"Life's not about making more money and accruing more material goods; it's about listening, giving, and having compassion."

I'd been in Kabul four weeks and still couldn't decide if I was completely mad. It was certainly a captivating environment to work in, so incredibly different, such an insight into a...

Strangely enough I felt on a real high from the moment I landed on the tarmac. I thoroughly enjoyed being in Afghanistan. I loved the heady difference, the gripping change of scenery, the break from five years of deep emotional wrangling within the wider family dynamic, the food, the work,...

After all the build up, uncertainty, and fear, I finally arrive at my destination. I'm so relieved to be travelling with Matt, Teresa and Jakob. They chat and laugh, divulging stories about Afghanistan. "Don't worry, you're going to love it", Matt reassures me. "You'll go...

A week before I'm due to leave Australia, there's a bomb blast at the Safi Landmark hotel in Kabul, a hotel frequented by internationals

Am I anxious about taking the job now? Yes, a little. Am I anxious when I take the tube late at night? A little....

The time was getting closer to pack my bags, and my emotions, into a tight little bundle, and head into the unknown; a large chasm of life, waiting to happen. I wondered constantly if I was completely mad. I meet my partner and two children in the south...

Telling people about the job in Afghanistan was a fascinating business. Some said, don't go, you're mad. This is fair enough; I felt the same, initially. Others are more critical - I'm being foolish (it's dangerous), unfair (I have a partner and two teenage children), it's a lot...