Interview with savi! Anything and everything

hello savi, everyone were looking forward for your interview! and thank you so much.
also thanks Yue that helped me, (she did most of things haha😅) so this is technically her interview, not mine.

Hi Parsaa,

Just had some time during a break to attend to Part I of the interview. I have seen some of the other interviews taken by your young colleague Yue and others. Apologies, but I do not know how she achieved the nice lay out of questions in bold and answers in italics. I lack the technical skills to provide such formatting and coding to make the text an "easy read". Perhaps this is something that can be remedied by either you or Yue.

Many thanks in advance and I will turn my attention to Part II as soon as I have found another spare moment.

As ever!

12:44 PM
1: How long have you been a member of PPG and is it like what you expected?

Less than a month ago, I accepted whatever fate had in store for me and registered as a new member of this penpal site. I used to be a (somewhat inactive) member of Trav Buddy – a former website which I used for sharing travel tips across the globe – and was seeking somewhat similar on this site. I was pleasantly surprised to already have had similar exchanges on daily life, music and learning Latin American Spanish. That is an enriching experience and I am grateful to my conversation partners.

I was humbled and felt rather surprised to receive your invitation for an interview. I briefly wondered whether it was part of a ritual sacrifice that novices on this site have to endure. But I rely on the clemency of you (and your accomplice Yue) to survive this virtual Inquisition.

2: Which parts of PPG do you like the most?

Private conversations have been the most captivating features of this penpal site so far. They enable more regular and (at least to me) more meaningful contact than hastily encounters in a chatroom.

My presence on this website is on a family and work permitting basis (in that chronological order 😉 ). This also makes structural contributions to the forum difficult. I do enjoy some of the forum threads and have been invited by Christine to provide a contribution to the PPG University (a debt which I intend to discharge in the near future).

3: You said on your profile that you have a wife and two daughters. Are they also member of PPG or will they become a member soon?

Although my wife and I hope to jointly benefit from any (travel) recommendations that I may receive from other members, my wife is not a member of this website. We both do wish to learn Latin American Spanish. Perhaps this appetite may be also something that can be nurtured on this website.

My daughters are currently 7 and 4 years old. I feel fortunate that they are currently not yet (directly) exposed to any kind of social media. They rather play outside with their friends or construct large replicas of Western and Oriental palaces in the living room instead of grabbing an iPad or mobile phone. I cherish these moments and misinform myself that this situation will be enduring for the foreseeable future.

4: What is your job? Do you have a complicated work?

Shakespeare once said “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.” To make matters worse, anyone who is involved in the global financial markets has become a pariah in the wake of the credit crunch in 2008. Unless I am granted a safe passage during my time on this website, I will tell this penpal community that I work at a local bakery.

It often appears that work in the global capital markets and other financial segments is complicated. This is a false impression which originates from the seemingly incomprehensible financial terms and intricacies of heavily structured transactions. I have survived this “ordeal” so far despite being incapable of making proper pancakes for my daughters (fortunately my wife is more skilled in this area and she keeps us alive – despite being a lawyer too).

5: What do you think is the most important for parents as a good tip?

I have a deceivingly simple tip: try to genuinely listen to your child and understand the world from their perspective (rather than turning to your own projections and matured views on how life should be).

A common occurrence in ordinary life: if a young child is in despair, it may truly believe his/her world is shattered. If you genuinely engage in a talk with him/her – rather than mere downplaying of the situation – you will build a relationship of trust. Your child will find a safe refuge with you and feels taken seriously when sharing their anxieties and (inevitable) setbacks in life.

Always take your child seriously and provide proper space for a child to develop in their own pace.

12:49 PM

© Penpal-Gate😊

Wowww that is a nice interview Parsaa!! 🏆🏅 And thank you Savi for answering the questions because you dont write just like yes no! And I like the answer 5 the most! 😛 🥰🥰 I think that is true what you said and that the mom or dad takes the time if their child is crying and not just getting angry if the parent is in a rush. 🙂

Parsa is a poet, a singer and a journalist. Yue is a great interview journalist👍👍

Parsa is a poet, a singer and a journalist. Yue is a great interview journalist👍👍

Thank you Pennarossa!! Grazie due mille 🙂

I have added the interview in the overview

Hi everybody!! Because Parsaa left PPG he asked me to finish the interview with @Savi2024. So here below are the answers of Part II! I hope that you enjoy reading it!! 😊😊

I have also added Part I with the lay out that makes it more easy to read.

Part I

1: How long have you been a member of PPG and is it like what you expected?

Less than a month ago, I accepted whatever fate had in store for me and registered as a new member of this penpal site. I used to be a (somewhat inactive) member of Trav Buddy – a former website which I used for sharing travel tips across the globe – and was seeking somewhat similar on this site. I was pleasantly surprised to already have had similar exchanges on daily life, music and learning Latin American Spanish. That is an enriching experience and I am grateful to my conversation partners.

I was humbled and felt rather surprised to receive your invitation for an interview. I briefly wondered whether it was part of a ritual sacrifice that novices on this site have to endure. But I rely on the clemency of you (and your accomplice Yue) to survive this virtual Inquisition.

2: Which parts of PPG do you like the most?

Private conversations have been the most captivating features of this penpal site so far. They enable more regular and (at least to me) more meaningful contact than hastily encounters in a chatroom.

My presence on this website is on a family and work permitting basis (in that chronological order 😉 ). This also makes structural contributions to the forum difficult. I do enjoy some of the forum threads and have been invited by Christine to provide a contribution to the PPG University (a debt which I intend to discharge in the near future).

3: You said on your profile that you have a wife and two daughters. Are they also member of PPG or will they become a member soon?

Although my wife and I hope to jointly benefit from any (travel) recommendations that I may receive from other members, my wife is not a member of this website. We both do wish to learn Latin American Spanish. Perhaps this appetite may be also something that can be nurtured on this website.

My daughters are currently 7 and 4 years old. I feel fortunate that they are currently not yet (directly) exposed to any kind of social media. They rather play outside with their friends or construct large replicas of Western and Oriental palaces in the living room instead of grabbing an iPad or mobile phone. I cherish these moments and misinform myself that this situation will be enduring for the foreseeable future.

4: What is your job? Do you have a complicated work?

Shakespeare once said “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.” To make matters worse, anyone who is involved in the global financial markets has become a pariah in the wake of the credit crunch in 2008. Unless I am granted a safe passage during my time on this website, I will tell this penpal community that I work at a local bakery.

It often appears that work in the global capital markets and other financial segments is complicated. This is a false impression which originates from the seemingly incomprehensible financial terms and intricacies of heavily structured transactions. I have survived this “ordeal” so far despite being incapable of making proper pancakes for my daughters (fortunately my wife is more skilled in this area and she keeps us alive – despite being a lawyer too).

5: What do you think is the most important for parents as a good tip?

I have a deceivingly simple tip: try to genuinely listen to your child and understand the world from their perspective (rather than turning to your own projections and matured views on how life should be).

Always take your child seriously and provide proper space for a child to develop in their own pace.

Part II

6: You said on your profile that you play electric guitar. Is everybody now super deaf from your family? Or not so much? And what kind of music do you like to play?

Nobody in my family is “super deaf” and our relationship with our direct neighbours is still pleasant (no underlying resentment for loss of hearing). There are a lot of options to play at “conversational volume” by using amp simulations and other digital solutions. I do prefer to play on tube amps and in that case cranking up the volume brings the most organic sound. Whenever everybody is out, I pretend that our house is a large stadium where huge cabinet stacks are permitted.

I prefer to play Blues Rock and higher gain music (from rock to metal and anything in between). It is a great hobby (my family may disagree).

7: Do your daughters and wife play music?

My daughters are intrigued by my pedalboard with guitar effects (all with shining lights and knobs which they should not touch, but they do). My oldest daughter will start playing piano this year. My youngest one is a born drummer (looking at our behaviour we need a solid set of gear).

8: It says on your travel map on your profile that you have traveled to a lot of countries. Where should I travel to if @Etienne (he is the boss of PPG) gives me a lot of money?

Both you Parsaa and your colleague (and as instructed by you: your interview successor) Yue seem bright young minds. With funding of “the boss” you would be travelling to a prestigious university (Oxford would be a good idea) to nurture your insatiable appetite for knowledge! All jokes aside: investing in your education – of course not necessarily at Oxford but at any advanced educational temple – is the best investment that you can ever make in your life.

9: Where do you want to travel to if Etienne gives you money too 😛 :

Well, that would be most gratefully received. I will share my details in a private conversation with Etienne. In any case, when travelling with my family I would like to visit Jalapao in Brazil. Look at google images and you will instantly see why.

If I can initiate a venture with a small group of co-idiots (not sufficiently safe for my family), I would like to go to Erta Ale in Ethiopia (a volcano with a huge permanent lava lake in a rather dramatic natural setting). The current situation in the northern part of the country makes a trip in the near future unrealistic. But perhaps in a couple of years this may change.

10: Which book do you like the most and why?

There are too many books to recommend (and too few books on earth to read).

I am currently reading ‘Capital and Ideology’ of Thomas Piketty (eye opening, but rather extreme in some views). Other books which are must reads include ‘In the Light of What We Know’ by Zia Haider Rahman and ‘The Silk Roads: A New History of the World’ by Peter Frankopan.

You guys want to suck my wallet dry huh 😭️. PPG only generates enough money to pay for itself so don't expect much from me sorry 😛

You guys want to suck my wallet dry huh 😭️. PPG only generates enough money to pay for itself so don't expect much from me sorry 😛

You guys want to suck my wallet dry huh 😭️. PPG only generates enough money to pay for itself so don't expect much from me sorry 😛

Nooo it is just a joke Parsaa and I put in the interview!! 🤪🤪🤪 So it is not serious! 😃

But you do need to buy the palace at Versailles and the Chambord castle. That is great! Thank you monsieur!! 😛 😛

Nooo it is just a joke Parsaa and I put in the interview!! 🤪🤪🤪 So it is not serious! 😃

But you do need to buy the palace at Versailles and the Chambord castle. That is great! Thank you monsieur!! 😛 😛

Yeah let me go ahead and make a gofundme page 🙂

Thank you Parsaa and Yue for posting the first half of the interview. It is a privilege to be interviewed (or interrogated? 😉) by the young and sharp minds of this penpal community.

As regards the references to major purchases in Versailles and Chambord, I am not entirely sure what I have missed on the ever-expanding forum or elsewhere hidden on this site. In any case such plans do not lack ambition. They will make the illustrious/infamous (make a pick) former president of the United States look like an amateur in building a real estate empire. Kudos to all who carry this deal across the finish line!