Geopats Abroad : Chats with expats, immigrants, and locals

In this podcasting episode we chat with Heather Jonasson, a Texan who made the long journey to Sweden many years ago, about her podcast, Life In The Land Of The Ice And Snow. In this lighthearted podcast Heather and one of her Co-Hosts (Monica or Diego) join her to chat with other expats from around the world about the quirks, challenges and advantages of living in Sweden. In this episode we talk about her podcasting set up, the benefits of interviewing guests in person and of course, the essential why in starting her podcast.  

🤸🏽Music from
Damon Castillo (earlier episodes): https://www.damoncastillo.com/
and
Key Frame Audio (more recent eps) :https://keyframeaudio.com/

Top 3 services that have help me while living in different countries (mostly for Americans): Affiliate links so I'll get a small commission.

🔥 Traveling Mailbox: scan/forward postal service for Americans. It's saved me time, money and headaches.
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🔥Chase Sapphire Credit Card: annual fee, NO currency conversion fee. Used this in many countries globally.
https://www.referyourchasecard.com/19Q/MDNYO68N38

🔥 Stackry: Shop in the U.S. and have the items shipped internationally.
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Mandarin Chinese can feel completely different depending on whether you’re reading it, hearing it, or trying to speak it. After 25 years with Mandarin, Tanya Crossman explains why Chinese characters, tones, grammar, listening comprehension, and real-world language use need different kinds of practice, and what learners should understand before those gaps get harder to close. Her experience across classrooms, workplaces, and daily life in China shows why fluency is about learning how those skills connect.

Tanya's website: https://www.tanyacrossman.com/

Original publication date: April 1, 2019

What You’ll Learn About Learning Mandarin Chinese, Listening Comprehension, and Fluency

•  Why Mandarin reading and listening can develop at different speeds 
•  How 10 years of Mandarin study can still leave listening gaps 
•  Why Chinese grammar depends on context and implied meaning 
•  How living and working in China builds real-world Mandarin fluency 
•  How Chinese TV can improve Mandarin listening comprehension 
•  Why emotional vocabulary matters for advanced Mandarin fluency 
•  What it means to feel ownership over a second language 

Why Mandarin Chinese Reading and Listening Develop Differently

Tanya started learning Mandarin at age eleven and studied it for about a decade before moving to China. At university in Beijing, she could read her entire textbook but struggled to answer even two out of ten listening-comprehension questions correctly.

During her first year in China, she sometimes pictured Chinese characters while trying to speak. Because characters don’t create the same bridge between writing and pronunciation as alphabet-based languages, reading and conversation can develop very differently.

Why Mandarin Chinese Grammar Depends on Context and Implied Meaning

Mandarin doesn’t rely on verb conjugations like many European languages. Its complexity instead comes through word order, vocabulary, particles, context, and implication.

Forms such as 看书, 看完书, 看了书, and 看书了 show how surrounding words change meaning even when the core verb stays recognizable. Learners can know every word and still miss what the speaker means.

How Living and Working in China Builds Real-World Mandarin Fluency

Tanya’s biggest leap toward fluency came in an open-plan office where she was the only foreign employee. She heard coworkers persuade suppliers, joke with the DHL delivery person, talk with partners, and complain to family members.

Hearing the same people shift their Mandarin across situations taught her tone, humor, and implication. She still remembers the first time she successfully used sarcasm in Chinese.

How Chinese TV Can Improve Mandarin Listening Comprehension

Tanya recommends soap operas because repeated plots and phrases give learners several chances to catch language they initially miss.

Early in China, she watched a Russian soap opera dubbed and subtitled in Chinese. The long Russian names created pauses that gave her extra time to process the Mandarin she’d just heard.

Why Emotional Vocabulary Matters for Advanced Mandarin Fluency

Classroom Mandarin often teaches practical communication before learners can express complicated feelings. Tanya developed more emotional vocabulary by helping a Chinese friend interpret and write personal messages in English.

Those conversations showed how advanced fluency requires more than vocabulary and grammar. Learners also need the language and cultural knowledge to communicate who they are.

What It Means to Feel Ownership Over Mandarin Chinese

After studying around a dozen languages, Tanya says she feels true ownership only over English and Mandarin.

A Malaysian Chinese woman who usually addressed Tanya in English eventually apologized for underestimating how deeply Chinese was part of her life. For Tanya, being recognized as a Chinese speaker mattered more than proving she could speak it.

 🌍 Tools & resources for living, traveling, and working abroad: https://geopatsabroad.substack.com/p/living-abroad-resources

🛍️ Geopats Abroad Stationary Store: https://geopatsabroad-shop.fourthwall.com/en-eur?utm_source=buzzsprout&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=geopats_shop&utm_content=episode_description

🛠️ Podcast & creator tools I use: https://podcaststeph.substack.com/p/podcast-tools-i-use

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geopatsabroad/

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnfWdoMjmqpcbULZw-hVgew

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In this podcast episode we chat with Eva Yoo (https://www.seekroad.co/) , a Korean Tech Journalist who has lived in the U.S., the UK, Ecuador, Israel and China. Last year she completed an 8 month cycling trip (https://www.seekroad.co/)  from Shanghai, China to the UK, along the ancient Silk Road.

During this trip she did many interviews with people working in startups. But Eva is so much more than the sum of these actions: she is a kind, thoughtful and curious person who makes the balancing of IRL and VRL (offline and online lives) look easy and I greatly admire her for that. 

Original publication date: March 26, 2019

Top 3 services that have help me while living in different countries: Affiliate links so I'll get a small commission.

🔥 Traveling Mailbox: scan/forward postal service for Americans. It's saved me time, money and headaches.
https://travelingmailbox.com/?ref=3422

🔥Chase Sapphire Credit Card: annual fee, NO currency conversion fee. Used this in many countries globally.
https://www.referyourchasecard.com/19Q/MDNYO68N38

🔥 Stackry: Shop in the U.S. and have the items shipped internationally.
https://www.stackry.com/register?referral=7118738

--------------------

🤸🏽Music from
Damon Castillo: https://www.damoncastillo.com/

and

Key Frame Audio , https://keyframeaudio.com/

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Eva Yu cycled from Shanghai to London across 15 countries partly to break away from her hyper-connected life, only to discover that the internet followed her almost everywhere. The multilingual journalist had already lived and worked across South Korea, the United States, the UK, Ecuador, Israel, and China, watching her relationship with technology change with every move. For expats and internationals building lives across borders, her story shows why online communities and constant connectivity matter now, but also why knowing when to disconnect can determine whether you actually experience the place you moved to.

Seek Roads: https://seekroads.co/

What You’ll Learn About Living Abroad, Online Communities, and Digital Identity

• How South Korea’s early internet culture shaped digital habits
• How Cyworld and Korean fandoms built online communities before Facebook
• How blogging helps expats process culture shock
• Why disconnecting can change the experience of living abroad
• How international work can create digital overload
• How moving to China shaped a multilingual digital identity
• What cycling from Shanghai to London revealed about internet access
• How expats can use online communities to build local connections

How South Korea’s Early Internet Culture Shaped Digital Life

Eva first used computers around 1997–1998. By age eleven, she was uploading school assignments online, reading Korean web novels, following K-pop groups including Shinhwa and TVXQ, and participating in digital communities.

She later joined Cyworld, the Korean social network that combined diaries, photos, music, and friends’ messages before Facebook became dominant in Korea.

How Blogging Helps Expats Process Culture Shock

During an exchange in the UK, Eva began writing online diaries to process cultural differences, relationships, and her reactions to living abroad. She later moved to Naver Blog, writing about Korea, China, business, travel, and international life.

At the time of this interview, her blog received roughly 600 visits a day. Writing became a way to understand her experiences as she moved between countries.

Why Disconnecting Can Change the Experience of Living Abroad

In 2012, Eva spent a year volunteering in Ecuador, teaching Korean in Spanish and living with local people. She deliberately left her phone behind and used the internet for only about an hour every two days.

Rather than staying connected to Korea through KakaoTalk, Eva wanted to focus on the life around her. Disconnecting removed an easy escape route back home.

How International Work Can Create Digital Overload Abroad

Her next experience pushed her in the opposite direction. During seven months in Israel, Eva managed social media, articles, and video across Korean and Israeli schedules while interviewing about 75 startups.

Some videos took ten hours to edit, and work could keep her online for twelve or more hours a day. The internet had shifted from a place for personal connection into an always-on workplace.

How Moving to China Shaped a Multilingual Digital Identity

Eva moved to Shanghai in 2015 to work as a journalist for TechNode. She reported in English, functioned in Chinese, and wrote personal observations in Korean.

She noticed that language changed how she presented herself. Korean encouraged more politeness and humility, while English felt more direct and professional. One Chinese diary post received around 2,200 views, highlighting how differently her multilingual audiences responded.

What Cycling From Shanghai to London Revealed About Internet Access

Eva later spent eight months cycling along the Silk Road from Shanghai to London through 15 countries, interviewing entrepreneurs and holding seminars along the way.

She expected the journey to pull her away from her connected Shanghai life. Instead, internet access followed her almost everywhere. Her longest offline stretches included a 36-hour ferry across the Caspian Sea, a 48-hour train journey in Kazakhstan, and a week in Croatia after her phone broke.

With 14 sponsors expecting updates, Eva often felt she was either cycling or online documenting the cycling.

How Expats Can Balance Online Communities With Local Life

Eva doesn’t reject the internet. She uses Couchsurfing, Meetup, and Tantan to meet local people, then gives those interactions her full attention before writing about them later.

Across years of living abroad, she learned to give her online and offline lives different jobs. The internet helps her reach people, but she doesn’t want it to replace being with them.

For expats and internationals, staying connected across borders is easier than ever. The harder skill is knowing when that connection helps you experience a new place, and when it keeps you from fully being there.

Original publication date: March 26, 2019

 🌍 Tools & resources for living, traveling, and working abroad: https://geopatsabroad.substack.com/p/living-abroad-resources

🛍️ Geopats Abroad Stationary Store: https://geopatsabroad-shop.fourthwall.com/en-eur?utm_source=buzzsprout&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=geopats_shop&utm_content=episode_description

🛠️ Podcast & creator tools I use: https://podcaststeph.substack.com/p/podcast-tools-i-use

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geopatsabroad/

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnfWdoMjmqpcbULZw-hVgew

In this podcast show of the Geopats Podcast I am thrilled to share a conversation that I had recently with Emilie Steckenborn of the Bottled in China Podcast. Emilie has lived in China for over eight years as a wine educator and consultant for some of the biggest names in the industry. Currently Head of Education Asia at Treasury Wine Estates, she develops programs for front line staff across China, where her team trains hundreds of thousands of drink enthusiasts across Asia. She currently serves as China Eastern Airlines Official Wine Consultant for First and Business Class and has her own wine and food podcast called Bottled in China.

Emilie’s Info:
Podcast:  https://www.bottledinchina.com/podcast-media
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bottled.in.china/

🤸🏽Music from
Damon Castillo (earlier episodes): https://www.damoncastillo.com/
and
Key Frame Audio (more recent eps) :https://keyframeaudio.com/

Top 3 services that have help me while living in different countries (mostly for Americans): Affiliate links so I'll get a small commission.

🔥 Traveling Mailbox: scan/forward postal service for Americans. It's saved me time, money and headaches.
https://travelingmailbox.com/geopats/?ref=3422

🔥Chase Sapphire Credit Card: annual fee, NO currency conversion fee. Used this in many countries globally.
https://www.referyourchasecard.com/19Q/MDNYO68N38

🔥 Stackry: Shop in the U.S. and have the items shipped internationally.
https://www.stackry.com/register?referral=7118738

I am thrilled to share a conversation with Emilie Steckenborn of the Bottled in China Podcast. Emilie has lived in China for over eight years as a wine educator and consultant for some of the biggest names in the industry. Currently Head of Education Asia at Treasury Wine Estates, she develops programs for front line staff across China, where her team trains hundreds of thousands of drink enthusiasts across Asia. She currently serves as China Eastern Airlines Official Wine Consultant for First and Business Class and has her own wine and food podcast called Bottled in China.

Emilie’s Info: 

Podcast:  https://www.bottledinchina.com/podcast-media

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bottled.in.china/

🤸🏽Music from
Damon Castillo (earlier episodes): https://www.damoncastillo.com/
and
Key Frame Audio (more recent eps) :https://keyframeaudio.com/

Top 3 services that have help me while living in different countries (mostly for Americans): Affiliate links so I'll get a small commission.

🔥 Traveling Mailbox: scan/forward postal service for Americans. It's saved me time, money and headaches.
https://travelingmailbox.com/geopats/?ref=3422

🔥Chase Sapphire Credit Card: annual fee, NO currency conversion fee. Used this in many countries globally.
https://www.referyourchasecard.com/19Q/MDNYO68N38

🔥 Stackry: Shop in the U.S. and have the items shipped internationally.
https://www.stackry.com/register?referral=7118738

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In this episode we chat with Alexandra Talty, an American who has lived on and offline in Italy, the Dominican Republic and Beirut, Lebanon, where she has been based for 4 years now. Over the years Alexandra has taken full advantage of online opportunities available via blogs/blogging, social media platforms, and YouTube.

She maintains a healthy IRL-VRL (online-offline) balance with regular social media fasts and by participating in and hosting online groups that meet in person. She is very honest and candid about her experiences being a foreign, American, female Journalist and all of the advantages and disadvantages those pieces of her identity invite as she works online while living abroad. 

Original publication date: March 5, 2019

 🌍 Tools & resources for living, traveling, and working abroad: https://geopatsabroad.substack.com/p/living-abroad-resources

🛍️ Geopats Abroad Stationary Store: https://geopatsabroad-shop.fourthwall.com/en-eur?utm_source=buzzsprout&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=geopats_shop&utm_content=episode_description

🛠️ Podcast & creator tools I use: https://podcaststeph.substack.com/p/podcast-tools-i-use

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geopatsabroad/

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnfWdoMjmqpcbULZw-hVgew

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Before Google Maps and Instagram, Greg moved from Canada to Thailand with almost no digital safety net. In this conversation, the Bangkok Podcast cohost reflects on what expat life looked like in 2001, from IRC chatrooms and internet cafés to early blogging, Napster, Friendster, and the slow rise of social media.

We also explore how moving abroad changed his relationship with technology, community, and identity online. Greg shares stories about building one of his first blogs from Thailand, navigating life overseas before smartphones, and how platforms like Twitter eventually became essential for expats living far from home.

Along the way, we talk about podcasting, online personas, digital overwhelm, third culture identity, and what it means to stay connected to your home culture while building a life somewhere else.

Listen to hear how one expat’s online world evolved alongside the modern internet itself.

Original publication date: February 12, 2019

 🌍 Tools & resources for living, traveling, and working abroad: https://geopatsabroad.substack.com/p/living-abroad-resources

🛍️ Geopats Abroad Stationary Store: https://geopatsabroad-shop.fourthwall.com/en-eur?utm_source=buzzsprout&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=geopats_shop&utm_content=episode_description

🛠️ Podcast & creator tools I use: https://podcaststeph.substack.com/p/podcast-tools-i-use

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geopatsabroad/

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnfWdoMjmqpcbULZw-hVgew

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Creatrix Tiara went viral and earned major media attention, but online visibility, social media reach, and global audience growth didn’t remove the geographic, financial, and immigration barriers shaping her life abroad. For internationals building careers and communities across countries, her story shows why online communities and digital visibility matter most when they lead to real opportunities, income, access, and belonging.

Creatrix Tiara: https://creatrixtiara.com/

What You’ll Learn About Online Communities, Moving Abroad, and Digital Visibility

• How online communities help internationals find belonging across countries
• How early internet communities built global connections before social media
• Why blogging mattered for activism in Malaysia
• How online connections can create opportunities abroad
• Why going viral and gaining followers don’t guarantee income
• How online vulnerability can generate real-world support
• Why global visibility doesn’t erase geographic and immigration barriers

How Online Communities Help Internationals Find Belonging Abroad

Creatrix Tiara first got online around 1995 in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, when she was about ten. As a teenager who often felt isolated, internet connected her with people, ideas, and creative communities she couldn’t find locally.

She joined GeoCities and fandom communities, eventually building what she remembers as the largest Savage Garden fanfiction archive.

How Blogging Supported Activism and Alternative Education in Malaysia

By around 2004, blogging had become an important outlet in Malaysia for political commentary, activism, and ideas that didn’t always fit traditional media. Tiara later created EducateDeviate, an alternative education blog shaped by her gap year, youth journalism work with The Star, and international experience with Up with People.

It also helped make Tiara an early public voice on gap years in Malaysia.

How Online Communities Create Opportunities Abroad

When Tiara moved to Brisbane in 2006, online connections began shaping her offline life. She found her first residential college through someone she followed on LiveJournal.

Later, after moving to San Francisco for an MFA, online connections helped her find communities she’d previously known through a screen. Online communities helped her build a local life in new countries.

Why Going Viral on Social Media Doesn’t Guarantee Income

In 2014, Tiara wrote an essay criticizing privacy problems on Ello. Within about 24 hours, it went viral, drawing attention from the Washington Post, Vogue, Engadget, Fast Company, and The New Yorker.

But visibility didn’t create the paid opportunities she hoped for. At the time, Tiara had around 6,000 Twitter followers and 2,000 Tumblr followers, while roughly 35 Patreon supporters generated about $150 per month.

“I get a lot of attention, but it doesn't necessarily translate into something tangible.”

Her experience exposes the gap between online attention and conversion: followers, shares, and media coverage can grow without producing stable income or paid work.

How Social Media Vulnerability Can Create Real-World Support

During one overwhelming weekend, Tiara posted that she was struggling with a housing inspection and a performance. Friends pooled money to hire her a cleaner.

That experience shaped her approach to online vulnerability. Sharing can help people respond to a real need, but privacy still matters. As Tiara puts it, “No one is entitled to every part of you.”

Why Global Online Visibility Doesn’t Remove Geographic Barriers

Tiara’s online life stretches from Malaysia to Brisbane, San Francisco, and Melbourne. The internet helped her find housing, creative collaborators, professional networks, and communities across borders.

But international visibility didn’t eliminate immigration restrictions, local industries, financial inequality, or finding paid work. For internationals, your audience can be global while many of the opportunities shaping your life remain stubbornly local.

original publication date:  December 27, 2018

 🌍 Tools & resources for living, traveling, and working abroad: https://geopatsabroad.substack.com/p/living-abroad-resources

🛍️ Geopats Abroad Stationary Store: https://geopatsabroad-shop.fourthwall.com/en-eur?utm_source=buzzsprout&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=geopats_shop&utm_content=episode_description

🛠️ Podcast & creator tools I use: https://podcaststeph.substack.com/p/podcast-tools-i-use

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geopatsabroad/

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnfWdoMjmqpcbULZw-hVgew

Ever get frustrated with how little of the language in your textbooks can be used in real life conversations? Davey, Founder of Popcorn Club in Shanghai, China isn’t. Why not? Because he is too busy enjoying his conversations to care. I asked Davey how he keeps conversations going and here are his top 3 tips for doing so.  ​​More info: https://www.stephfuccio.com/geopatslanguage (https://www.stephfuccio.com/geopatslanguage/26) Support this podcast

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