The Bittersweet Life

In the lead up to Thanksgiving, Katy and Tiffany muse on the inevitable missing out on important holidays and events that comes with being a far-away expat. And the annual November dilemma: do I make the effort to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, or do I just skip it?

In addition, in light of the numerous losses of loved ones they have both been through in recent years, they discuss the difference between being "home" when someone important passes, and having the opportunity to process it as part of a community, as opposed to going through it alone and far away.

To lighten the mood and get ready for the holiday, they reminisce abut funny Thanksgiving memories, and attempt to tell a few Turkey Day jokes (prepare to groan).

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BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

DONATE: Prefer a one-time donation? Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured!

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Do you love opera? Hate it? Indifferent? Give Tiffany the length of a mini-episode and you might finding yourself warming to it.

Tiffany tells how she fell in love with opera at age 12, and how her passion for the art form goes hand in hand with her passion for Italy and the Italian language. She also explains where to start your exploration of opera (in a word: Puccini).

Music featured on this episode:

O Mio Babbino Caro from Gianni Schicchi by Puccini (with Kiri Te Kanawa)

Dunque è proprio finito...? from La Bohème by Puccini (with Mirella Freni and Luciano Pavarotti)

Va Pensiero from Nabucco by Verdi (with the chorus of Teatro dell'Opera di Roma)

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ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

DONATE: Prefer a one-time donation? Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured!

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Mike Shaw recently moved to Bali after eleven years in Beijing. So far, it has been a hard move. On this week's episode, he chats with Katy about why he decided to leave an adopted city he loves so much, and what he's discovered about himself in the process.

He also talks about getting a clear "call" to move abroad, and how when he first arrived in China, everything seemed to just fall in to place, and it quickly became clear that he was exactly where he was supposed to be—synchronicity, perhaps? Flash forward to Bali, and although he loves it there too, he's not having the same experience this time around.

Lastly, remarks upon the differences between digital nomads and settled expats, as well as what he considers to be the false distinctions made between expats and migrants.

Check out Mike's podcast Migratory Patterns and listen to his recent episode in which he interviews Katy.

You can find Mike on Twitter.

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ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

DONATE: Prefer a one-time donation? Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured!

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Paul Theroux is back! This time, live onstage.

If you loved Monday's double-header episode featuring an in-depth interview with legendary travel writer Paul Theroux, tune in to this week's mini-episode to hear a snippet of his live stage interview with Katy at Town Hall Seattle.

Paul reveals the one thing you should never do when you are about to take off on adventure. He also shares some of the things that most surprised and fascinated him about his travels in Mexico.

Grab a copy of his new book On the Plain of Snakes: A Mexican Journey.

And don't forget to listen to the full interview in Episode {PAUL THEROUX} Part One and Part Two.

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ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

DONATE: Prefer a one-time donation? Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured!

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

World-famous travel writer Paul Theroux joins us again for the continuation of this fascinating discussion. In Part 2, Theroux weighs in on the cult of social media, and how much of the travel posts we see on Instagram are the antithesis of travel writing. How authentic travel writing tries to get at the truth of a place—even if it's not beautiful. He also shares his views on the expat community—it might not be what you expect.

He comments on his so-called irascibility and why he has often been accused of being a grumpy traveler.

He describes how to write about a place that is seen through your eyes without making it all about yourself.

Lastly, he describes the main differences he notices traveling now as opposed to 50 years ago, and where in the US a privacy- or solitude-seeking person could move without spending a fortune.

Grab a copy of Theroux's latest book, On the Plain of Snakes, A Mexican Journey here. ----------------------------------------

ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

DONATE: Prefer a one-time donation? Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured!

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Legendary travel writer Paul Theroux joins us this week for a candid, backstage interview delving into his five decades spent traveling the world and writing about it.

He delves into what brought him to traveling and to writing, and how those two things are inexorably linked, at least for him. He remarks on why he thinks that growing up in a big family helped teach him how to be a good traveler. He also explains what it means to travel "close to the ground" and offers advice on how to do so (and why you would want to).

Grab a copy of Theroux's latest book, On the Plain of Snakes, A Mexican Journey here.

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ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

DONATE: Prefer a one-time donation? Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured!

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Dying to move to Italy? Be forewarned: renting over here is a bit different than it is back home.

On this mini-episode, Tiffany lists some of the oddest and most unexpected aspects of renting an apartment in Italy, and how to navigate the Italian rental market without losing your mind (or getting conned).

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ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

DONATE: Prefer a one-time donation? Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured!

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Since moving back to the states from Rome in 2014, Katy has flit around the country, moving from Seattle to New Orleans to San Francisco and back again. A common occurrence in repats who struggle to find their place in the world after living abroad.

Perhaps that's why it's extra shocking that Katy has decided to put down roots in a major way. In other words, she has bought a house. Does that mean she'll never move abroad again? Listen to this week's episode to find out.

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ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

DONATE: Prefer a one-time donation? Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured!

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

In honor of Halloween, today's mini-episode features a snippet from Katy's most controversial NPR story ever recorded.

Listen in to hear an interview that is equal parts, gruesome, disturbing, and adorable.

And let us know what you think about it—is it wrong or just hilarious?

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ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

DONATE: Prefer a one-time donation? Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured!

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Self-described dead body enthusiast and corpse geek, Caitlin Doughty joins us this week for a fascinating discussion about all things death. Doughty is quite possibly the most famous mortician on the internet, and her new book Will my Cat Eat my Eyeballs? and Other Questions from Tiny Mortals about Death, is a light-hearted but honest discussion of things many people would like to know about death, but are afraid to ask (lucky for us, kids are not afraid to ask).

Caitlin recounts her own earliest experiences with death, and whether or not she believes they had any impact on her choice of a profession. She talks about some of the hardest things about her job as a mortician—it's probably not what you'd think—and also describes some of the surprising benefits on her own life about working so closely with death.

Bonus: she answers a few of her young interlocutors' questions, such as: What happens if you die on a plane? For more fascinating facts about death, make sure to pick up a copy of her book. In addition, visit her website The Order of the Good Death, a non-profit death acceptance organization that aims to help people overcome their fear of death, and be sure to check out her web series, Ask a Mortician on YouTube.

Find Caitlin Doughty on Instagram, Facebook , and Twitter.

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ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

DONATE: Prefer a one-time donation? Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured!

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!