Kate Brooks

Kate Brooks is a Macquarie University graduate from Sydney, Australia living in France. She has degrees in politics and law with a focus on human rights and international relations. Kate has lived on three continents and traveled all over the world, including time spent volunteering in Africa. She has worked across many disciplines including journalism, communications and law. She is currently employed with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris. In addition to learning French in her free time, she teaches English and writes for various publications.

I did not want to go back to the Jungle

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Since I began my blog in Athens there has not been one day where I didn’t want to get out of bed.  I was absolutely exhausted for those 9 days, but not once did I consider piking.  On Sunday morning I did not want to go back to the Jungle.  I did not want to see it, hear it, smell it or feel it.  I selfishly did not want to absorb its unhappiness.  It took a lot of internal self-reproach to get me into the taxi and tell the driver where I wanted Continue Reading...

Même Pas Peur

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It seemed like no one on my bus to Belgrade spoke English, but I picked up that the word refugee is not used much by the Serbians, ‘they’ are all ‘immigrants’,*said in an angry voice*, showing the power of language in labeling someone as undeserving.  And it’s clear that as in Australia, many Europeans don’t believe refugees have a right to be here. Continue Reading...

I Don’t Want to Have to Tell Them That it’s Because They are Syrian

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Being on Lesbos without a car makes life interesting, but with so many volunteers running all over the place hitch hiking has been pretty easy.  This morning though I was picked up by two locals who didn’t speak a word of English.  That didn’t stop them however from conveying their anger about how life jackets have just been left everywhere.  As we drive along the dirt road there are bulldozers collecting the brightly coloured vests, and the Continue Reading...

Asking for It?

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I was 13-years-old when my homeroom teacher gave me advice that I've never forgotten: “If you look the part, if you act the part, don't be surprised if people treat you as if you are the part.” At the time we were discussing the tainted reputation a female classmate of mine had with “the boys.”  This girl’s crime was simple: she wore tiny skirts, and she was loud, brash, and flirtatious.  Apparently, this was enough to paint her with the “S Continue Reading...

It’s All Greek to Me

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Stepping off the plane onto the tarmac at Thira Airport on the idyllic landscape of Santorini, one would be forgiven for doubting the seriousness of Greece’s current economic situation.  Indeed, here the people smile, the streets are full of tourists with well-lined pockets, hotels are bustling, and the price of a sandwich is exuberant even by European standards.  However, the tropical paradise remains one of the few places still Continue Reading...

The Politics of Non-Intervention

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In what could be described as the understatement of the year, one observer at the recent Geneva meeting of the ‘powers that be’ noted that ''too much blood has been shed'' concerning the worsening crisis in Syria.  Since the conflict began early last year, more than 100 000 refugees have poured over the borders of Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey.  More than 75 percent of these are women and children.  Continue Reading...

Redefining the Norm

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Following Barack Obama’s rather unsurprising revelation that his position on gay marriage has ‘evolved’ to one of support, the after effects are reverberating around the world.  From predictable admiration and support out of tinsel town to the inevitable conservative fear mongering by those terrified of change, reaction has been far reaching and varied. As expected, Christian churches have had plenty to say on the Continue Reading...