Around the World with Kav P.

[Languages] Is 6 Months of Mandarin Enough?

Well, it's been a while! I've been studying Mandarin at National Taiwan University for six months and am now on a break in formal studies. This seems like a good time to reflect on what I have actually learned in this time.

[Languages] Why Taiwanese Mandarin?

Want to learn Mandarin? Find out if Taiwan is the right place for you to learn it!

Impostraveller Syndrome

Times they are a-changing.

Sukiyaki Westernised

I decided that the only way I could really get across the beauty of Kyu Sakamoto's "Sukiyaki" would be by translating the lyrics myself. I learned a lot.

[Spetlight] [Japan] Kitsune Dog?!

We don't know the dog's name, if it was a stray, or if its human knew where it was. All we know is it latched onto us and brightened our day.

[Puzzling Tuesday] All Hail the Messi-ah!

Argentina has been playing well so far in the World Cup, and fans of team captain Lionel Messi have been enjoying the creative wordplay his name invites…

Kav PJuly 8, 2014July 7, 2015 Puzzling No Comments

[Argentina] The Politics of Buenos Aires Street Art

It’s no far stretch to say that Buenos Aires has a rich history of street art. Sometimes very creative, sometimes very poignant, the art of the city has a lot to offer, especially in this time of economic flux and political movement.

Kav PJuly 4, 2014July 7, 2015 Argentina No Comments

[Puzzling Tuesday] Michael Caine’s Hispanic Ancestor

Too late he realised that he was supposed to blow the bloody doors off.

Kav PJuly 1, 2014July 7, 2015 Puzzling No Comments

[Argentina] Big in El Pasaje

I thought I was being asked to have a photo taken to promote my Spanish school, but I found out last-minute that it was actually a video and had to think of something pretty quickly.

Kav PJune 27, 2014March 25, 2017 Argentina, Languages, Spanish 6 Comments

[Puzzling Tuesday] REAL Sponge Cake.

Japanese restaurants and food sellers have a habit of displaying plastic versions of the food that they serve inside. This one was a surprisingly accurate rendition of a sponge cake I saw in Kanazawa back in 2004.

Kav PJune 24, 2014July 7, 2015 Puzzling No Comments

[Japan] Lessons in Bureaucracy Part 1: An Introduction.

Who would have thought it? Crappy bureaucracies exist everywhere, in every language.

Kav PJune 20, 2014July 7, 2015 Japan No Comments

[Puzzling Tuesday] Dangle.

This was a jumper me and my friends noticed in Kanazawa, Japan in 2004. I’m not sure it’s the kind of thing you can wear to just any occasion.

Kav PJune 17, 2014July 7, 2015 Puzzling No Comments

[Argentina] Speak to Me, Buenos Aires!

After a long stint in Japan, I arrived in Buenos Aires to live in mid-April, 2014, and it’s been odd starting to live in a country where I don’t speak the language so well.

Kav PJune 14, 2014March 25, 2017 Argentina, Languages, Spanish 1 Comment

[Photoset] Healesville Sanctuary, Australia (2014)

In Melbourne in-between living in Japan and Argentina, I made friends with a Japanese woman and decided to show her what animals Australia has to offer.

Kav PApril 13, 2014March 24, 2017 Argentina, Photosets No Comments

[Japan] Introducing Vegemite at a Japanese School – Dos and Dont’s

Introducing Vegemite to people in Japan is a particularly tricky thing to do, particularly if you have trouble articulating the subtleties of the spread in Japanese. Nevertheless, it’s probably something that most Australians working with children in any capacity may feel inclined to do at some stage, even if only for lack of anything else to do in class.

Kav PAugust 1, 2011February 7, 2020 Japan 2 Comments