Two Worlds, One Me

My wonderful guest this week is Dora Poni Loro.  Dora's two worlds are South Sudan and Norway. She is a social worker with further studies in trauma-informed care, disclosure of sexual abuse in children and young people, and a master’s degree In child Welfare. She was born in South Sudan and has been living in Norway since 1999, so over 20 years.

Dora is a mother of two. She is a passionate social activist who advocates on issues concerning youth and women empowerment, cross-cultural parenting, migration challenges and active participation and representation of minorities in the Norwegian society.

I first heard Dora when she was a guest in "Thank You, Mama" podcast,  with Ana Tajder. I immediately wanted to talk to her to find out more about her two worlds and how she navigated them.  In this episode, Dora joins me to talk about her childhood in South Sudan, about how she ended up in Norway and how it felt being there in the beginning. We talk about food and share some very delicious recipes. I must try making the Sudanese Aubergine Salad - sounds so yummy!  You will find the full recipe is on twoworldsoneme  Instagram.
Along the way we talk about the importance of being welcomed in the new society and the positive curiosity.

Dora is a very strong and focused woman with a mission. She stands firm in love, dignity, empowerment and full potential for herself and others.

I hope you will enjoy listening to this conversation, just as much as I enjoyed talking to this inspiring woman.

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Here is an interesting article that will tell you more about Dora Poni Loro and her work:
https://diversify.no/women-who-inspire-dora-pino-loro/

Dora Poni’s Profile
linkedin.com/in/dora-poni-loro-02922549

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If you would like to talk to me about your two worlds, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to contact me.  My address is [email protected]

Music thanks to John Bartmann

Thanks for listening!


Music thanks to John Bartmann

What a truly lovely guest in this episode! I am delighted to welcome Tatiana Gibson onto the podcast. Tatiana joins me to talk about her three worlds - Russia, Scotland and Spain (Tenerife). Along the way we discuss her passion for travel & adventure, her love of hot summers and ocean views that she is so grateful for in Tenerife.

Tatiana talks about her love of studying and always learning something new. She is an amazing woman who likes to take up new challenges. Even though her twins keep her very busy, she is currently running courses and workshops in nutritional therapy which has become her new career. Tatiana's highly infectious positivity makes her beam with energy and optimism

Such a wonderful, open-hearted conversation - you will enjoy listening to it.

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linkedin.com/in/tdanilova
https://www.instagram.com/gibova_health

If you would like to talk to me about your two worlds, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to contact me.  My address is [email protected]

Music thanks to John Bartmann

Thanks for listening!


Music thanks to John Bartmann

My guest today is Rosa Bethell, a wonderfully charming education agent.
She joins me to talk about her worlds - Kazakhstan, Russia and England. Along the way, we talk about her childhood in Kazakhstan, growing up "behind the iron curtain" at the time of the USSR, about the loss of her father at a young age, about  her life in Switzerland and why she did not enjoy it as much. Rosa talks about the beauty of Kazakhstan and how, thanks to the Borat movie, people are able to place Kazakhstan on the map. We talk about Kazakh food, traditions, weddings and much more.
It is such a wonderful, open-hearted conversation and I am so grateful to Rosa for sharing her international worlds with me and taking me on a journey through her exciting life.


Rosa's LinkedIn
linkedin.com/in/rosa-bethell-009171104
Or instagram
rosa.bethell
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If you would like to talk to me about your two worlds, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to contact me.  My address is [email protected]

Music thanks to John Bartmann

Thanks for listening!


Music thanks to John Bartmann

Today I welcome the inimitable Maureen Freely who introduces us to her three worlds - the USA, Turkey and England.  What a treat and privilege to have Maureen as my guest.
 
Maureen is a writer with seven novels to her name and many other strings to her bow. She is well-known as a translator of the Turkish Nobel Laureate, Orhan Pamuk. She has also brought into English several classics as well as works by Turkish rising stars.

For many years, she worked as a journalist in London, writing about literature, social justice, and human rights as chair of the translators association. And more recently as a president and chair of English Pen, she has campaigned for writers and freedom of expression, internationally.  She teaches at the university of Warwick.

Maureen talks about her love of languages and of the challenges she faced when she was translating  Orhan Pamuk's Nobel prize winning novel.  Along the way we talk about what it means to be be accepted in a country that is not your own. Maureen is charming, eloquent and profoundly philosophical about life and our place in the world. I absolutely loved recording this episode and hope you enjoy listening to it. What a great guest!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maureen_Freely
https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2017/11/maureen-freely-translator

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If you would like to talk to me about your two worlds, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to contact me.  My address is [email protected]

Music thanks to John Bartmann

Thanks for listening!


Music thanks to John Bartmann

I am very  excited about sharing this great conversation with you. My guest, Jonathan  Hedley,  joins me to discuss his many cultural worlds that include the UK, Italy,  the US and France.
We touch on his childhood - his father was a professional musician. His parents divorced when he was only 6 years old, and he was brought up by his mum and his grandmother.
Along the way  we talk about Newcastle and how it did not inspire Jonathan and as a result he did not feel that it was his home.
We talk about his hitchhiking adventure, when he hitchhiked all the way to Rome, about his first experiences of living in the big, capital city for the first time in his life. The conversation takes to Jonathan's book writing, film-making, acting and much more.
Jonathan is a very charming and extremely likeable  person. He is a romantic soul. He takes us through his ups and downs with his clever and witty way with words. You do not want to miss this episode.

To contact Jonathan:
linkedin.com/in/jonathan-hedley-6678a3122
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If you would like to talk to me about your two worlds, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to contact me.  My address is [email protected]

Music thanks to John Bartmann

Thanks for listening!


Music thanks to John Bartmann

Well, well - you are in for another treat here! My guest today is Ana Tajder, an extremely charming writer, blogger and podcaster. 

She joins me to talk about her three worlds, Croatia, Austria and the US.  We talk about how she and her mum decided to leave what was then Yugoslavia, to find a refuge in Austria where her father already lived and where she joined an international school. We talk about their life at that time, and what inspired her to write her book "Titoland". Our conversation takes us to her podcast "Thank You Mama", which she creates with so much love and passion. This is  a profoundly stimulating conversation and I hope that you will enjoy it as much as I did. Highly relatable. 

To find out more about Ana's work, here is her website:

http://www.tajder.com/books

To contact Ana please send your email to [email protected]

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If you would like to talk to me about your two worlds, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to contact me.  My address is [email protected]

Music thanks to John Bartmann

Thanks for listening!


Music thanks to John Bartmann

In this episode, I bring you Ruth Hughes. Ruth is a positive psychology expert and specialises in cultural shock. She has a particular interest in supporting resilience in those experiencing change, through facilitating a greater understanding of the emotional impact of culture shock on identity.
Ruth has experienced cultural shock herself and she takes us through her very interesting experiences in Zambia, where she lived for over 10 years. She explains the workings of positive psychology and how cultural shock works, its curve and different stages of it. Ruth is a true professional and this very engaging conversation will help you understand better why you feel what you feel when you change cultures.  This is a profoundly stimulating conversation and I am sure that you will enjoy it as much as I did.  Enjoy!

Where to find out more:
Ruth is a director of Curious Human
Ruth's LinkedIn profile linkedin.com/in/ruth-hughes
Email [email protected]

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If you would like to talk to me about your two worlds, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to contact me.  My address is [email protected]

Music thanks to John Bartmann

Thanks for listening!


Music thanks to John Bartmann

In this episode I bring you Din Ghani, an inspiring man whose two worlds take us to Malaysia in the 60s and England. Din is a wonderfully talented  man whose mantra in life is "never miss an opportunity to learn something new".  We talk about his childhood and how he was educated together with Brunei princes. We discuss  his love of Malaysian food,  his passion for  the lute playing, how he taught himself to play the lute and even made his own lute.  You are in for a treat as Din plays "Fantasia" by Francesco da Milano for you,  a very beautiful piece, extremely complex to play. This is a deeply inspirational conversation, with a man who always challenges himself to learn something new.

YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/user/MusickeInTheAyre

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/Musicke.in.the.Ayre/
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If you would like to talk to me about your two worlds, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to contact me.  My address is [email protected]

Music thanks to John Bartmann

Thanks for listening!


Music thanks to John Bartmann

This episode is a little different from my usual episodes - I am joined by my friend Jane who talks to me about my own two worlds. I decided to tell you about my two worlds as many of you have asked me "What about your story? " So here we go, specially for my listeners, I take you to my two worlds - Croatia, or really former Yugoslavia, and England.
We talk about travel and how it broadens your horizons and how you never return to the "old you" after travelling. Along the way we talk about weddings, choosing schools for your children and about cultures in general. Enjoy listening.

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If you would like to talk to me about your two worlds, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to contact me.  My address is [email protected]

Music thanks to John Bartmann

Thanks for listening!


Music thanks to John Bartmann

In today's episode I talk to Ellie Hann. On her travels around the world, Ellie decided to stay in Hong Kong and teach English there. Ellie is a great teacher who enjoys a good challenge. In this episode we talk about how easy it is to find work in Hong Kong, about dragon boat racing, about Hong Kong as a place to live, with all its attractions and challenges. Ellie talks about her newly discovered passion for fitness and how she loves the heat and the sun. Tune in and enjoy this journey to Hong Kong.

Ellie's LinkedIn contact
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellie-hann-18522397/
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If you would like to talk to me about your two worlds, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to contact me.  My address is [email protected]

Music thanks to John Bartmann

Thanks for listening!


Music thanks to John Bartmann