Maria Tran’s been living the Expat life for almost her whole career. As the principal at an international school in Beijing — which the former Edmontonian arrived at by way of New Brunswick, of all places — she sees a few different sides of life in the massive Chinese city.

Find out about challenges with the internet, cab drivers, and what the life of a Canadian teacher is like in one of the biggest cities on Earth.

Kevin Bracken, the creator of What’s Different in Canada, knows quite a bit about the differences between the Great White North and the Home of the Brave. He’s been a passionate student of Canada, and as a young progressive coming of age in the era of George W Bush, he decided to make his home here.

This episode, I speak with Kevin about the US election, and the appetite from some Americans to move to Canada if Donald Trump is elected President. We also talk about Kevin’s new book, which is currently available as a free download. Grab a copy from WhatsDifferentinCanada.com!

Imagine living on an island the foundations of which are millions of living and dead organisms. That’s a little hint of what it’s like to live in the Maldives.

Learn about Lara Hill’s experiences on the atolls and getting stranded alone on New Years Day!

For those looking for a similar experience, Lara recommends you look into applying for a UN experience through UNA-Canada’s IDDIP program: www.unac.org

They say to really know someone you should walk a mile in their shoes. But Scott Kosman says you should walk a kilometer in their Adidas. I mean, he doesn’t say that, but he should. Listen to this episode about Scott’s expat life in Erlangen, Germany, and you’ll start to understand what Adidas have anything to do with this. And we don’t even really talk about food!

Thanks to Ambassador Humantorch for sharing his experiences!

Image by Euro Slice on Flickr. Used under Creative Commons License.

Norway conjures romantic visions of winter, at least for me. Fjords, dramatic coastlines and winter. And a hearty people. All those things and more as we connect with Hahn Vincent, spending her summer back in Canada, off from school. Hahn shared her insights on Norwegian people, and as important if not more, Norwegian food. You’ll also learn a lot of Norwegian words, so bust out that Norwegian-English dictionary that’s been collecting dust on the shelf.

Image by Jørn Eriksson. Used under Creative Commons License.

Until I met Emily Mattingsley, I never thought of Morocco as a surf destination. But that’s one of the things that lured this Canadian teacher to the North African Country. Emily tells me about her experiences in Morocco which includes warm people, unbelievable food, and even a little bit of street harassment.

Please forgive some of the audio glitches this episode. We did our best to smooth them over. Thanks for listening!

Last week, citizens of the UK voted to get the eff out of the European Union. Many Canadians looked on with great interest and horror as the results poured in. Leah Trueblood was one of those Canadians. But rather than observe from afar, she was right in the thick of it.

Having spent the last 6 years in the UK, Leah’s studies include political philosophy and the use of referenda. She had lots to share with us. We hope you enjoy the episode!

Ashley Tinker, an anglophone Montrealer, found love in Western Europe. But though she met her partner in Italy, the region of Provence would be where they settled down together. Find out about the differences between life in Paris, from our 19th episode, and life here in the French countryside.

Also, you should check out Ashley’s blog, Curious Provence.

Image by François Philipp. Used under creative commons licence.

Leah Cavanaugh’s academic pursuits took her to a place you’ve likely seen depicted and sometimes exaggerated on film and television. Home to warrior poets and engineering feats: Scotland.

Leah’s studying at the University of Edinburgh. And though she’s very much enjoyed her time there, she’s one of the few expats I’ve spoken with who’s eager to come home.

Ben Wheelwright’s journey to the stage on Broadway moved in a path eastward, beyond the atlantic, and back to New York City. We spoke with Ben about his experiences as an expat Broadway actor. You can see Ben before in the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime at the Barrymore Theatre.

This episode of the Expats is brought to you by NationGear.ca. All the best apparel for Edmonton Oilers fans. Use promo code EXPAT10 to get 10% off your next purchase.

And if you have five minutes, please take our audience survey as well. It’ll help us get more show sponsors, and make the show bigger and better!