World Citizen Storycast

Sadly, Marcia and Lisle have decided to discontinue this podcast. They explain why and share some of their takeaways from their guests' culture clash stories, such as the importance of not making assumptions, keeping a sense of humor, going with the flow, appreciating one's own culture without feeling superior to the other, and learning from our differences. The podcast feed will be discontinued in December of 2016, and after that time all episodes will be inaccessible via the regular links. World Citizen Storycast's Website will also come down in the Spring of 2017. However, all episodes are being moved over one by one to Archive.org and should eventually all be accessible there. You can continue to search for and listen to previous episodes here:  https://archive.org/search.php?query=World%20Citizen%20Storycast   Thank you to all who shared their very personal and enlightening multicultural stories, and to all of you who listened to World Citizen Storycast over the more than 14 months it was

Is America really the greatest country in the world; if so, why? Should we be concerned that by living abroad we may miss important developments in our home country? Why hasn't delicious traditional Korean food caught on more in the States? How does it feel to return home after years of always being treated like a special foreign guest? After reading a compelling article Bart Shaneman wrote about the reverse culture shock he experienced returning to quiet rural Nebraska after five years living in South Korea, Marcia and Lisle contacted him to hear his personal story of crossing back and forth between two cultures, and Marcia and Lisle tossed around these questions and others. Bart is the editor of the Scotts Bluff Star-Herald, and he has written two books about his travels and cultural experiences in Korea, China, Mongolia and Russia, which are available via his Website:  bartschaneman.bigcartel.com

Jessica moved from Canada to South Korea and that's where she met a handsome guy from the Philippines. But her international adventures had only begun, as she and her new husband decided to set off in hopes of uncovering a family mystery. Jessica's grandmother had been born in Burma and many years later ended up in the UK, but little was known about her life in between, and Jessica shares with us the enticing clues and frustrating disappointments of their trip across India and Myanmar in search of her grandmother's story. Jessica also entertains us with bits and pieces of her life as a Canadian/Filipino family in Korea, while Marcia and Lisle consider the effect children and good looks can have on bridging cultural barriers, and the challenge of cultural assumptions of wealth that Westerners sometimes face around the world.

When might volunteer tourism do more harm than good? Robin Mauney and Lisle once worked for the same international charitable organization. For the past five years, though, Robin has been living in Cambodia, where she's been working as an American independent consultant, and she shares some of her experiences there, her background in working with issues of violence against women, as well as some perspective into the pros and cons of volunteer tourism. Marcia and Lisle consider Robin's insights, compare them to their own experiences, and mull over questions about the potential positive and negative impact of volunteering while traveling or living abroad.

Third Culture Kids refers to people who have spent a significant part of their childhood living in cultures other than that of their passport country. They often find it challenging to define their own culture, or even to decide where in the world they belong. In this episode, Kathleen talks about being a TCK born into a globe-hopping family, growing up on five different continents, and struggling to share her story with those in her passport country who simply find it difficult to relate to her experiences. Later, as an adult, she decided to write about her richly diverse life of global adjustment in her book, Expat Alien. Marcia and Lisle reflect on their own experiences with cultural adjustment and reverse culture shock. (Transition music for this episode from Jukedeck - create your own at www.jukedeck.com) Check out Kathleen's blog: www.expatalien.com  and look for her book EXPAT ALIEN on Amazon

After wandering around SE Asia, Andrea settled on Taiwan as a great place to live, but she's not yet sure it's a permanent relationship, and she shares a few match maker and match breaker points with us. Marcia and Lisle swap some of their own expat stories and consider the cultural implications for Westerners of public spitting and blowing your nose, answering probingly personal questions, the simple life and accumulating too much stuff, and the need to be independent. Also, is Chinese an especially difficult language to learn, or is it a matter of perspective?   (Transition music for this episode from Jukedeck - create your own at www.jukedeck.com) Check out Andrea's blog: www.AndionAdventure.com

Dan Ware grew up in Walla Walla, Washington where he became good friends with Marcia in high school. His awareness of the world outside this small city was greatly expanded when he and Marcia both joined a globally focused religion, the Baha'i Faith. Later, Dan's experience as a citizen of a diverse world further blossomed after he came to terms with his identity as a gay man and eventually started his own business as the owner and operator of an international tour company catering exclusively to gay men. In this episode, Dan shares his personal story and a few of his unique experiences traveling the world with clients whom he considers his special honor to serve. Marcia and Lisle reflect on Dan's challenging, inspiring and sometimes funny stories as well as some assumptions about being gay… and they also give a brief shout out to squat toilets and the legendary ugly tourist. Dan's tour business Website and blog is tototours.com  (Transition music for this episode from Jukedeck - create your own at www.j

While in Brazil, Jackie from Scotland met a man from France, and they settled down together in Paris to raise their children. The honest stories she shares about common misunderstandings about British and French personalities spark as many questions as answers about cultural stereotypes. Marcia and Lisle also reflect on the fear of making mistakes when speaking a foreign language and wonder about the subtle differences between marriage and civil unions. This interview took place shortly after the UK voted to leave the European Union, which had a decided impact on this lively discussion. (Transition music for this episode from Jukedeck - create your own at www.jukedeck.com.)

After trying out the serious life of being an accountant in an office for a while, Yulia, from Russia, decided to trade it in for the freedom of an international travel blogger. From her current residence in Paris, she kept us entertained with her experiences from around the world. Among the cross-cultural stories she shared with us were unexpected differences in university tests, funny stereotypical images of Russians, why hitchhiking is uncommon in Japan, a proud daddy getting a pedicure, and the challenge of being a young woman who must walk the gantlet of Italian men making enthusiastic comments about her as she passes by. Marcia and Lisle wonder about the cultural implications around the world of street harassment vs well intentioned flattery.

Ruby, a young woman who grew up on the beautiful Pacific paradise island nation of Tonga, relocated to Canada, married a man from Nepal and raised two children in a newly blended world of three cultures. Along the way, she discovered that homesickness can deeply impact and even define someone's cross-cultural experience. Ruby shares with us how much simple things and personal relationships can create a feeling of home to someone for whom home has gradually become a challenge to define. Marcia and Lisle consider the little things that have meant home to them in their own intercultural experiences.

Yiqi is a delightful Singaporean Chinese young woman who is clever, lively and outgoing and she has had plenty of international experience, including a brief work-exchange trip to the U.S. However, after moving to Chicago with her husband, she discovered that making friends with Americans living behind the closed doors of their apartments is not as easy as she imagined it might be.  Marcia and Lisle reflect on the implications of this, as well as cross-cultural confusion about American habits of volunteering, personal privacy, and when it's OK for someone to be loud.

Jody Fernando, an American woman from Indiana who married a man from Sri Lanka, describes the cross-cultural life experiences that led her to write a blog post entitled WHEN WHITE PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THEY'RE BEING WHITE that went viral and caused a firestorm of commentary on the Internet. Jody shares some personal stories with us from her intercultural relationship and the challenges and rewards of living between two worlds. She also introduces her new book PONDERING PRIVILEGE:toward a deeper understanding of whiteness, race and faith.  Marcia and Lisle reflect on Jody's experiences and insights. Check out Jody's blog Between Worlds

No interview guest this time. Instead, Marcia and Lisle reflect more deeply on the blurred lines that separate culture, class and race, a subject touched on briefly in five previous episodes of this podcast. In episode 5: Gated Communities, Carolyn brought up a common perception in Ecuador about North Americans, many of whom live in exclusive communities, as all being wealthy and aloof. In episode 14: The Richer and the Poorer, Natalie mentioned the sometimes unsettling impact the charitable activities of white foreigners had left on the expectations of impoverished locals in Ethiopia. In episode 2: On Being a Minority Nomad, Erick was delighted by the appropriation of African American hip hop culture around the world, but questioned when and where cultural appropriation should be considered acceptable.  Similarly, in episode 16: Black Pete and the Circle Party, Stuart shared a controversy in the Netherlands over a Christmas custom in which white participants wore black face makeup, opening up a discussi

Looking back on his move from England to Japan and finally to Brazil, Andrew entertains us with his unexpected and sometimes hilarious culture clash adventures. Finding Japan especially challenging to adjust to at times, he found relief in Brazilian culture, but not without first struggling with some accumulated acculturation from England and even from his life in Japan. Personal space issues, some revealing beachwear, the fear of being late, embarrassing reverse culture shock, and a bit of English language deception can all be found in this fun episode.

The story of how Stuart, a young man from London, suddenly found himself moving to Amsterdam quite unexpectedly is a delight to hear. He shares with us the joys, challenges and surprises of an accidentally transplanted Brit after fifteen years living in the Netherlands, including an offbeat introduction to Dutch Santa, a bit of racial controversy, and some conflicting ideas about what constitutes a proper birthday party. One important question asked by Marcia and Lisle spurred by this interview: When should racial offense trump cultural tradition? Check out Stuart's engaging blog with fun cartoons.

Tara, an African American woman from New York City, met and married a Japanese man and then moved to Japan to raise a family. Her wedding was featured in one episode of the popular TV series Four Weddings. Tara shares some of her cross-cultural surprises and learning experiences, questions why Americans are so often assumed by people worldwide to be white, and shares a wise perspective on adapting to a new culture while maintaining one’s own. Marcia and Lisle consider all this in light of some of their own challenges living overseas. Check out Tara’s blog tarakamiya.com - and her YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/smartalecky1

In the clash of diverse languages, traditions and cultures, we may find that we learn to understand each other better. But what about when the clash involves extreme differences of wealth and poverty? Natalie moved to America from Germany, where she encountered unexpected cultural challenges, but none greater, perhaps, than those she had experienced as a tour guide in Africa. In this episode, she shares her experiences leading tours in Africa as well as being a German living in America. Marcia and Lisle discuss Natalie’s culture clash stories, including the impact of poverty and begging on white tourists in Africa, compare them to their own experiences, and consider the meaning of economic security, poverty and homelessness.

What does it mean to a child that someone is white, black, North American, African, Muslim or Christian?  In this episode, we get a glimpse of life at the crossroads of culture, race and religion through the eyes of children. After getting to know Somali refugees in Minnesota, Rachel, together with her husband and two small children, packed up and moved to Somaliland and later to Djibouti, where she gave birth to another child who has been growing up a native of Africa. Having faced many differences in culture, traditions, race and beliefs, Rachel shares delightful stories of how she, and especially her children, have adjusted to being at home in Djibouti. Marcia and Lisle mull over the valuable lessons to be learned from Rachel’s experiences and those of her children.

Gina, an American who had never traveled outside her own country before, was suddenly uprooted, along with her family, and transplanted in Abu Dhabi, one of the wealthiest and most international cities in the world. At first overcome by panic, she soon realized the key to contentment and even love for her amazing new home was to be found in her attitude toward the unfamiliar and the inconvenient… as well as in the friendship of the international expat community she embraced.

The clash of two completely different cultures is both a positive and a negative experience when simple villagers who have never met a foreigner in their lives see a young American woman traveling through their country on a bicycle, alone. What bearing might traditional gender roles, the Internet, Hollywood, pornography and white privilege have had on their reaction? Shirine Taylor, an avid world traveler, shares with us a few stories, both uplifting and traumatic, of touring the world by bicycle, sometimes alone and sometimes with others, through India, Nepal, Georgia, Turkey, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru. She also offers a couple handy tips for mitigating culture shock. Some of the discussion in this episode may not be appropriate for younger children.