Away From Home

Florencia came to Montanita, Ecuador for a visit of 10 days and ended up staying over twenty years. During that time, she has raised a daughter, built a house, run a successful clothing business, and hosted visitors from all over the world in her home. Florencia is from Argentina and doesn’t speak English, so interview is conducted entirely in Spanish. If you speak Spanish, enjoy the episode and please forgive any mistakes in my speaking. If you don’t speak Spanish, I guess you could listen to it as background noise. Either way, enjoy!

Ali was born on the border of Iran and Iraq, literally on the road as his family fled war through Armenia, Germany, and the Netherlands, eventually settling in a small suburb of Amsterdam. The two of us met at a permaculture hostel in the north of Colombia, which is where this interview takes place. In this episode, we discuss a memory from when Ali was one years old, what material possessions he actually needs, maintaining friendships while traveling long term, and much more.

Alec was born and raised in Utah, but he is not Mormon. His dad is from Belgium, he speaks French, and he has been living in China for around 5 years. We met working at the same high school in Shanghai and bonded over board games. In this interview, we talk about buying a one way ticket to New Zealand, advice for aspiring travelers, and the wonder he still feels walking down the street in China.

Nini is originally from Taiwan and has lived in Australia, New Zealand, California, and Finland. Right now, she is back in the country of her birth, in the midst of figuring out what's next. I met Nini in Helsinki only a few months ago, and we've had a rollercoaster of a friendship. Now, I'm visiting her in Taiwan and asking all sorts of questions, like what it was like to grow up in so many different places, why she needs time to be alone, whether she's good at performing for others, and much more.

Brent was born in North Carolina and lived most of his life there before moving to China. The original plan was to teach for 10 months and then leave. It has now been 10 years, and he is currently living in Shanghai with his wife and two kids. In this episode, we discuss how China has changed him, what it's like to be visibly foreign on the metro, the sense of home he wants his children to have, and much more.

Books is an old friend from college who I happened to meet up with in London. They are originally from Berkeley, California, but they have had many homes outside of the US, including Paris, Japan, Beijing, and Stockholm (not a complete list). In our conversation, Books reflects on how they became a world traveler, how they’re currently building a more stable home base, and what sort of advice they’d give to those using travel as a means of self discovery.