I don’t know much about Germany. I only know I’ve never liked it. I’ve ‘never liked’ it for such a long time, that I kind of forgot why. I must have had a good reason though. Prejudice is always built on strong foundations. Obviously.

What do you do when your mediaeval church tower topples down on top of your head? When Cromwell’s troops visit your home to smash in your windows? Or when the King orders your abbey to be closed, suppressed, and dismantled? Thankfully, someone knows the answer!

Have you ever felt slightly irritated by your younger Sibling? Or watched your older Brother with Suspicion? I know how you feel!

Isaac Newton famously said: “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants”. This holds true for countries as well, and in England’s case, we can most definitely speak of a Belgian Giant.

I’ve often searched my room, only to come up empty-handed. I’ve sifted through cabinets without result, and rummaged around the kitchen, not finding the spices to enhance my dish. I…

Admittedly it wasn’t easy leaving Japan behind. In many senses I haven’t yet. I carried home hundreds of articles and papers for my thesis. I maintain links to friends and…

I don’t make friends easily. I’m picky with what movies to watch, which books to read, where to have lunch or dinner. There are only two things I’m always 100%…

It’s all trickery. How a year stretches into a lifetime, marked by growth, connection, and departure, is a mystery to me. Time has flown. I run to catch up, but…

The night after I returned from my first visit to China, from labyrinthine Beijing, charming Xi’an, and neurotic Chongqing, I went for a drink with Matt. I told him about…

I’ve often talked about the unusual geography of Japan. It stretches like a string of pearls dangling from frozen Kamchatka to the North, over rugged mountains and dense cities, all…