How to be Local

Have you ever been completely fluent in a language and still felt like something was getting lost between your brain and your mouth? In this episode we get into one of the most relatable but rarely talked about parts of living abroad: what happens to you when you have to live your life in a language that isn't yours. We talk about feeling like a smaller, quieter, less funny version of ourselves, why saying "te amo" hits completely different than "I love you," and the science behind why your body literally responds less to emotions in a foreign language.

What we cover:

• Living inside three languages at once and what that does to your brain
• Why words don't always survive the translation (and the story of how Vicky accidentally insulted Diego's haircut)
• Feeling like a different person depending on which language you're speaking
• The science of reduced emotional resonance in a second language
• Why your mother tongue carries emotional weight that a foreign language never will

One moment we loved:"You're not just learning a new language. You're learning how to be yourself in a completely different emotional framework."

New episodes every Friday on Spotify.

Come find us on Instagram @howtobelocal_

Can long distance actually work?

The short answer is yes.

The honest answer is: only if you both show up for it.

In this episode, we get real about what it actually takes to survive a long distance relationship as expats and intercultural couples. One of us spent one year and six months apart from her now husband during the pandemic, building an entire relationship through phone calls and late night video chats. The other had just started dating someone new and had to figure out how to stay connected from a completely different country.

But this episode goes beyond just our personal stories.

We also dive into the psychology behind why long distance feels so hard, including why your brain goes into panic mode when your partner does not text back fast enough and what attachment theory actually has to do with it.

Spoiler: it is not you being dramatic. Your nervous system is just doing its job.

Plus the tips that actually worked for us:

• How to build a communication rhythm that does not feel like a chore.
• Why comfortable silence on a video call is actually a green flag.
• The power of always having your next visit on the calendar.
• Why you absolutely cannot put your whole life on hold while you wait for the distance to end.
• And the one thing that will make or break any long distance relationship, expat or not.

If you are in a long distance relationship right now, about to start one, or just ended one and need to understand what happened, this episode is for you. We are not here to romanticize it. We are here to talk about it the way your most honest friend would.

Come find us on Instagram at @howtobelocal_ and tell us your long distance story. We want to hear from you.

Welcome to How to Be Local, the podcast for anyone who's ever packed up their life and moved to a country that wasn't theirs. In our very first episode, hosts Fernanda and Vicky share their stories: a Brazilian who moved to Canada for love, and a German that came to Brazil for… well, a surf trip that changed everything. They get real about what Instagram doesn't show you: the loneliness, the friendships that fade, the homesickness that hits over something as simple as bread, and why they created this podcast in the first place.

Topics covered:

• ​How Fernanda and Vicky each ended up living abroad
• ​The emotional reality of moving abroad (beyond the paperwork and the aesthetics)
• ​Making friends as an adult in a new country, and why it's harder than you expect
• ​Losing touch with friends back home and the FOMO that comes with it
• ​Language barriers in intercultural relationships

"Moving to a new country will humble you very fast and it's not the paperwork that hits you the hardest. It's the emotional part."

Find us on Instagram: @howtobelocal_