Leading by example

- Written for Feature Writing Semester 1 2011. 

Amongst the hot, dry air of Phnom Penh is a busy yet small hairdressing salon nestled in a small village specifically for Cambodian women. A chance to spoil themselves after a busy week, an opportunity to learn some hairdressing skills or simply to mix with other women, Chocolate Blonde Cambodia is a business with a very special woman at the lead.

Jacqui Rawson, 43 years old, has taken on challenges and a new, exciting adventure in one of the world’s poorest countries in the hope of empowering young Cambodian women. Without any children of her own, or being married, Jacqui insists the move to Cambodia was the best idea she has ever made.

“I love South East Asia and being able to do some volunteer work in a part of the world I love is just an added bonus,” she says.

“At the time the volunteer position I was able to apply for just happened to be in Cambodia, so Cambodia chose me in way, not the other way round, but I knew I loved the place within the first week of being here.”

In 2010, Jacqui packed up her belongings, closed up her high pressure business job and made the big move to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. After six weeks of setting up, which included finding a venue, getting equipment and locating staff, she opened the doors. Named Chocolate Blonde Cambodia, this salon has many hidden incentives for Cambodian women, Jacqui and her colleagues.

 “My aim is to train Khmer’s in western hairdressing techniques that are most in need, those that have been trafficked, abused or are extremely poor, to give them a chance at a better life,” says Jacqui.  

“I did it as a desire to help people that need it, plus do something positive and worthwhile rather than exist in a western culture that’s focus now seems to be on making money and buying the latest and greatest. It was a chance to move out of the material world”. 

The salon exists fundamentally to provide financial support to the Training Academy but also to provide hands-on experience for the trainees as they move through their training. 

Housed in the same complex as the salon, the trainees get to experience life first hand in a working salon with the benefit of using quality products and learning good customer service as well as the experience of how fun working in a salon can be.

Currently, the academy and salon only have two staff members. These include Jacqui as the manager and head stylist and Sovann as a hairdresser. Sovann is a Cambodian hairdresser already well trained in western styles and techniques.

"I was very nervous when I first came to the salon as Khmer and western cultures are very different, in language and the hair is very different too,” says Sovann. 

“It is a big experience to work in a western salon and it helps me to be able to do both Khmer and western customers in the future."

Before Cambodia, Jacqui was based in Brisbane. She moved to Queensland, after returning from a long working holiday in London, where she threw herself into a business position at Suncorp. After several long years of working with the company and building an impressive portfolio, Jacqui got itchy feet and in a blink of an eye her suitcase flung open, giving dust no time to settle on it. 

Originally from Nelson in New Zealand, Jacqui was raised into a family who never had a great deal of money. Growing up, she loved reading, playing outside with the neighbourhood kids and heading off to parks or up hills looking for a new adventure or discovery. Her upbringing was similar to most that grew up in a small, relaxed town. Her mother would not let her watch TV until dark and never gave Jacqui house keys as her front door was never locked.

With owning the title of the middle child, Jacqui longed for something more in her childhood. She was known in her family for not being able to keep still, always on the lookout for a new quest. Shortly after completing schooling in her home town, Jacqui moved away as soon as she could, leaving her family still living in New Zealand today.  

Phnom Penh, home to over 1,573,544 people, is overcrowded with traffic, annoying salesmen and a terrible postal system. But even with these flaws, Jacqui is in the middle of it trying to earn money just like the other million people struggling to live.

In a country where only 29% of the population have mobile phones, Jacqui wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

 “The street is always filled with sound, horns tooting, children laughing or crying, food sellers walking and riding past announcing their wares and hammering, sawing  from the construction that always seems to be on the go in Phnom Penh,”Jacqui says.

“There’s a real community feel outside my house and down my street as everyone says hello and attempts a chat with our ability to speak and combine English and Khmer.”  

According to Jacqui, the locals of Phnom Penh are excited and overwhelmed with joy of having a western hairdresser, someone that understands what they’re asking for.

“I wanted to do something at the grass roots level in Cambodia where I was able to help out the people who may never have the same opportunities as a westerner.”

After having enough of her Suncorp business job and staring at the same four walls every day, Jacqui wanted a change of scenery but also was sick of the financial crisis.

“People were whinging about how much petrol was costing them to put in their big flash, four-wheel drives and I just kept thinking that is so not important,” she says.

“There are so much more important things in the world, so I decided to go bush for a while and go somewhere where the people really had something to whinge about, like not being able to eat, or educate themselves.”

 Jacqui’s family, friends and work colleagues were all encouraging and supportive of her sudden lifestyle change and still are.  Her manager at Suncorp, David Worthington, 47, insists that she was always seen as a leader no matter where she sat in the hierarchy of the organisation.

“Jacqui has enormous enthusiasm and care for other people,” he says.  

“She gave up a decent salary and comfortable lifestyle in Brisbane in order to move into the unknown. It is typical of Jacqui that rather than just set up a commercial enterprise in a developing country to exploit a business opportunity, she established something that uses commercial success to fund training. It is selfless genius.”

Hairdressing was never a life career for Jacqui. After she moved away from home she went to university but never completed her university degree, as hairdressing caught her attention. After three years of studying, Jacqui was a qualified hairdresser.

A free spirit, who loves change and new adventures, Jacqui never could settle in one particular occupation. Drifting from a waffle maker, furniture removalist, mobile connections retail assistant, business analyst and project specialist, Jacqui’s career catalogue is endless.

In 2009, along with several other Australians, she volunteered as part of the VIDA (Volunteering for International Development from Australia) Program. This program places skilled Australian volunteers in developing countries in the Asia Pacific region in line with Australian Government development priorities and the Millennium Development Goals. Jacqui was appointed to be a part of the Organisational Development team of 14 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

After volunteering for a year, Jacqui knew she would return despite an interesting case of the ‘firsts’, including three episodes of fainting, one trip to hospital, a motorbike accident, consumption of a cricket and having an IV drip put in her arm only for it to end up giving her a blood clot.

When asked why someone would possibly start a business of hairdressing in Cambodia, Jacqui laughs it off with a simple answer.

“Hairdressing, although a skill that I never thought I’d use again, is something that is quite easily passed on in a vocational training sense and, of course, it’s fun!”

While it is early days for Chocolate Blonde Cambodia, the salon is growing in numbers and income each month, recently enough to cover expenses.

“It varies but now we are getting at least two or three customer a day,” Jacqui says.

“One of my Khmer staff left a month or so ago so there’s only two of us now and we’re kept busy most of the time – can still get a little busier though. To have another western hairdresser come and join me would be the answer to my dreams.”

Jacqui, even living in hard conditions with humid temperatures and the constant sounds of the Tuk-Tuks driving past, has no regrets.

 “Even after my accident of getting hit by a motorbike I knew I wouldn’t and couldn’t come home to heal,” she says.

“Once I decide I’m doing something, I never give up.”

The future is clear cut for Jacqui and Chocolate Blonde Cambodia. She hopes to have a happy, progressive clientele in the salon that also ensures the training school can grow and teach people a lifelong skill.

Jacqui’s next goal is to ensure that Cambodian women who have had destructive lives can now earn a decent wage, safe, away from harm. 

Jacqui quit the rat race through doing something she loves and is quite simply, living the dream.

“You will absolutely love this place [Cambodia]. Life is simple, and the people are friendly and more than that, happy. Their lives are tough but they still see the good and positive in everything”.

Social networks pushed to the limit.

- Written for QUT Feature Writing assessment. 2011.

Technology has become advanced and convenient to users all over the world but has put massive pressure on social networking websites.  With easy access from computers, laptops and mobiles, the phenomenon of tweeting and status updating has gone too far.

Anyone, in any country, with access to the internet can join a social networking website, especially the giants of the industry, Facebook and Twitter. Anyone can talk about anything and it is here where the big issue comes into question, when can a user go beyond their rights?

People can post statuses about practically anything. What they are wearing, what they are doing, their favourite ban’s fan page or a picture of themselves. The actions of a user are immediate. While these social networking websites insist that they have mandatory censoring system, as soon as someone posts or tweets on their profile it appears instantly.

Elizabeth Bernstein, columnist for the Wall Street Journal, told News Busters that social networking websites are essentially cutting out emotion from conversations. “One of the big problems is how we converse,” Bernstein said. “Typing still leaves something to be desired as a communication tool; it lacks the nuances that can be expressed by body language and voice inflection.”

Facebook has over 400 million users with 50% of these users logging on to Facebook in any given day. While Twitter is smaller with 26 million active users, people can see interaction between anyone including celebrities such as Lady GaGa, Elton John or the Queen.

Noel Sheppard, Associate Editor of NewsBusters, believes that while these mediums might be increasing interaction, it isn’t likely decreasing the quality of such interactions.

“There's a ceiling on the number of characters and words one can put in a Facebook comment,” says Sheppard. 

“In fact, most comments have become Twitterish -- a brief, pithy sentence or two, and on you go.Is this the future of interpersonal relationships, how shallow and uninformed will future generations be if this is the extent of their conversations?”

The big worry with social networking websites is the increase in people abusing the platform, freedom of speech. With abusive comments and horrific bullying alive in social networking websites, people seem to think that because it is typed and not spoken, it won’t have the same affect.

Elliot Fletcher, a 12 year old St Patrick’s school boy was killed in 2010 after being stabbed by a fellow classmate. Members of his school community created a Facebook page to commemorate his life. Over 3,200 people joined this page that could leave comments on the wall reflecting their personal memories of him and the emotions towards his death. It was also used to pass on messages to the family of Elliot.

“So young. So many opportunities you missed. But you're in a better place now. I'll see you up there mate," wrote Jacob Dare, one of hundreds of heartfelt messages from shocked friends.

But towards midnight on the day this page was created, photos began appearing, showing distressing scenes of murder, race-hate, bestiality and callous messages.

"Woot. I'm dead," read one message in mock spraypaint over a headshot of the 12-year-old.

Many pictures were uploaded including one of an African-American child’s head on a silver platter and an ad for silver knives.

If the close family and friends to Elliot weren’t dealing with enough, the abusive acts from random individuals could have easily pushed them over the edge.

Bradley Paul Hampson, 29, was caught weeks after and ordered to serve 12 months imprisonment for his actions.

The page was removed, eight hours later, but the damage had already been done.

Santo Russo, psychologist and owner of Better Life Psychology believes that society is resilient and will adapt to anything thrown at it but users of these websites need to be careful.

“The outcry on this occasion is a good indicator of the need for social sanctions (jail terms) that can be applied as they are for other crimes,” Santo Russo said.

“This is a question of censorship and there are various approaches to it,”

“What is important is that people condemn any abusive behaviour on social networking by being educated and rational rather than emotional,”

“The moral fibre of a community is reflected in the way in which this behaviour is dealt with.”

As years go on, and technology rapidly changes, social networking websites will become old and there will be a new medium. People need to be aware of the implications of abusive behaviour on these websites as well as understanding what these websites are truly about, connecting with people.

“They (social networks) are simply another format for human communication and evolve as we saw when writing took over from speaking and telephones took over from letters and so on and so on.” Santo Russo said.

Missing

Come home already!

Gatorade

Three months and counting!

Dumb Blonde

My 30 second silent movie for assessment - Thanks Miss Jenna Cox.

What did I 'like' totally do to you?

This morning I logged on my Facebook account to see another pet hate of mine, my news feed covered in information from certain fashion label group competitions. I mean the idea of holding a competition to get free stuff just from liking a picture or campaign is fabulous but when you see streams and streams on a daily basis, it makes you wonder, will we ever get sick of abusing the ‘like’ button?

Not only was it created in Facebook but now it seems to be on every single website that has some slight connection to the social networking phenomenon.

You can ‘like’ photos, statuses, wall posts, videos, groups, fan bases and reality shows. You can also ‘like’ your best friends profile picture, your ex boyfriend’s newly single relationship status, your university lecture’s ramble on journalism and a new photo of your next door neighbour’s dog. I mean the list is endless and the need to ‘like’ something goes on. But I absolutely despise it. Yes I am a Facebook addict and will clearly admit it but what happened to the old days of people actually opening their mouths, or putting their fingers on a keyboard to post something nice.

We do live in the technological age and I do love the feeling of waking up in the morning and checking my Facebook to realise I have 20 notifications of people ‘liking’ my photos but with one click of a button, we all fall into the same trap. No, it’s not like we are all a part of a cult but they don’t even give the other side a voice. What did the ‘dislike’ button ever do to someone?

For anyone that didn’t know, it’s not a new button. YouTube is a big fan of the ‘dislike’ button which is especially used on Rebecca Black’s revolting song ‘Friday’. Yes, 289,036 people have ‘liked’ it. If your mouth is still open as you can’t get over this, you will be pleased to know that 2, 172,602 people ‘dislike’ it. I don’t think by typing the number you can really get the gist of how many people hate this song. Two million, one hundred and seventy-two thousand and six hundred and two people physically with their finger or thumb have clicked ‘dislike’. Good on them I say and in no regards am I trying to bag out poor Rebecca Black. I am secretly jealous she can be so famous and rich at such a young age, just from a horrible song on YouTube. I mean, I know what I’ll be doing on this Easter long weekend.  

Yes, I have taken advantage once or twice of the ‘like’ button. I entered my cat Tiger who is florescent orange and the size of a Rottweiler into Whiskers Cat competition. The winner, of course, had to have the most ‘like’s and would have their face (the cat’s of course) on the box of cat food. Did I also mention that the owner won $100,000? It was a little hidden incentive but I got behind Tiger and put all my ‘likes’ and my friends ‘likes’ to best use. We came pretty close to winning. Out of over 500,000 cats entered we came about 2,450 – unfortunately just missed out!

I am begging Facebook to consider the other end of the spectrum, the Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dum of matches: to put forward the ‘like’ and ‘dislike’ button for all Facebook users. Don’t be rude and exclude one, simply add another button. Add a ‘dislike’ button equals more dislikes, more dislikes equals more notifications, more notifications equals happier Facebook users!

Just remember, when you see that cringing status update from the pimply, teenage girl about how in love she is with her boyfriend after dating for three days, think – where the hell in the world is the ‘dislike’ button?  

A fiery character.

In the overcrowded, demanding city of Beijing lives an Australian family. Not just any ordinary family, but one with passion and drive to immerse itself in the Chinese culture. At the head of the family is Kathleen Taylor - a teacher, a principal, a wife and a mother.  At 43 years old, she is a woman on a mission.  

When asked questions, Kathleen is in no way hesitant to reply with sharp remarks. Her confidence of knowing who she is immediate, from the tightly pinned back blonde hair to the small freckles perfectly organised on her face.

If her life is not already accomplished enough with a list of seven degrees, Kathleen along with her husband Dan and two children, Eve and Alice are on a continuous rollercoaster, never knowing when to stop.

Now as the principal of an international school in Beijing, Kathleen has not yet reached her dream. “I’m not yet there. There is so much more I want to do and while I have no idea what that is, I don’t think I will be stopping anytime soon.”

Terry O’Brien, a friend and work colleague of Kathleen’s of 20 years, says Kath has always been a strong minded career driven woman.

“It can be said that without question 'Kath doesn’t suffer fools'.  She has high expectations and is a woman of integrity and can’t understand those who don’t have these skills or aspire to have these skills.”

Kathleen’s pushiness to travel for business started very young in her career. “My first teaching job was at the Sunshine Coast, it was my first opportunity to get away and I immediately took it.”

After working in North Queensland and settling at Peregian Beach with Dan, Kathleen’s drive to travel and further her career, before anything else, took flight.

In October 2005, she packed up her belongings, house and family and moved to Park Slope, Brooklyn, America. She was 38 at the time, and her children were 22 months and five. She reminisces about how she worked too many hours and while the work was not too hard, she spent a couple of hours each day on the subway travelling to and from work.  ‘It was okay, but I got sick of it. We had no regrets. It was time to come home.’

Leslie Tulloch, an education consultant, worked with Kathleen on a joint project for the Board of Education and the US Federal Government in NYC that was part of the ‘No Child Left Behind’ initiative.

“Kath was great to work with, and despite our times of hilarity we both found that we had a passion for good education which, inspired us to try and get that message across to teachers,” she says.

Kathleen’s easy-going yet vigorous nature was drilled into her as a child, growing up in a strict catholic family. As a middle child of eight siblings, she insists that it was uncomplicated.  “Living at home became a little tedious once everyone was born but the older ones quickly soon moved out.”

Kathleen attended an all girls school for her high school education. She didn’t fit into the form of an over achiever or obsess over make-up, but describes herself as just an ‘ordinary girl’.

In 1991, Kathleen and her family received terrifying news. Her brother, John, who was staying at the family home in Stafford Heights had died, in a horrific house fire. “I was 23. He was 21.We were in Scotland and it was the morning after my sister’s wedding. I shared a room with my sister and parents. The phone rang and it was my brother, Greg. I said to my mother, ‘Did John do something?’. She replied, ‘He is dead’. I asked mum and Dad if they are alright. My parents both said their mouths were dry. We decided it must have been shock. My younger sister started shouting about the cat because she was worried it had been killed in the fire. I went away for a while, but later came back.”

While she is sad, she isn’t devastated. ‘He really was very different in the family. I did not connect with him much in teenage or later years.’

Kath’s husband Dan has always taken second fiddle to her career but she insists he has always been supportive. “When I told him about New York he was really excited. We had just transferred back to Cooktown in North Queensland when I got the job. He said, ‘We have been to Cooktown, let’s go to New York.’ I wanted him to work but he wanted to stay home and look after the girls. China was a bit harder to talk him around, but he knew that financially we needed to do something to help ourselves. Three houses equal three mortgages.”

There has been some down sides for Kathleen and her travelling career: her two children. Eve, (10) and Alice (7) both attend the international school where Kathleen is a principal. As Alice is still very young, Kathleen describes her as very independent and makes friends easily. However, Eve is “not as keen and likes to have definitive time that we are here for. ‘Okay, I will stay until I am in Grade 7,’ she says. The school work is very competitive and hard. It is demanding. I often talk to the teacher, but the Chinese way is to have tutors for everything and push the kids as much as they can”.

While the long-term regrets are unknown for Kathleen and her family, when asked if she has made any mistakes, she quickly replies, “Sure, when I ride my bike through the village and people are spitting everywhere, when I ride my bike to work and it is negative 14 and when I cannot get someone to understand me, that’s when I start to re-think my motives.”

Whether it is a change in career or more children, dreaming and longing for something more will never stop for Kathleen, regardless of her success.

“I would like to find the job that I really want- not sure what that is, maybe administration, lose a few kilos, do more yoga and most importantly, hug my husband more.”

- Written for Feature Writing 2011.