The Bittersweet Life

You did it! You've landed that amazing job, or maybe you're successfully living abroad in the country you've always dreamed of, or you've published your book, bought your dream home, won a major awar…

Last week we heard from Tiffany about her very first days living as an expat in Rome 17 years ago. Today, it's Katy's turn. She digs into the daily journal she kept back in the fall of 2013, when she…

The COVID pandemic has separated many families around the world, including that of today's guest, Diana Opong. Normally, her parents travel to Ghana, their home country, several months of every year.…

What was Rome like when Tiffany first moved there? On this mini-episode, Tiffany reminisces about what it was like to find an apartment, look for a job, use a cell phone, keep in touch with family, a…

Tiffany and Katy dig into their mail bag and pull out a letter from Tyler, who had been just about to move abroad when the pandemic hit. As he waits and waits (and waits) for things to go back to "no…

How has one of our listeners adjusted to moving back to the States after years as an expat in Europe? We find out on this mini-episode. In a follow-up to Monday's show on reverse culture shock, Katy …

When you've lived abroad for 17 years, going "back home" can sometimes feel like going to a completely foreign country. Things that were once normal feel odd. You find you're no longer used to the wa…

This week, Tiffany's son Aurelio starts first grade! What is Italian elementary school like and how is it different from elementary school in the US? Will native English-speaking Aurelio have to stud…

After her month-long mega-trip to the States in August, Tiffany regales our listeners with the adventures (and many mis-adventures) of the international travel aspect of the trip. What kind of docume…

When you move abroad, chances are you'll spend at least a certain amount of time living in a space that doesn't feel like your own: temporary lodgings, a rented room in someone else's flat, or perhap…

Planning (or hoping) to move abroad? We're guessing you have a lot of questions. Well today, we try to answer them. We rebroadcast one of our most helpful episodes, an interview with serial expat Lor…

In the wake of menacing Hurricane Ida, Katy relives her own experiences with hurricanes in the Big Easy. When she was living in New Orleans several years ago, Hurricane Nate mercifully missed the cit…

Katy interviews Antonio Sersale, son of the founder of the legendary Le Sirenuse hotel in Postiano. From a young age, Antonio was groomed to take over the family business, but resisted for years, con…

American Sunny Strong studied abroad in Florence in 1963, leaving her boyfriend Mike at home. Amazing (especially for us), Sunny captured some of her memories at the time on reel-to-reel tapes, a tru…

A short memoir by Beth Ann Fennelly, from her book Heating & Cooling: 52 Micro Memoirs, inspires a discussion on what makes something glamorous rather than trashy, and why tiny insignificant moments,…

Learning a foreign language is one of the most desired goals most people have—and that's particularly true for travel lovers. But why do so many people fail in this quest? Today we use linguistics an…

The Borgias are one of the most fascinating and depraved families in Italian history, and they ruled the Catholic Church. This family has been portrayed in two recent tv shows, but what's the true st…

We often talk about North American expats in Europe or Asia. But what about when the shoe is on the other foot? Today we talk to Sabine, a French expat living in New Orleans.

Do Americans need more p…

We all have fantasies when we're young about how we want our life to turn out. Some are far-fetched, some are probably doable. But ow much of life is us trying to fulfill the fantasies of our youth? …

Writing while traveling. Many of us do it. Professor Daniel Butterworth teaches us how to do it better. Whether journaling is the way you document your travels, you're an aspiring travel writer, or y…