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ArtistI was born in Melbourne, and I guess the majority of my life was spent in Melbourne, but even as a child I moved around a lot. I felt like I had nothing to lose by leaving. So about five and a half years ago I left and ended up living in Berlin.I've noticed my mindframe changes so much depending on where I am. Not in an intentional way, but there's definitely a shift from city to city, affected by what I'm learning at the time. Berlin is very non-judgemental and comfortable with people in regards to their bodies, gender identities, and sexuality, which was a nice learning experience for me. I know these progressive subcultures exist in Australia, but there isn't the same openness across the board, especially not in childhood.
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Graduate Student/Event Coordinator
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StudentI grew up in rural South Australia and moved to Melbourne after high school to attend university. When finished my law degree, it just seemed like a good time to leave, so I went to New York. Not much was that different in New York, overall. There were little quirks in how things were done in the US. Funny little hidden fees, a lack of transparency, and lots of things that wouldn't fly in Australia in terms of consumer protection.
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TeacherI grew up in St Kilda in the 90s and 00s. My childhood was mostly spent rollerblading up and down the Esplanade, between the first and the fourth palm tree in front of our building with mum watching me from the balcony laying out her rugs to air—like a true blue Middle Eastern dream queen.When I was old enough, I moved to Turkey and lived in a valley on the Lycian coast. I learned a lot, and seeing Australia from that perspective, it seemed so obvious that we shouldn't define or confine those that come across the seas. From Narre Warren to Nauru, this is stolen land anyway.I decided to leave Turkey after increasing political unrest rolled out into a massive messy ball of GTFO. I wanted to live in a place where I have the freedom to work a job that will allow me to eventually help those who can't, even if that meant giving up the sparkling turquoise coast for good old Port Phillip Bay.I guess the biggest challenge about coming home is not having giant jars of pickles and carob molasses at my disposal. Aside from that the only thing that's different in Melbourne is the free tram zone, which is fresh.Follow Kat on Twitter.