That International Life

While in the States, I visited Colorado and spent some time with a family that is very dear to my heart. One evening I sat down with the two youngest members, Natalie and Emily for an interview.  This podcast is like no other before it as a 13 and 16 year old share embarrassing stories, laughs,  life struggles and how Natalie has dealt with big health issues.  Listen, laugh and be encouraged!

After a long break it's great to be back to recording!  In this podcast I sit down with my friend Paulina, a university student from Warsaw and we discuss everything from cockroaches, her studies,  traveling and cancer and how all these things helped shape her perspective on life. Check it out and please take a moment and rate the podcast on Apple podcasts or sound cloud and share it with a friend!

In this episode I have the privilege of sitting down with Nguyen, a fellow foodie and talking about food, life, where she is from and where she is going. I love episodes like this one, when I know very little about the person I am talking with.  I wasn't sure what would come out of this conversation and I am very happy with the end results.  Nguyen was a fun guest, easy to talk to and I didn't have to do any editing!  That is always amazing. :) I asked her if I could take a picture of us in her kitchen, but she got so stressed out by how dirty it was so we opted out.  Ha, I should have taken a picture to post because if that is dirty I need to stop writing now and go clean my kitchen! Feel free to write me at Rachel@thatinternationallife.com with comments and please rate the podcast on apple podcasts or soundcloud.  If you have any new name suggestions for Nguyen, I will accept those as well (listen to the podcast to fully understand).

Panny shares with me a portion of her journey and how she found new life in Poland.        Even as she grew up in an atheist home in China she says, deep down she has always known there was a God, there was something more than just us.       Listen in to hear how she discovered what the something else was and how her discovery is changing her from the inside out.

The day before Miree and her husband left Poland (after an 8 month stay) to start their long trip back home to New Zealand I was able to sit down with her and hear about her life, thoughts, accomplishments, plans, and dreams.   We talk about everything from how many sheep are in New Zealand to the importance of foster care in society.          She also shares how she will soon live just down the road from the Shire (Hobbiton)!  Who knew that it was an actual place?  Well, I am sure all you Lord Of The Rings fans did.      If you have any questions for Miree, comments about the podcast or if you have a suggestion for a future interview please email me at Rachel@thatinternationallife.com

Ashleigh and John's relationship began in the US at the University of Idaho.  This normal college scenario had some unique hurdles for these two though as Ashleigh is from Australia and John from Idaho.  Listen and find out how they finally were able overcome these obstacles and be together (in Poland) and also hear a bit about their individual stories!

What a privilege to get to know Kev Barton and hear about his many talents and how his career has taken various twists and turns.  I only regret that we didn't get to talk more because I have heard some other awesome stories from him!  Hopefully he will be a return guest and share more with us, but on this podcast we discuss his work in electrical engineering, touring with bands all over the world, teaching, chocolate making,  owning a coffeeshop, and the list goes on... listen to hear more and check out the pictures at www.thatinternationallife.com of some of the wedding cakes and chocolates that he made during his "chocolate days".

And other profound questions answered by Becky from the UK.  :) Had a great time chatting with Becky about what brought her to Poland, her song choices for the Ladies English Camp, how she met her husband and of course her thoughts on Brexit!

What a great opportunity to have author Laura Wilson on the podcast and talk about her most recent book, "Strength to Run: Hope and Strength in the Race of Suffering."  We discuss her book, her battle with cancer and how God lead her to write this book.

Having someone actually in the studio is great!  I sat down with Igor and talked about his hobby, Street Photography.  He is a talented photographer and also has an interesting perspective on cultures and languages.  I really enjoyed this interview and look forward to following his career! Check out the show notes at www.thatinternationallife.com and see some pictures and get the link to follow him on Flickr.

In 2001, when I received the news from the Bible School that I would be attending in the fall that I would have a roommate from California I was pretty disappointed.  I didn't want a California girl for a roommate but there wasn't much I could do about it.  Much to my surprise and delight Kate Neubert was not the valley girl I was expecting!  She grew up in Northern California on a ranch, learning the horse trade from her dad.  She was and is one of the hardest working and humble people I know!  Over the years she has encouraged, challenged and helped me become a better person.  I know I can rely on her and go to her whenever I need some good sound advice or a listening ear.  I know I am not the only one she has affected in this way!        She recently has had the opportunity to travel for work, she was in Australia and on her way to France she stopped in Poland for almost two weeks.  It was great to have her here, to catch up and to show her around this country I now call home.       This recording is short and not the best quality, due to the fact that we were recording in my noisy little car but I think that only adds to it!  Hopefully you don't find it too distracting and enjoy listening to a quick chat with Kate Neubert!  :)  Check out the pictures below!

My 15 year old nephew Noah, his grandpa and cousin traveled to Europe in May.  I flew to Ireland with my roommate, Edyta and spent a weekend with them.  It was great to see him, to hear about his first impressions of Europe and spend just spend some quality time together.  If you want to hear his thoughts listen to the podcast and see the pictures at www.thatinternationallife.com of our many adventures!

I met Micheline during my CELTA course (a course in how to teach English as a second language) in Wrocław, Poland. She was in my group and I am so thankful she was! Not only was she able to explain things that I didn't understand (which was a lot) and proofread my papers, she also is funny and therefore made the course bearable and entertaining. The more we hung out the more impressed I was with her list of accomplishments in her life thus far, listen to the podcast to hear more! Also, check out the pictures below and the video of her singing with her band. Check the band out on Facebook as well, 'Harder Than Walking'.

I was able to sit down with Syla and talk about her desire to help end human trafficking. She has been studying over the years and shares what she has learned and encourages us to get involved! Syla does a good job of reminding us all that we need to get involved where we are. Which might simply mean learning more about the problem and starting the conversation with those around us. The best solution is prevention.

Guest Leah from makingtheworldalittlesmaller.com Leah had a goal to move out of the United States from the age of twelve. She wanted to find a place where she fit in, she wanted to see the world! She currently lives in Slovakia and on this podcast she shares some of her experiences of living abroad and a bit about why she moved away. If you have any questions or have any travel advice you would like to share or would like to hear more embarrassing stories about Leah's language learning experiences, write to Rachel@thatinternationallife.com

I sat down today with Anna from... well I am not going to tell you! :) About three minutes into the podcast you do find out where she is from, but since she doesn't have a specific accent I thought it would be great if you all could try and guess first. So, let me know if you guessed correctly or where you thought she was from - Rachel@thatinternationallife.com! It was great to hear about Anna's adventures in language learning and teaching. She has an amazing talent for languages and with people. Listen to hear how she is using both those talents to impact the lives of asylum seekers! Listen, enjoy and share with your friends!

What do you do when your heart says one thing but your mind says another? Well, that is what Natalia and I talked about on this episode. She is preparing to go to South America for work and yet she just started seeing a great guy who she met on Tinder (dating app) of all places! This was a really fun podcast to record for me as we were recording in a train station. I thought after carrying all the recording stuff around all day we weren't going to have the opportunity to record BUT thankfully I missed my train!

On this podcast I had the privilege of hearing my friend Ligia's story. She was born in Guatemala and adopted at the age of nine and moved to the US. She shares with me her story and experiences along the way. Check it out!

Gabby moved from Poland to Flagstaff, AZ to attend her senior year of high school. She shares how and why she moved to Flagstaff, some interesting family history that brought her family to Flagstaff and of course some cultural observations!

After talking with Jennifer Ellis, I must say I am pretty excited about the work she is involved in! She works for Elizabeth's New Life Center in Dayton, Ohio as the manager of Women's Center-Kettering. In this episode she shares about how she began working at the center, some of the services the center offers and even how you can get involved! Check out the resources below and enjoy the podcast!

The Grand Canyon Deer Farm is located in Northern Arizona, it is a petting zoo that began in 1969 but our story begins in 1972 when Randy and Pat George, the current owners of the Deer Farm were dating. In this episode you will hear about why they bought the Grand Canyon Deer Farm and some of the ups and downs along the way. Pat's love for the animals and people is evident as she shares about the last twenty nine years she and her husband have owned the farm.

Dharma has traveled extensively, and even lived on several different continents, her first solo trip was an international flight when she was four and half years old! In this podcast you will hear a bit of her life story and also some of the things she learned along the way! Write to Rachel@thatinternationallife.com with comments or visit the website www.thatinternationallife.com and check out the show notes!

I enjoyed talking to Karen Copely as she shared about her love for hiking, why she started hiking and some adventures she's had along the way! Whether you have never been hiking, you are an avid hiker or somewhere in-between there is something here for you! Unfortunately after listened to the recording I noticed that the connection wasn't always clear, but don't let that stop you from listening and maybe even learning!

I am thankful for a good FaceTime connection last week so I could discuss with Steffi Krull the research she is doing on the expulsion of Germans from Poland after World War II when the borders were redrawn. Steffi is a PhD Candidate in European History at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia and currently conducting research in Berlin, Germany. She shares just a fraction of what she has been studying, but I believe you will, as I did, learn something you didn't know before!

This week I am "in the field" so the recording is a little rough but I was so thankful to finally get to sit down and hear Kasia Frys' story first hand. In junior high she began playing volleyball, her love for volleyball grew even when she was told that she didn't have the right body type to be a great player. She ate, slept and breathed volleyball until one seemingly small accident changed the course of her future and continues to teach her lessons she wasn't necessarily keen on learning.

I had a chance to sit down and talk with my friend Otavio, from Brazil. He has been in Poland for a few years, speaks great Polish and in this episode he shares (in English:)a bit about why he moved to Poland, Polish immigration to Brazil, and a bit about Brazilian culture. I am sure, as I did, you will learn something you didn't know about Brazil!

Sunny Yoon is an amazing and talented pianist. She began playing at the age of four and attended a special arts school in Seoul, Korea. Her life revolved around performances and practices and her future was set at a young age, she was to go to a top university to become a renowned pianist. She had prepared for her final performance for months, well technically since she was four, the music was memorized, she new what she must do, and yet the unexpected happened during her final exam!

I had the opportunity to hear a crazy story from Jasmine Kolano, a sophomore at Azusa Pacific in California. She is half Singaporean half Polish and she is currently in Poland for the first time in her life! When she blew out her candles on her last birthday she made a seemingly impossible wish and within a few days it came true! Find out what she wished for, and how it changed her life when you listen to the full episode. Also she shared her observations on Polish culture and how she has been working and serving in Poland.

Due to some special guests being sick and not being able to record you will hear a friend interview me! She asks me some questions about life in Poland, Polish and of course my dog Alex.

After losing her father to a heart attack and her mother to cancer Skye Seumptewa walked away from the church that she had grown up in and sought consolation from the pain and depression in friends, drugs, and alcohol. The choices she made and the friends she kept often came in contradiction with the persistent nagging of her conscience to "get her life together". Each time her life became seemingly more stable, depression would creep in, an unexpected encounter with the law, a new drug, or the overwhelming feeling of being completely unloved would lead her back into a life of self medication and isolation. This pattern continued for over six years until she found herself in a Colorado jail for five months. In the beginning she railed against the injustice of her circumstances but it was there in that outwardly hopeless situation that she found the hope, peace, and forgiveness that she had been so desperately searching for all those years. Listen and find encouragement as Skye shares her story first-hand.

I had the privilege of hearing Kira's story of how she, her husband and her dog moved from Ukraine to Poland and why. Listen to hear a personal story of real life in Ukraine during the revolution.