About ThoughtofVG

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Welcome to ‘ThoughtofVG’! This is the personal blog of Timothy van Gardingen, a writer, language enthusiast and translator from the UK.

This blog is the place where I share my writing to the public. Currently, content is predominantly journalistic, but I also showcase creative writing, essays and travel writing. You can navigate through the different content via the menu at the top of the main page.

I studied German and Chinese studies at the University of Leeds, graduating with First Class Honours and a distinction in spoken Mandarin Chinese. Because of this, since starting my degree my writing has become more and more focused on Germany and East Asia. As UK language degrees have the potential to be very broad in scope, I studied a mix of language, translation, political studies, literature, philosophy and sociology during my time in university. This multi-disciplinary approach now influences how I write and what I write about.

I have lived, studied and worked in the Germany, mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan and my native UK.  I spent much of my time in each place observing and learning about their society and culture. ‘ThoughtofVG’ tries to represent that.

‘ThoughtofVG’ started out as a poetry and philosophy blog, hence the name. Though the direction of the blog has changed considerably, I have kept the name as a reminder of the progression that this blog has made. Naturally, one thing has after all not changed – all thoughts on ‘ThoughtofVG’ are my own.