China
Shanghai, China
One of the placed I’ve lived in and grown to hate (but later appreciated) was Shanghai. It’s hard to imagine that the place 6-year-old me lived in was so different when I visited at 17 and 19 years old. Back Read more…
People
Czech Border Officer
During my research of national socialist architecture in the 1930’s and 40’s I travelled to many places in the German-speaking world including places of historical significance in Austria and Germany. One of my more unexpected finds were in Czechia where Read more…
Experiences
Day of German Unity
What better way to celebrate Einheitstag on October 3rd in Berlin than a long weekend of Rotbratwurst mit Brotchen and basking in the sun with an ice cold Paulaner’s? Less than one generation ago, the Berlin Wall fell and the Read more…
Experiences
European Heritage Day
Called “Tag des offenen Denkmals” in Germany, I discovered this gem by pure coincidence. I was itching to visit the Berliner U-Bahn museum at Olympia-stadion Station in the west end of Berlin. The museum only opened every second weekend of Read more…
People
Vivek Mahbubani
Hong Kong has an issue with its discriminatory mindset and its not very often brought up in conversation. Although there may not be racial discrimination on the surface of day-to-day interactions with different people, there does seem to be a Read more…
Germany
Berlin Wall
Dividing Germany’s capital city, Berlin, for nearly three decades, the Berlin Wall divided not only land, but a people between two contrasting ideologies. Is it East versus West, or Regan versus Gorbachev? Berlin was at the battlefronts of the Cold Read more…
Cities
Berlin, Germany
“Näschte Halt, Alexanderplatz, übergang zur U2, U8, zum Regionalverkehr, zur S-Bahn mit verbindung zum Hauptbahnhof, und zum Bus mit verbindung zum Flughafen Tegel. Change here for bus service to Tegel Airport.” ~ U5 announcement for Alexanderplatz Station I’ve been on Read more…
Experiences
4th of July
Open air concerts, fireworks, meeting Benjamin Franklin in the flesh, and having huge hot dogs for lunch, all this means the 4th of July in Washington, D.C. I’ve only watched movies about Americans having barbecues and setting off fireworks on Read more…
Cities
Toronto, ON
Theres a running joke among my Canadian friends that even though I was born near Vancouver I seem to have more friends in Toronto, even though I haven’t been to Toronto until I turned 19. When I did visit, I Read more…
Cities
Vancouver, B.C.
“Men love their country, not because it is great, but because it is their own.” ~ Lucius Annaeus Seneca I love Vancouver and its beautiful blue sky because it is my own. There are always these surreal cotton candy clouds Read more…