Perhaps I should start with some background (something that’s not and/or won’t be on my About or Career pages)…
In my teens I was fortunate enough to travel to Germany and Hungary (in 1992 and 1993) as part of the junior national gymnastics team (before you ask, no I can’t do any of those moves anymore). For brown kid, from South Africa during its transition from apartheid to democracy, it was both a rare opportunity and a mind-blowing experience.
In my late 20s, just after I’d finished my theology degree and about a year and a half after my mom passed away, I sold my 1988 Honda to fund the start of what would become a trip that lasted nearly three years. Obviously, the cash I got for the car was only enough to pay for my plane ticket to and (working holiday) visa for the UK, but it was enough to get the journey going. By the time I returned to SA in December 2008, I had been to England, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. Please don’t ask me which was my favourite, because I wouldn’t be able to choose.
On returning, I only planned to stay for a short visit, but my plans at the time did not materialise and I ended up staying in SA. Thankfully, I was able to make the most of the last 13 years, by earning a few more degrees (including MSocSc and PhD degrees in sociology), as well as getting some experience working as a researcher, lecturer and more.
But, the idea of moving to another country again, of exploring places I had not seen, of encountering new cultures and perhaps even learning another new language (I learnt Spanish in South America) never left me. In the last two years or so, I’ve been exploring my options more actively, with particular interest in Asia, as well as Nordic Europe.
Ultimately, I’ve chosen to go on a new adventure by moving Taiwan early in the new year… although in some ways it feels like I wasn’t choosing, but that’s a story for another day.
In any case, welcome to my site, thanks for reading this first entry… I’m sure there’ll me many more to come.
JP
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