homesickness

How important are the decorations around you? Travelers frequently live in environments designed by other people. Some people can work anywhere, but for others, aesthetics are really important. 

While moving to San Francisco, host Katy Sewall realized her productivity suffered from living in uninspired temporary housing.

Decorating styles differ from country to country too. Host Tiffany Parks isn't a big fan of Italian hostess gifts called Bomboniere. While most Italians save every trinket they ever receive at a party, she throws them away. 

Check out Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to see pictures of Katy's aesthetic peculiarities and to see the one bomboniere Tiffany did keep. * Post pictures of where you live too!*  

Also, if you missed our show with housing designer Rebecca West, you can listen to it here. 

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Tiffany and Katy discuss resolutions for the New Year as 2018 kicks off. Tiffany needs your help with hers. Also, host Katy Sewall makes a big announcement about where she is going from here. 

• The RECIPE Tiffany talks about compliments of Smitten Kitchen:  Pasta e ceci (pasta and chickpeas) 

What are you resolving to do in 2018? We'd love to hear your goals. It might even inspire Katy to come up with a good resolution!

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Christmas traditions can be grounding when you're living in a brand new place. Tiffany and Katy talk about the joys and challenges of being untethered during the holidays. They also discuss which of their traditions come from childhood and which were added after living in a foreign culture. 

• The Sweet Smell of Christmas (The Scratch & Sniff book Tiffany ordered for the holiday) 
• The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (One of Katy's favorite Christmas book) 

Also, tell us what you resolve to do in 2018. (Next week: New Years Resolutions!) Write us at bittersweetlife@mail.com. We LOVE hearing your stories. 

 

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The magician Dante joins us with his amazing story of reinvention - from landing in prison to busking for huge crowds in the streets of Europe. As he puts it, "It's not about what has happened, it's about what we do next." 

Dante learned magic to make sure he'd alway be free; able to work for himself and not someone else. Later, he picked up the trumpet and now performs regularly with The Dapper Dandies in New Orleans.

He explains how making a fool of yourself can be great thing - and takes us on a most wild ride through jail, and plots, and escape... You get the idea. This is a super fun, inspiring episode. You'll also learn how your host Katy Sewall gave Dante the name Dante. 

• Dante's Homepage
• Dante's favorite magician, Tom Mullica

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The #MeToo movement has taken over the news in the United States and much of the world. After Hollywood movie producer Harvey Weinstein was outed by the New York Times for a history of assaulting women, more accusations - and firings - have followed. Now all men are reexamining their workplace behavior and women are rethinking their memories, reactions, and often their acceptance of questionable male/female dynamics.

In this episode hosts Katy Sewall and Tiffany Parks revisit Episode 10 of The Bittersweet Life, a show that focused on sexual assault abroad. One of the dangers of traveling to foreign lands is not recognizing when you're in danger. Katy and Tiffany share stories of what happened to them. 

If you have thoughts (or a #metoo story) to share - TELL US! If we get enough responses, we'll do a follow up show on the matter.  

And if you want to hear more, the conversation goes on in Part 2 and Part 3

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During the Sack of Rome in 1527, thousands of citizens were killed or raped. The city's treasures were pillaged. Beyond the trauma and loss, the sack also crippled the Italian Renaissance for good.

When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, over 1500 people died and thousands lost everything they had. A huge percentage of the displaced population never returned. Those who stayed were  forever changed. Many locals mark time in NOLA as life "before Katrina" and life after. 

Hosts Tiffany Parks (in Rome) and Katy Sewall (in New Orleans) explore how cities are forever altered by the natural and man-made disasters that strike.

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Do Americans need more positive feedback than the French? French expat Sabine explains the communication issues she and her American husband face. She also explains why her French friends sometimes feel sorry for her and what she makes of the 2nd amendment given all the mass shootings in America. Would you trade Paris for New Orleans? For Sabine, living in NOLA is like taking a tropical vacation - well, some of the time. 

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Does life have any meaning? What is the purpose of living? If you are asking these questions, you might be experiencing an existential crisis.

To tackle grief, loss and these huge life questions, New Orleans writer Anne Gisleson formed the Existential Crisis Reading Group. Along the way, the book group discovered writers like Dante, James Joyce, Franz Kafka and Clarice Lispector. They even creatively reenacted the Stations of the Cross. 

Anne's book The Futilitarians: Our Year Thinking, Drinking, Grieving, and Reading explores the grief of losing two younger siblings to suicide, as well as the beloved father who forbid writing about their deaths before his own. It is a deep, beautifully written book. 

While reading, host Katy Sewall really latched onto one quote by the Greek philosopher Epicurus writing about death.

He wrote: 

Against all other things it is possible to obtain security, but when it comes to death we human beings all live in an unwalled city. 

Anne Gisleson invited Katy into her Bywater, New Orleans home to discuss life, death, and how we make meaning along the way.

 

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Hurricane Nate missed New Orleans in October, but being in it's path brought about both fear and cultural revelation for new resident - our host Katy Sewall. It also brought about an unexpected interview with BBC radio.

• BBC Radio 5 Live
• Katy's most famous BBC News article: The girl who gets gifts from birds

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Mortician Caitlin Doughty joins us to talk about death practices around the world. Discover where you'd like to die and what countries deal with mortality best. 

• Caitlin Doughty Homepage
• The Order of the Good Death

 

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Sad days after Tiffany's father dies. She struggles with the guilt many expats feel about being far away and not seeing him as much as she might have if she lived closer.  

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Visit New Orleans with us! Host Katy moves into her new (temporary) home and discovers crime, a muggy heat and a great dance partner.  

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When expat Sara Sullivan's baby got sick in Botswana, a medical transfer by private jet was required. What was that like? And what is it like to be able to afford a level of medical care that local residents can't? 

• 
  Outland-ish: Honest Tales from Overseas by Sara Sullivan

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Mongol Rally participants drive from London to Mongolia at their own pace and their own peril. Radio Producer Scott Gurian survived the 11,000 mile journey in his tiny, 1 liter car and joins us to talk about it. 

• Far from Home podcast homepage
• Sign up for the Mongol Rally

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A short memoir by Beth Ann Fennelly inspires a discussion on what makes something glamorous rather than trashy. 

• Heating & Cooling by Beth Ann Fennelly (Released:Oct 10, 2017) 

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Sometimes a big adventure comes along and you say no. How do you know you're saying no for the right reason? Hosts Katy and Tiffany use the US total eclipse of the sun to fuel the discussion. 

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Jennifer Rumbach works with refugees all over the world, specializing in communicating with the LGBTI community. After a hectic year zig-zagging the world by plane, she is finally staying put in New York. How does living in one place affect her sense of self - and her fight against a particularly resilient parasite? Jenn was a fan favorite when she originally appeared on Episode 79. 

 

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What do a baby eel and a favorite cafe have in common? Next to nothing, unless you're traveling and looking for a sense of place and belonging. We explore how the tiniest things can give you peace of mind.

Be sure to visit Twitter or Facebook to see the baby eel!  

• Katy's article about the closing of The People's Pub where she used to work. 
• Il Margutta, the vegetarian restaurant where Tiffany celebrated her birthday

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After an lengthy journey to visit her family, Tiffany returns to her home in Rome. We get her impressions and hear a big announcement from Katy.

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Today, tips on what NOT to do from an expat who is on her 17th expat assignment, Lori-Lee Emshey. Listen to avoid the mistakes people often make when moving to a new place. 

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