Tag: Language Learning

A Totally Impractical Expat Interview #7: Philip Johnson of The Philiad
April 9, 2011

A Totally Impractical Expat Interview #7: Philip Johnson of The Philiad

Welcome to episode 7 in my infinite series of expat interviews. Today I bring you the eloquent and witty Phil of the brilliant Philiad (pa-dum!). Phil lives in Guadalajara, Mexico for now, and rumor has it he’ll be heading of to NYU come September to …

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A Totally Impractical Expat Interview #6: Fiona Reilly of Life on Nanchang Lu
April 4, 2011

A Totally Impractical Expat Interview #6: Fiona Reilly of Life on Nanchang Lu

Welcome to the sixth interview in my infinite series of one sided conversations with expats (and ex-expats) all over the world. I started this series partly out of curiosity and partly out of a need for me to know I wasn’t alone in having mixed …

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3 Short Scenes from the Chinese Classroom: Why I Probably Can Never Go Home Again
April 1, 2011

3 Short Scenes from the Chinese Classroom: Why I Probably Can Never Go Home Again

Scene 1.   ‘Happy April Fish Day, teacher!’ My students are knee deep in plastic snack-sized dried fish wrappers. It’s April 1st. There’s a huge grocery bag three quarters full of unopened dried fish packets under one of the rows of desks. It was a …

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A Totally Impractical Expat Interview #4: Michelle Lara of I Heart Mondegreens
March 29, 2011

A Totally Impractical Expat Interview #4: Michelle Lara of I Heart Mondegreens

Welcome to part 4 in my as yet infinite series on the varied and multi faceted expat experience.  Today I bring you Michelle Lara of I Heart Mondegreens. Michelle is in Spain for now, working and studying for a Masters degree in translation. She’s married …

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A Totally Impractical Expat Interview #3: Andrew Couch of Grounded Traveler
March 26, 2011

A Totally Impractical Expat Interview #3: Andrew Couch of Grounded Traveler

Welcome to the third in my series of interviews with, ostensibly, expats. And by expats, I mean people who have been broadly defined as such by the fact that they are living somewhere else. It’s not as simple as that though. A bazillion people over …

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It’s MAO’s Annual Self Criticism Time, Shanghai Style
January 5, 2011

It’s MAO’s Annual Self Criticism Time, Shanghai Style

  I missed the new year deadline for resolutions by a few days but I was too busy drinking litres of  tea in bed and eating Doug’s Christmas gift of German chocolate covered gingerbread and posting endless photo spam of frozen mops and singing students. Sometimes one …

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Huh? Efendim? Ting Bu Dong: Opening Your Door to People You Can’t Understand
September 6, 2010

Huh? Efendim? Ting Bu Dong: Opening Your Door to People You Can’t Understand

In Istanbul, at the last flat I lived in before we left Turkey in 2008, my upstairs neighbour- a middle-aged woman in a house dress and slippers- used to ring my doorbell repeatedly at all hours. If I was in the shower, she’d keep ringing …

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Do As I Say, Not As I Do: On Learning Chinese/ Teaching English
August 29, 2010

Do As I Say, Not As I Do: On Learning Chinese/ Teaching English

I’ve been told I’m a good teacher. I’ve been teaching English for nearly a decade now and know how to nurture a reluctant super-low beginner out of their speechless shell and into proud conversations in English. I’ve taught study skills using write synonym sheets and …

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On Language Burnout After a few too Many Countries
August 26, 2010

On Language Burnout After a few too Many Countries

It’s a funny thing starting an expat/travel blog sixteen years after you started travelling/living elsewhere and failed to do anything else with your adult life except, well, travel and be an expat. For one, you’re not as freshly enthusiastic as those who are venturing out …

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