Martha McDevitt-Pugh and her partner moved to the Netherlands over 20 years ago for 2 reasons: 1) For love, and 2) A negative reason, at the time same-sex marriage was illegal in the United States. Around that time, the Netherlands became the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage. Over the last 20 years, Martha and her wife have started the Love Exiles initiative (originally a series of Thanksgiving dinners that later became a foundation and activist effort to change US law), and Martha has been involved in Democrats Abroad, which aims to help all US citizens abroad practice their right to vote, navigate filing taxes, and other civil responsibilities. 

In this final episode of Season 2, we explore what it means to be both a citizen of the country represented on your passport, and a citizen beyond that passport. 

Sein Park is originally from South Korea, but she has spent a third of her life outside of her home country, primarily in Germany. The significant amount of time she has spent in a culture different from the one she grew up in has provided her with a rich perspective on how people in South Korea approach life differently from those in Germany and Scandinavia - primarily, with what attitude do you approach the present moment? 

Join GTR for a conversation reflecting on how culture shapes the way we tackle every day life, and how spending time in different cultures makes us more aware that the way we grew up living is not the only way... 

Jessica Schüller has studied, lived and worked in several countries since she attended high school in the United States. Her personal experiences have led her to pursuing a career in international higher education research and helping international students and job-seekers find their way through Germany's professional landscape through her own venture, Germany Career Coach. In this episode, Jessica shares her journey and experiences navigating her own career in different countries, and imparts advice for others interested in moving and working abroad. 

MARIHE Program

All Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees Programs

In this month's Travel Takes - Outgoing episode, Kelly goes into detail about her experience applying for a student visa for a masters program in Oslo, Norway, during the pandemic. Her experience dovetail into a conversation about resistance to and acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination QR codes. 

Please note that what is said in this podcast are the experiences and opinions of the hosts and should not be understood as official or legal advice. The opinions of the hosts are reflective of their personal perspectives and do not reflect any institution or employer. 

Recent updates on DACA and discussion around bringing international students back for the Fall semester. 

The continent of Africa consists of the most countries of any continent in the world, and around 2,000 languages are spoken among the 1.2 billion people or so who live there. However, often times when travel to Africa is advertised, it's not the people and urban and cultural centers we see, but wild animals and wide open savannas instead. What is wrong with this picture? 

In this episode, Hermella (Ella) Tekle speaks deeply to this topic, reflecting on her recent article, "Decolonizing Education Abroad: Changing the Narration of Africa," in the most recent CAPA journal. 

Hermella (Ella) Tekle is a second-year doctoral student in Human and Organizational Learning - Executive Leadership Program at the George Washington University's Graduate School of Education and Human Development. Her research interest is oriented toward organizational communication, adult learning & development, and change management. As a RISE fellow at NAFSA: Association of International Educators, Hermella researches and advocates for inclusive higher education spaces. In her practice, Hermella works with a diverse clientele to help organizations build successful virtual events through software training and account management. A former international student from Ethiopia, she holds a master's degree in Strategic Public Relations from the George Washington University and an honors bachelor's degree in History and Political Studies from Colby-Sawyer College.

Mary Alice Soriero and Victor Gonzalez have been working with CEA Study Abroad in Seville, Spain, each for several years, where they have been able to discern how their personal experiences help them connect with students who arrive on their site. In this episode, GTR hosts speak with Mary Alice and Victor about the first year of the pandemic and dig into the complexities of the spread of covid, vaccine distribution, and what students can expect when they go abroad during these times.

CEA Study Abroad in Seville, Spain

Much is happening in the US immigration world, and this crew chats about the good, the bad, and the highly questionable. This month Erin, Kelly, Keavy and Olga discuss a range of changes happening at the policy and court levels, from the recent Biden Administration's Spring 2021 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions for immigration, changing policies around victims of crime and victims of violence, Vice President Kamala Harris's words towards asylum-seekers, and more.

EDIT: A previous version of this episode stated that F-1 and M-1 student visas permit them to remain for "Duration of Status" - the student visas that state this are for F-1 and J-1 students, not M-1 students. 

Show Notes:

Agency Rule List

Background on Rule-Making Process

Much is happening in the US immigration world, and this crew chats about the good, the bad, and the highly questionable. This month Erin, Kelly, Keavy and Olga discuss a range of changes happening at the policy and court levels, from the recent Biden Administration's Spring 2021 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions for immigration, changing policies around victims of crime and victims of violence, Vice President Kamala Harris's words towards asylum-seekers, and more. 

Show Notes:

Agency Rule List

Background on Rule-Making Process

This month Erin, Kelly, Rita and Duff tackle a number of evolving subjects in the world of travel. Join the hosts for a conversation about the latest vaccination rate trends, speculation around vaccine e-certificates, what airports are like these days and more in this month's episode. 

Show Notes:

Footprint ID: https://footprintid.com/

Germany takes US off of travel risk list starting in July: https://www.dw.com/en/germany-takes-us-canada-off-travel-risk-list-most-others-from-july/a-57851397