Writer, EFL teacher, trainer, and translator, I was born in Tanzania, have lived in a dozen countries over three continents, and describe myself as an ‘expatriate sin patria’. Wherever I go I make it my business to learn the language, get to know the local people and customs, and discover the country’s remotest corners. I became interested in writing in mid-2006, did a short Open University creative writing course and a Writers’ Bureau course, and began getting articles published in 2007.

=> Read more!

Trámites is a wonderful Spanish word, one of the first I learnt when I moved to Uruguay. It means stuff that needs to be done – boring paperwork, red-tape procedures, that sort of thing. And I can’t find a precise translation in English, or, more to the point, in French. My life seems to be one big trámite at the moment.

=> Read more!

I've decided to start a new blog just to showcase stuff that has already been published. On Marit's advice, I went for blogster, and have posted a few pieces. I feel like a beginner all over again (especially when all the fonts go wonky and gobbledegook appears) and haven't a clue what features are available, but at least i've made a start. Do visit it at http://paolafornari.wordpress.com/ . I realise most of the posts will be familiar to you, but any suggestions for improvement of the layout etc. will be most welcome!

For one day every year, traffic in the European Capital is almost nonexistent. Well, traffic in the conventional sense of the term.

=> Read more!

To see this story with its related links on the Life and Health site, go to http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk

Spell bound
When the Great Depression left architect Alfred Butts out of work, he scrabbled around for something to do - and came up with a game whose ingenious mix of anagrams, crosswords, chance and skill is still a winner, 60 years on. And yet it nearly didn't see the light of day... Oliver Burkeman reports Saturday June 28 2008 The Guardian

=> Read more!

Yet another beautiful day in Brussels. I decided to go along to the Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Rue de la Régence to see The British Royal Collection, on the second-last day of the exhibition.

=> Read more!