Backpacking for Dummies

Backpacking for Dummies

CULTURES SAUVAGES #6 - AT HOME

CULTURES SAUVAGES #6 - AT HOME

Since we’re all being asked to stay home, I wanted to bring up that subject that had been kind of haunting me for a few years now. What’s home?
In English, there’s a distinction between “house” and “home”. The first one would be purely physical, four walls, a roof and everything that can be found inside, while the other would have a more sentimental value, it’ll be the family household, a place you feel at home, an anchor, a place for returns.

CULTURES SAUVAGES #4 - MY CHINESE NEW YEAR IN TAIWAN

CULTURES SAUVAGES #4 - MY CHINESE NEW YEAR IN TAIWAN

新年快樂! – Xīnnián kuàilè! – Happy New Year!
When I was living in Taiwan, Chinese New Year was held on February 15th 2018. The Year of the Rooster was flying away and let his place to the Year of the Dog. Chinese New Year is widely celebrated worldwide by the Chinese and Asian communities, mainly by the populations referring to the lunisolar calendar.

THAT TIME I SOLD ALSATIAN CHRISTMAS COOKIES IN A TAIWANESE MARKET

THAT TIME I SOLD ALSATIAN CHRISTMAS COOKIES IN A TAIWANESE MARKET

Even when I was living in my tiny studio apartment in Strasbourg with a mini oven, I was still following this vernacular tradition even though I had to spend my days off baking, batch after batch, so I could have my little cookies to eat with my tea during those long Alsatians winter evenings. I’m so attached to this tradition that I couldn’t help but bring it with me in both New-Zealand and Taiwan! As a matter of fact, I’m always travelling with cinnamon just in case I’d like to bake something tasty for my hosts or travel companions.

CULTURES SAUVAGES #3 - I DIDN'T TRAVEL THE TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILWAY

CULTURES SAUVAGES #3 - I DIDN'T TRAVEL THE TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILWAY

A story of çäkçäk, love at first sight in Kyoto and the God Yue Lao’s mailbox.
As this new show’s topic initiated by Emilie is a wonderful subject for wordplays (let’s talk about shamanic trance as well as trance music, transsexuality and transgression), I chose today to tell you how I didn’t take the Trans-Siberian train.

CULTURES SAUVAGES #2 - MY LIFE IN A PRISON IN NEW-ZEALAND

CULTURES SAUVAGES #2 - MY LIFE IN A PRISON IN NEW-ZEALAND

As Halloween was around the corner, I found out a story which is combining both the orange colour and ghosts, as well as psychopaths, murderers, hanged men and handcuffs.
Can you guess what I’m going to talk to you about? No? Well, I’m going to tell you about the time when I lived in a prison.

CULTURES SAUVAGES #1 - LEARNING SPANISH IN ECUADOR

CULTURES SAUVAGES #1 - LEARNING SPANISH IN ECUADOR

The last time I decided to put myself through the joy of having homework was a bit more than a year ago when I freshly arrived in Ecuador without knowing a single word of Spanish. I became aware quite fast that Duolingo was cool enough to have conversations about a cat drinking milk – el gato bebe leche-, but it wouldn’t help me that much to ask for directions, and even start more intimate conversations with locals.