The Expat Repat Podcast

For this week's mini episode, I read three blog posts (one of which was later taken down by me) that touch on my feelings of dismay surrounding American politics. I have tried to avoid politics, both on Swiss Lark and this podcast, like the plague because I felt so attacked and misunderstood in the months that followed the 2016 election that I went silent on the topic. It's only gotten worse as time has gone on and I do not want to remain silent on this topic anymore. From speaking with guests who have lived throughout socialist countries to varying degrees across Europe, I have come to believe that we share a view and perspective as repats that isn't necessarily shared or understood by our fellow countrymen. So, for better or worse, I am sharing these blog posts that explored my feelings and reactions in the months following the 2016 election. I hope it is for the better, and impeachment day, an historical and rather sad day for America, seems like a fitting day to share them. I don't see this becoming a regular theme, either here or on Swiss Lark, but for what it's worth on this significant day of impeachment. Links from today's episode: The House's Sad, Predictable, Partisan and Historic Impeachment of Donald Trump, from The New Yorker, December 18, 2019: https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-trumps-washington/the-houses-sad-predictable-partisan-and-historic-impeachment-of-donald-trump On Leaving Facebook: http://www.swisslark.com/2017/01/on-leaving-facebook.html On This January Day: http://www.swisslark.com/2017/01/on-this-january-day.html Join the Expat Repat mailing list: https://forms.gle/6Y3644HCqaWCwBfA8 Follow me on Instagram: www.instagram.com/expatrepat Follow the Expat Repat Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/expatrepatpod/ Join the Expat Repat Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/expatrepat Read my blog, Swiss Lark: www.swisslark.com If you have an idea for an episode, or would like to be a guest on the show, please email me on expatrepat@gmail.com or reach out on Twitter @expatrepat. Consider becoming a Patreon member at www.patreon.com/expatrepat and don't forget to subscribe, rate AND review wherever you get your podcasts. Of course, share with your friends. Thank you for listening!

Katia is an experienced expat, coach and speaker. Her advice is essential for first time expats, seasoned expats and repeats alike. She walks you through the critical preliminary decision making stages using 5 core principles as guideposts. Katia and I talked about the best and worst ages to move with children, she shared with me her philosophy on the importance of the preliminary decision stage of a move - regardless of whether that is a move away from, or back to one's "home", and she shared with me her theory on what home means and why it's so important for each of us to really know what we're talking about when we talk about home. You can learn more about Katia at her website: www.katiavlachos.com And purchase her book here: https://amzn.to/2RIKgE5 Join the Expat Repat mailing list: https://forms.gle/6Y3644HCqaWCwBfA8 Follow me on Instagram: www.instagram.com/expatrepat Follow the Expat Repat Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/expatrepatpod/ Join the Expat Repat Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/expatrepat Read my blog, Swiss Lark: www.swisslark.com If you have an idea for an episode, or would like to be a guest on the show, please email me on expatrepat@gmail.com or reach out on Twitter @expatrepat. Consider becoming a Patreon member at www.patreon.com/expatrepat and don't forget to subscribe, rate AND review wherever you get your podcasts. Of course, share with your friends. Thank you for listening!

In this Mini, I read a blog post "Repat: Would Visits Be Enough?" that was published on my blog, Swiss Lark, on July 30, 2018. I chose this post for today because I'm actually feeling a great deal of trepidation regarding my upcoming visit to Zurich in January. I started a conversation about visits home as an expat, or visits back to our expat home as a repat, on Instagram. Given the responses and how this is such a clearly charged issue, this seemed like a good post to share in read-aloud story format. Enjoy! So that we can stay connected between episodes, please: Join the Expat Repat mailing list: https://forms.gle/6Y3644HCqaWCwBfA8 [https://forms.gle/6Y3644HCqaWCwBfA8] Follow me on Instagram: www.instagram.com/expatrepat [http://www.instagram.com/expatrepat] Follow the Expat Repat Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/expatrepatpod/ [https://www.facebook.com/expatrepatpod/] Join the Expat Repat Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/expatrepat [https://www.facebook.com/groups/expatrepat] Read my blog, Swiss Lark: www.swisslark.com [http://www.swisslark.com] If you have an idea for an episode, or would like to be a guest on the show, please email me on expatrepat@gmail.com or reach out on Twitter @expatrepat. Consider becoming a Patreon member at www.patreon.com/expatrepat and don't forget to subscribe, rate AND review wherever you get your podcasts. Of course, share with your friends. Thank you for listening!

Jessica Drucker went to study abroad in Costa Rica as a student at the University of Illinois and didn't return to live in the US for 15 years! During that time she lived in Guatemala, The UK, Germany and then spent 8 years traveling all over the world as a travel blogger. When extenuating circumstances led to a hasty return to the US from Cusco, Peru, in 2014, Jessica found herself confronted with all sorts of American adulting that she had never known until that point. Getting an apartment, health insurance and even a phone were all new. However, within about six months, it hit her that she was back. Through self-care, therapy and a lot of self-help, Jessica grew and attained the next level of herself and self awareness. She married, became a parent and wrote her first book, Why You Should Move Abroad and Why It's the Best Thing You'll Do, coming out in January 2020. You'll love Jessica's earnest talk about what it means to come home, not only to your country, but to yourself. Learn more about Jessica and her book at www.jessicadrucker.com [http://www.jessicadrucker.com] Resources from today's episode: - Tara Brach www.instagram.com/tarabrach [http://www.instagram.com/tarabrach] - Psychology Today Therapist Finder www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists [http://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists] If you're enjoying The Expat Repat Podcast, join our mailing list: https://forms.gle/PWtamNdPa8vVw28SA [https://forms.gle/PWtamNdPa8vVw28SA] And please consider becoming a patron: www.patreon.com/expatrepat [http://www.patreon.com/expatrepat] Don't forget to share with your friends, and do subscribe, rate AND review wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you for listening!

This week, I'm sharing with you a post from my blog, Swiss Lark, which Rhiannon referred to in last week's episode. Rhiannon described finding my blog during her repatriation like "finding a pot of gold!" and it was this post that I'm reading aloud for today's mini episode that she first found through a random Google search. If you'd like to see the photos that accompany the post as well as all of my other posts from our time as expats, and since becoming repats, just go to www.swisslark.com [http://www.swisslark.com] And if you're enjoying Expat Repat, please remember to subscribe, rate AND review! And consider joining our Patreon campaign. To learn more, just visit www.patreon.com/expatrepat [http://www.patreon.com/expatrepat]Thank you so much for listening!