Meet the Expats

Meet Elena,

In her late teens she left Russia for a few months exchange in the US and hated it! But having met the love of her life there, she took it upon herself to go back and go to college there. Fast forward 18 years later she has settled there, overcome all the challenges and now moved to France with her family. This new move came with it's own challenges such as language, culture and of course a new way of life.

On her 5th language now Elena shares her foolproof method to learn and a little more about her upcoming l 5-day free language challenge https://lgelena.com/language-flow-blueprint-challenge/

website
https://lgelena.comMy podcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/foreign-language-roadmap/id1725992122

Recommendations

☕ Mokxa for wonderful coffee

🌳 Take a stroll along the Rhone and Saone

🎤 Song: Mon ami by Serena x Adrea Banuti

To get in touch with Elena:

Website https://lgelena.comMy

Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/foreign-language-roadmap/id1725992122

Meet Terry,

Who initially moved abroad to understand her ancestors past, she fell in love with travelling and followed her husband throughout his postings in Africa in the midst of the AIDS pandemic.

In this episode, she shares:

• What life in Africa was like in the 90s

• How she adapted to the different cultures and made friends

• Life with young children abroad

• The many adventures and lessons life abroad has taught her

You can find more of her stories in her latest book: Circling Home, What I learned by living elsewhere

Her recommendations:

🇨🇭in Switzerland

• Café du Soleil in Geneva for fondue

• Perle du lac

• Diner Cruise

🇹🇿 Zanzibar

• Tembo House Hotel

• Blue Oyster Inn

Her song by Karolina by Awilo

Meet Jessica,

Life and career coach, Jessica is an expat living in Dubaï. After several years spent in Spain, in the hospitality industry, she met her now husband and moved to Dubaï together.

In this episode she shares 

- the decision process to move to Dubaï with her partner, how this was a joint and timely decision that served both of them

- how to maintain and nurture long distance relationships with loved ones

- how to network in Dubaï

Her recommendations include :

Attiko, restaurant for beautiful views and wonderful food

Her song, by Coldplay x Chainsmokers Something just like this 

For 20% off the first month of your Lingoda subscription, use this link: https://try.lingoda.com/Expatsor the promo code EXPATS

If you want to contribute to the podcast, check out this page: https://fr.tipeee.com/meet-the-expats/

Meet Carlos Baker,

Artist, and author, he shares his atypical life starting with a life changing childhood. We then move on to his struggle with depression and how moving to Germany with his wife and children was the change he needed. With this move came a new lifestyle, as he became a stay at home dad looking after his 4 four children.

In the small town of Minden and surroundings, he recommends:

- Paradiso italian  restaurant 🍝

- Schafers brot  bakery for bread rolls 🍞

And surprisingly his expat song is Sponge Bob https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He-LBIyBUz8

Meet Lucy Jeon,

Korean young woman, expat podcaster and founder of HeyGlobally. Early on, she knew deep down she wanted to live in North America, Korea was just too small and traditional for her. 

In this episode learn how she worked her way over to Canada, where she now feels "comfortable" as she says.

Listen as we explore:

- Culture shock even though you move to a nearby country

- How strangely you can feel less lonely alone abroad then in your home country

- How her expectations prior to moving to a new country changed throughout the years

She shares her recommendations

in Singapore: Atlas, Gin Bar for fancy cocktails🍸

in Toronto: try the apple fritters 🍎 at The Fourth Man in the Fire Pizzeria

Check out the beach area in Toronto

Her expat breakdown song is Big girls don't cry by Fergie

Listen to Lucy's podcast here: https://www.lucyjeon.com/podcast

Lingoda's November 2023 👻 offer, get 20euros off with the MEETTHEEXPATS promo code, sign up here: https://try.lingoda.com/MeetTheExpats

Meet Robert Norris,

A conscientious Vietnam war objector and author of The Good Lord Willing and the Creek Don't Rise: Pentimento Memories of Mom and Me.

In this episode he shares the stories of his travels around Europe and the world, roadtripping from France to Iran, until he decides to settle in Japan where he moves his way up from a simple teaching job on a student Visa to full-time dean and eventually retired with a pension in a small city close to Fukuoka. 

His recommendations for Japan:

🐟 Log House Alaska  for smoked salmon

🎶 Road  by Takahashi George 

To learn more about Robert and his books, click here 

Meet Ann Marie,

American expat living in San Miguel de Allende, Ann Marie left on a sabbatical to test living there with her husband, years later they are still there living their dream among the artistic community.

Very she quickly she got involved in the local community helping build houses with Casita Linda  and then launching Mano Amiga to empower women through microloans for their small businesses.

Recently she wrote a novel The broken hummingbird   the story of an american woman moving abroad to fix her marriage and finding her new path.

Tips in San Miguel de Allende:

San Miguel Life: https://www.sanmiguellife.com/blog

Academia Internacional de San Miguel de Allende: https://academiasanmiguel.org/

Atrio Restaurant https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g151932-d13316579-Reviews-Atrio-San_Miguel_de_Allende_Central_Mexico_and_Gulf_Coast.html

No Volveré (Pedro Infante) https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=no+volvere+pedro+infante+video&view=detail&mid=D82AA859D0C4C1F2366FD82AA859D0C4C1F2366F&FORM=VIRE

Meet the lovers,

In this special episode, we talk about love ❤️  and dating abroad. I interviewed 3 expats Laurie, David and Sangra at a Pitch Dating event in Paris, and they shared their dating stories;

1. Laurie, founder of 💕 Pitch Dating  tells us about this fun concept of meeting new people and what it was like dating Swedes  in London 

2. David tells us about the 👻 scary dating world in Paris with mixed lines and the importance the friend circle plays when it comes to dating a REAL Parisian

3. Sadra shares the differences between dating 🇺🇸 American boys vs 🇫🇷 French boys and how things seem to go a lot faster in France, and a juicy Italian first date gone wrong 

- music by talented Not The King.   -
free download: https://theartistunion.com/tracks/efa832

Meet Philippe & Anne-Mathilde,

In this episode the french couple shares their surprises, challenges, discoveries and adventures along their first expat adventure in Miami. We explore what each other's expectations with this trip was as well as their own motivations to take the leap.

Both also share their discovery of the latin culture and recommendations:

- 🍸 bar: Botanico gin  in Coconut grove

- 🐟 restaurant Aromas del Peru  for ceviche and https://bullagastrobar.com/Bulla gastrobar  for spanish tapas

- Winwood district upcoming neighborhood

- Key Biscayne beach

🎶 Songs

Welcome to Miami by Will Smith 

Cody Johnson Till you can't 

Meet Nicole,

An american young woman living in Malaga, Spain for the past few years. In this episode, she shares her love for latin culture and how she improved her spanish and adjusted to the slow paced life, but also a few the story behind the local traditional music Verdiales: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1mOsB1AXwo&list=RDQMAFekszLRTH4&start_radio=1

Her recommendations:

La Tranca : bar with old records

El Pimpi : one of the oldest wine bars, now co-owned by Antonio Banderas

Botanical Jardim 

Song: Alba  by Antionio flores

Meet Mike,

Former expat, he has lived across the globe, and now back in Michigan is CEO of Greenback Expat Tax Services.

In this special episode, he shares his experience abroad and the results of the recent 2023 Expat Trends Survey built by Greenback. The survey, conducted among over 3,200 US expats across 122 countries, provides invaluable insights into the lives and sentiments of the growing expat community.
From revealing that 1 in 5 US expats are seriously considering or planning to renounce their US citizenship due to tax complexities and perceived governmental hostility to exploring the struggles expats face with government regulations, the survey results shed light on the unique challenges faced by US citizens living overseas.
Interested in diving deeper into these insights? We invite you to explore the full results of the 2023 Expat Trends Survey on Greenback's website. This is a must-read for any American living or considering a move abroad. And if you need help with your expat tax situation, remember, Greenback is here to simplify the process and take the stress out of US expat taxes.

Mike also shares his recommendations across the globe 🌏

☕ Coffees in South Korea, pick your theme or animal, name it you will find one to your tast

🍣 Food in Japan, any small convenience store will actually have very fresh and good food for a bargain

🦓 His carte blanche is going on a safari in Africa to feel the magic and go back to childhood

His expat song, or should I say his guilty pleasure is Baby by Justin Bieber  as a reminder of the kids singing and dancing in Tonga

Meet Laurel,

Childrens author now based in Germany for over 10 years, she shares her arrival in the small city of Bonn and how she made her place in this little town by taking part in the things she loves: books and gardening. 

Indeed she joined the library as a volunteer and very quickly became a part of the community, same by joining the shared gardens and growing her vegetables she has been able to share with experiences with both the locals and migrants of the town.

Her recommendations

Bar: 5 Senses Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/5senses_espressobar/

Restaurant:

Früh am Dom (Cologne): https://www.frueh-am-dom.de/brauhaus.html

Expat song: "Blessed Be Your Name" by Matt Redman 

Beethoven's Für Elise --Bonn is Beethoven's birthplace and the ice cream truck plays the first line over and over.

Carte blanche: Botanischer Garten (Uni Bonn) https://www.botgart.uni-bonn.de/en

For a free copy of Trouble with Parsnips, click here: https://mybookcave.com/direct/trouble-with-parsnips/   (limited offer to 30 days)

Meet Fred,

TCK and former expat, after traveling the world for work, staying in hotels and short term rentals, he settles back in Paris and enters the real estate industry: this is the premises of Coco. 

In this episode he shares how he founded  Coco Living with the wish of reinventing life in the city of Paris. Coco offers furnished apartment rentals, access to co-working spaces and events to create meaningful connections between internationals. Socialize with like-minded entrepreneurs and creatives in Paris!

Try his favorite places

🥩 Le Dauphin

💃 Bonnie for a  full night out with the best views of Paris

The expat song Puisque tu pars , Jean-Jaques Goldman

If you want to contribute to the podcast, tips against shout outs can be made through Tipee 

Meet Dian,

Dian was a senior scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, where she contributed to the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize–winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 🌱

After her early retirement, she decided to live the adventure abroad with her husband as english teachers. Little did they know they would end up in Thailand teaching kindergarten children! 🐥

In this episode, she shares how she approached life abroad at 60, adjusted to an entirely new work environment, to say the least, and navigated her life back in the US a year later, publishing her memoir: Kindergarten at 60  📗

Her recommendations are:

• Adam cafe for refreshing drinks and AC
• Paii restaurant in Bangkok 

🎵 And her mediation song breathing in, breathing out  

Meet Susan,

Irish expat in France for decades, Susan tells us how a love story turned her vacation in Paris into a lifetime in France ❤️ Having spent the different stages of her life abroad, she shares how she went from party Susan to motherhood and how that impacted her social life but also how drinking became a form of self-care. She gives us practical tips to be aware of our drinking habits, especially when abroad in cultures that put drinking at the center of social interactions and how to find both yourself and the tribe that fits you.

Paris recommendations:

- Au petit fer à cheval traditional café restaurant in the center of the Marais

- Le paon qui boit: sober drinks store

Song: Me too  by Megan Trainor

Find Susan at: https://www.sharpsensecoaching.com/ 

Meet Giulia,

Italian young woman, who after a first experience in India and in Colombia, decided Italy would not be for the rest of her life. So with her husband, they planned their escape together, and landed on the US early this year.

In this episode, Giulia shares how for once in her life she has no plan and is letting herself live and adapt, her culture shocks and how she is growing in this new culture.

Follow her adventures on her Youtube Channel The Unplaned Project  and try her recommendations

- Restaurant Palo for Spanish food

- Groceries: Wholefoods for organic food and Trader Joe for international

Her song sang by her husband Iris  

To contribute to the podcast, Tipee here 

Meet Gal and Mayan 🍉

Two sisters who grew up in constant change back and forth between Israel and France and embraced this change early on, making it a part of their lifestyle and live by the motto: see everything as an opportunity, make things happen! 💪

After multiple moves throughout their adult life, they are now both settled in Paris, and running Smoozitive together, helping women live their best life abroad.

Recommendations

🍺 Pub Saint Germain  

🍕 Pasta fresco to get a ta ste of Italy 

🍃 île de la Cité for a meditative walk

Song: Look for the good by Jason Mraz 

To learn more about them check out their website  

Meet Andrea,

From Northern Ireland, at the early age of 21, without knowing anything about the UAE, she flew off to become an air hostess at Emirates ✈️ from there, she kept on traveling and living in new countries in the UAE, but also in the US with a husband and child this time, in Australia, Japan. She is now recently back in the UK, much closer to home, but perhaps this is the most challenging move. We discover that the challenges can sometimes be things that we don't necessarily think about at first, like just having to drive everywhere can block your independence.

Close to Cambridge, she shares her recommendations:

🍺 The Punter Pub 

🍔 Honest burger  

🧘‍♀️ Banatyne gym for  yoga and bodypump

and her song, Desert Rose  by Sting to dream of the Dubaî deserts

Meet Mikkel,

He has been travelling the world non stop for 20 years and an expat all over the globe. In this episode he shares 

• how he trasnformed his passion for travel into a business, while moving from country to country 
• how he offers an alternative schooling program both online and in brick and mortar schools, which can be a good solution for expat kids
• his recommendations in Panama City:
  • Salvaje Sushi & steak with a wild show
  • Go for a stroll on Avenida balboa 

Learn more about Mikkel here https://expatmoney.com/about-us , and about the school program here 

Meet Pauline,

Third Culture Kid and host of this podcast. This week I'm in the 🔥 hot seat and talk through my childhood as a french girl in Ireland and South Africa, how I moved on my own terms later on, surprisingly back to Ireland ☘️, and also my return to France after all those years, my reverse culture shock and of course, the genesis of this podcast 🎙️

I'll share some tips to get through RCS and my favorite spots in Paris

☕ Voie 15 a café  and co-working space on the green belt with lovely terrace away from all cars

🌮 Bazurto for Co lombian tapas and a fun night vibe

🔥 Le Cheval Blanc  for a fancy coffee with a view in a 5 star hotel

🎤 My good vibe song I know there's gonna be good times