Something Different
This is an adhoc collection of talks developed for a variety of situations, some for cruise ship audiences, whilst travelling the world as a Guest Speaker. All are popular and bring something different to your programme.
Malaysia & My Chinese Family From a Western Wife's Perspective
Living across two cultures is sometimes not easy but it is always interesting. This talk is a mixture of a travelogue, history of the country and tales of living with a Chinese family highlighting special occasions but also just normal life.
From Japan with Love
Japan is known as a nation of inventors, but it hasn't just given us in the West laptops, robots and reliable cars or the habit of eating sushi at fancy sushi bars on the high streets. The Japanese influence on our lives can be found in origami, karaoke and many more things that are a part of our lives. Can you think what they are?!
Stamford Raffles & Singapore An Unusual Man
Stamford Raffles, a boy with little formal education and humble beginnings but with a thirst for knowledge and an adventurous spirit; he worked for the East India Company as a clerk from a young age before travelling to the East and went on to be the founder of Singapore.
A Tale of Two Islands - England & Japan
It's just over 400 years ago since an English man called William Adams stepped ashore in Japan from the remnants of a Dutch trading fleet. He was the first English man to reach Japan and would become a trade adviser for the Japanese and later the first western Samurai spending the rest of his life in Japan, dying in Nagasaki. With his help the British East India Company established a trading base in Japan but actually there wasn’t much the Japanese wanted from Britain!
A Glimpse into the Flower & Willow World.
A History of the Geisha
Perhaps one of the first thing we think about when Japan is mentioned is the tradition of Geisha. The original Geisha hardly resembled the modern Geisha as they were men, however by 1780 women were dominating the profession; by 1920's there were about 80,000 Geisha's in Japan. Now there are about 1000. They are professional entertainers trained in a variety of Japanese arts which can take as long as a medical degree. This talk will take you through the history of this interesting tradition.