Zorianna Kit

Regular NT readers will know I’m no fan of United Kingdom Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s scattergun—and potentially illegal—asylum seekers policy. My firm stance sometimes gets confused for all-out opposition to the Conservative government. It is not.As a professionally apolitical hack of 25 years, I’m acutely aware of the failings of all political parties—as well as their dwindling successes.

Two young women pass the subway barrier. The guard tells them to put their hijabs (veils) on correctly. A new law has been introduced in Iran, which says that anyone who violates the hijab law should not be allowed to enter the subway. But once inside, the women take off their hijabs and tell the guard to go to hell. Another woman drives past Azadi Square in Tehran on her motorcycle. Her hair flutters in the wind.

Showered and dressed in shorts and a loose blue checkered shirt, I stepped out of my New Orleans hostel, immediately soaked by 100% humidity. It was the hurricane season of 2018, and I was at peace with it. I strolled above the bald cypress tree swamps in the city where jazz was born, ready to fill my soul with its culture and history.