We had so many listeners send us feedback about Monday's episode on the challenges of maintain long-term friendships when you live abroad for a significant amount of time, so we decided to share a few on this mini-episode. Make sure you listen to Monday's episode first, then tune in to hear what a few of our listeners had to add to the conversation, including a bit of advice from an expat who has been keeping a long-distance friendship alive for almost three decades. ----------------------------...
Mar 17, 2022•11 min•Season 9Ep. 146
When you're a longtime expat, do your friends back home move on? Expats often make friends with other expats in their adopted country. That can be great, but it also means that it's very likely that your new friends will, sooner or later, move away and you'll be back to square one. It's typical, therefore, for expats to consider their friends back home as their "real friends." But do those same friends feel the same way about them? While an expat may consider their childhood friends as their clo...
Mar 14, 2022•27 min•Season 9Ep. 419
If you like podcasts (and we assume you do if you're listening to this one), you know how powerful the human voice can be. While we love getting letters and emails from our listeners—and we often read them on the show—there's something even more special about getting a voice message. Today we share one we recently received from a new mom and expat living in Casablanca, Morocco, telling us a bit about her life and why our show resonates with her. We'd love to hear from you too! Record a message o...
Mar 10, 2022•8 min•Season 9Ep. 145
Formerly close but now estranged siblings, two girls with a passion for swimming in the sea, a death that reveals long hidden secrets, a voice message from beyond the grave, and a tradtional Caribbean cake that ties it all together. These are the ingredients for Black Cake , the bestselling new novel by Charmaine Wilkerson, who joins us on the show today. In this fascinating author interview, we talk about family, memory, identity, loss, secrets, and so much more. Wilkerson reveals her own path ...
Mar 07, 2022•36 min•Season 9Ep. 418
Love medieval mosaics? Then you're in luck as Tiffany continues her Free Art in Rome's Churches series with a mini-episode all about mosaics— which Roman churches they call home. From the Paleochristian mosaics at Santa Costanza to the innovative late-medieval mosaics by Pietro Cavallini in Santa Maria in Trastevere, follow Tiffany on a tour of these glimmering glories of the Middle Ages in Rome. Don't miss Bittersweet Moment #142: Free Art in Rome's Churches: Statues and Bittersweet Moment #139...
Mar 03, 2022•22 min•Season 9Ep. 144
How long do you have to live outside your own country before your patriotism starts to fade? How long do you have to be an expat or immigrant before hearing your home country bashed doesn’t phase you? For Tiffany, the answer is at least more than 17 years. Even though she’s called Italy home for over 17 years now, when she heard someone at the hair salon disparaging the entire population of the US, her dormant mama bear woke up after a long hibernation and bared its teeth. We talk about this lit...
Feb 28, 2022•24 min•Season 9Ep. 417
On Monday we talked about Italian espresso , and what an integral part of Italian culture it is. In the same vein, Katy describes the unique coffee shop culture of Seattle in the 1990s—a far cry from the sterile, uniform, laptop-laden Starbucks of today. In their heyday, Seattle's iconic coffee shops were gritty, smoky, filled with grunge music (often live), and the place where Katy spend many long nights with friends during her teen years. On this mini-episode, she takes you there. ------------...
Feb 24, 2022•10 min•Season 9Ep. 143
What makes Italian espresso different from American coffee? Perhaps more to the point, what makes it better ? And what separates good espresso from great espresso? Today we are joined by author and Italian espresso expert Wendy Pojmann to talk about all things caffè. An American professor and historian, Wendy was in Italy to do research, and every time she stopped for her morning espresso, she realized that what she really wanted to be researching was Italian coffee. The result was Espresso: The...
Feb 21, 2022•27 min•Season 9Ep. 416
Only in Rome can you stumble upon a Michelangelo sculpture in a church hardly any tourists visit. A few weeks ago we talked about some of the most artistically important frescoes and oil paintings that you can find and admire (for free!) in Rome's churches. (Listen here !) Today, Tiffany takes you on another tour of Rome's churches, this time in search of sculptures of high artistic value. Discover exquisite works by Michelangelo, Bernini, and Stefano Maderno and more—all without opening your wa...
Feb 17, 2022•16 min•Season 9Ep. 142
Tiffany gives you the low-down on Rome's neighborhoods, particularly from the expat perspective. Which neighborhoods are the prettiest? Where are they located? How high are the living expenses there and what kind of expat (typically) lives there? Also—what's the most important landmark in each neighborhood and what kind of food can you get there? We answer all these questions and more. If you're planning a move to Rome (or just daydreaming about one), this episode is for you! PS If you're drawn ...
Feb 14, 2022•36 min•Season 9Ep. 415
This week, Tiffany and Aurelio brave the distance learning trenches! What's it like for a six-year-old who has only just started school to attend class via Zoom? How does distance learning in Italy (aka DAD) differ from its American counterpart? But most importantly, what is a testuggine, and why does Aurelio love them so much? We answer these questions on this week's mini-episode. ------------------------------------- ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the wo...
Feb 10, 2022•13 min•Season 9Ep. 141
What does it take to capture the sounds of the world's rich and diverse wildlife? On this extraordinary interview, we are joined by sound and nature recordist Martyn Stewart. Stewart has one of the largest collections of natural sounds in the world, having recorded more than 90,000 different sounds in more than 55 different countries for a total of over 60,000 hours of natural sounds. Stunningly, Martyn reveals that two thirds of what he has recorded is now extinct. He talks about what inspired ...
Feb 06, 2022•46 min•Season 9Ep. 414
What is life like when you grow up in no fixed place and in countries that neither of your parents are from? The term for this kind of person is Third Culture Kid, and longtime listener Chelsea Hicks joins us on this mini-episode to explain what it's like. Not only is Chelsea a Third Culture Kid, but both her father an her partner are as well. She talks about the positive as well as the negative aspects of being a TCK, how being one has affected her life, and if she thinks she'll ever settle dow...
Feb 03, 2022•16 min•Season 9Ep. 140
You've taken your Italian lessons, you've memorized your vocabulary, you've practiced all your most useful phrases. Then you get to Italy...and it all flies out the window. It's a common problem that many language-learners face. But how to get around it? Why can speaking to an Italian in Italy be so much harder than speaking in a classroom setting? Today we are joined by someone who can help with that. Gloria Spagnoli is an Italian teacher who takes a different approach. She has come to understa...
Jan 31, 2022•34 min•Season 9Ep. 413
Wander into one of Rome's hundreds of churches, and you might just find yourself face to face with an artistic masterpiece that, in any other city, would be the main attraction of the city's biggest museum—and would come with a hefty price tag and probably lots of crowds. But in Rome, these works are all around you—if you know where to look. On this mini-episode, Tiffany shares with you some of the most spectacular frescoes and oil painting hidden away in Rome's churches. And the best part? They...
Jan 27, 2022•22 min•Season 9Ep. 139
When the sons of a centuries-old noble Roman family and the American widow of their father, the prince, can't decide who gets to live in the family's priceless villa, a forced auction ensues! Princess Rita, a glamorous American, has been living in her late husband, Prince Nicolò Boncompagni Ludovisi's historic family home, Villa Aurora, since they wed over a decade ago. It was the American princess who insisted that the villa, and its priceless art collection, should not be left to languish unse...
Jan 24, 2022•34 min•Season 9Ep. 412
When you decide to hop a plane to LA and recreate your favorite childhood film with your sisters, you contact the writers and directors and ask if they'd like to meet up. At least, if you're Katy, that's what you do. As a follow-up to Episode 411: A Sisterly Quest to Midnight Madness , Katy and her sisters sit down with David Wechter and Michael Nankin, the writing/directing team behind the cult classic, Midnight Madness (1980). They are also joined by a surprise guest—a member of the cast. Katy...
Jan 20, 2022•14 min•Season 9Ep. 138
Seven years ago, Katy and her sisters—who each live in different states—started gathering once a year for “Sisterfest.” But this year they are doing something different. When they were little girls growing up outside Seattle, they watched a little-known 1980 movie called Midnight Madness . It became a kind of cult classic in their house, and everything about it somehow took on a special meaning. On this Sisterfest, Katy, Dana, and Sara trace all the film’s stops around Los Angeles, complete with...
Jan 17, 2022•26 min•Season 9Ep. 411
We get lots of mail from our loyal listeners and we love reading it! You guys always have the best questions and the most insightful commentary on our episodes. We often get inspired to make entire episodes based on a listener email. On this mini-episode, Katy dives into the mail bag to read some of the most interesting notes we've had in the past month or two. If you have a question, comment, or thought, please share it with us. We love hearing from you! ------------------------------------- AD...
Jan 13, 2022•14 min•Season 9Ep. 137
After the disaster of the last two years, Katy and Tiffany are a bit reluctant to make New Year's Resolutions this year. After all, what will the year be like? If 2021 taught us anything, it's that we can't presume to think we know when (or if) the pandemic will end. Nevertheless, they can't help making just one or two (maximum three!) little tiny ones, just for the sake of tradition. Hear what they are on this episode. ------------------------------------- ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, futur...
Jan 10, 2022•36 min•Season 9Ep. 410
After hearing from Katy's own lips before and after her experience going scuba diving in the frigid waters of the Pacific Ocean in winter, listen to Tiffany's own deep-sea adventure in Sumatra, when she accidentally came face to face with a terrifying sea creature. ------------------------------------- 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 ...
Jan 06, 2022•10 min•Season 9Ep. 136
New Year—new experiences! At least that's the idea. That's the way we used to do it pre-pandemic anyway. On this first episode of 2022, Katy digs back into her vast personal audio archive to relive what it was like to fulfill a rather adventurous New Year's Resolution several years back. Hear her as she prepares to go scuba diving in the frigid winter waters of the Pacific Ocean to get her diving certificate (the outside temperature was a biting 32F that day)! Then, hear her trembling reaction o...
Jan 03, 2022•18 min•Season 9Ep. 409
About a month ago, in Bittersweet Moment No. 129 , you learned about the 24-hour Radio Race, a competition that challenges radio artists to create a 4-minute story based on an assigned theme—in just 24 hours. Katy teamed up with reporter Casey Martin and created a story they titled "The Thirty Year Secret." They share this magical story with you today. This is the story they created based on the theme "Won't you be my neighbor?" Find Casey Martin here . ------------------------------------- ADVE...
Dec 30, 2021•8 min•Season 9Ep. 135
Instead of looking back on the entire year of 2021 (because that might not be too fun), today we look back on the year through the books we read. Find out which we loved best, which surprised us, and which were not as good as we had hoped. PS Listen to this mini-episode to hear what Aurelio read this year. Katy's Books Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead The Lover by Marguerite Duras Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr The Cold Millions by Jess Walter Stoner by John Williams Tiffany's Books The Tale...
Dec 27, 2021•33 min•Season 9Ep. 408
Do you read to your kids? Tiffany an Aurelio read together every night (and sometimes, when the book is especially good, at every meal). Tiffany and Aurelio gather up all the books they read together in 2021, and sit under the Christmas tree to talk about which Aurelio liked best (and why), which he like the least, and which ones perhaps should have waited until he was a bit older. ------------------------------------- ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the wo...
Dec 23, 2021•10 min•Season 9Ep. 134
Tell us your favorite Christmas movie, and we'll tell you what to do in Rome at Christmastime. All alone like Kevin McCallister? Feeling romantic à la Love Actually ? Or are you a regular Grinch this time of year? Whichever iconic holiday film speaks to you, we've got an idea for the perfect Roman activity for you. If you want a list of all the places we mention in this episode, as well as addresses and phone numbers, sign up for our monthly newsletter! Just click here to sign up, or email us at...
Dec 20, 2021•36 min•Season 9Ep. 407
If you listened to A Gift , the charming and heart-warming radio play we aired on Monday, don't miss the short epilogue, which we are airing on today's mini-episode. It is, of course, also by the great team at AudioImagination77 led by Matthew P. Woerner. This touching and bittersweet (no pun intended!) radio play touches on regret, loss, human weakness, redemption, and the comfort of a stranger. And all in the Christmas spirit! WARNING: Don't listen to this episode until you've listened to Epis...
Dec 16, 2021•15 min•Season 9Ep. 133
In the flavor of Its a Wonderful Life , this original radio play is about a mysterious, magical shop where the customer might just find what they long for. When a woman takes a walk on Christmas Eve, she notices a shop she's never seen before—though the owner says it's been open for over 100 years. Why has she never noticed it before? And what amazing discovery will she make there? Turn down the lights and curl up in front of the Christmas tree with this original radio play by Matthew P. Woerner...
Dec 13, 2021•51 min•Season 9Ep. 406
From pandora to panettone and everything in between, follow us a dessert-rich tour of Italy at Christmastime. From Cremona's super-sweet and sticky torrone, to the delightful struffoli famous in Naples, on this mini-episode, Tiffany fills you in on all the traditional Italian holiday desserts that warm us up on cold December nights. ------------------------------------- ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation star...
Dec 09, 2021•14 min•Season 9Ep. 132
How do you dress in Italy so you blend in? No one wants to be pegged as a tourist the moment they step off the plane, so today, in response to a listener question, Tiffany gives her advice on how to dress when in Italy so you'll look more like a local. ------------------------------------- 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 rece...
Dec 06, 2021•27 min•Season 9Ep. 405
