The Observer Effect

The Observer Effect

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The Observer Effect episodes

  • 86 A Forlorn Émigré—Guantanamo, Where Alanka Can't Talk About
    Alanka could only briefly share a few impressions of Cuba, but the real story is how he and his family got out, and even better what happened in Japan. I asked how these places shaped him ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders.  Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé.
    Join the Observer Effect Kiva Team→ at Kiva.org
    "All the interest we had felt in the place was gone, and we only wanted to get away."
    —John L. Stephens
    34 min
  • 85 The Tear, the Kick, and L'Abri—Malta, Where Marsh Grew Up
    Marsh spent decades smuggling Bibles behind the Iron Curtain. We met at L'Abri, a quiet home in the English countryside, where people come to sort out their questions about God. I asked what was the most memorable ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders.  Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé.
    Join the Observer Effect Kiva Team→ at Kiva.org
    "Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na doine."
    57 min
  • 84 Even at a Distance—Where Hajar Would Like to Go
    Hajar has never traveled. I asked what her dream trip would be ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders.  Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé.
    Join the Observer Effect Kiva Team→ at Kiva.org
    "How curiously one is changed by the addition, even at a distance, of a friend."
    —Virginia Woolf
    33 min
  • 83 The Online Student—London, Where Mohammad and I Met Up
    Mohammad flew to London from Kuwait while I was there, so we had coffee together. I asked if he likes to travel ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders.  Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé.
    Join the Observer Effect Kiva Team→ at Kiva.org
    "It is only when you meet someone from a different culture from yourself that you begin to realise what your own beliefs really are."
    —George Orwell
    13 min
  • 82 The Good Host—Fügen, Where Eliska Runs Haus Sonneneck
    Eliska realized her dream of living in the mountains year after year, and the result is one of the best Airbnb locales in the world. I asked what effect meeting so many fascinating travelers has had on her ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders.  Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé.
    Visit Haus Sonneneck→
    Listen to Orry in Episode 30→
    Listen to Hitoshi in Episode→
    Listen to Amin in Episode 55→
    Join the Observer Effect Kiva Team→ at Kiva.org
    “The good host is not merely polite to the guest—the good host assumes that the guest has stories to tell.”
    —Parker Palmer
    18 min
  • 81 The Hipster Doctor—Russia, Where Onur Camped for the First and Last Time
    Onur had a lot to say about his appearance that I lost when I deleted the first part of our conversation in another "slight" episode. I asked why he came to Belize ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders.  Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé.
    Join the Observer Effect Kiva Team→ at Kiva.org
    "Now I must bore you with certain abstract things, but I hope you will listen patiently to them."
    —Vincent Van Gogh
    18 min
  • 80 The Viking—Thailand, Where Torleif Eats, Eats, Eats
    Torleif is a self-proclaimed Viking. I asked what he thought of the food in Thailand in another "slight" episode ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders.  Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé.
    Join the Observer Effect Kiva Team→ at Kiva.org
    "I am all of the people I have met."
    —Jorge Luis Borges
    7 min
  • 79 El Payaso—Argentina, Where Camiseta Worked for Five Minutes
    Camiseta plays accordion in Buenos Aires every weekend. This is the first of a series of "slight" episodes, encounters I recorded that may not warrant a full treatment but deserve to be heard nonetheless—or seen in this case. Click the link below to watch a video version of Camiseta with subtitles on our Facebook page. I asked whether he travels a lot ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders.  Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé.
    Watch the subtitled video of Camiseta→ on our Facebook page: https://facebook.com/theobservereffect/
    Join the Observer Effect Kiva Team→ at Kiva.org
    "Globalization has a way of tinting its holdouts in a romantic glow."
    —Stephen Metcalf
    5 min
  • 78 The Scrumptious Simoom—Bethlehem, Where Flic Sheltered at an Inn
    Flic had nowhere to sleep when a sandstorm overtook her in Bethlehem. I asked what it was like living in China ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders.  Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé.
    Join the Observer Effect Kiva Team→ at Kiva.org
    "It is required of [everyone] that the spirit within them should walk abroad among [their] fellow [people], and travel far and wide."
    —Charles Dickens
    21 min

About The Observer Effect

From the publisher's feed

These are strangers' travel stories. Each time I ask how travel has changed them and hope listening like this evaporates borders.