Instagram Live with Lingo Mama: on Japanese Food And Travel

Join me and Lingo Mama for an Instagram Live video where we discuss Japanese food, travel and a li’l bit of language.

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A post shared by Penny Wilson | Language Travel (@lingo_mama)

“Who’s that other girl on the video?”

I think I’m the other girl, but to my family and friends who tuned in without knowing the background of our chat, this was their question to me.

Lingo Mama (aka Penny Wilson) and I go back a long way. I first met her when I was a wee 20-year-old, working at a backpacker hostel in Melbourne, Australia. She was my boss’ bff and her brother was a manager there, too. Basically, we crossed paths a lot professionally and socially! I even once heard her deliver a speech at a Young Tourism Network event which I found extremely impressive. The thought of standing in front of a crowd still gives me the sweats.

Jump forward thirteen years, to 2020, and Penny and I run into each other during an online professional development course. Since then we’ve been catching up, swapping stories and motivating one another. I have to say, I was not surprised to see that she was up to some pretty cool stuff.

Language lovers unite

Penny’s the co-founder of a company called Language Lovers AU that is all about connecting people who love learning languages! They run workshops, meetups, food walks and museum visits all centred around using another language. Hence the questions around what words to use at a restaurant.

She and Bec also host a podcast called Language Chats which covers the practicalities and psychology of learning another language. Things like finding your best kind of learning environment, what to do when you lose momentum or make mistakes, tips for juggling multiple languages, etc. All great stuff that can be quite stressful when you don’t have a community to vent with. Head to their website to find out more!

So when Penny asked if I’d be comfortable doing an interview about Japanese food and travel, I channelled the Penny I saw 13 years ago and stepped up to the plate. Lucky for me, the audience was mostly people I knew so the sweat factor was minimal. There’s so much I love about Japanese food and travel that I could talk and talk forever. Tell me, what are your favourite Japanese foods and travel memories? Share below in the comments!