What are some of the unique challenges long term expats face? Savings and superannuation, self care and medical issues? Heart breaking friend break ups? Property ownership and all the tax implications that come with it? We ran through a few.

We shared food discoveries from the Fatterati, what can’t you now live without?

Kirsty’s three things: The Fablemans, Chris Rock, Benjamin Law article on Survivor experience

Nikki’s three things: The witch trials of JK Rowling, Pokerface, MH 370 the plane that disappeared.

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Also, the ageist expat are you a victim or a perpetrator?

Kirsty’s three things:

Shrinking, The Big Swing and while we’re on the subject….golf!

Nikki’s favourite three things:

White Collar, 1923, Robbie Williams live in Copenhagen

And watch out Amsterdam we’re coming for you!

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Welcome to our first live audience podcast recorded in Singapore – yes yes Kirsty was in Singapore in 2016 but it was a 4 kids, 20 suitcases and a beagle reading whereas this was the full package!

The theme of the evening was friends. Kirsty asked Nikki will she have to change the way she recruits friends upon repatriation. What will be different? Nikki asked Kirsty How will you replenish or change up your friendship group post covid now that you have quite a defined time split between countries?

We then talked all things expat friendships before giving our three favourite things.

Kirsty:

The Kelce brothers and their mother Donna.

Here’s the video of her post game

Bullet Train:

This NYT article about why men find it so hard to make friends

Nikki:

That 90’s show

Offline – Jon Favreau – Interview with Dr Robert Waldinger (the Good Life – Lessons from the Longest Study on Happiness)

Pivot – Scott Galloway – Friendship Aside

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Nikki is dealing with the realities of the impact her expat life has had on her family relationships and describes how it feels like a bit of a “kick in the guts”.

We talk about Kirsty’s book and its premise. Ever been described as excess baggage? Get ready for the reply.

Three favourite things Kirsty:

Meet Cute

The Good House

Helen had her baby – The gorgeous Wengel (meaning the good news)

Three favourite things Nikki:

The Sound: Mystery of Savana Syndrome

The Last of Us – Episode 3

New friends long coffees

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How will you settle? Expats traditionally have itchy feet so how do you settle when you’re heading home?

How will you plan your expat year ahead? Or how will you divide up your time ahead? Now that expats are back travelling between countries what’s the most effective way to plan your year?

Kirsty’s three favourite things:

She said

Steven Spielberg on Smartless 

Have you ever taken your kids to a driving range in the holidays? Highly recommend.

Our author friend Kylie Ladd

Nikki’s three favourite things:

Offline – Jon Favreau. Episode – How to Avoid Distraction with Johann Hari 

‘Stolen Focus’ – JH book

Hard Fork (New York Times podcast) – Tik Tok and Chat GPT transforms a highschool classroom (for the better) and is M3GAN real? 

The Last of Us – HBO 99% Rotten Tomatoes (not so much a recommendation more a discussion)

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How will you cope with no-one giving a flying fig about your expat life when you’re home for the holidays or repatriating? Kirsty and Nikki discuss why expats are hurt by friends and family that appear disinterested in their expat lives. Is it time to accept that you’re really not that special? 

How will you deal with newcomers writing you off when they hear that you’re leaving? And how will you keep yourself open to making new friends even though you know you’re at the end of your expat gig? 

Kirsty’s favourite things:

The Flatshare

Mathew Perry’s autobiography

Cherry Cherry Yum Yum (NYT’s food)

Nikki’s favourite things:

Treason BBC

The Recruit 

Turning on the subtitles to listen to the lyrics in films (Nikki swears you’ll be amazed)

Did you listen to last week’s podcast? Any topics you’d like us to discuss?

Let us know in the comments. xx

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Will you be with family or without for the festive season? What do you do to make your holiday season special or is the holiday season non existant where you’re currently living?

Instead of our usual three favourite things with podcasts, movies and television we discuss our three favourite holiday traditions.

Nikki:

Making or tracking down Christmas Crackers and Bon Bons

Buying a christmas ornament from your expat location

Christmas Eve baking followed by a Christmas movie

Kirsty:

No more Christmas Wrapping Paper it’s recycled newspaper all the way with re-used ribbons

Teenagers/young adults filling the adult’s stockings

Christmas Movie countdown (three favourites The Family Stone, Love Actually, Christmas with the Moody’s)

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In our would you/could you we discuss what Covid restrictions look like in China right now. Would you/could you move there? We talk to the Chinese Fatterati about their lives and report back.

Would you/could you make your house a home without your shipment? How?

Kirsty’s Favourite Things:

Colin from Accounts

Shetland

Magnetic Eyelashes

Nikki’s Favourite Things:

White Lotus Season 2

Wednesday

Long Lazy Lunches watching your expat kids catch up with old connections

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This week on the podcast we discuss travelling between countries with medications and how to navigate when you’ve been prescribed something in one country only to discover it’s banned in the country you’re moving to. Nikki has some big news which leads us to discuss expat redundancy.

Nikki’s favourites

The Rest is History (The World Cup series)

The Inside Man (Netflix)

Limitless (Disney +)

Kirsty’s favourites

The Staircase (Netflix)

Pivot – Episode How to Raise the next Scott Galloway

Fisk (ABC Australia)

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This week’s episode is all about the World Cup both in Qatar and South Africa. I’ve written a piece about living in Qatar and the recent press.

Here’s a few of the links I talked about:

David Beckham Peyton Manning World Cup Commercial

Ghanin Al Muftah – the star of the opening ceremony.

Michael Sheen – Welsh message

Nikki’s three favourite things:

Heartbreak High on Netflix

The Handmaids Tale Season 5

Peripheral

Kirsty’s three favourite things

The Documentary Podcast – The real housewives of Doha

Good luck to you Leo Grande

Phantom of the Open

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