The World As We Know It

The grassy plains of Mongolia welcome the World As We Know It this week as Keke hosts an episode about our largest empire, coldest nation, and perhaps the most interesting flag so far! Join us as we march with the Great Khan, hear some traditional Mongolian throat singing, and discuss Soviet-era politics.

Find Keke and Brad amongst the Kiwis this week as the World podcast travels to the realm of New Zealand! Hear about the Maori peoples, the All Blacks, the Common Wealth woes, and the Highs of the modern era. Brad hosts but Keke comes to the pronunciation rescue more times than we could count.

The Czech Republic goes through more phases then Brad in Middle School! The 1900's see 3 different Czechoslovak Republics, a foreign occupation, a socialist state, and a partridge in a pear tree. Keke adds color commentary to the complex political structures explained by Brad as TWAWKI wraps up the Czech History and fills you in on what we have been up to since October!

Better Late than Never! The fabled Halloween Episode of the World As We Know It has been salvaged from the spooky depths of Keke and Brad's Fall Semester. Let's talk Bohemia, the Holy Roman Empire, and Central Europe!

Mexico Part II is here! Keke and Brad complete the history of Mexico from 1800 until the present day and launch into cultural discussion. Your favorite segment, the Flag Corner, makes a triumphant return! The classic rapport between the two hosts brings an enormous, complex, and richly cultured country to completion.

The World As We Know It tackles our second "major" country with Mexico! A two-parter, episode one will cover the snapshot, our intial discussion and familiarity ratings, and Mexican history from prehistory until the 1800's. Keke is our host for the first installment and leads us through the Yucatan and into the dense web of Mayan and Aztec civilization.

Keke and Brad make port at the second pair of Caribbean Islands and another Western Hemisphere nation with St. Kitts and Nevis! Learn what Kitts is short for, why the musical Hamilton owes everything to Nevis, and how grumpy Brad is in the mornings.

Angola is our third nation on the continent of Africa and our first in Southern Africa! Keke is your host to both a historical narrative featuring fierce national identity and modern political struggles. Angola faces many challenges as a nation and offers a fantastic opportunity for deeper discussion.

Lebanon boasts some of the oldest recorded history in the world. Not only that, but it is one of the most religiously diverse countries in the Middle East and home to incredibly unique sects of beliefs. All these elements spell a very in-depth and enlightening journey for Keke and Brad!

In the news because of recent student protests and human rights controversies, Bangladesh is an important episode for Keke and Brad. The first foray into the Indian subcontinent, Bangladesh is an immensely populated, historically puzzling, and geographical unique country. Join the The World As We Know It on an audio tour of a nation on rise and looking to the future.

The World As We Know It travels to South America to visit the land-locked nation of Paraguay! Keke and Brad welcome a guest host, our friend Tom, who has worked and lived in Paraguay as a Peace Corps volunteer. His insights and anecdotes help our historical narrative and cultural discussion to reach new, and meaningful, heights.

Oceania is a treasure trove of history and culture that neither Keke nor Brad are familiar with. Fiji is the first episode tackling this fascinating region and a unique country. Bonus: Another stop by the fireside to indulge in the Linguist's Armchair!

Keke and Brad are joined by the first guest host on TWAWKI! Our friend Sher stops by to help us cover the culture and history of Tajikistan while also sharing personal anecdotes and stories about his life.

The World As We Know It makes its first stop in Europe with the nation of Montenegro. Brad hosts and guides us through the historical timeline while Keke welcomes a brand-new segment about linguistics! Witty Banter and Hot Takes galore.

Our first Central American country and second country in the Western Hemisphere is Guatemala! Keke hosts a fantastic episode with ancient history and empires and 20th century controversy.

Brad and Keke tackle the podcast's first major economic and cultural powerhouse country with Japan! Keke hosts and delivers a comprehensive overview of the history of Japan followed by discussion centered around cultural impacts and society. Nerdy backstories involving anime and Pokemon are revealed.

The Republic of Yemen features in episode four with both a history stretching back into antiquity and a bevy of modern challenges happening every day. With a revolution underway we attempt to highlight the culture of Yemen while discussing political struggle and humanitarian crises.

The World As We Know It makes its first appearance in Southeast Asia with the Lao People's Democratic Republic. An in-depth historical timeline leads into fantastic discussion of identity and life in the different regions of Laos.

The World As We Know It travels to West Africa and features the country of Cote d'Ivoire! A lengthy episode that tackles early West African empires, French colonialism, independence movements, and modern developments. Listen to Brad butcher French names and give personal anecdotes - Keke keeps him in line.

Episode Two departs from an ancient nation and arrives at the youngest country in the world! South Sudan faces on-going civil war and developing a unique cultural identity in the midst of conflict.

The third country on our world tour is the island nation of Antigua and Barbuda in the Caribbean. We discuss the optimism, upbeat culture, and exciting traditions of the Antiguan and Barbudan people.

A short intro episode where we introduce ourselves as hosts and explain the format of an episode for the podcast!

Our first episode ever takes us to The Republic of Afghanistan! Host Keke leads the discussion with a historical timeline and discussion includes shedding our American preconceptions and navigating complicated modern developments.