Balancing Stories

FULL SHOW NOTES with links on Balancingstories.com

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Balancing Cultures Episode 15: Korean Texan – Disagreeing, Disconnecting, Dissecting the Balance

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We all balance differently. Even within one family, each person can prioritize the values of their cultures to different degrees… in opposite directions. Unfortunately, disagreements about how we balance cultures can lead to disconnection.

Listen to Episode 15 to hear a Korean immigrant's story of teenage culture shock in a small Texas town and how it impacted his life today.⁠ With tangents about the value of teachers and who has the better BBQ…Let’s start the conversation with David Song.

Meghan Kitchen takes you through a quick audio tour of the Balancing Cultures Website.

How to navigate the website, where to find submission opportunities, other ways to join the conversation, and FREE ways to support the podcast and Balancing Cultures.

Check out balancingcultures.com

FULL SHOW NOTES ON BALANCINGCULTURES.COM

Balancing Cultures: Episode 14 - Where Do We Go From Here?

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An episode about reflecting and moving forward. A behind the scenes look at Episode 1 - Why are so many people drawn to Mira’s story? What is it like for an immigrant on the path to belonging. And a quick look back at the first few episodes: Rebecca, Mitch, Ann, Vanessa, Laura, Meghan, and then there’s me. In Episode 8 I talked about where I’m from, where I am and the path in between… but where do we go from here?

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Listen to this episode for more details and for complete show notes go to Balancingcultures.com

FULL SHOW NOTES with links on Balancingstories.com

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Balancing Cultures --- Episode 13: Human Postcards - Life's Details in 60 Seconds

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Are you curious? Have you ever wondered what someone is thinking? Do you see the same people over and over again but have never said hi: the baker, your neighbor, the guy who shares your commute? What if you just gave them a minute. 60 seconds. What could you learn? Who could you see?

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Our guest today got curious and she followed her curiosity. From her multicultural childhood in France, to prisons in the US, and rickshaws in London, Nora Jaccaud’s curiosity grew and one day she was inspired to stop and give someone a minute. She took that minute and shared it with the world. Today we get a behind the scenes look at Human Postcards. And the interviewer, Nora, becomes the guest.

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Nora Jaccaud is a French-Polish documentary filmmaker who travels around the globe telling the inspiring stories of everyday people.

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Where to find Human Postcards:

Website: Humanpostcards.com –-

Instagram: Human Postcards –-

Facebook: Human Postcards --

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Postcards Mentioned in the Episode:

Jake, Karina, Inaki, Lola, Brynee

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Balancing Cultures Episodes Mentioned:

Ep. 2: Rebecca, The Practical Kitchen, 

Ep. 4: Ann, Children’s Books for Difficult Conversations, 

Ep. 6: Laura, Jewelry and Making

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Balancing Cultures: International interviews about how cultural differences make life more interesting. Join the Converstation. Host: Meghan Kitchen. Instagram: @balancingcultures and Facebook: Balancing Cultures. If you have a question or comment, send an email to [email protected]

FULL SHOW NOTES with links on Balancingstories.com

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Balancing Cultures Episode 12: Race is Not the Half of It - One Panamanian's Story

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Today’s Guest is many things: Panamanian, Bi-Racial, an Engineer, an Expat, a Mother and more. Michelle Hines grew up in Panama. Because of its culture of being a melting pot of races, her parents bi-racial relationship, it ends up, was nothing to talk about. Race was not the half of it as you’ll hear. Michelle eventually left her Panamanian bubble, married someone from a different culture, and now she’s a mom. How does all of this influence how she approaches international life? And how does it impact how she will talk about race in the future? Let’s start the conversation.

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Trigger Warning: While discussing race, Michelle explains the categories used in Panama and other Latin cultures to describe bi-racial, mixed race people: Mestizos and Mulato/Mulatto. In these cultures, these words are neutral. However, in the USA, the term Mulato/Mulatto is now defined as dated and offensive. I left this part of the conversation in the podcast because the person who is using the terms is from a culture where they are neutral and it is how she identifies herself. 

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Balancing Cultures: International interviews about how cultural differences make life more interesting. Join the Converstation. Host: Meghan Kitchen. Instagram @balancingcultures and Facebook Balancing Cultures. If you have a question or comment, send an email to [email protected]

FULL SHOW NOTES with links on Balancingstories.com

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Balancing Cultures – Episode 11: Am I Enough for My Culture? A Tamil Abroad

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Is it pride, guilt, commitment, conviction? What bonds people around the world to their culture. Do Cultures rising out of conflict and oppression have a different bond? As they regenerate cultural identity and hold themselves to a standard of belonging. And how does that standard of belonging create an expectation of being “enough” for a culture? Dedicated enough. Proud enough. Vocal enough. How can you be Enough, for whatever culture, to be able to call it your own? Today we will hear one person’s story. A story about the impact of history on a present day minority group.

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Our guest today: Sujan Selven was born in Sri Lanka. He is Tamil. But what does being Tamil mean to him? And what does it mean for him now that he lives outside of Sri Lanka? Although Sujan is an Australian Citizen now, he has been back in the Jaffna area of Sri Lanka for 6 months to support the community. Is he enough?

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Follow him on Instagram: sujanselven – Facebook: Sujan Selven – Twitter: @sujanselven – Website: www.sujanselven.org

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Other episodes mentioned: Saturday school with Vanessa (Episode 5) and Mitch (Episode 3). Rebecca’s Jewish heritage (Episode 2).

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Balancing Cultures: International interviews about how cultural differences make life more interesting. Join the conversation. Host: Meghan Kitchen. Instagram @balancingcultures and Facebook Balancing Cultures. If you have a question or comment, send an email to [email protected]

FULL SHOW NOTES with links on Balancingstories.com

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Balancing Cultures Episode 10: Reconnecting - Adding Back to My Balance

Have you reconnected with your heritage?⁠

Not every generation embraces culture in the same way. Sometimes, the world and the times shape how culture is expressed and handed down. Luckily, despite politics and assimilation in past generations, Jessica Pioli has a second to add Italian culture back into her balancing. Embracing it fully, regardless of how much or little was emphasized in her childhood. What made her want to reconnect?

After growing up in the UK, she lived in Russia, Germany and Italy. Then made her way back to the UK and found her perfect counterpart. Jessica Pioli is here to tell us her story about rediscovering her Italian roots and the balancing she now has with her Italian born husband. How does she balance her perspective of culture with her husband’s experience of it? It is encouraging to hear from Jess’s story that reconnecting is possible. Seeing that we all have a chance to learn about our past and have access to more options for the values we embrace and the ways we want to live. Jess added to her balancing. Will you?

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Connections to other episodes: In episode 2 I talked to a new DAD who hopes to give his multicultural son opportunities to connect to his heritage. Then in episode 5, a third culture KID, now adult, reflected on what aspects of culture her family connected to between their different worlds. This episode asks a GRANDDAUGHTER, what happened to the connections in the past and how have you reconnected.

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Balancing Cultures: International interviews about how cultural differences make life more interesting. Join the Conversation. Host: Meghan Kitchen. Instagram @balancingcultures and Facebook Balancing Cultures. If you have a question or comment, send an email to [email protected]

FULL SHOW NOTES with links on Balancingstories.com

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Balancing Cultures: Episode 9 - Storytelling: Exploring Culture Through Personal Stories

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The power of storytelling, the impact of photography, and the appeal of the obscure.Today we look at one man’s initiative: Creating narratives, connecting personal stories and the details of cultures, taking history from the margins and putting it into a modern spotlight.

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Our guest today is Austrian born, Lukas Birk: Photographer, publisher, archiver, conservationist, curator, storyteller, and more. His passion for storytelling comes from his father and grandfather. He started in radio and TV with Austrian public media but pivoted to pursue an education in digital media and to became a photographer after his “first long voyage”.Photography became more than just the pictures he took. Archives and conservation have become big parts of his work, that takes him around the world.

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Where to find Lukas: Instagram: lukas.birk - Website: www.lukasbirk.com - Books: www.fraglich.com -Projects:www.myanmarphotoarchive.org & www.afghanboxcamera.com

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Balancing Cultures: International interviews about how cultural differences make life more interesting. Join the Converstation. Host: Meghan Kitchen. Instagram @balancingcultures and Facebook Balancing Cultures. If you have a question or comment, send an email to [email protected]

Balancing Cultures: Episode 9 - Storytelling: Exploring Culture Through Personal Stories

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The power of storytelling, the impact of photography, and the appeal of the obscure.Today we look at one man’s initiative: Creating narratives, connecting personal stories and the details of cultures, taking history from the margins and putting it into a modern spotlight.

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Our guest today is Austrian born, Lukas Birk: Photographer, publisher, archiver, conservationist, curator, storyteller, and more. His passion for storytelling comes from his father and grandfather. He started in radio and TV with Austrian public media but pivoted to pursue an education in digital media and to became a photographer after his “first long voyage”.Photography became more than just the pictures he took. Archives and conservation have become big parts of his work, that takes him around the world.

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Where to find Lukas:

Instagram: lukas.birk - Website: www.lukasbirk.com - Books: www.fraglich.com -Projects:www.myanmarphotoarchive.org & www.afghanboxcamera.com

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Balancing Cultures: International interviews about how cultural differences make life more interesting. Join the Converstation. Host: Meghan Kitchen. Instagram @balancingcultures and Facebook Balancing Cultures. If you have a question or comment, send an email to [email protected]

FULL SHOW NOTES with links on Balancingstories.com

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Balancing Cultures Episode 8: Meet the Host - Me and My Balancing

If you’ve listened to other episodes, you’ve heard little bits about my life. You might know that I’m American, I live in German, I married a Finn and I’m a mom. You know I made this podcast for a reason but maybe can’t put your finger on what that is exactly.

Well today, I am the guest. Today I’ll talk about where I’m from, where I am, and the path in between. I’ll give you some behind the scenes looks at what inspired Balancing Cultures and I’ll tell you my favorite part of the balancing in life. Growing up, I was always looking for a place to fit in. But now I know its not just one place. I feel like myself in a lot of very different places because I am more that one version of myself.

Balancing Cultures: International interviews about how cultural differences make life more interesting. Hope, humor, and thought-provoking questions. Host: Meghan Kitchen. Instagram @balancingcultures and Facebook Balancing Cultures.

If you have a question or comment, send an email to [email protected]