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…
The Way to a Friend’s Heart
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%…
A Goodbye to Friends
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…
An Australian, a Chinese, and a Belgian walk into a Bar
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…
Trust scribbled on a leaf
Long before I ever made it to Thailand, I visited the North-African countries of Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt. The latter was a blast, accompanied by my Arabic speaking friend Marnix,…
Visit the Church and Become the Lord
A couple years back, during the week running up to Old Year’s Eve, I pestered my mate almost incessantly, asking how we’d spend the night. He has a more laid…
China is Friendly
Twelve hours on a night train and between hundreds of Chinese travellers to Xi’an, I am the only foreigner. I don’t mind, in fact, it’s part of why I’m here….
The Colony
Up until about 1870 Japan lived in a state of relative isolation. After centuries of bloody civil war, the military Tokugawa government ensured the unification of Japan, bringing peace and…
“Don’t make me regret this”
I’ll have to be honest. Renting a car to explore the Japanese Alps two days after Mom arrived might not have been my best idea ever. She felt exhausted by…
As our Eyes Followed his Hands
Sometimes it’s my birthday. This year, though I’d rather have lost a year and gone back to 21, I turned 23. Mom came to visit me in Tokyo, and we…