Please note this interview was recorded in August 2020."Uchadi", or "Go away" -- these are the chants echoing through the streets of Belarus almost every day for the past month. The people are protesting against their leader of 26 years, Alekrandr Lukashenko, who's been accused of manipulating the outcome of the presidential election on 9th August. Official results have granted him a sixth term in office, but the Belarusian people are not buying it and are protesting against electoral fraud.

Since August, people have hit the streets every day to show their dissatisfaction and the government hasn’t shied away from using violence to keep them quiet. In vain.

34-year old Olya from Minsk has been protesting regularly since the presidential election results have been revealed. She is employed in the IT industry, leading a team of business analysts.

IT is an important and developing sector in Belarus, bringing the country significant revenue in foreign currency.

Olya is giving us an inside look into what's been going on in the country and shares her hopes and dreams for the future. I hope you enjoy.

It’s been a while since my last isolation series show and while I’d received some wonderful recordings in the last month, unfortunately due to personal reasons I was unable to dedicate the time that I needed to continue with this audio project. Regardless, I still wanted to say thank you to everyone who submitted stories and shared their thoughts on the lockdown with me, thank you to all the listeners for taking the time to connect and write messages to me. They’ve all been very much appreciated.

In the last few weeks, many of the lockdown measures have been lifted and step by step things have been going back to normal. Berlin is quickly coming back to life, it’s like the entire city has woken up from its winter’s rest. It feels good to see the streets fill up with laughter again. That’s the Berlin I was hoping to meet, that’s the Berlin I had imagined – energetic, vibrant and blooming.

And yet, it still feels wrong to me not to wrap up the isolation series with one last submission. That’s why I’d like to share with you the monologue by Lois Down from Scotland. Her story very much feels like a new beginning. She takes a look back on what the last few months have meant to us internally and how they’ve changed the way we perceive life. It sparks positivity for what’s yet to come, which is why it’s a perfect way to end this series. Thank you for everyone who listened, on to the show. This is Lois Downs, I hope you enjoy.

You'll hear from Charlotte in Edinburgh, Scotland, Katharina, an Austrian in Washington, D.C. who works for the International Monetary Fund and Raquel in Andorra, whose grandfather sadly passed away during the Coronavirus pandemic. Music by Chris Haugen.

Listen to Part I here.

Listen to Part II here.

In the second part of the Isolation Series you'll here from Mica from Wales, Moriah, an American living in Madrid and Daniel, an American in Montevideo, Uruguay.

It’s my fifth week in lockdown here in Berlin and I’ve been thinking a lot about my family. My parents who are in Austria have been self-isolating for over a month now. My stepdad hasn’t left the house once because he is part of the group who are more vulnerable to the coronavirus. They are still lucky to have a garden to enjoy the warm days of spring which so many people don’t. Some of my family members live in Russia and my 82-year-old grandmother resides in Belarus, a country whose leader, despite urgent requests to issue a self-Isolation rule, does not even acknowledge the pandemic as an issue in any way. I also have friends all over the globe who are expats and are far away from their loved ones, some are even on different continents.

What is The Isolation Series about?

In the last few weeks I’ve been receiving recordings from people around the world. They’ve been sharing their thoughts on the situation in their country of residence, their daily fears but also the many moments of gratitude that they have been feeling during these strange times. The one thing I’ve learnt while recording stories for this project is that home is so much more than a physical place. It is a feeling, it’s the people we love, it’s the freedom we feel, its the things that we do that make us happy. It’s highly personal. I wonder how these unprecedented circumstances impact our sense of belonging? Have we been forced to redefine it? What does HOME even mean during this global crisis?

In the first episode you'll hear stories from Diane, a Canadian freelancer living in Edinburgh,Katherine, an American writer in Germany,Sophie, a British journalist in New York who’s been reporting on the pandemic daily,& Christiane, a communications specialist from Telfs, Austria who’s been isolated alone in her flat.This is Stories from Isolation Part I. I hope you enjoy.

We've been going through some hectic times these last few weeks due to the corona virus pandemic

In 2012 I spent six months in Costa Rica doing voluntary service at my local school. I haven’t been back to the country since, but I still think back filled with nostalgia. I remember the warmth of the ticos, the thick hot air and the rich greenness at every corner. One time this February I spoke on the phone to one of my former students, the 20-year-old Justin, who aspires to become a big name in fashion photography. We stayed in touch over the years, so I called him up one evening to do an interview. We spoke about many things…How his bicultural background influences his work, why he thinks art is not valued in Costa Rica, why he should have followed his gut when choosing a career and how despite his struggle with mental health he never stopped doing art. This is the first time that Justin and I see and talk to each other in almost a decade. A situation that is doomed to be awkward…or is it? Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. You'll have to listen to figure it out. I hope you enjoy.

This show features Elke Schilling, the founder of Berlin's Silbernetz hotline for people over 60 who are feeling lonely and need someone to talk to. We talk the traumatic experience that inspired Schilling to launch this initiative, the stigma of age and loneliness as well as the main reasons why people call the hotline. This Christmas, Silbernetz launches for the whole of Germany - they are available from 24.12 - 1.1.2020, 24/7 under the phone number: 0800 4 70 80 90.

Music by E's Jammy Jams.

The show "Between Two Islands" features the Irish writer, teacher and musician Bronagh Slevin. I interviewed Bronagh on a secluded, little beach in a small Sicilian town called Milazzo, where we spent the entire afternoon talking about the wonderful adventures of her life whilst listening to the sounds of waves in the background.

Bronagh began her story by sharing personal details about growing up during The Troubles, her early desire to travel, which was propelled by her love for languages, and feeling a strong connection to water wherever she goes. Bronagh also tells how it takes balls to live in Sicily and reveals the key to finding your own place in a male-dominated mindset of the island. In spite of her initial struggle to adapt, she feels more at home in Sicily than ever. How did she manage to move past her loneliness? And why is Sicily Italy at its most for her? Make sure to listen until the end to find out.

This conversation was incredibly interesting and enriching. I emailed Bronagh after reading an article of hers online, she wrote back, and there we were: recording her story on a beach in the north-east of Sicily. I hope you enjoy. I surely did. Music by Bronagh Slevin.

A show about the Viennese singer Syannah. The 22-year-old speaks about self-doubt, how self-development courses helped her to go after her dream and the unrealistic expectations women face in the music industry. I sat down with the young songwriter to find out how she overcame her fears and societal expectations to achieve her goal. Besides, she shares why authenticity and being honest with her audience is what she wants to be remembered as, why Rachel Platten is her hero and how being on stage is the closest she's ever felt to being at home.Music credits: SyannahPhoto credit: Tobias Dellit

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