María Clara Calle grew up hearing about the atrocities committed by the FARC rebels in Colombia. She never imagined that one day she would not only meet them, but eat and sleep among them, deep in their territory, as they thought about their role in the future of peace in their country.

A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3AJFyul. 

A mother and her young daughter leave Mexico, escaping violence in search of a better life. It’s a trip with a few unexpected turns that ends up taking longer than planned. But their constant companion was there for them whenever they needed to escape: an old blue suitcase.

A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3ITv8ew.

In 1996, Luis von Ahn left Guatemala to study in the United States and never moved back. That's partly because of something that happened just before his departure, something that changed his life forever: the kidnapping of his aunt.

Study materials and a transcript of this episode are available at https://bit.ly/3HoXtZW. 

Growing up in Ecuador, Carolina Loza-León didn’t feel particularly close to her father. He was withdrawn and not very affectionate; a military man who loved reading American books. But while Carolina felt distant from her dad, he in turn was close with an American couple who hosted him when he was an exchange student to the U.S. She never quite understood that period in his life, until she took her own trip to Cincinnati, Ohio.

Study materials and a transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3GaVEON.

Fabián Mauricio Martínez discovered his love for travel through his other passion – literature. So when he first read Jack Kerouac’s novel, "On the Road," he dreamed of crossing the United States from coast to coast as the main characters in the book had. One day, he decided it was time to make the trip his own.

Study materials and a transcript of this episode are available at https://bit.ly/3APaOZ2.

Actress Trinidad Piriz traveled to Berlin to study theater, hoping to fall in love and improve her quality of life. But six months later, she returned home having only accomplished one thing: to get scammed by a woman whose name would forever be etched in her memory — Helen Brown.

Study materials and a transcript of this episode are available at https://bit.ly/3gevkZu.

María Elizabeth Soto had never traveled to Asia before her office sent her on a three-week business trip to China. She wasn't prepared for the culture shock she'd face there. But the real surprise wouldn't come until she returned home to Chile.

Study materials and a transcript of this episode are available at https://bit.ly/3LaRZnV.

Roberto Herrscher was one of the many Argentinians who fought against Great Britain in the Falklands War in the 1980s. Decades later, Herrscher returns to the islands to confront his memories and ends up making an unlikely friend.

Study materials and a transcript of this episode are available at https://bit.ly/3uh4KqO.

When Belén Fernández Llanos turned 28, she decided to move from Chile to Argentina with her boyfriend of ten years to start a new life together. Belén was ready for an adventure, but the one that awaited her in Buenos Aires would turn out very differently than what she had imagined...

Study materials and a transcript of this episode are available at https://bit.ly/3rdEBHy.

The Duolingo Spanish Podcast brings you true stories in English and Spanish about what can happen when we are far from home. In this first episode, we head to Veracruz, México to hear how Rodrigo Soberanes managed to meet his childhood hero.

You can find study materials and a transcript of this episode at https://bit.ly/34q9OOQ.