Learning by Teaching an Intensive Graduate School Course on SDGs

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Thank you Professor, I learned a lot!

This was the rewarding comment from my students of the SDGs course I teach at Tsukuba University Graduate school as a visiting lecturer.

SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) include so many things that it is quite easy to get lost on what to do, and there are so many ways to contribute. In this post, I will briefly share why I teach unconventional course content for SDGs, course description and some learning out of it. Since SDGs is everyone’s business (in theory but not in practice) but still complex for many, I hope this might serve to unpack these global goals.

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Learning from Cashew Nut in Mozambique

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How much do you know about cashew nuts?

You might be shrugging your shoulder or tilting head, thinking why I am asking this.

To me, it was nothing but a part of nuts family (almond, walnut, peanut, etc.), and just learning a bit of this nut was quite interesting (at least to me). In this post, I will share some facts about cashew, which expanded my world. Probably there are not many people passionate about cashew nuts, but it can be a good example to show that any trivial thing can become a part of learning, which lets you see things differently.

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Story and tips for passing Portuguese Exam CAPLE C1 level

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Each learning has its own story.

Although people find it hard to understand why I learned Spanish in USA and started French in Chile, each language story makes sense to me. Here is my story on learning Portuguese, as well as some learning from the process of passing Portuguese Exam CAPLE C1 level.

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New Year 2023 for new start and Hidden words of 2022

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Happy New Year 2023 from Mozambique!

Please receive my warmest greeting and attached new year card I drew, hoping that your 2023 will be the year of “Opening/Start” as shown in Japanese calligraphy “開 (Kai)”.

The year of the Rabbit (4th of 12 Zodiac cycle animals) is said to be a symbol of Opening/new start to build on the past efforts. I hope 2023 will bring you and your loved ones both physical / mental wellbeing and 開 opening/new start.

PS. You might see some hidden words in the drawing. Below are hidden words from the last year (mostly Japanese).

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Review of 2022 to thrive in 2023

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“A year without learning is a wasted year”

This is the default phrase I think of when I am about to finish a year.

How was 2022?

In general, reviewing (not clinging in) the past is one of the good ways to know where you are in relation to your objective (s). In this post, I will capture my examples. Probably it might provide some insight into how to reflect your own 2022.

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3 examples of making the impossible possible in Mozambique

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This would be maybe impossible…

Judging from my previous experiences and my personality, I think there are quite a few things that I unconsciously think are impossible. Three months have already passed since I came to Mozambique in Southern Africa, and I have learned a lot. In this entry, I will share 3 examples of making the impossible possible in Mozambique.

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Achieving a Ten-Year-long Dream and Language Learning at Lençóis in Brazil

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-One day, I will definitely go to this place-

More than 10 years ago, I saw a picture of Lençóis in Brazil, and I promised myself to see it in my eyes one day. It has been “one day” for long time as it was not easy to make it happen due to its limited season (June-Aug) and access (far from all the places I was based in).

This year, I had a chance to visit Chile in June, and despite remaining COVID-19 restriction, I decided to travel there. It was also for brushing up my language skill before landing at a new duty station (Mozambique, Portuguese speaking country just like Brazil). In this post, I would like to share my experience from traveler and language learner’s point of view.

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