Dispatch 001. Welcome back! We are giving our podcast a fresh start:

The first edition of the Expat Dispatch approaches the concepts of belonging and identity felt by many who arrive in a new land.

For information, please visit our page: https://www.expat-dispatch.com

In our 14th and final guest episode of the season, hosts Sergei and Dimitry talk to Adriana. Being born and raised in the US, she has a multicultural background with a Colombian father and an American mother. We explore her choice of the Netherlands over Italy and other Nordic European countries, emphasizing a preference for a more relaxed lifestyle and better opportunities. There is a decent amount of comparison between the differences in the US and the Netherlands in this episode. The episode also discusses graduate studies and the challenges faced by international students. Adriana shares her ongoing struggles and journey in searching for a job and PhD positions in the Netherlands since her dream is to become a good teacher. This episode includes a fascinating dialogue about the great multiculturalism of our master’s program and Adriana's travels, such as an adventure in Pakistan and an exploration of traditional weddings with hundreds of guests. Don't miss out as we offer insights into Adriana's life that transcends borders, seeks security, and celebrates diversity.

After some break, we’re coming back with the last few remaining episodes of this season! In our 12th episode for the first time, we talk to two guests at the same time. The reason is that Artemiy & Polina are married and have always been on their journey in the Netherlands together. Coming in 2021 to pursue a master’s at the same university but in different programs, they knew from the beginning that they wanted to stay in that country. However, after graduating they encountered numerous issues on a job hunt journey: they share their struggles on the job hunt (both for the market and academic jobs) while presenting some of their valuable experiences. Even the Dutch knowledge at a sufficient level did not help them by the time we were recording a podcast. Hopefully, Polina has already found a job to secure their stay in the Netherlands for at least one more year! Tune in for this enticing episode where our guests also share plenty of insights on contemporary major topics, which end up in a full-on discussion on Dutch domestic politics! P.S. For our Russian-speaking audience, we wanted to recommend a list of Telegram channels of emigrants and useful resources for many countries in case you consider a relocation https://yetanother.notion.site/9b7ca5372b774260bf76aeee3159c199?v=3e0960ba80df4400b30302e1fc1f0617&pvs=4

In our 10th episode, Sergei and Dmitry talk to a special guest: Susanna, an Armenian who was born and grew up in Russia. She was learning languages from an early age and first moved to Italy. But after spending a year there, her perceptions of the country shifted greatly. She realized she didn’t want to live there, so she compiled a list of potential countries to move to, and the Netherlands topped the list. Although Susanna wanted to work in IT, she didn’t see herself as a developer. Instead, she pursued a career as a UX writer. So she dedicated a year to networking and gaining experience in UX and related fields. In this episode, Susanna delves into the reasons why she never felt that she truly belonged in her native lands (both Russia and Armenia). Fortunately, in the Netherlands, she met many international individuals with similar experiences and stories. It's there that she finally felt she can truly be herself. Yet, Susanna also discusses some challenges of living in the Netherlands, such as the difficulty in making friends with locals. Don't forget to give a listen to Susanna's own podcast: Content Design with Friends (https://open.spotify.com/show/1cO9aECFuuO7L2Er1bdAeV)

In this episode, Sergei, Tina and Dmitry welcome our university friend Kasia to listen to her post-graduation journey. She reflects on our university days, on combining thesis with the job search, her current job and short term plans for the future. Kasia shares her secrets of developing and maintaining her social web, teaches us basic Polish and shares her travel plans to Latin America.