This week, we are joined by a special guest Peter, who has heard this question far too often: where are you FROM? Imagine you are raised straddling two totally opposite cultures, and decide to embrace one of them. But whenever you tell people that's who you are, they don't believe you. Peter was born in … Continue reading Episode 17: Yeah, But Where Are You Really From?
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you need to go to the hospital while you've been traveling outside of your home country? We certainly have! Join us for a discussion of hospitals abroad and what you can expect in the scary case that you end up needing medical attention. Also, ever wondered … Continue reading Episode 14: Getting Sick While Traveling
This week, we interviewed two very unique guests whose stories are as different from one another as they are from anyone else's. However, they are similar to each other in one key aspect: they are created from a mixing of cultures. These guests are what are called "Third Culture Kids," or TCKs, which is a … Continue reading Episode 13: Third Culture Kids
Last weekend, something happened which I knew would come eventually. That's right, I had my first real Chinese culture shock. Which isn't bad for over three months of living here. Up until then, I have been blissfully happy in China, to an extent that even surprised me. As I've discussed before, not only are Seth and … Continue reading My First Chinese Culture Shock
In this episode, we really let our inner language nerds shine as we talk about mistranslations! After sharing some personal encounters with bad translations on the metro, in restaurants, and in stores, we go on to talk about why good translation is so difficult to achieve. We even find out that poor translation has actually … Continue reading Episode 12: Translation Fails
This topic is long overdue. We're not really sure why it took 11 whole episodes to get there, alas here we are. In this episode we share some of our favorite mouth-watering dishes we've tried in our travels around the world. From pho in Vietnam to burek in the Balkans, come along for this virtual … Continue reading Episode 11: The Joys of Eating and Traveling
What is Ramadan? This week Patrice and Rachel interviewed two of our Muslim friends, Abdullah from Saudi Arabia and Kareemah from Louisiana. We picked their brains, and they told us all about the surprisingly fun time they have while they eat and drink very little for 27 days straight! They take us inside the holiday … Continue reading Episode 10: Going Inside Ramadan
Caught the love bug for an exotic foreigner? You're not alone! The number of cross-cultural relationships has been rising as the world grows more and more connected. This week Rachel and Patrice talk cross-cultural love and romance. We explore areas where there can be problems (like visa issues and language barriers) as well as tips … Continue reading Episode 9: Cross-Cultural Romance
We've all been on a trip where things just did not go the way we had hoped. Rachel and Patrice turn to some special guests for some great schadenfreude material -- adventures of travel mishaps! Oh yeah, and the guests are our moms. They share some fantastic stories of missed planes, stolen bags, lost luggage, … Continue reading Episode 8: Travel Mishaps and Dealing With Them
I have a confession to make: I'm an Indian food freak. Give me a samosa, some lamb masala, some garlic naan, a little basmati rice, some masala tea and a mango lassi and I black out in a state of nirvana-like bliss for a few hours. Eventually I snap back to reality, my belly full … Continue reading Indian Food in China