All self cooked: Chinese food in Toronto.

Kindness # 2: When Students From China Cook Together

7. August 2019.Reading time 3 minutes.

Jump at chances, someone once told me. That’s what I did when a Chinese roommate in the dorm in Toronto invited me for a spontaneous dinner with her friends. A gesture of kindness that ended in a fun and intercultural evening.

Ken, Trevor und Grace in der Einfahrt zu Keppel Croft Gardens - bereit für den Volunteer Wednesday.

Kindness # 1: Where Helpfulness Occupies Center Stage

30. July 2019.Reading time 8 minutes.

Every Wednesday, around 20 helpers come to Keppel Croft Gardens, spread across the 1.6 hectares, weed, mow the lawn, plant trees, and afterwards disappear. Every week they help Bill and Dawn Loney, the owners of the beautiful garden. They all support voluntarily. A “Random Act of Kindness”.

Every Wednesday, the group gathers for carpet bowling.

Chocolate And Licorice Balls Roll On Synthetic Fiber Carpets

19. July 2019.Reading time 5 minutes.

The ball is round – or it is not. When it comes to Carpet Bowling the non-round ball runs in a curve.

Garten und Wohnhaus von Bill und Dawn sind paradiesisch schön.

Weeds Also Grow In Paradise

13. July 2019.Reading time 11 minutes.

Wheelbarrow, gardening gloves and off I go to one of the many gardens in the paradise of Bill and Dawn. I spent three weeks with the couple in their mid-seventies, about 200 kilometers north of Toronto. I could have hardly imagined a better introduction to my time as WWOOFer.

Toronto In A Day – A Stroll

7. July 2019.Reading time 11 minutes.

Canada’s largest city definitely deserves more than a day’s visit time. But also in 24 hours the metropolis can be explored. Advantage: everything is within walking distance.

During the past year photography has become one of my favorite hobbies. This is one of the things I*d like to improve during my trip. Capture: Bettina Engel

What I planned to do underway

13. June 2019.Reading time less than 1 minute.

In everyday life, the time for things I like to do is limited. I have some plans for the coming year. The order is variable. But: point 14 is the most important.

A backpack and a daypack have to be enough to carry all my things.

I am packing my backpack…

10. June 2019.Reading time 5 minutes.

What do you take with you on a trip around the world for a year when tropical regions are on the travel list as well as cold high-altitude regions? Not so easy when limited to a backpack. The packing list for my world trip.

Fear seems to be something people don't like to talk about. Photo: archive

What nobody asked me

3. June 2019.Reading time 4 minutes.

Part II of the FAQ – with a question that nobody has asked me except myself. Its answer occupies more room than all the top 10 questions put together: Are you in doubt/fear?