Interview of Grace Dekay by Freya Bennett // I don’t see myself anywhere in particular in five years. I could be cycling around Australia, I could be trekking in Spain, I could be living in a self-sustainable boat or tiny house in the mountains.
Interview of Grace Dekay by Freya Bennett
Hey Grace, how are you?
Hello, I am quite well thank-you.
How old are you?
I am seventeen
Where do you call home?
Stratford, Victoria.
You’re a keen hiker, tell us what you love about hiking?
I love hiking because you see, hear and smell everything; you’re not whizzing past in a car seeing a blur of trees and cement. And when you arrive at your campsite it’s so rewarding after all the hard work you’ve done, to sit in front of a warm camp fire with a satisfying meal and then hop into a cosy sleeping bag. You just appreciate everything so much more, each meal, each rest, each conversation, and each helpful thing someone does for you.
You’re also a bit of an artist! Tell us a bit about your pottery, painting and sewing!
I’m learning pottery which is really exciting because the process of creating a pot requires a lot of patience and it’s so rewarding when it comes out of glaze firing. When I’m not feeling so patient I quite enjoy painting which is usually a mixture of colours or some Australian flora such as bottle brushes and eucalyptus leaves. I’m also teaching myself sewing, which I do on my Nan’s old singer, or by hand. I like to make small purses or tops using fabric from clothes that no longer fit me.
What do you love about being a teen girl?
I love that there are so many opportunities that I can create for myself and I feel like people pay attention because I’m young.
What do you find difficult?
I find not having the freedom or ability to take myself places quite difficult, especially living in a rural town where there’s little public transport, I have to depend on a parent or grandparent to get anywhere. And being unschooled it’s quite easy to feel very isolated as well.
If you could add any class to the curriculum of high school, what would it be?
It would be a class called, ‘choose what you’d like to learn’, and ‘choose what you’d like to wear’ instead of being forced to wear a particular uniform because of your sex.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I don’t see myself anywhere in particular in five years. I could be cycling around Australia, I could be trekking in Spain, I could be living in a self-sustainable boat or tiny house in the mountains. Who knows?
What are your three favourite personal qualities?
I like that I’m quiet. I like that I’m brave in my own way. And thoughtful.
If you could change one thing about the world what would it be?
One thing? That’s a bit tricky, I think I’d get rid of money, I think that would solve a lot of problems in this world.
What was the last book you read?
84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Haff.
What are you currently listening to?
The Delta Riggs covering Gooey by Glass Animals and Jack Johnson – Inaudible Memories
What are you looking forward to at the moment?
A cycling expedition in a couple of weeks
Can you leave us with your favourite quote?
‘Things may get a little odd at times, but they work out. You don’t have to try very hard to make them work out, you just let them’ – The Tao of Pooh
