TQ 059 Lydia from the Netherlands

Lydia, 21, stayed with me for several days. She's been on the road for 15 months, cycling from the Netherlands to China and then on to Southeast Asia. She desired to see China because she lived here for two years when she was a little girl. Listen as we talk about how she learned English quickly by being put in an English school in Shanghai, why she is a vegetarian, and as she tells about the beauty of the Pamir Highway in Tajikistan. She also tells us about a Dutch holiday called Sinter Klaas.

Lydia has a very good English vocabulary. Here are some words that she uses that you may not know: biblical name, repetitive, baguette, to feel alienated, to integrate, refugee, densely populated, accessible, mode of transport, sleigh, communal feeling, controversial.

Her blog is www.thegoldenroadtosamarkand.com.