All articles filed in Zofia

I think perhaps if I had to pick one photo that is symbolic of this land to me, this would be it. The bush. There is a wilderness to it, an abundance, an immensity, that is impossible to put into words. Infinite shades of green, sunlight sifted though, onto, layers of leaves, birdsong, bracken, comfort,…

There’s a stretch of the Southern line between Otahuhu and Penrose where a playing field backs onto the tracks, buffered by bare trees and a carpet of dead leaves, gilded with frost. I notice it most in the mornings, especially returning home from a night shift, and in my sleep-deprived state it always tugs at…

Remember when I first arrived and I mentioned how “Kiwi bedtime”, as we immediately dubbed it, was a real thing? Like, people genuinely just go to bed so much earlier than in the UK? And everything else is adjusted accordingly: the work day starts earlier, it’s acceptable to have lunch at 11:30, you’ll really struggle…

Sunset up Mount Eden, trying to outrun that pre-nights anxiety. March 2018. It’s becoming Autumn. Days are shorter, mornings noticeably darker and cooler, leaves starting to blush, curl and fall. We’re on the cusp of change right now. On Saturday morning I got home from a night shift and my room was so stiflingly hot that I took…

Happy new year?! Oh man, I have photos going way back to Halloween that I haven’t even shared yet! I’m so excited to finally sit down and start putting this post together. Hope you’re ready for a looooong as update. (View from my new bedroom). I last wrote back in December, roundabout my birthday. Thank…

And just like that, three months – more! – have passed. My first rotation here in Auckland came to an end just a couple of weeks ago. So many feelings! I’m now in a new hospital (still in the city), doing a completely different specialty. And settled enough to have started enjoying it! It’s all…

You sit here, quiescent, waiting, and I would like to infect you suddenly with the great, intense excitement that comes of self-recognition, of knowing the fact of your being, your rising at morning and being yourself again after night, after dreams, after temporary cessation.  Tennessee Williams I’ve been laughing so much recently that my cheeks…

It’s Friday night. My candles are burning low, my room smells of the orange blossom I picked earlier when I was out on a walk. It’s spilling out of a glass jar on my mock fireplace. I’m working tomorrow, so tonight is a night to be cosy and calm. Leftover chilli and kale, nostalgic music,…

hey hi hello I arrived!! Apparently it’s winter here and it’s been raining non-stop for the past few months. Ha. For real though, some days it rains so hard I feel like I’m on the Arc, but then the sun shines and the light is so pure and air so warm. (Often it does both…