come. And time does heal. I think anything is possible if you put your mind to it. Just keep trying until you get there because you’re going to get there. Don’t ever give up because I regret, you know, slacking in high school and although I am now where I am, and I am thankful for that, it took a long time to get here. ☐ Interview and Photography Jordan White

35

|

Edition 32 2020

I

want to work in an aged-care facility as an exercise physiologist. If I can that would be my dream. I’ve heard—it might just be little rumours—that it’s not very rewarding because you can’t force people to exercise and sometimes without strict adherence to exercise you might not see significant improvements. But I feel like I would love to see the little wins. Like how someone can be able to move freely and be able to go to the toilet and just do little things. And just seeing small improvements would be, I think, great for me.

My grandma. Well, she’s probably the most important woman in my life. She moved over from Hong Kong in 1995 because my grandpa from my mum’s side had a stroke and the medical care in Hong Kong isn’t the greatest. So she came over in 1995, I was born in 1999.

Because my parents used to work—my mum used to work in a bank, and my dad used to work in the ATO and at our family restaurant—it was my grandma that essentially raised me. She’s what holds our house together because she cleans, she cooks, she grocery shops. She gives everything that she can possibly give to me. She used to buy me snacks all the time when I was really fat. Even when my dad would lock up his coke in his room because I wasn’t allowed to drink it, she would sneak out and buy a whole packet for me. My favourite thing about her? Probably the way she scratches my back. Still to this day, I ask for back scratches here and there but that just kind of shows how much she loves me.

Like, I’m 21 and she still scratches my back.

a week for three sessions.’ Granted, it’s still helped me so much in terms of learning. I wanted to get a sense of what a PT would do. Because in my field it’s similar to a PT with how they cue exercises and certain movements.

I wanted to experience what that was like and I feel that was a very good way to spend my money, essentially.

I’m still scared of the dark but my greatest fear…

I don’t want people to look down on me or feel like I’m not good enough. Because I went through that whole period with my basketball and footy that I was just not like, athletically there. And I hated that feeling. My coach in basketball would be like ‘oh, you’ve been put down from div. 1 to div. 2’ and then I’d be in div. 2 and I wouldn’t be playing. And then in footy I’d not be playing at all. And I hate that. That’s why I guess I try so hard in trying to improve myself, trying to be the best me possible.

The last text I sent? Probably to my girlfriend. I told her I love her. Yeah, just before I came here.

I would have to say I look up to both my parents. My mum deals in cattle exportation. She’s worked very, very hard to get there. So essentially, she started in the letter room of ANZ and she worked all her way up to the branch manager and then she got headhunted to this other job. I look up to how hard she worked for that. Like, she absolutely grinded. She would come home sometimes at 8 o’clock from ANZ. As a branch manager you finish at 5.

Coming back to my grandpa who had a stroke, he went through a physio because EPs are only just starting up.

He couldn’t—because he had a full stroke—do anything.

And they helped him improve his mobility. He has a walking stick but he’s still independent, which I feel like is vital in life. I went to EP because I love exercise but I wanted to be in something that could help elderly people.

In terms of my dad, he really is not the most affectionate person. But he shows his love in little, different ways and he can be really sweet and caring without showing too much emotion. I look up to how he knows what he wants.

My dad knows what to do in any situation. That’s what I aspire to be like ‘just come to me, I can do anything for you.’ He still drives me to my basketball games. He’s great. He’s perfect.

Growing up, I played district basketball, footy, and tennis at a reasonably high level. I was really into them but I wasn’t really that gifted. I was pretty fat. Yeah, I really liked sports but I was always—I really had trouble regulating how much I would eat. So I was always disappointed with where I would be.

My passion is, I’d like to say it’s—it might be corny but—I love to help people. Just helping people in any sort of way. And not in terms of exercise but just in terms of being a good friend and making sure people are happy around me. I feel like that is the most important thing in everyone’s life. Just take care of yourself. Be happy. ☐

The gym? It’s quite a big part of my life. So I have a coach—he’s my online coach. I used to do personal training with him but it was like ‘oh, you’re paying $150

Interview and Photography Anna Day

Tim Lai Bachelor of Clinical Exercise Physiology

36

Humans of UniSA

37

|

How we can be better together: Understanding the intersections between queerness, cultural diversity and ethnicity Edition 32 2020

Words The Rainbow Club Artwork Francesco Patrinostro

“Allyship isn’t about coming across as a “nice” person; it’s about genuinely wanting to end the oppression a group experiences.”

38

|

Edition 32 2020

G

enuinely caring about the struggles of queer people, and particularly our culturally and ethnically diverse members, involves listening to our voices and experiences instead of projecting an idealised image of who we are or should be. There are queer people of colour whose families completely accept us, there are trans Muslims, and there are light-skinned queer refugees. These may seem like niche examples, but only due to their lack of prevalence.

In countries where English speaking Anglo-Celtic culture is dominant, it’s become standard for people who self-identify as progressive or left-wing to openly express support for marginalised groups of people. We appreciate the support as it’s often well-intentioned, but at times, it’s just not. Underneath the support can lie the ulterior motive of a person cultivating a reputation for their personal benefit. Allyship isn’t about coming across as a “nice” person; it’s about genuinely wanting to end the oppression a group experiences.

Ambient anxiety is a low-level, ever-present feeling lingering in the background. The almost omnipresent and pervasive nature of social media has encouraged this ambience to grow and take hold. This constant worrying about reputation makes some people super vigilant about boundaries and being seen as saying and doing the right things. Engaging in such behaviour, only to then belittle us for not being grateful for that support reveals true motives: making oppression about the ally instead of the people who experience oppression. We see right through hollow allyship because there’s nothing of substance to offer. So, what’s to do when your woke friend ain’t that woke?

The reality is that not everyone in Australia is given equitable treatment or opportunities. This might be more obvious to some people than others. It’s so pervasive that it can be said that none of us, no matter how oppressed, could ever fathom its true extent. There’s a way to help us all better understand each other. It’s not a fix-all solution, but intersectionality is a recognition that different experiences and circumstances all overlap. Income level, health, religion, age, access to education, ethnic background, sexuality and gender; these all affect each other in a combination unique to every individual.

But there’s a fine line between intersectionality and lateral violence (also known as oppression olympics).

Throwing one group of marginalised people under the metaphorical bus in order to appear like a good ally in front of different marginalised groups is incredibly disingenuous. The recent debate about religious freedoms has exacerbated an existing type of lateral violence concerning culture, religion, and queerness.

Some who proudly tout their support of queer rights, especially for those who are gender diverse, will excuse

40

transphobia on the grounds of religious respect and cultural relativism. Here’s the tea though - silencing gender non-conforming people isn’t okay.

So then how do we balance tackling issues like transphobia, while also respecting religious and cultural beliefs? Is engaging in this behaviour white-knighting and performative allyship? Well, no, it doesn’t need to be. Just let gender diverse people exist and likewise, let religion be practised. No impositions please, we can coexist. History proves it.

Queerness didn’t originate from the European peninsulas; it’s existed in some form in every culture and every ethnic group throughout history, each different from one another due to intersectionality within cultures.

The thing is, there’s often more diversity within cultures and groups than between them. By no means an exhaustive list, some examples from around the world from past and present are: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander brotherboys and sistergirls, Māori takatāpui, South Asian hijra, Chinese tóngzhi, Siberian keochuch, Omani katinth, Ethiopian ashtime, two-spirit peoples of North America, and co-gendered Mapuche of South America. Those are just a few examples from each continent, but there are many hundreds more. The point is that we’re everywhere and always have been. So, it’s insulting to pretend to understand the complexity of our cultures and tell us how to perform it. False allyship like this shows a lack of understanding about diversity, and actually perpetuates stereotypes rather than ending them. Google is your best friend to find out more or flick our Club a message if you’re keen to start a conversation.

Sometimes white guilt is offloaded in a harmful way by telling people of colour and religious minorities that we can’t truly be queer because those are (apparently) uniquely western concepts; that we’re merely victims of imperialism, and we need to embrace the traditional beliefs of our cultures in order to decolonise ourselves.

White guilt can be expressed in a range of ways, from simple acceptance of past and ongoing oppression such as colonialism to extreme self-hatred and advocating for people of colour to take revenge as a solution to righting historical wrongs. At best, this is misplaced empathy, at worst it’s self-pity. Queerness is dominated by people from Western European backgrounds, particularly English speakers. As queer minorities, the best way to support us is by letting us speak, instead of speaking over us. We know our stories best because we’re the ones living and writing them.

There’s diversity within the queer community as well.

There are heaps of discussions about things we care about like affordable access to high-quality health care, employment discrimination, and legal recognition of who we are. But those discussions also highlight that we don’t all agree on key issues and how to address them.

Allyship

The word queer itself is a reclaimed slur, and some people are so comfortable with it that discussions get derailed and stuck on queer verses LGBTIQA+ and its variants. Our Club’s official stance is pro-queer, which we wrote about in our article ‘The queer agenda’ in Verse edition 20. Surprisingly, many of us also disagreed on how to achieve marriage equality, and whether we should even want it. Infighting amongst ourselves is really counterproductive and a distraction. It’s hard to achieve goals to improve our lives when there’s internal division because we get stuck on small things rather than focusing on the big picture. It doesn’t help that those outside our community perceive us to be a homogenous group, and therefore don’t understand what all the drama is about, or even worse—use it against us.

To some degree, we’re all raised to ‘other’ groups of people different to ourselves, and so we’re all culpable in enacting bigotry even if we don’t mean to. It’s our responsibility to hold ourselves and everyone around us accountable for our harmful beliefs and actions, both past and present. It’s sensible that those who uphold social structures to maintain the status quo should be brought to account and asked to step aside. As anyone who’s ever taken true accountability for their mistakes will say—owning up to mistakes is hard. Genuine respect is earnt through a process of self-reflection and sincere apology. At a fundamental level, an emphasis on accountability is respectable.

Being a good ally isn’t difficult. All it really takes is consensual advocacy—advocate together with marginalised groups rather than speaking on our behalf.

If you identify as being part of a minority group, aspire to see past your own group and consider how other groups also face similar struggles. Regardless of our views and experiences, what’s really important to remember is that as a community, we’re weaker if divided, but stronger and better together. Let the revolution begin. ☐

“If you identify as being part of a minority group, aspire to see past your own group and consider how other groups also face similar struggles.”

41

Thoughts from Jakarta

Madison Bogisch

If you had told me 12 months ago that I would be riding through Indonesia on the back of a motorcycle, clutching at my driver’s waist with white knuckles, I would’ve laughed in your face. Except that’s exactly what I’ve spent my summer holidays doing.

Before my six-week visit to Indonesia, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had some people tell me what a beautiful country it is and how I was going to love it, and others warn me about street gangs and corrupt governments.

While, I definitely haven’t experienced either of the latter, throughout my time here studying journalism with the Australian Consortium for In-country Indonesian Studies (ACICIS) this is what I have observed: One: It’s not about the journey, it’s about the destination Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, is renowned for having some of the highest traffic congestion levels in the world. With a population more than 10 times larger than Australia’s, it often seems like a miracle to me that the city isn’t in constant gridlock. I’d estimate that I’ve spent around 70 per cent of my time here in traffic, and during that time I’ve learnt a valuable lesson from Jakarta’s road users: patience.

Two: Jakartans wait for everyone Oh, you’re 50 minutes late to work? No worries; chances are your boss is too. People in Indonesia understand that time is flexible, calling it “jam karet” or rubber time.

This is a big contrast to back home where if I’m three minutes late to my job at Boost Juice I’ll receive an angry “where u???” text.

Three: There is nothing more liberating than sitting on the back of a motorcycle When the traffic finally gets moving, there’s something so surreal about flying through Jakarta at 80 kilometres an hour while texting your mum ensuring her you are, in fact, being safe. Although I spent my entire first week refusing to go on a bike, it’s the only way to get anywhere nearly on time.

Four: Learning the language is always important One of the hardest parts about being in a different country is not being able to communicate effectively. At the start of my trip, I spent a lot of time just assuming people could speak English, which was very ignorant of me. I’ve learnt a bit of Indonesian now but if I could give only one word of advice to someone looking to travel, it would be to try and learn at least some of the language.

It makes ordering from street vendors that much easier.

Five: Dance Monkey knows no borders On one of my first days here, my taxi driver, upon learning I was Australian insisted on putting on Tones and I’s hit single. Love it or hate it, somehow everyone knows that damn song.

Words Madison Bogisch Photography Jordan White

43

|

Edition 32 2020

The group chat is on fire with another Verse review. Want the Verse team to review something? Send your movie recommendations, favourite books or Kmart receipts to contact@versemag.com.au Words Verse Team

I don’t know about everyone else but I felt really uneasy watching Marriage Story (Noah Baumbach, 2019). The intentional change of pace from this loving family, to this untamed chaos to then the unspoken, friendly hostility left me on edge. And then, of course, it all blew up in that colossal argument scene but that just made me feel worse.

Both Charlie (Adam Driver) and Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) were under so much duress that I was white-knuckling the entire scene. I appreciated the nuance, though.

At no point could I decide ‘she’s in the right’ and ‘he’s in the wrong.’ Marriage Story said a lot on the emotional cost of divorce; however, because it was so brutally honest and confronting, I still can’t decide if I enjoyed it. I think that’s because I’m the type of person who wants to finish watching a film with positive emotions. Also, I couldn’t get Adam Driver as Kylo Ren out of my head. He is Ben Solo and he cannot escape that.

Emma Oh man, I’m the same with Adam Driver except to me he will always be Adam Sackler from Girls. Okay look—I didn’t want to enjoy this film. It’s about an upper middle-class white family who work in the arts (and make a living), experiencing something fairly ubiquitous and feeling sad about it. I’m not crazy about ScarJo either after the Rub and Tug casting controversy in 2018...but, I digress. Okay something not ranty: I think that aside from zero casting diversity, this was a well-executed film. Anna, I agree with you— you feel emotionally tugged all over the place, unable to determine who is right and who is wrong. I feel like films usually rely on setting up that duality or conflict, which doesn’t actually reflect the nuances of real-life situations. Marriage Story did a great job of reflecting these nuances. Also, they (albeit reluctantly) had me at Merritt Wever.

Jordan Guys, let’s make this clear: Adam Driver is Charlie. His brilliant portrayal is all over the place just like this emotional rollercoaster of a film. Scarlett Johansson is amazing as ever, too. I loved every bit of this film - the tender scenes, the uncomfortable courtroom ones, and the explosive argument between Charlie and Nicole. Their eventual breakdown is raw and nuanced. It shows just how messy the end of relationships can be—a refreshing step away from the romanticism of other dramas. The soundtrack, and beautiful composition of each camera shot were wonderful. And of course we’re always here for Merritt Wever! I loved the bittersweet ending scene, above all. The whole family dress as (Sgt Pepper’s) Beatles and show us that this painful end to a volatile relationship is ‘Getting Better’ after all.

: E

Marriage Story

Anna

Leah

Uncomfortable and uneasy were the main emotions I felt when watching this film, from the beginning to the very end. I’m not married (or divorced) so can’t reflect on that experience personally, but by the end of the film, I felt as if I’d been through the entire messy, confusing relationship breakdown with them! I appreciated the depth and intimacy in which the story was told, making it feel like a pretty true representation (for some people). Still, the starkness between the way the characters were communicating with each other in one scene while planning out their legal ‘fight’ in the next was pretty abrupt. Jordan, I agree that it was well shot and had a good soundtrack but overall, I still can’t decide if I enjoyed it or not either.

44

RE:

The drunk house call Dog barked and I swore sat the bottle down Words AG Travers Photograph Mitch Ingham

answered the door.

I smiled because I was supposed to but I just wanted to get drunk while listening to the radio and cry when everyone was asleep.

We talked some exchanged pleasantries and narrowed our eyes until you decided you’d had enough of my shit.

Then you left and I went back to numbing the pain with a bottle of bourbon and writing furiously just to stay alive.

45

|

Edition 32 2020

46

Poetry

Metamorphosis

III We eat pizza in our boxers and hold greasy hands at midnight. And at 12.02am when I’m alone again I press my fingers to my sternum to help me walk home. Because the oak tree and the canvas untouched in the attic and the leech on my shoulder and the wishbone wings of the ribcage, it’s all the same this mountain pretending to be a molehill pretending to be a mountain and back again.

The hermit and the magician and the fool and the moon, we’re all clinging to something.

dig your fingers into dirt, a thousand shovels hit the ground

find your shit to cling to and clamp your greasy fingers to its heart

you can only try and hold on tighter than the mob does to their pitchforks sing a lullaby, or bang the drums and light the gunpowder in your scars

glasses on. You need only focus on 52% of this world.

Count ringlets and freckles and hairs on the chin, press a fingerprint to sternum I know how to read a compass.

I know there are chunks of pizza floating in the dishwater The oak tree and the canvas snap the ribcage from the mountain.

Listen, sometimes words are everything and sometimes words are nothing, and both those options scare me more than I fucking care to admit,

but the truth is in the middle, or the truth is both at once, So turn their eyes into mirrors or windows, Darling, that’s on you.

Words and Art Ezra Théodore Tillett

47

Days unwasted Pentax k1000 / Kodak Gold 200 35mm film.

Photography and Words Jordan White

48

Photography

WINTER, 2019—For three weeks, we road tripped across the Canadian countryside—east to west— Matchbox 20 on repeat.

Driving in a comfortable silence, I watched the world unfold before me while the heater hummed.

Everything is magical when it’s new. Feet up on the dash, we chased the shy winter sun.

I’d brush the ice off the window screen every morning. I learnt to count things in front of me and note all the colours that filled each warm room in my mind. I was present for a while.

49

|

Edition 32 2020

Those three weeks went too fast, but they remain timeless in my memory. I’ll never forget drinking maple syrup lattes, or old Montrael on that slow Sunday morning, feeling content.

We ate cheese in our tiny Airbnb, watching the snowfall outside, slow and steady. We warmed our souls with the blues and mulled wine. We admired art and jumped in the snow, giggling like children.

50

Photography

Oh, how those days would have been wasted: had we been on our phones, worrying about the future and the superficial. When there’s so much to be, sometimes the best you can do is just be.

51

REVIE

How do you like your eggs?

Want to shake up your brekky routine? Then give these eggs a fry.

The humble egg is packed full of protein, and essential vitamins and minerals. Eggs won’t crack your budget either—And that’s no yolk!

Words Anna Day Artwork Leah Nolan

52

Review

Boiled Skill level: Noobie Beloved by dads the world over, nothing beats blunt trauma-ing boiled eggshell with a spoon while you enjoy the weekend morning paper. The serenity. For a soft boiled, semi-gooey inside, cook in boiling water for five minutes For a traditional hard boiled, cook for seven minutes.

Fried Skill level: Above average (Note: this method requires knowledge of where mum keeps the olive oil) The beauty of a fried egg is in its diversity; pair it with toast, bacon, mi goreng, waffles, burgers, roast chicken. The only limitation is your imagination.

The key to a perfect fried egg is to get your pan HOT. Those eggs aren’t going to sizzle themselves.

Scrambled Skill level: Intermediate For some, the art of the scramble comes naturally. For others, it takes a combination of determination, skill, passion, discipline and luck. Always remember: treat your scrambled eggs with respect and they will respect you.

Omelette Skill level: Specialist Now the thing about an omelette is you’ve got to crack a few eggs to make one. I’d say at least three but that depends on the size.

You’ve also got to chop some chives, or spring onions at a pinch.

And shred some cheese. Maybe get a little ham too.

Poached Skill level: Jedi Poached eggs are challenging, yes. But if a space wizard with glow stick can make them, then for shell’s sake, so can you! Please note: a splash of vinegar in your whirlpool is a myth. All it’s going to do is make your eggs taste like salad dressing. But, then again, maybe you’re into that. As for Eggs Benedict? That dreamy open-faced two halves of an English muffin topped with a poached egg, bacon or ham, and hollandaise sauce? That eggsquisite creation belongs to the god tier, my friends.

53

PUZZLES 1 2

3

4 5

6

7 8

9

10 11 12

13

14

15

Across 2. March 31 celebrates Transgender Day of‌ 4. The minimum recommended hours of sleep for most healthy adults 5. Jakarta is situated on which Indonesian Island?

10. The UniSA campus with the postcode 5072 12. To tip over hot, flavoured liquid (three words) 13. Canis is Latin for which beloved household pet?

14. Stepped-up efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and strengthen resilience to climate-induced impacts (two words) Down 1. Three sheets to the wind 3. Worn by skiers, hikers and others participating in cold weather, outdoor activities 6. Marriage Story stars Scarlett Johansson and which other actor? (two words) 7. Hunted by children at Easter 8. How did King Henry VIII end his marriage to Anne of Cleves?

9. The award winning non-fiction book by Bruce Pascoe (two words) 11. An earthy smell that often occurs when rain falls after warm, dry weather 15. Workplace

Puzzle Master Anna Day Artwork Leah Nolan

Puzzles

EASY

6

7 3 5 6 2 9

4

5

2 8

8

7 9 4 7

1

4 8 7 9

3

3

NOT SO EASY

6

1

8

5 1 2 4

2

7

1 3 2

8

4 6 2

8 7

3

5 3 9

Solutions on page 60.

55

The signs according to Michael Scott |

Edition 32 2020

Artwork Emma Horner Words Emma Horner a real astrologist

“I bought this for myself.�

56

Horoscopes

Aries Mar 21 - Apr 19

“Fool me once, strike one. Fool me twice, strike three.”

Be careful—the planets say that someone will betray you this month... and when they do, make them do your laundry as punishment.

Taurus Apr 20 - May 20

“Tell him to call me ASAP as possible.”

Sometimes you have to go the extra mile to be recognised as the valuable asset you are. Never rule out traveling interstate to confront someone who doesn’t see your true worth. Jupiter said so.

Gemini May 21 - June 20

“I love inside jokes. I’d love to be a part of one someday.”

Be prepared to meet new people. The planets are moving closer together and this is creating a strong magnetic field around you, drawing all of your potential new friends into orbit.

Cancer Jun 21 - Jul 22

“I would not miss it for the world, but if something else came up I would definitely not go.”

Venus is up to something or other at the moment, that much is clear. Expect to feel your energy levels being renewed but be careful not to over-commit and bite off more than you can chew.

Leo Jul 23 - Aug 22

“I’m an early bird and I’m a night owl. So, I’m wise and I have worms.”

Your Gatorade is in retrograde baby! Now is the time, so seize the day.

Astrological alignments point to now being a great time to try something new.

Maybe join your local sporting team.

Virgo Aug 23 - Sept 22

“I feel like all my kids grew up and then they married each other, it’s every parent’s dream.”

The stars are spelling it out for you—dreams can come true. Now is the time to take that moon shot you’ve been putting off, most likely in the form of a viral video.

Libra Sept 23 - Oct 22

“You may look around and see two groups here: white collar, blue collar.

But I don’t see it that way, and you know why not? Because I am collarblind.”

Keep being your best woke self, honey. Also, avoid forklifts this week.

Scorpio Oct 23 - Nov 21

“You cheated on me? When I specifically asked you not to?”

You might have some complications with relationships this month due to Uranus disappearing behind the sun. There is no way to predict when it will come back around so play it safe until you feel Uranus’ presence again.

Sagittarius Nov 22 - Dec 21

“Well, well, well. How the turntables.”

There may be some upcoming conflict in the near future. Don’t back down, unless your back is against that wall, in which case do back down; literally slide your back down the wall and sit on the ground, ignoring the problem until it goes away.

Capricorn Dec 22 - Jan 19

“I saw inception. Or at least I dreamt I did…”

You’re probably feeling playful this month due to the cheeky cat and mouse game that Mars and Jupiter are playing. This is a great time to do stand-up at an open mic night, and if you don’t have any material, just get up there and freestyle baby!

Aquarius Jan 20 - Feb 18

“Oh God, my mind is going a mile an hour.”

Study Period two is kicking off. Now is a good time to get those positive study habits in place and stop procrastinating—but keep reading your star-signs, that’s not procrastinating, that’s important.

Pisces Feb 19 - Mar 20

“Hate to see you leave but love to watch you go. ‘Cause of your butt.”

Sometimes, it is what is not said that sends the clearest message. Less is more... more or less.

VERSE RECOMMENDS Words The Verse Team

Charge up those AirPods because the Verse team has rounded up, in their humble opinions, the crème de la crème of podcast recommendations.

Anna

Seven Siblings from the Future MOD.Cast’s Seven Siblings from the Future takes a look at Australia in 2050. The seven siblings, who are technically second cousins, each represent a different cultural group that makeup Australia’s social fabric in 2050. Each episode focuses on a different siblings’ ideal for the future and poses some big questions about the environment, industry, technology, employment, and society. It challenges the gloomy, climate crisis driven narrative about our future. Yes, there will be huge challenges in 2050, but our future is going to have some pretty cool perks as well. For one, it’s highly likely our public transport system will be made of individualised, electric, autonomous vehicles. Imagine never having to catch a bus again. Also, in a shameless self-plug, I had the pleasure of producing two of the MOD.Cast episodes, so watch out for the ones featuring Ava (a genetically modified teenager in “austronaut” school) and Kai (a hopeless romantic whose life is intrinsically tied to transport and climate migration).

Emma

The Daily Zietgiest A funny and informative look at what’s happening in politics and pop culture. This podcast is part of the iHeartRadio family, so the production value is super high. Co-hosts Jack and Miles have a team of writers and researchers to ensure the integrity of the pieces they present, and their show notes contain a list of footnotes so that you can read more or see where they got their information from. Oh, and it’s also fucking hilarious; each episode features a comedian special guest (frequent guests including Jamie Loftus, Laci Mosely and Billy Wayne Davis). They delve into (and help you to understand) big issues like the impeachment inquiry and coronavirus, but balance this by also doing things like ripping on Elon Musk’s new EDM track, delivering updates on the capture of the Massachusetts parking lot pooper, and making fun of the right-wing, Christian podcast host who wants to sue the NFL because he got a boner during the halftime show. See, funny and informative.

Leah

The Honest Designers Show A casual chat between four creative individuals about a whole host of topics related to design, creativity and finding your way as a young designer. It’s full of insight and valuable information but presented in a fun, casual and engaging format. It pretty much always has me laughing out loud (usually when I’m on a train full of people), and I secretly get excited when I open my podcast app and there are a heap of new episodes waiting for me!

The Moth A broadcast of storytelling events hosted around the world. The stories are always true (as remembered by the storyteller) and are always told live to an audience. When you press play, you don’t know if you’re going to laugh, cry, or be silenced with suspense as the narrative begins to unfold in your ears. Full of emotion and told from the heart, these are real stories about the ups, downs and in-betweens that are life.

Jordan

The Ground Up Show A fascinating and candid insight into the lives of people who are bold enough to take the steps towards pursuing their passions and life improvement. This podcast will inspire you to find your passions, while gently reminding you that we all struggle along the way.

The Pineapple Project This award-winning podcast takes the hard-to-swallow subjects in life (like death and money) and makes them all the more fascinating with stories and stellar sound mixing. If Jan Fran and Claire Hooper aren’t reason enough to give it a listen, just know that this podcast helped me enjoy housework. Yes, you read that right.

58

Words Ryan Colsey

O

n Friday the 11th of October, the USASA Club Awards night took place at Adelaide Oval.

The University of South Australia has a great club culture, with 5,700 students participating across 94 clubs representing a wide range of interests and activities.

2019 USASA Club Awards Night

The event, which was attended by over 120 people, was MCed by Daniel Randell, USASA Chief Executive Office, acknowledged the commitment and hard work of the universities 514 club executives.

The major award for Club of the Year (supported by the Business School) was presented to the Women in STEM club while the Health Management Society was the recipient of the New Club of the Year prize (supported by the SEU).

Joshua Steele won the Club Executive of the Year (supported by SEU) from Artist Gamers Programmer United, with a Highly Commended award presented to Eerin Wilson from ROUSTAH. The Club Event of the Year (supported by Olympic Party Hire) was awarded to Showpony Open Mic while the Education Social Club took out the Best Marketing Campaign award for their Magic Booze Bus pub crawl (also supported by Olympic Party Hire).

Other winners included the Student Sustainability Collective who won the Best Club Merch award for their sustainable notebook (supported by the Australian Embroidery Screen Print and Sublimation) and the UniSA Toastmasters Club who were awarded the Janet Henrie Golden Calculator Award.

The People’s Choice award, chosen by a popular vote of other club executives, was presented to the University of South Australia Rainbow Club.

Clubs are a vital part of university life, and UniSA has a wide variety from which students can select to maximise their university experience.

Want to join or start a club?

Visit USASA.sa.edu.au/aboutclubs

59

|

Edition 32 2020

What’s On March

10 11 12 13 13 15 18 19 20 27

International Women's Day High Tea - Women in STEM Campus Fair City West - USASA Campus Fair Mawson Lakes - USASA OCF Welcome Night - Overseas Christian Fellowship UniSA Careers Expo Inaugural General Meeting (IGM) - SAHASRARA Campus Fair Magill - USASA Campus Fair City East - USASA Clubs Welcome Night - USASA Clubs Club and Leadership Grants Deadline

April 03 23-24 24

Neon Night Crawl USASA Club Executive Training Camp - USASA Clubs Club and Leadership Grants Deadline

Recurring Events Weekly Weekly

Jam Out - Music Lovers OCF Bible Nights - Overseas Christian Fellowship

SOLUTIONS

Check out these events and more at USASA.sa.edu.au/Events

60

Crossword Solutions • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Eggs Hunted by children at Easter Visibility March 31 celebrates Transgender Day of…

Java Jakarta is situated on which Indonesian Island?

Drunk Three sheets to the wind ClimateAction Stepped-up efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and strengthen resilience to climate-induced impacts (two words) Thermal Worn by skiers, hikers and others participating in cold weather, outdoor activities Petrichor An earthy smell that often occurs when rain falls after warm, dry weather DarkEmu The award winning non-fiction book by Bruce Pascoe (two words) Spillthetea To tip over hot, flavoured liquid (three words) AdamDriver Marriage Story stars Scarlett Johansson and which other actor? (two words) Seven The minimum recommended hours of sleep for most healthy adults Magill The UniSA campus with the postcode 5072.

Dog Canis is Latin for which beloved household pet?

Office Workplace Divorced How did Henry VIII end his marriage to Anne of Cleves?

SUDOKU Solutions

USASA PRESIDENT'S LETTER To all new students in 2020, on behalf of USASA, I would like to welcome you to UniSA. And to those of you returning, welcome back to another year of learning and growth. For those of you who haven’t met me yet, my name is Noah Beckmann and I am proud to say that I am your Student President for 2020. If you’re not super familiar with USASA yet, allow me to run you through it.

The University of South Australia Student Association is an organisation run by students, for students, and is here to empower you during your university experience. We’re governed by up to 14 elected student representatives who serve as your voice, guiding the organisation, and representing you to the university. We are also supported by a dedicated and passionate team of staff who work to deliver you the best possible time during your tertiary journey.

So, what do we offer? Well, let’s look at the fun stuff first. USASA is responsible for a lot of the vibrant events you see around campus. Events such as Campus Fair, UniTopia, and our super awesome Neon Night Pub Crawl! We also support almost 100 student clubs who get out on campus and provide you with special interest events. We’ve got clubs for everything: cultural clubs, social clubs, special interest clubs, the list goes on. Check them out at Campus Fair and make sure you sign up. To top it all off, Verse Magazine is funded by USASA and supported by our fabulous marketing team.

USASA also offers you some more serious support for those times when university becomes challenging. We have an amazing team of advocates who are here to provide you with confidential advice on all sorts of academic issues. The team is well versed in university policy and will support you through the processes and procedures that come with being a student. We also have a financial counselling service that can help you with things such as budgeting, managing debt, and assist you in accessing our emergency grants program if you encounter financial difficulty. Both services are

available to all USASA members, and they’re all free.

While I’ve got you, I might take a moment to give you a rundown on all the changes that will be happening at the university this year. UniSA is about to go through a massive transformation. Enterprise 25, or E25 is a massive structural reform happening throughout the university, which will bring the current four division structure into line with real world industries by creating seven new ‘Academic Units.’ This is a huge change and USASA’s focus during this whole process will be to ensure that there is no impact on the student experience and that all decisions made have student interests at their heart.

That’s a lot to take in, I know, but thanks for sticking with me. No matter where you’ve come from or what you’re studying, I want to say welcome and I look forward to representing you over the coming year.

Don’t be a stranger! Come and say hi to myself or any of the student reps if you see us around campus, and get involved with all that USASA has to offer.

—Noah Beckmann

61

USASA Student Reps Lead & represent your peers.

62

Noah Beckmann

Lex Shylaja

President

Postgraduate Student Representative

Rhys Peden

Melinda HO Chin Ching

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student Representative

International Student Representative

Timothy Pham

Jenny Chen

City East Student Representative

City East Undergraduate Student Representative

Linus Johnston

Ned Feary

City West Student Representative

City West Undergraduate Student Representative

Jaisree Ravichandran

Joshua Steele

Mawson Lakes Student Representative

Mawson Lakes Undergraduate Student Representative

Emily Williams

Arunika Dutta

Magill Student Representative

Magill Undergraduate Student Representative

Your student representatives share your voice on campus & work with the University to improve your student experience.

Contact your student representatives at USASA.sa.edu.au/StudentBoard

Lauren Baum Mount Gambier Student Representative

63

USASA Clubs & Societies

Club Executive Training Camp

Experience, lead & Connect.

Thursday 23 April - Friday 24 April UniSA City West Campus travelling to Adare House, Victor Harbor $25 early bird tickets close 13 March $35 tickets close 13 April Includes meals and accommodation. This is an 18+ event.

USASA.sa.edu.au/ClubTrainingCamp

64

NEON NIGHT CRAWL UNISA’S LARGEST PUB CRAWL

FRIDAY APRIL 3 7 PM WEST OAK HOTEL THE LONDON THE LITTLE PUB DOG & DUCK BLACK BULL LION ARTS FACTORY ZAMBRERO

$20 TICKET INCLUDES FREE FOOD AT WEST OAK HOTEL + T-SHIRT

U SA SA . SA . E D U .

A U / P U B C R AW L

ONTRIBUTORS

AG Travers Anna Day Christina Massolino Dorian Stoici Emma Horner Ezra ThĂŠodore Tillet Francesco Patrinostro Isabelle Raven Jordan White Leah Nolan Madison Bogisch Mitch Ingham Nahum Gale Neville Cichon Oliver White Rachael Anderson Ryan Colsey Suhasini Balasubramanian Tabitha Lean The Rainbow Club

@agtravers @_anna_day_ @ christina.massolino.art @dorystoici @emmahorner @ezragrammings @patriziiart @nevariart @jordan.white306 @leah.collette @madibogisch @mitch_ingham_ @nahumspoetry @neville.cichon @oj.white @_supreme_concept_ @ ryancolz @suhasini_b @haveachattabs @unisarainbowclub

Verse is proudly brought to you by