DilliFeb 18, 20213 minThe children behind the screens"It feels like I'm in prison". These were the words of an 11-year-old boy from the Somerset school where I teach. He had joined our...
DilliJun 23, 20203 minDaring to know myselfTaking the Warwick University teaching survey was only supposed to take 10 minutes, but for me it took about twice as long. The task that...
DilliFeb 20, 20203 min6 tips to refocus rowdy classesAs a new teacher, I always wondered why my voice wasn't being heard, and why so many students forgot or failed to understand what I had...
DilliFeb 1, 20209 minConformity, silence, and fallen dreams: my journey as an ESL teacher in JapanI came to Japan bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, thinking I had found a utopia in my new school. But I had a harsh reality-check ahead of me.
DilliAug 28, 20194 minJapanese Isolation: is a culture of 'saving face' sustainable?I have been out in Japan for over 3 months now and I’m still growing accustomed to the vastly different society that is my new home....
DilliAug 24, 20193 min10 awful people you will have met on holiday1. The “I’m here to find myself” woman. She’s just come from a meditation retreat and she’s staying in a Buddhist temple tomorrow. She’ll...
DilliAug 20, 20195 minWe travelled through Vietnam with 3.5kg backpacks. Here’s how.The airline wanted to charge us for taking more than 5kg, so we thought we'd beat the system....
DilliJun 26, 20195 minWhen in Japan, do as the Japanese do?We all know the phrase 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do', but with rising globalisation, is the phrase becoming outdated?
DilliJun 14, 20197 minThe politics of passing (for straight) in ChinaFor a while, I've wanted to write about 'passing' a.k.a. being read by the wider population as heterosexual or heteronormative. In the...
DilliMay 29, 20194 min5 'butch chic' icons to inspire youButch chic is quickly becoming a popular choice for people of any sexual orientation or gender. As a feminist who generally wears...
DilliMay 17, 20195 minShanghai’s most eccentric cafés1. Egg Address: 12 Xiangyang North Road Nearest Metro: South Shaanxi Road Décor: 5 Menu creativity: 8 Value: 8 Staff friendliness: 9...
DilliMay 12, 20194 minCan private education be a source of effective altruism in China?As a product of both state and private education, and having taught at a variety of institutions, I have often wondered which model has...
DilliApr 14, 20194 minWalking the Great Wall of ChinaThere are good walls and there are bad walls... I decided last month that I would leave China, which means I have just a few weeks to...
DilliFeb 20, 20194 minChinese New Year in NingboSpending Chinese New Year out here has been a wonderful experience. Jacques and I took a trip to Ningbo, a city a few hours south of...
DilliJan 29, 20192 minShanghai: my new homeThey say it takes 6 months to properly settle in to a country and I don't disagree. There are a great many culture shocks in this city,...
DilliJan 14, 20194 minIs that even art?I would like to dedicate this post to a piece of street art I once saw in Berlin at the East Side Gallery (formerly the Berlin Wall)...
DilliJan 7, 20193 minA Weekend Away: HangzhouMy boyfriend, Jacques, and I decided to go away together for New Year as he was in Shanghai to visit over the Christmas period. Hangzhou...
DilliDec 5, 20183 minEducation, Education, EducationIt has been approximately 9 months since I signed up to work for Education First in Shanghai, China. It's odd to finally be here, having...
DilliApr 24, 20173 minAh Bordeaux, comme t'es bonneBordeaux, as it's getting towards summer, is becoming evermore beautiful and hot. It's sunny with blue skies almost every day, even...
DilliMar 28, 20174 minBlue skies and dog droppingsI could write pages and pages about the benefits of living in France, from the food to the language, to the culture to the weather, but...
DilliMar 19, 20174 minA "rosbif" in the land of the frogsFriday just gone, my housemates and I celebrated St Patrick's Day in a pub called 'the Frog and Rosbif'. And, naturally, we drank...
DilliFeb 18, 20173 min16 Degrees in WinterIt’s February and I have officially moved into my shared house in Bordeaux. I was previously staying with a host from couchsurfer.com,...
DilliJan 27, 20172 minOxford Abroad!As I've said before, Brussels has a distinctly European feel to it. But there's something about the networking events that truly reminds...
DilliJan 24, 20172 minA Funny (Linguistic) SituationBrussels, along with Barcelona and Quebec City, is one of very few cities in the Western world that is officially bilingual. Belgium...
DilliJan 3, 20174 minHome is Where the Passport is'Home' has always been something of an awkward concept for me. I have spent most of my life between my mother's and father's houses, both...
DilliDec 11, 20164 minA European's Life for Me!The internship is coming along. I may even have the opportunity to meet refugees and participate in meetings from next week onward....
DilliDec 1, 20164 minExpats or Immigrants?It's been a while since I've written, which is in part due to my recent visit to the UK, but also because translation, which is what my...
DilliNov 16, 20163 minA Trip to the Dam on the AmstelI have just come back from three days in the famous city of Amsterdam. Tuesday the 15th of November was a national holiday in Belgium and...
DilliNov 9, 20163 minAnarchy. But I am not surprised.This morning's result was a prediction I was unhappy to be right about. I usually like being right about things - doesn't everyone? From...
DilliNov 8, 20163 minBritish Weather on the ContinentHaving now lived here for nearly two weeks, I am fairly pleased that I have only been caught out in the rain once (so far). When I...