The Patty project

Two years ago today, we arrived in beautiful Phuket for a long-awaited holiday that had been on our bucket list for over twenty years! 

Excitement turned to frustration when my suitcase didn’t show up at the airport and it didn’t arrive until 9 days later, on the same plane taking us back home to Australia. 

Being without my clothes, shoes, underwear and medication was a significant challenge. 

As a plus-sized woman, I felt uncomfortable ( for example – blisters and cuts formed on my feet from shoes not made to be worn for hiking and exploring) and angry throughout the trip that I had anticipated for so long. 

Every day we’d set out looking for clothes. And, searching for clothes that fit added to my stress, with many shops and boutiques echoing the same phrase: “No madame, we do not have clothes that fit you.” 

One memorable encounter included a shop assistant pushing my breasts together and saying, “No Madame, too big” in a heavy Thai accent. 

I did end up finding three pairs of underwear, two pants and a few smock-type dresses and I probably should have been grateful for those but the truth is, they were all mismatched patterns, fit like a potato sack and in colours that made me look like a clown ready to perform at a circus.

It took months of fighting for justice for compensation and over a year to truly process everything and get over it.

Now, two years later, I see how much I’ve grown from this experience. 

Sometimes, it takes uncomfortable situations to push us to grow and learn more about ourselves.

And, yes three months later we embarked on a ‘re-do’ of the trip, I packed smarter and my luggage arrived with us.