Back to work

I’m back at work tomorrow after more than a month of annual leave. The picture above is one of hundreds I took while I was away. Dont worry, I've only included 10 or so in this post...

Fun and games

During my time off, I travelled to Ireland and the UK with my husband, mother, sons and their partners to spend time with relatives and wider family. We joined each other in a series of emotional reunions that would be familiar to migrants across the globe. We had a lot of fun, including playing games with younger members of the family.

I then travelled across Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina on a group cycle tour with old (and new) friends in the mountains. Yes, a cycle tour. I know – what was I thinking? And that trip was arranged and paid for before we knew about the near 40-degree heat wave and the widespread power cut.

I managed to complete the tour (with only a small amount of cheating) and will now refer to myself as “an international cyclist”.

I then visited Türkiye briefly, before returning to Australia late last week.

As well as wonderful memories created with family and friends, I saw some of the most spectacular scenery I have ever seen and swam in the most remarkably clean (and very cold!) mountain water. I had a picnic of fresh local food on the top of one mountain that I had ridden up on a bike.

I visited markets, museums and galleries and saw (OK, and bought a little) exquisitely beautiful art. We ate amazing food.

Beyond the fun and games

While the family, friends, adventure, art and food were wonderous, one of the most remarkable things I noted across all of the locations I visited was the extraordinary ability of human beings from very different backgrounds and religions, with very different views, sometimes previously enemies and in conflict, to find ways to co-exist and to live in varied forms of harmony.

While watching magnificent storms brewing, my husband and I reflected on the fact that our own long relationship and union defy sectarian, religious and national divides.

Our musings came as we contemplated the devastating and lasting impacts of conflict and war throughout the trip. For example, while staying in Sarajevo, Bosnia, I learned some of the heartbreaking details of relatively recent conflict in the Balkan areas.

I met adults suffering decades of trauma despite the fighting being long over. I was deeply shocked by some of the stories, including those documented in a children’s museum dedicated to highlighting the effects of conflict and war on children.

One couldn’t help but note the similarities to current conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.

I thought about the fact that the outcomes of these current conflicts are likely to be similar – devastating and inter-generationally traumatic, with the question about the point of it all left hanging for decades or longer. With more time than usual to consider these realities without the busy-ness and distractions of work, my learning was profoundly confronting and moving.

It was hard not to feel powerless and helpless as my experience and learning unfolded.

I thought hard about my various privileges and responsibilities as a global citizen.?

Gratitude

I found myself profoundly grateful both to be highly educated, and to work in the field of education. In my view, there is no field with a greater capacity to help people to understand complexity and multiple points of view and to thereby contribute to changing the world for the better.

Education also influences every other field, and every human endeavour, achievement and improvement. It has unparalleled potential power and influence. I think I had forgotten that to some extent in the day to day demands of my work.

Following my trip, I am grateful for the opportunities to make even small contributions to the quality of, and access to, education across primary, secondary and tertiary sectors through my recent and current work in universities, schools and government.

I deeply appreciate the work of educators and educational leaders, even more so than before.

My time away from work has strengthened my commitment to my field. I have realised I am not powerless, nor helpless – quite the opposite – and I need to take care to use my power and privilege in the most appropriately impactful ways in my work.

I’m also incredibly grateful to highly skilled and committed colleagues who stepped up and in during my absence and thereby enabled me to take this break and have these life-enhancing opportunities to reflect and to learn. I hope they don’t find my re-energised returning self too annoying...

I'm confident, though, that they'll be fine with me referring to myself as an international cyclist from now on - that won't be annoying for them at all.