Sat, January 20, 2024

How Content Creators Amplify Social Media Addiction

Sat, January 20, 2024

Is Critical Thinking a Forgotten Thought

Sat, January 20, 2024

Mob Mentality and Social Control

#mob #mobmentaility #socialcontrol  The right to freely express opinions in democratic nations may unexpectedly become derailed and end up uniting those with related, and sometimes radical, views. Members of these groups may become evangelized and later begin propagating their beliefs or faith outside their sphere of influence.  Being a member or part of a community or group can amplify or exaggerate an individual's optimistic and pessimistic sense of security and pride. Is it possible that the commonalities that hold groups together in democratic societies become influenced or abused remotely by nefarious institutions, foundations, and, unsurprisingly, governments?  Please leave a comment if you have anything you would like to say or share concerning this topic. Use this link to leave voicemail: https://www.fourseasonefamily.com/contact If you found what we have to offer of value, please click on the “subscribe” and “bell” buttons to help us spread the word that we have a lot more in common than we think. We’re very interested to hear what you have to say. Twitter: @4Seas1Family Website: https://www.fourseasonefamily.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/4seas1family

Sat, January 20, 2024

Self-Serving Bias in a Democracy (自利性偏差)

#selfservingbias #democracy #biased Observations and decisions promoted aggressively through corrupted one-way thinking and decision-making processes, which usually come from biased information networks, feed something called a self-serving bias. WHAT IS A SELF-SERVING BIAS? Self-Serving Bias: Definition and Examples https://www.simplypsychology.org/self-serving-bias.html What Is a Self-Serving Bias and What Are Some Examples of It? https://www.healthline.com/health/self-serving-bias Conspiratorial Beliefs and Cognitive Styles: An Integrated Look on Analytic Thinking, Critical Thinking, and Scientific Reasoning in Relation to (Dis)trust in Conspiracy Theories https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.736838/full Please leave a comment if you have anything you would like to say or share concerning this topic. Use this link to leave voicemail: https://www.fourseasonefamily.com/contact If you found what we have to offer of value, please click on the “subscribe” and “bell” buttons to help us spread the word that we have a lot more in common than we think. We’re very interested to hear what you have to say. Twitter: @4Seas1Family Website: https://www.fourseasonefamily.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/4seas1family

Sat, January 20, 2024

Cognitive Dissonance in a Democracy

#cognitivedissonance  #democracynow  #beliefsandsciences    Unfortunately, it takes some people an extremely long time to acknowledge that some of their beliefs, or ways of thinking, weren't carefully thought out or lacked objective reasoning. It may take a lot of honest self-reflection to rid themselves of beliefs that hold them back from seeing the world as it is instead of how they want it to be Cognitive dissonance: What to know https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326738#definition Dissonance and Political Hypocrisy https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/bias-fundamentals/202010/dissonance-and-political-hypocrisy Could You Have a Fear of Politics or Politicophobia? https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-fear-of-politics-2671895 ‘No to war!’: Anger over troop conscription rages in Russia https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/9/26/no-to-war-anger-over-troop-conscription-rages-in-russia Democratic Rights Popular Globally but Commitment to Them Not Always Strong https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2020/02/27/democratic-rights-popular-globally-but-commitment-to-them-not-always-strong/ Million Maga March: Trump supporters protest in Washington https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CseAHBl-Sw Colorado Experience: KKK https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO5PMbtF1t8 Inside the New Ku Klux Klan (ABC) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VzKRI7JbVk&t=120s It was a modern-day lynching: Violent deaths reflect a brutal American legacy https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/history-of-lynching-violent-deaths-reflect-brutal-american-legacy Tuskegee Syphilis Study https://wamu.org/story/21/02/16/in-tuskegee-painful-history-shadows-efforts-to-vaccinate-african-americans/ The Tuskegee Timeline https://www.cdc.gov/tuskegee/timeline.htm Sand Creek Massacre https://www.nps.gov/sand/learn/historyculture/index.htm The Horrific Sand Creek Massacre Will Be Forgotten No More https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/horrific-sand-creek-massacre-will-be-forgotten-no-more-180953403/ Japanese Internment Camps https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/japanese-american-relocation Japanese internment camps https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZTioTkHcB0 Internment of Japanese Americans https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internment_of_Japanese_Americans Please leave a comment if you have anything you would like to say or share concerning this topic. Use this link to leave a voicemail: https://www.fourseasonefamily.com/contact We’re very interested to hear what you have to say. Twitter: @4Seas1Family Website: https://www.fourseasonefamily.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/4seas1family

Sat, January 20, 2024

Religion꞉ Democratic Nations Achilles Heel

From Protestant Supremacy to Christian Slavery https://www.aaihs.org/from-protestant... 9 Devastating Actions White Enslavers Took to Convert Black People to Christianity https://atlantablackstar.com/2015/04/... https://earlyamericanists.com/2019/04... Underground Railroad https://www.history.com/topics/black-... Slave Bible Select Parts of the Holy Bible for the use of the Negro Slaves in the British West-India Islands. https://www.npr.org/2018/12/09/674995... Does the Bible Condone Slavery? https://preparedtoanswer.org/topics/f... The Bible that DID SUPPORT SLAVERY!     • The Bible that DID SUPPORT SLAVERY!   Slave Bible From The 1800s Omitted Key Passages That Could Incite Rebellion. https://www.npr.org/2018/12/09/674995... The Revealer  (An opposing view of the Slave Bible) https://therevealer.org/the-slave-bib... Colonial enslavement of Native Americans included those who surrendered, too https://www.brown.edu/news/2017-02-15... Slavery and Religion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery... Native American Enslavement in Colonial America https://www.worldhistory.org/article/... The Attraction of Idolatry https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/bl... Enslaved Africans weren’t the only ones who worshipped idols. “By the eve of the Civil War, Christianity had pervaded the slave community. Not all enslaved people were Christian, nor were all those who accepted Christianity members of a church, but the doctrines, symbols, and vision of life preached by Christianity were familiar to most.” https://www.christianitytoday.com/his... “Black Americans, once freed from slavery, were very active in forming their churches, most of them Baptist or Methodist, and giving their ministers moral and political leadership roles. In the process of self-segregation, practically all black Americans left white churches so that few racially integrated congregations remained (apart from some Catholic churches in Louisiana).” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religio... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religio... Bible Passages Removed https://www.npr.org/2021/02/24/970685... https://www.dailysabah.com/asia/2019/... “Is this a case of government oppression or the Chinese church coming into its own? How to understand “sinicization.” https://www.christianitytoday.com/new... “Catholics want the church hierarchy in China to speak up and seek an apology for an offensive school textbook.” https://www.ucanews.com/news/chinese-... Please comment if you have anything you want to say or share concerning this topic. Use this link to leave a voicemail: https://www.fourseasonefamily.com/con... If you found what we have to offer of value, please click on the “subscribe” and “bell” butto

Mon, April 12, 2021

The Implosion of the Democratic World Part 2

Implosion of the Democratic World Part 2 民主世界毀滅 2 In this episode, I take a deep dive into how democratic nations are allowing themselves to blindly become subservient proxy elements of foreign governments that exploit their democratic liberties in their nation to create social and political disruption across the board that may easily lead to their democratic nation’s social, political and cultural implosion. This has been a warning! Note: Pay special attention to the graphic elements in this episode's YouTube video as they hold deeper insights into the topic. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the listed social media buttons. Please visit our YouTube channle and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us a comment on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show. If you found what we have to offer of value, please click on the "subscribe" to keep up to date with our current episodes. And if you're listening to our podcast, please subscribe and help us spread the word that we have a lot more in common than we think. We're very interested to hear what you have to say. For Four Seas One Family, I'm James Thomas in Taipei, Taiwan. And remember to take care of yourself wherever you are in the World.

Mon, February 22, 2021

First Warning: State-Sponsored Subversion - 104

@subversion @statesponsored @fakenews @4s1f This is a spotlight why democratic nations and their citizens must stay vigilant of how their rights and freedoms are being used against them by external forces that disrupt the core that holds their governments and national identities together. Please leave a comment if you have anything you would like to say or share concerning this topic. If you found what we have to offer of value, please click on the “subscribe” and “bell” buttons to help us spread the word that we have a lot more in common than we think. We’re very interested to hear what you have to say. Twitter: @4Seas1Family Website: https://www.fourseasonefamily.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/4seas1family FAIR USE NOTICE This video may contain copyrighted material; the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available for the purposes of criticism, comment, review and news reporting which constitute the fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work for purposes such as criticism, comment, review and news reporting is not an infringement of copyright.

Fri, January 08, 2021

African American relationship with Africa vs. China – 4S1F103

Social mayhem affecting black communities in the United States appears to have reached a breaking point. Many African Americans are searching for the rights and freedoms they felt they never received in the United States and began looking towards their ancestors' lands for corrections and solitude. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the listed social media buttons. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us a comment on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show. If you found what we have to offer of value, please click on the "subscribe" to keep up to date with our current episodes. And if you're listening to our podcast, please subscribe and help us spread the word that we have a lot more in common than we think. We're very interested to hear what you have to say. For Four Seas One Family, I'm James Thomas in Taipei, Taiwan. And remember to take care of yourself wherever you are in the World.

Mon, December 07, 2020

Blaxit: African American Savior Complex - 4S1F101

#Blaxit #Blaxodus #AfricanAmerican #Saviorcomplex Part 1: Please give what I present some thought because I am sure my observations will upset a few of you. I would like to discuss if Blaxit is the only solution African Americans should embrace to solve their problems today in American and may later encounter in the future.

Mon, December 07, 2020

Comparing America's and China's Cultural Revolution - 4S1F102

#blacklivesmatter #blm #culturalrevolution It seems like history always finds a way to repeat itself. However, the way it is repeating itself in America could lead to uncontrollable circumstances that could easily or eventually lead to its demise. America

Mon, November 02, 2020

Confucius Institute Subversion - 4S1F100

China sought to use the name of its legendary philosopher to project the image of honesty and morality. However, let' take a look at how education has been used by the Chinese Communist Party as a dividing line to separate and control the thinking of freethinking societies. YouTube: https://youtu.be/msJlsJ7Ny7E FAIR USE NOTICE This video may contain copyrighted material; the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available for the purposes of criticism, comment, review and news reporting which constitute the fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work for purposes such as criticism, comment, review and news reporting is not an infringement of copyright.

Mon, January 27, 2020

Living as a Black Person in Asia - 4S1F99

I am aware that this is a sensitive topic. So let me explain why I say being black in Asia isn't for the weak-minded and why we all have a part to play to make situations better for not only ourselves but for others as well. 4S1F Social Media Links Facebook: The Expats Roundtable Twitter: Follow @4seas1family Youtube: Four Seas One Family THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you for joining us here at Four Seas One Family. Please leave a comment if you have anything you would like to say or share concerning this topic. If you’re watching us on Youtube and found what we have to offer of value, please click on the “subscribe” and “bell” buttons to keep up to date with our current episodes If you’re listening to our podcast, please subscribe ( via: Apple Podcasts ) to help us spread the word that we have a lot more in common than we think.

Sun, December 22, 2019

Foreign Nationals Adopting Cultural Blindness - 4S1F98

Recently, I’ve been taking deep dives into how certain events in the world are being reflected here on-line along with how some foreign nationals observe the events they see taking place around them in their host nation. Let’s take a look at how and why some foreign nationals adopt, and in some cases promote, the ideologies of their host nation that later trigger negative opinions and cause personal losses.

Bonus · Sun, April 21, 2019

Update: We Have to Move and Will

It looks like the landlord pulled a fast one on us and now we, along with other companies and occupants on our floor, have to move and find new locations to engage with our customers and continue our businesses. Over these past few weeks we were put in situations where we had to think fast and prioritize the things we needed to do to keep our business alive. Anyway, we were able to find a silver lining through this fog and keep moving in a positive direction which will also give us the opportunity to further improve the quality of the content we currently produce and develop future projects. Starting in May, here are a number of changes to look for. New Studio: We are currently building a new studio specifically designed to allow us to expand and improve our current and future content. Youtube Channel: We will also engage more aggressively on YouTube. We will be producing both recorded and live YouTube streams and allow “call-ins” from our audience. Taiwan Focused Programming: We have also developed a Taiwan focused YouTube and Facebook program that will be live streamed and deal specifically with issues foreign nationals face while residing in Taiwan. The life streams will be co-hosted with another fellow long-term foreign national living in Taipei and also allow vetted “call-ins” via tools like Skype, Zoom or Facebook. Recalibrate Format: More importantly, we have decided to recalibrate the content we produce to put a laser focus on issues that create irregularities between not only nations, but also the way people of the world perceive and decode events that affect us locally and globally. These changes will take place immediately and we are looking forward to receiving your comments and ideas on the issues you would like us to investigate. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Bonus · Sun, March 17, 2019

Perspectives 2: Sean Kaiteri - A Response to the Christchurch Shooting

After the terrible event that took part in Christchurch, New Zealand, I have been getting messages from people from different parts of North America asking me questions about how safe it is to live in certain nations, particularly Taiwan. These messages are from people who are citizens in North America and who are thinking about moving abroad to pursue their aspirations. A few, and I’m not surprised, have admitted that they are hoping to do so because they feel uncertain about their security in their own home nation. I found myself unable to articulate or formulate catch all phrases that would allow them to feel that living or at the very least traveling overseas can bring more of a positive experience. Of course, this can only happen if people allow themselves to integrate and accept parts of the culture they’ll be living in. To share and get some personal insight on what took place in Christchurch, I called up a friend from New Zealand who is living in Taiwan for an impromptu interview to get his insights on the event that took place in his home nation. This friend was gracious enough to talk to me without hesitation via his cell phone and I thank him very much for taking the time out of his day to chat with me. I maintain resolute in my determination to prove that people have a lot more in common than they think. Social Media Links Facebook: Sean Kaiteri THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different! And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and my podcast team and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. Remember, we are all the same and at the same time uniquely different. Le

Wed, February 27, 2019

To Gain Experience You Have to be Quite Bold.

While engaged in this interview, I found myself having to mute my “American pride” because I soon discovered how important it is to listen carefully to a guest’s interpretation of their host nation because they may bring out logical view points and fair reasoning in ways never thought of. From the UK and now living in Hong, Kong, China, Jamie Cawley is a teacher and author of books that cover an extensive panorama of occurrences that lead to the building of several nation’s culture, wealth, governing and / or political systems. After many years working in Europe in the same job and traveling all over the world for over 25 years, Jamie, along with his wife, decided that they needed a change. They decided to embark on a new life journey with their young children and believe me they sure did! Let’s learn more about Jamie’s books while he shares his viewpoints on topics that relate to how nations interact with each other but with particular focus on China. Jamie is able to make comparisons and present his view points in a calm way that shows there are many interpretations of an overseas experience that are logical and may not sound flattering to some ears. In this case, Jamie offers his anecdotal insight on the current relationship between the West in general as it pertains to China in particular. Hear his reasons why certain individuals, particularly in the West, often point out or stress that their nation’s internal problems were created by others rather than themselves. This episode offers a pathway into explaining why events that are currently taking place between the US and China may not be all that coincidental. Also, listen to why Jamie feels that being patient is the key to understanding and making it through an overseas experience. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Amazon: Birth of Now: The Great Change in History Amazon: Beliefs: and the world they have created Social Media Links Twitter: Follow @CawleyAuthor Youtube: Jamie Cawley Quora: Jamie Cawley THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finall

Wed, February 13, 2019

Be Open to Meeting People.

It can be challenging connecting with people located in different parts of the world and in different time zones, but to me and the fine people I’ve been lucky enough and, frankly, honored to speak with it’s more important that we share stories others can relate to. Giving a personal view into the lives of others who are seeing the world from a different “focal length” or mindset opens doors to better understandings of the differences as well as the commonalities we all share. Amy Brown is an American expat from Evanston, Illinois and she joined us this episode from Lima, Peru. Hear how Amy met and married a Peruvian military officer and how they are now raising their two wonderful children. Listen to why, for people who have started a family after living abroad for an extended amount of time, returning home may not be a simple choice. Amy brings up some very honest points as to why it would be very difficult for her to move her family to the States because to members of her family “home” has a very different meaning. === Attention === This episode was recorded at the end of 2018. However, because of connection issues, much of the interview became distorted or scrambled beyond repair so I had to do a deep dive into repairing and salvaging this recording so that I could bring to you this wonderful discussion I had with Amy. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Website: Wawas in Peru Article: What To Do With Kids in Lima Article: Blogs and Websites of Interest Social Media Links Facebook: Wawas in Peru Twitter: Follow @wawasinperu Instagram: Wawas in Peru THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the s

Wed, February 06, 2019

Just Be The Way You Want To Be Treated By Others.

This episode we welcome, Charu Pathni, an Indian expat living and working for a major car manufacturer in Germany. Charu is a very focused and energetic lady who has not only persevered, but also surpassed traditional roles held for women from her home nation. Even though she hasn’t lived in every part of the world, Charu calls herself a world citizen because, in her words, “People are people and it doesn’t really matter where I come from or where my roots are from. Home is just where I can feel comfortable with the people around”. Because of her optimistic and positive approach to living in her host nation, Charu’s overseas experience has allowed her to learn that she is a lot more adaptable than she thinks. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Website: Cube of Life Article: Who is Charu? Social Media Links Facebook: Cube of Life Twitter: Follow @Cube of Life Quora: Charu-Pathni THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different! And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and my podcast team and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. Remember, we are all the same and at the same time uniquely different. Let us all take the time to learn a little more about one another because we have a lot more in comm

Wed, January 30, 2019

The Hardest Thing is Taking The First Step.

In many ways, traveling anywhere alone can not only help a person build a clearer or more in-depth understanding of oneself, but also the world around them from a perspective that wouldn’t have been obtainable while in ones home nation. So traveling abroad with a life-long partner can offer the same elements, but on a level that has twice the impact, exploration and memories. This episode we sit down for chat with two British expats now living in the land of the Toronto Maple Leafs. That’s right, I’m talking about the great White North, and polite Northern neighbor, Canada. Emma and Stewart are Londoners who join us to share their experience living and integrating in the Canadian workforce. Hear why they decided to head abroad before, in their words, “It’s too late”. Even though this wonderful couple is currently living in a host nation that has many of the same local habits, customs and utilizes the same language as their home nation. Hear how they describe the differences between their home and host nation while, at the same time, adjusting to terms used in their normal communications. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Website: Brown Bear Travels Article: Getting Started Article: Travel Tips Social Media Links Twitter: Follow @BrownBearTravel Youtube: Brown Bear Travels Instagram: Brown Bear Travels THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different! And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rat

Fri, January 25, 2019

It’s Fine That I’m Not Perfect At This.

This episode we welcome, Nicole Palazzo. Nicole is an American expat living in Europe who is also an active podcaster. Nicole points out that from her location abroad it can sometimes be strange or even stressful for her to miss things from her home nation that she normally wouldn’t pay much attention to while living in her home nation. Her comment brings out a point that living outside ones home nation can in many ways bring a person closer to the things he or she once overlooked or took for granted while living in their home nation. This is why some people who live outside their home nation try to look for or attempt to make a correlation between parts of other cultures that could be equivocated to elements or parts of their own culture. Now the truth is, most of the time, a cultural correlation may never be found. The only logical thing to do, in this case, is to learn how to except an overseas experience from the viewpoint of the people and culture it originated from. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Website: The Expat Cast Podcast: The Expat Cast Social Media Links Facebook: The Expat Cast Twitter: Follow @TheExpatCast Instagram: The Expat Cast Pinterest: The Expat Cast THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different! And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on <a href= "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/four-seas-one-family/id704524955?mt=2&uo=8&at=10l9Mo/" target="_blank" rel="

Sat, January 19, 2019

An ENFP’s Perspective: A Lot More Slow is Steady.

There are many different reasons why people of all ages and personality types take the plunge to explore living abroad. Their explorations may take them to places that are not only far from their home nation and the people they love , but also lead them to unforgettable and priceless experiences that they will cherish until the day they have to leave this pale blue dot in space. I am happy to welcome Dan Johnston to the podcast. Dan is a fellow podcaster and former entrepreneur turned freelance author and life coach. Dan offers coaching services to people who are looking to overcome their fears, focus on their goals which, in turn, helps them develop their true physical and mental superpowers. So far Dan’s overseas experiences has permitted him to live in seven countries while at the same time publishing 12 uplifting and inspiring books. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Website: Dreams Around The World Article: The Rules Website: 16 Personalities Website: INFJ vs INFP Personality Types: Key Differences Podcast RSS: Dreams Around The World in iTunes Social Media Links Facebook: Dreams Around The World Youtube: Dreams Around The World Instagram: Dreams Around The World THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show

Sat, January 12, 2019

Find The Little Things That Bring You Joy.

Today we speak to a wonderful latina American binational who has extensive experience in media with particular expertise in creating content for the television market. Natalia Mejia, an American citizen born in México and a UCLA graduate, shares her story and unique perspective of not only what brought her to the United States , but also her personal relationships with her friends and family on both sides of the US-Mexican border. Take a glimpse into how her background has given her the ability to adapt, learn and develop a global and comprehensive perspective of the world which in many ways has allowed her to use her art to express many of the current events affecting the relationships between people on both sides of the line separating the two nations that she calls home. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Social Media Links Twitter: Follow @Cherie_Amour Instagram: natmejiac THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons or links below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and my podcast team and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. Remember, we are all the same and at the same time uniquely different. Let us all take the time to learn a little more about one another because we have a lot more in common than we think.

Bonus · Thu, December 27, 2018

Perspectives: Taiwan Radio and a Trip Down Memory Lane with Rick Monday.

No one has a total grip on events in their life that will direct them to the goals they forecast and hope to later achieve. Sometimes, being at the right place at the right time can be a blind gift that points a person in directions he or she may have never dreamt of. This episode I am happy to sit down in the Taipei studio with someone who was originally based in Korea and trained as a US military linguist who eventually followed his broadcasting aspirations at ICRT, a popular radio station in Taiwan, which allowed him to not only become a well known public figure, but also a local media standout. We welcome this episode a native of Texas, Rick Monday. Rick is an emerging playwright and broadcaster who has been recognized and awarded for his contribution to radio broadcasting in his adopted home. Join us as we follow Rick down memory lane while, at the same time, taking a peek into his thoughts concerning the power and influence of the media. Rick is a good example of an expat / immigrant who thought he or she would be in a host nation for only 2 years. Well, that is what Rick thought when he first arrived in his host nation over 34 years ago! MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Social Media & Web Site Links Facebook: Rick Monday Facebook: ICRT Website: ICRT Wikipedia: Lan Roberts THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Sun, December 16, 2018

Manifesting Your Overseas Experience.

While living outside of your home nation, regardless of the reason why, you may one day find yourself looking for ways to remain functional, creative and useful. Because of this fact, and to get the most out of your overseas experience, it becomes of the upmost importance to prioritize the elements that make up your overseas life. Choices have to be found and then executed that will allow you to sift through elements that are weighing you down and preventing you from learning and enjoying your life abroad. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to sit down in our Taipei studio for a chat with a fellow expat / immigrant who has found her unique and fruitful path overseas. Overtime, this has allowed her to remain positively and objectively active and in some ways innovative. This episode, I'm so lucky to be able to welcome Jun Lee to the show. Jun is a creative artist, dancer, yoga instructor and restaurant entrepreneur. With roots here in Asia, Jun sits down with me to discuss the steps she has taken to overcome obstacles while living abroad and how she is striving to maintain a healthy lifestyle. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Social Media Links Facebook(Jun Lee): Jun Lee Facebook (Resturant): URBN Culture THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Tue, November 27, 2018

Learning Overseas Coping Methods.

Before traveling or living overseas, many foreign nationals mindset carries a perception that their home nation encompasses all the best things and conveniences in life. Sometimes, however, this isn't the case. In some second and third world nations many foreign nationals quickly discover that their second or third world host nation, regardless of their social and political values, are doing some things that far exceeds the ways things are done in their home nation and today this episode we have an example of this. Also, it is rare for me to come across foreign nationals overseas who also happen to be podcasters. This episode I am fortunate to have the opportunity to chat with one about his life overseas. Today we welcome Fraser Du Toit on the show. Fraser is also located in the same part of the world I am in. However, we will be placing stress more on the part of the world he is in. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Website: B Positive Website Apple Podcasts: B Positive Podcast Stitcher: Beyond Homo Sapien Social Media Links Facebook: Fraser Chon-Ji Du Toit THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Bonus · Sun, October 07, 2018

Perspectives: Taiwan to Canada with Peggy Lee.

As an educator in Taiwan I get to interact with a lot of friends and students from different backgrounds. Many of them go abroad for business, to sightsee or continue their education. A few of them have even decided to permanently live abroad to start a new life chapter. They obtained, both positive and negative, real-time life experiences using their second or sometimes third language to build relationships and pursue their dreams or goals. I’m fortunate to have one of my former students, Peggy Lee, who now resides in North America, Canada to be exact, in my Taiwan studio. She's here to share with us her experiences of living overseas in a very different culture as an immigrant and how her intensive English language training and formal Taiwanese education prepared her in many expected and unexpected ways. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Wed, September 26, 2018

The Empowerment of the Female Traveler.

We are happy to sit down for a chat with a German expat world traveler who is at the time of this episode residing in the United States. Katharina Von Knobloch, who has vast experience in the corporate world as a marketing and business development manager, spends time with us from Chicago, Illinois to talk about her travels around the world both alone and with her husband. When people see Katharina traveling alone, they often ask her why she is traveling without her partner. This type of question is perplexing to her because men who travel alone are almost never asked this type of question. Could there be a bit of travel inequality that exists and if so why? Katharina is also a champion at helping women who travel with a partner find meaning in their lives. She helps women gain courage and find benefits while on their overseas journey whether they are raising a family or seeking a career. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Website: Share the Love Article: Plan Your Career Article: THE 5 PHASES OF CULTURE SHOCK AND HOW TO GET THROUGH SMOOTHLY Resource: Struggling as the Expat Partner? Social Media Links Facebook: Share the Love Blog Twitter: Follow @SharetheloveB Instagram: sharethelove.blog Pinterest: Share the Love THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Thank you for listening

Wed, September 19, 2018

Living Abroad and Noticing The Differences.

Get ready to join us for a ride as we listen to the journey of an expat / immigrant from Melbourne, Australia who is now living in Vienna, Austria. Hear how Carly Hulls, upon being offered a dream job overseas, as well as taking a chance after “meeting an Austrian boy”, decided to pack up all her stuff in one backpack to embark on a new life chapter. Carly shares with us her story of living abroad as a foreign national who is very aware of not only her own overseas status, but also the status of others like her who are seeking a life in a new home nation. Carly is very aware of the negative issues certain foreign nationals are facing in her host nation and she isn’t shy about speaking up. All at the same time, she points out how important it is to not have expectations of how life abroad should be as compared to life in one’s home nation. At this point, you have to agree that her story sounds both brave and romantic. After listening to Carly’s story you will agree that the Kardashians can’t match her swagger! MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Website: Austrian Adaptation Article: Best German Class in Vienna Website: About Carly Hulls Social Media Links Facebook: Austrian Adaptation by Carly Hulls Twitter: Follow @carlyhulls Youtube: Carly Hulls on CX Network Instagram: Carly Hulls THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Wed, August 29, 2018

Transition, Faith and Mental Illness.

Feeling intrigued about life overseas can be a catalyst for some people when deciding to pick up everything in their familiar environment to move on for a life abroad. This fact, combined with the need to find something meaningful in life, can point someone in a direction that previously wouldn’t have been a topic of consideration. This episode I sit down for chat with Holly Kooi. Holly is an American happily living overseas with her husband in Vienna, Austria. Tune in to learn how this wonderful woman from Atlanta ended up in Vienna and, upon arrival, soon was forced to deal with and overcome personal transitional issues that nearly broke her. In the end, Holly, keeping with her faith, may have been blessed with the exact timing that allowed her and her family to expand their horizons abroad. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Website: Holly Kooi Article: What It Might Be Like for a Christian Battling Mental Illness Article: Ways My Son is Developing His Third Culture Social Media Links Facebook: Holly Kooi Twitter: Follow @hollykooi Instagram: hollykooi LinkedIn: Holly Kooi Memorable Quotes Don’t try to live in two places at one time THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We a

Thu, August 09, 2018

Finding What Fits You Perfectly.

This episode we welcome Jenna Davis, an incredible sustainable travel blogger and mom to be, on the show this episode. Originally from The Great White North, Toronto, Canada. Jenna has traveled to over 50 nations. She shares with us her overseas life story on an unseasonably hot summer’s day in Europe. Hear how Jenna adapted to unexpected occurrences while living overseas and how she learned to use these sudden occurrences to build a better understanding of her overseas environment and, in he end, more about herself as well. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Website: Life in Düsseldorf Website: Give For Granted Website: Give For Granted - Videos! Social Media Links Facebook: Life in Düsseldorf Facebook: Give For Granted Twitter: Follow @LifeInDUS Twitter: Follow @giveforgranted Youtube: Life in Düsseldorf Youtube: Give For Granted Instagram: lifeindus THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Thu, August 02, 2018

Our Mistakes Teaches Us The Most.

This episode we have someone who honestly looks at the world from not only a realistic, but also a spiritual point of view that in many ways exemplifies basic human characteristics and values. Peter Fogtdal, a humorous Danish author, writer and lecturer, shares with us his unique view of life while living as an immigrant and working in the United States. Tune in to hear this proud Dane’s observations of how he relates and compares his life overseas in his host nation to life and events in his home nation. Peter has a voice made for broadcasting and, at the time of this broadcast, 14 novels under his belt and some of which have a satirical tone but at the same time exemplifies Peter’s spiritual values. I found Peter to be full of energy and I think that helps him to define and explain what he sees around him in a humorous way. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Website: Danish Accent Website: Danish For Dummies Article: Hawthorne Books Amazon: Peter Fogtdal Amazon: The Tsar's Dwarf Wikipedia: Peter Fogtdal Social Media Links Facebook: Peter Fogtdal Twitter: Follow @danish_novelist Youtube Interview: Peter H. Fogtdal Interview -- The Tsar's Dwarf Instagram: peterhfogtdal Google +: Peter H. Fogtdal THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on <a href= "https://itunes.apple

Wed, July 18, 2018

Daily Human Connections Make the Difference.

No one can really ever predict with absolute accuracy the road life will take them. Desires, wishes and dreams may at first just seam to be passing thoughts with no reason to take action to see to completion. This episode we catch up with someone who had a simple desire to one day live abroad. Luckily, in this case, a decision that was made by our guest did in fact lead to her current life overseas. Today we talk to a self proclaimed city girl with a country soul. Joining us from her secret hideaway in Europe, Jasmine Mah, a prolific blogger from North America, joins us to share her, what I would call romantic, story about how she ended up living overseas and also how she has adopted to her new life abroad. Hear how she learnt to make adjustments to her persona that helped her adapt to her new overseas environment. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Website: Questa Dolce Vita Social Media Links Facebook: Questa Dolce Vita Blog Twitter: Follow @questadolcevita Instagram: Questa Dolce Vita LinkedIn: Questa Dolce Vita THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Tue, June 26, 2018

Expat, Immigrant, Stress and Anxiety.

No matter where we are in life there will always be challenges and some of them will bring wonderful surprises along with disappointments. Expats, immigrants and migrants will face these facts regardless of where they are. The question at this point is what happens when an overseas experience isn’t going well? What occurs when a foreign national is overwhelmed with an inability to adjust to living in their host nation that may later lead to stress and anxiety? What can a foreign national do to deal with a stressful life abroad short of returning to their home nation? In this episode, we dive into tips for learning how to adjust to disparaging situations by first acknowledging and bring them to the front. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Mon, June 11, 2018

Living Abroad is a Mindset.

There are many reasons why expats, immigrants and migrants choose to live a life abroad. Some have decided to look abroad to find a missing part of themselves or just to get away from situations that they felt were obstacles or factors limiting their physical, psychological, financial and, in some cases, spiritual or creative development. Many have simply decided to look and journey abroad to quench their thirst for adventure. In this episode, I converse with American expat traveller and cook, Deonté Daniels. Deonté is someone who has decided to explore an existence overseas for reasons much like the ones I’ve just mentioned. I should also mention that this is one interview that I felt I could have gone much deeper and because of this I hope that I will be able to continue with this discussion in the near future and use it as an insight of how my guest sees his life overseas from another point in time. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Website: Deonté Shoots Social Media Links Facebook: Deonté Daniels THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Trailer · Thu, May 24, 2018

Podcast Update May 5th 2018

Just to let you know that we are still here and will be back soon. We are gathering guests for future podcasts and we are looking forward to bringing you interesting stories from interesting storytellers all over the world. And thank you very much for being a Four Seas One Family listener.

Wed, May 09, 2018

Keep it in perspective By Seeing The Value n Where You Are.

Anyone who has lived overseas for an extended period of time has looked back at least once on their experience and wondered how they managed to overcome the cultural issues they faced while abroad. This may sound ridiculous but it never ceases to amaze how bits and peaces of cultural unawareness and bewilderment can later lead to an even deeper understanding and appreciation. Most of what was stated above is encapsulated in the words of our guest this episode, Mr. Will Brooks. Will is an active blogger and web broadcaster from the West Coast of the United States but for this episode joins us from the place he now calls home, South Korea. Hear and follow how he and his Korean wife are raising their TCK child (third culture kid). Tune in to hear how Will learned to not let false impressions affect him and how his persistence helped him open doors that weren’t previously available. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Website: Seoul Weaver Social Media Links Facebook: Will Brooks Twitter: Follow @seoulweaver Youtube: Seoul Weaveroutube Instagram: Seoul Weaver THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Thu, May 03, 2018

Feeling Yourself Through The World.

There are many doors that we have to open and close to reach our life goals. Some doors are slammed in our faces and sometimes we have to slam the doors ourselves in order to preserve the little time we have. And because of this, it isn’t often that we come across people that have developed the ability to without hesitation unconditionally accept all the ups and downs life has to offer without regrets. On this podcast episode, we are lucky to have someone who is a true living and functional example of this fact. This episode we welcome American world traveler, Crystal Lynn Bell. Ms. Bell started traveling the world at an early age and is currently living in Zagred, Croatia and calls herself a spiritual empowerment coach and traveling mystic. She travels the world offering spiritual guidance to those who are looking for a closer connection to themselves, the world and others. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Website: Crystal Lynn Bell Social Media Links Facebook: Crystal Lynn Bell Youtube: Crystal Lynn Bell Instagram: @crystallynnbell THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Wed, April 25, 2018

Don't Try to Recreate What You Had at Home.

Meg and Rob, along with their fur baby, Jack, had what many people would call a dream life. However, it wasn't bring the type of satifaction they desired, so in 2016, they decided it was time to pack it all up and leave the "rat race" of their home nation to search for a lighter and more fulfilling life abroad. They became more determined to get quality out of their lives. In order to do so, they got their priorities straight and one major step they took was to declutter their living space. Meg and Rob figured out what mattered to them the most and began to chronicle the steps they are taking to achieve their goals on their website "This is Us Living" . Their blog posts demonstrates to others how they too can maintain a minimalist lifestyle while living and traveling abroad. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Website: This is Us Living Website Contact Page: This is Us Living Contact Page Website: This is Us Living Travel Log Need help decluttering your wardrobe? Website: This is Us Living Challenges Social Media Links Facebook: This is Us Living Twitter: Follow @thisisus_living Youtube: Youtube Page Name Instagram: thisisus_living Pinterest: Simple Living & Travel Blogger THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it come

Wed, April 18, 2018

There is no one size that fits all.

Foreign nationals explore and come from all over the world and they all bring their own personal unique branding to their overseas experience. Both foreign nationals and local citizens alike can benefit vastly by interacting with each other. By doing so, not only can stereotypes be debunked, but also deep understandings built. We are honored to have Errol Manuel on the show. Errol is a foreign national from India living in the windy tech capital of Taiwan, Hsinchu . Hear why Errol says he and his wife are taking, what some would call, an unconventional approach to raising children abroad. By the way, if you’re careful, you might learn something about Indian culture. Facebook: Errol Manuel Wikitravel: The History of Hsinchu, Taiwan THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Thu, April 12, 2018

Be Bold and Ask For Help.

It’s rare that we come across people who have explosive and bubbling personalities that makes us want to smile and keep smiling. We are happy,…, no ecstatic to have American expat Jacqueline Bruce as a guest. It’s hard to not be influenced by her positive energy. It’s easy to hear and feel this radiating from her voice and warm smile. Jacqueline is a professional opera singer living in Berlin, Germany. Listen to her story of how she, at a very early age, became interested in singing and studying opera in the US. Find out what led her to look abroad to greener pastures in Europe to pursue her dream of performing and, when time allows, teaching opera. Memorable Notes! Jacqueline also teaches opera via Skype and Facetime. If you or anyone you know is interested in studying opera, please contact her and let her know that you heard this episode. Website: Jacqueline Bruce LinkedIn: Jacqueline Bruce on LinkedIn Jacqueline Performing Opera Soundcloud: Je dis que rien ne m’épouvante Soundcloud: Meine Lippen sie küssen so heiss Soundcloud: Ah! fuggi il traditor! THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Wed, April 04, 2018

Look Forward to Not Being Scammed.

While overseas, a negative encounter may leave a bitter taste in the mouth of a traveler. Stories of being cheated or scammed by members of a local population can be heard from travelers of every nation. However, many of these observations, although unfortunate, are not only one-sided, but also unfair. Some travelers have reported that they had been overcharged and or underserved by local store owners and service providers which left them with a negative impression of the local or indigenous population. In turn, these negative impressions were later applied to the people of other nations. It is true that many nations with a high level of tourist from overseas have areas where an unexpected tourist or traveler could be easily misled and swindled. In this episode we help travelers prepare for the eventuality of being cheated or scammed. We give examples of some commonly used scheming and scamming tactics along with what can be done to avoid being taken advantage of. Keep in mind that many of these negative experiences can also happen in one’s own home nation and isn’t exclusive to any nation. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Wed, March 28, 2018

Change is Never Easy.

Welcome to a roller coaster of an episode. We have American travel writers Joshua Samuel Brown and Stephanie Huffman as our guests this episode. Joshua and Stephanie are travel writers with a new book coming out soon (May 2018) that centers on traveling in Taiwan. Joshua and Stephanie are a couple that always seem to have a limitless supply of unpredictable energy and creativity. Joshua has written many articles from many countries for popular magazines which includes The Lonely Planet travel guide series. Hear how Joshua, a fast paced New Yorker, persuaded Stephanie, a small town girl from Portland, Oregon, to join him on his overseas travel writing journey. Oh, listen in and find out what is “The Talk”. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Facebook: Joshua Samuel Brown Facebook: My Taiwan Tour Facebook: Author at Lonely Planet Website: KBOO Community Radio Amazon: Book: Green Island (Shawna Yang Ryan) THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Sun, March 25, 2018

Be Open At the Very First Moment.

We are happy to have Mr. Mark Korondi as our guest this episode. He is one of the most energetic and mindful people to have been interviewed on this podcast. Mark has had his eye on his host nation for a while and was lucky to be offered a job to take him there! He explains why it is extremely important to invest time in learning about the local culture and language of the nation you reside in as it greatly lowers communication barriers. Mark also passionately explains how he has become captivated by the beautiful mountains standing tall in his overseas home, Zürich Switzerland, which isn't to far from his home nation, Hungary. Mark mentions some steps people can take to make their overseas life more satisfying. Oh, I bet you can’t guest what Mark likes to eat in Switzerland. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Facebook: Mark Korondi THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Wed, January 31, 2018

Don't be Afraid to Make a Change in Your Life.

Learning a new language is often the deal breaker when deciding whether or not to go to, and more so, live in a different nation. Learning a new language may also be the ignitor that causes someone to focus on the nation where the language is commonly spoken. We sit down for a chat with UK expat and blogger, Henissi. Henissi shares her story of why she chose to go to Valencia, Spain and why she hopes of one day making it her new home. Hear some of the highlights and comparisons she makes of her life in Spain. Also, listen to how she carefully squashes a few stereotypes people from other nations may have about Spain and Spaniards in general. Get a glimpse of how this forward thinking Spanish language learner is embracing her life and future in Spain. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Henissi's blog focuses on giving people a peek into life in Spain by introducing cool and interesting places to visit. Her blog also goes into her personal reasons for wanting to move to Spain with the hope of helping others like herself who are thinking about relocating to Spain Website: My Life Mi Vida Facebook: My Life, Mi Vida Instagram: mylife.mivida THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Sat, December 30, 2017

Learn to Become More Tolerant.

It is impossible to know when or where your life will take a sudden turn. Sometimes the turns leads to a path that is not only unpredictable, but also impossible to prepare for. Our guest this episode shows that the key to finding and implementing successful adjustments is to maintain a positive attitude and the willingness to remain flexible. This episode we welcome American immigrant Michael Harling to the show. Michael isn’t afraid of facing and overcoming challenges. After coming off a long and successful civil service career, Michael decided to make a change in his life. However, Michael didn’t start off with a plan to travel abroad and as a result made a lot of mistakes. It looks like Lady Luck was on his side. Michael translated his adventures into a blog and later into books. Hear how Michael found the love of his life and became part of his host nation’s community. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Website: Postcards From Across the Pond Books: Postcards from across The Pond, More Postcards from across The Pond, Postcards from Ireland THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Sat, December 23, 2017

Privilege and the Expatriate vs. Immigrant Status.

The ways foreigners are described or classified have a direct link to how they are treated or accommodated in a host country. The terms used to describe foreigners have a direct impact on not only how fellow foreigners see themselves, but also how local populations interact with foreign nationals living amongst them. How should people who aren’t “natives” of a particular country be classified? This question has taken on more of a forefront position in the collective thinking of many nations that once welcomed foreign nationals but today feel that they are more of a burden on their nation than contributors to the development of their nation. In this short episode, we go very deep into finding out how the terms expatriate, immigrant, emigrant and migrant are used to describe people who aren’t “natives” of the country they reside in. We present some blunt points to show how some of these terms are related in history as well as how these terms are used in modern-times. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons below. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Wed, November 22, 2017

Take The Time To Reflect.

It's amazing how learning about an overseas location can excite a person's curiosity. Learning about the intricate components of a nation and its history can be the impetus for someone to want to place themselves within the environment they are learning about. In this episode we sit down for chat with McKenzie Dow. McKenzie is an American expat currently living in Dublin, Ireland. She became interested in Ireland after taking courses about the nation. Overtime, she became inseparable from her adopted nation. Tune in to hear how this energetic American expat fell in love with her host nation while at the same time pursuing a Ph.D. related to child development. McKenzie also goes over some of the differences she has noticed in education. By the way, what is this Fergus thing? MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Website: Lady Mac Lifestyle Facebook: Lady Mac Lifestyle Instagram: mckenzie_dow THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Click HERE if you would like to load our Four Seas One Family Website RSS Feed . Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you!If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in <a href= "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/four-seas-one-family/id704524955?mt=2&uo=8&at=10l9Mo/" target=

Bonus · Wed, October 18, 2017

IPD: Podcasting in the Asian Region.

Here is a bonus episode recorded on October 1st 2017 for International Podcasts Day. I was the second remote speaker and I spoke about Podcasting in the Asian Region. I am honored to have been chosen to take part in this celebration of podcasting. Youtube: James Thomas: Podcasting in the Asian Region Youtube: International Podcast Day (Full Broadcast) Facebook Page: International Podcast Day Twitter: @International Podcast Day THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS Bonus SODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Click HERE if you would like to load our Four Seas One Family Website RSS Feed . Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you!If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in Apple Podcasts by clicking here! Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Sun, October 15, 2017

Update: 10-15-2017

Hello Four Seas One Family listeners. We are still here. It's been a busy few weeks and we just got back from the 2017 LA Podfest! It was great meeting other podcasters to share thoughts on the current state of podcasting. Podcasting has become a major force in getting and sharing information listeners need without barriers. We have a few things lined up for future podcasts and we can't wait to get back in action to give our expat and future expat listeners the information they need to make their lives overseas a rewarding and precious experience. First line of text Facebook Page: Four Seas One Family Page Facebook Group: The Expats Roundtable Twitter: @4seas1family THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Click HERE if you would like to load our Four Seas One Family Website RSS Feed . Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you!If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in Apple Podcasts by clicking here! Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Wed, September 20, 2017

Expat Overseas Homecoming.

Occasionally long-term expats get the urge to revisit places that were or remind them of their first overseas experience. This gives the expat a type of overseas homecoming which causes him or her to reflect on their overseas experience. Many expats who have had the opportunity to revisit their old "stomping grounds" reminisce about the times when things were fresh, raw, new, unfamiliar or just simply confusing. These reflections causes an expat to see how much of their overseas experience allowed them to grow in ways unattainable by just living in their home nation alone. These expats find themselves talking about how things used to be and how things have developed or, in some cases, regressed. But no matter which way the needle may have moved, a sense of something exotic still remains fresh in the air. Today we sit down for a chat with long-term American expat, and fellow podcaster, Stephanie Fuccio. Stephanie has traveled to many places overseas and currently calls Shanghai, China home but this episode she drops by our studio in Taipei, Taiwan to share with us her experience in her first home in Asia Tainan, Taiwan. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Apple Podcast: Over There: A Living Elsewhere Exploration Twitter: @stephfuccio Youtube: Changing Scripts Tumblr: stephfuccio Instagram: stephfuccio THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Click HERE if you would like to load our Four Seas One Family Website RSS Feed . Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you!If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on <a href= "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/four-seas-one-family/id704524955?mt=2&uo=8&at=10l9Mo/" targe

Tue, September 12, 2017

Learning to be Genuine with People.

It shouldn't be a surprise to find out that the education we were constantly taught during our childhoods about the world was filtered through trends, politics and, in some cases, the dominant religion of our home nation. As a result, many of us start off with a worldview that was designed to uphold the values of our home nation. In some nations, this created a veil over the eyes of its population that may later lead to a fear of people and cultures that differ from their own. When expats venture abroad and find out that the local population they live among daily or the culture they have been immersed in don't adhere to what they were taught in their home nation, they begin to reevaluate their views of the world and it's people. In some cases, this re-examination causes some expats to raise deep concerning questions about both their home and host nation. All of the above has much to do with the discoveries made by our guest. We are honored to have American expat Chloé Skye on the podcast this episode. Chloé is joining us from Brno, Czech Republic. Chloé has done some cools things. She was a Fulbright recipient and English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in a small town outside of Brno, Czech Republic ( Click this link to a wonderful article about Chloé ). She enjoys traveling, learning languages and performs spoken word poetry ! Hear what cultural discoveries this New Yorker made which caused her to re-examine the way she views the world. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Find out what Chloé calls "The Czech Super Power". It's not what you think! Who knows? You may want to give it a try. Website: Chlohemian Website Blog: Chlohemian Blog Facebook Page: Chlohemian THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Click HERE if you would like to load our Four Seas One Family Website RSS Feed . Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe

Fri, September 08, 2017

Embrace The Positive About Everyplace You Live.

What is the mindset that should be embraced when having to constantly relocate and adjust to life all over the world? Are there any positive pointers that can help make our overseas experiences more beneficial to not only ourselves, but also to those who we interact with during our journeys? Surely, there isn't only one solution to solve all the problems or unforeseen situations we encounter while living abroad but there may be a mindset that we can live by to help us overcome and cope with obstacles while in unfamiliar environments. Listen in to our wonderful Stateside connected conversation with Angie Drake. As a Third Culture Kid (TCK) , Angie may have traveling coded deep within her DNA. Angie and her husband, who has a long career working for the U.S. government, have been traveling all over the world with their two boys. However, Angie has a special room in her heart for Ecuador and shares many of her overseas experiences through her photography that can be found at her website: Not Your Average American. Listen in and hear why focusing on all the negatives of you overseas life just brings unneeded stress and why it’s better to learn to embrace the positive about everyplace you live. Facebook Group: Not Your Average American Website: Not Your Average American THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Click HERE if you would like to load our Four Seas One Family Website RSS Feed . Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you!If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on <a href= "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/four-seas-one-family/id704524955?mt=2&uo=8&at=10l9Mo/" target="_blan

Sat, August 19, 2017

More Opportunities For Understandings.

American expat, Jason Hunter, in Southern Taiwan joins us on the podcast. As a result of his observations working in his profession, Jason is able to explain how businesses are more interconnected than ever. He points out that modern-day businesses simply can't and maybe shouldn’t do everything on their own. The reason is that international cooperations don't only benefit businesses, but also consumers in the long run. He also demonstrates why it’s important for not only businesses to cooperate with each other, but also for nations as well. He points out that it wouldn’t be wise for national leaders to close a nation’s doors to the outside world. If nations are unable to source needed materials both abroad and into their nations, cost will rise and cross-border job opportunities will be lost. The lead-in to this episode covers in detail the possible mindset of hate-ridden individuals during the sad events that occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia on August 13, 2017, which ended in the senseless loss of a life. Facebook Group: The Expats Roundtable THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Click HERE if you would like to load our Four Seas One Family Website RSS Feed . Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you!If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in Apple Podcasts by clicking here! Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are al

Wed, August 16, 2017

Charlottesville (Excerpt Episode).

This is an excerpt of episode 64 of Four Seas One Family: As the host of this expat focused podcasts, I've been lucky to have had the opportunity to chat with fellow expats located in different parts of the world to share their experiences of how they overcame living in different cultures that are far different from the cultures they were born in. These fellow expats have shared with me their issues with learning a local language and adapting to the culture of their host nations. The majority of the expats I’ve spoken to over the past few months felt that their overseas experiences has helped them to not only learn about other cultures and languages, but also quite a bit about themselves. Most expats learnt that by having a positive attitude and open-mind, they were able to gain access to opportunities that go far beyond a physical or financial reward. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS SHORT EXCERPT EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Click HERE if you would like to load our Four Seas One Family Website RSS Feed . Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you!If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in Apple Podcasts by clicking here! Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Fri, July 28, 2017

Cultural Etiquette Tips.

When living overseas as an expat you are sure to make cultural mistakes. However you have to take every mistake that you make as a learning experience to help you comprehend the culture you’re living in. To help ease and improve an expat overseas experience it is of the greatest importance to learn about the customs and habits of the host nation and it's local community. . When expats interact with the local community, it’s not only an opportunity for an expat to learn about their host nation, but also an opportunity for the people within the local community to learn how to deal with people who are from outside their nation. The main objective should be to learn about cultural nuances and understand why some behaviors are welcomed and others taboo. In this episode, we share cultural etiquette tips. We walk through the pros and cons of doing certain things in a nation and how cultural habits are linked to a nation’s language and history. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Click HERE if you would like to load our Four Seas One Family RSS Feed . Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you!If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in Apple Podcasts by clicking here! Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Mon, July 03, 2017

Update: We'll Be Right Back.

Just a quick checkin to let everyone know that I am still here. Sometimes he can be quite difficult arranging interview times with expats located in different parts of the world. Over the next few episodes, because of time zone differences, I will focus on interviewing expats closer to my region. Once again thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Click HERE if you would like to load our Four Seas One Family RSS Feed . Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in Apple Podcasts by clicking here! Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Fri, June 16, 2017

Making Relationships.

This episode we sit down for a chat with another American expat who is also living in Asia, Mrs. Tara White. Tara has been living abroad since 2008 working as both an English teacher and a teacher trainer. Tara has experienced living in many locations in Asia. She has lived in Cambodia, Korea, Malaysia, and Australia and is currently residing with her husband just outside the fast paced city of Tokyo, Japan. The most interesting thing is she’s living her expat life as a minimalist. Tara is also the host of a popular YouTube channel where she can be found creating videos that demonstrate how everyone can simplify their life by practicing a minimalist lifestyle. In the future, Tara plans to become a KonMari certified consultant so that she can help others create spaces and homes that spark joy. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Website: Tara White Talks Facebook: Tara White Talks Youtube: Tara White Talks Instagram: Tara White Talks THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in <a href= "https://itunes.apple.com/tw/podcast/four-seas-one-family/id704524955?mt=2&uo=8&at=10l9Mo/" target

Thu, June 08, 2017

Don't Rely On Living Your Life Like It Was Back Home.

An expat may not always agree with how things are done in their host nation and this shouldn't be a surprise. By keeping an open mind and heart a lot can be learned from an overseas experience. These experiences may not always be good but they may help an expat further understand him or her self and the other people who are also citizens of this planet. With this in mind, expats should allow themselves to see more of the benefits of life within their host nation without prejudice. By doing so, they may discover that something like a local custom or public service is beneficial to the local population and could be implemented even in their home nation. In this episode, we share concepts like this with American expat Marjorie Freimuth who has lived in Austria, Ireland and the Czech Republic. Marjorie, who at the time of this interview is living in Asia, has written about her overseas experiences for the Huffington Post. She shares with us some of her cross-cultural interactions along with the challenges faced while living abroad. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Facebook: @goingoutyourdoor Huffington Post Articles: Marjorie Freimuth Huffington Post: How Does American Health Care Compare To Taiwan? China Times: How Does American Health Care Compare To Taiwan? (in Chinese) Instagram: Going Out Your Door THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, f

Sun, May 28, 2017

Finding Cultural Bridges.

James sits down for a chat with his old friend and Cortland State University alumni, Mr. Todd Friends, whom he hasn’t seen in years. Todd is currently an assistant professor at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington. Listen to how Todd is using his expat experience, along with his extensive business and management background, to impress on his students the importance of developing cross cultural exchanges and understandings at a local level. Also, Todd explains why in some places cultural understandings can turn out to be more valuable and flexible in the long term than contractual agreements, which in the end, builds lasting trust and opens the door for yet seen opportunities. Todd happened to be coming through Taipei to set up the groundwork for a study abroad course he has developed for his students called “The Three Chinas”. This course isn’t educational tourism. This 2018 course is a live comparative business trip between Taipei, Beijing and Shanghai. This is when Todd’s students can get an early taste of an overseas business environment. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Website: Todd Friends @ Whitworth University Page: Website: Whitworth University THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in <a href= "https://itunes.apple.com/tw/podcast/four-seas-one-family/id704524955?mt=2&uo=8&at=10l

Fri, May 12, 2017

Embrace - The Expat - Community.

Our guest this episode is American expat Hallie Bradley. Hallie has been living in Seoul, Korea for over ten years and she is loving it. Hallie shares with us her very first impressions of her overseas home. Listen to how this expat from a small American town overcame language barriers and learnt to build long-lasting relationships with the local residents. Hallie also gives us a peek into how she met her Korean husband and how they are today raising a young daughter. Hallie is doing all of this while running a popular website that showcases events in and around Seoul. So join us and hear why this energetic expat believes, above all, in the power of communication. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Website: The Soul of Seoul Facebook: The Soul of Seoul Twitter: The Soul of Seoul Pinterest: The Soul of Seoul THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in Apple Podcasts by clicking here! Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Wed, May 03, 2017

You Have to Make an Effort

Mike Wester is a 17-year American expat resident of Beijing and a veteran of five years of expatriate living in Taipei as well. In 2001 he co-founded True Run Media, which provides information and services to the internationally-minded communities in China’s largest cities. TRM operates three brands – the Beijinger and beijingkids (English) and JingKids (Chinese), producing print and digital media as well as large-scale live events for each. • the Beijinger (thebeijinger.com) is the capital's top international English language information resource. Featuring the best in the city's dining, nightlife, style, arts and culture, it is a must-read city and lifestyle platform for locals and expatriates alike. • beijingkids (beijing-kids.com) is the most comprehensive English-language family resource for international English-speaking families in Beijing. • JingKids (jingkids.com) is a community-based, niche-market, multiplatform information resource for affluent parents seeking international schooling and lifestyle for their children with entirely independent editions produced in Beijing and in Shanghai. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Facebook: Michael Wester Website: True Run Media Website: The Beijinger Website: Beijingkids Website: Jingkids WeChat: mwinchina LinkedIn: True Run Media THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leav

Thu, April 27, 2017

Respectfully Not Caring What People Say.

Everyone living outside his or her home nation as a story to tell that explains why they made the choice to travel and then live abroad. In today’s episode we have a guest that fits this description without exception. Currently living in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Anthony Rigogliosi shares with us what brought him to the realization of why he had to change is life situation in his home nation and move abroad. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Facebook (Personal): Anthony Rigogliosi Facebook Group: Podcast Ninja Dojo Facebook: Trek the World TV Website: Podcast Ninja Youtube: Trek the World TV Memorable Quotes: (05:00 mins.) "Respectfully not caring what people say..." (06:20 mins.) "Someone that doesn't have much can give so much. much." (8:35 mins.):"Living in my car taught me the simplicities of life." (09:35 mins.) "The Four Hour Work Week" (13:20 mins.) "You meet the right person when you are doing the right thing." (22:03 mins.) "Real people here." (23:00 mins.) "Gratitude. You can't teach it." (00:00 mins.) "Don't do the things you hate." (25:35 mins.) "Stop doing the things you don't like and spend time doing the things you do like." THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest revi

Sun, April 02, 2017

April 2017 TER Announcement.

From overseas, expats can offer unique perspectives that may not be easily observed by international media outlets. With all the cultural and political uprising taking place in the world today, now is the time for expats, who have had the opportunity to interact and live amongst different cultures, to make their points of views heard and work to breakdown cultural misunderstandings that have developed through suspicions, hate and fear. James Thomas, the host of Four Seas One Family , is working with other like-minded expats located in different parts of the world to create a podcast program for expats to hold live online discussions about both local and global events that may directly or indirectly influence their home nation or the nation they currently reside in. The podcast will be called " The Expats Roundtable" . “ The Expats Roundtable  will be based on the following: 1. Members are to be expats who currently live abroad or “former expats” who have returned to their ”home country(ies)“ but have lived “long-term” overseas before. 2. In the beginning, membership will be built from introductions from current expat members. The more expats taking part, the more information that could be created and exchanged. This would offer a lot of value. 3. Roundtables “should” be held every two weeks on-line via Youtube’s Google+ Hangouts at pre-arranged times. It is hoped that in the future selected expat members can assist in hosting online discussions from expats located in different time zones at pre-arranged times.  Each roundtable should have a topic that is chosen by members or a recent trend or event that affects expats domestically or abroad. Let’s use a very informal topic selection process. In fact, more than one topic may be covered at once in a roundtable. 4. No member is required to take part in any ”certain number“ of roundtables to be considered a member. However, it is hoped that participation becomes strong and lasting. 5. In order to help assist in keeping discussions opened and balanced, non-expats maybe allowed to be invited to, and  take part in, on-line and off-line discussions. 6. ” The Expats Roundtable group could help drive some interest to members personal or business related websites while, at the same time, keeping the branding of a member’s main website(s) separated from " The Expats Roundtable group. 7. Discussion topics, times and dates will be coordinated via email and online polling. MEMBERSHIP RELATED 1. Members should be current or former

Sat, March 25, 2017

Barbarian At The Gate.

There are a few expats who have totally immersed themselves in the culture and lifestyle of their host nation. They later discover that their relationship with their adopted home has become strong and, in some cases, inseparable. Because of this type of unexplainable connection, a few expats have made the decision to give up the passport of their nation of birth to become a citizen of the nation of their adopted home. This transformation for many isn’t an easy one and, in some cases, irreversible. In this episode, James sits down for a chat with TC Lin. TC was born in the United States and decided to go to Taiwan to study Mandarin Chinese in college. TC later found himself in a place that helped him find out more about himself. He shares his tribulations and walks us through what went through his mind after making the decision to give up his U. S. passport to become a citizen of a land so different from his upbringing. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: TC Lin’s Personal Website: Poagao TC Lin’s Book on Amazon: Barbarian At The Gate Wikipedia: TC Lin Facebook: TC Lin Twitter: Follow @poagao Youtube: TC Lin Youtube Page Instagram: thepoagao Flickr: Poagao THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest r

Wed, March 08, 2017

Be Prepared To See A Side Of Yourself You've Never Seen Before.

It is often hard or almost impossible to predict where your life journey may ultimately take you. An expat’s journey leads to different pathways for self-discovery. My guest this episode is American expat Carlo JaMelle. He proves in a unique way that it is very possible to become an accidental expat and, in the end, enjoy and learn from the path taken. Carlo talks about how he ended up going to Taiwan after graduating from college. Without any in-depth knowledge of his future overseas home, he shares how he learned the skill of cultural adaptation and assimilation. It isn’t hard to see that Carlo, as an African-American expat who has chosen to educate himself about his overseas environment, is using his cultural adaptation skills to communicate with people across cultural boundaries. He has placed himself in a position of tearing down walls of cultural misunderstandings when others back in his home nation are building walls up. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Facebook: Carlo JaMelle National Taiwan University National Chengchi University THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on iTunes . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in iTunes by clicking here! Thank you for listening to Four

Mon, February 20, 2017

The Black Sheep TCK.

We sit down for chat with a 24 year old American TCK (Third Culture Kid), Mr. Brandon O’Neal. Brandon takes us for walk in his TCK world and allows us to have a peek inside his sphere of growing up as an African American third culture kid in Taiwan. He shares amusing stories of becoming part of the local Taiwanese community as well as the struggles he faced while being educated in local Taiwanese schools. Brandon points out the importance of learning about the culture you are living in and developing the needed language skills and cultural awareness to further enforce better relationships within your local overseas community. Always zany, upbeat and optimistic, Brandon shows how his experiences of being the “odd one” strengthened his determination to achieve his goals and the way he currently sees the world and his future. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Facebook: BlasianTW Youtube: Blasian: Taiwanese Thug Workout Intro Instagram: BlasianTW THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on iTunes . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in iTunes by clicking here! Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uni

Thu, February 16, 2017

Don't Belong Anywhere, But Comfortable Everywhere.

It is quite common for expat women traveling abroad, and especially raising a family, to feel lost and lose a sense of purpose. It is easy to feel overwhelmed in an unfamiliar overseas environment. I’m lucky this episode to chat with Ms. Rita Golstein-Galperin a career makeover strategists who focuses on helping expat women abroad find or recalibrate a their life direction. Rita works with women all over the world and offers an online service that helps women focus and stay targeted on their life goals while overseas. She has developed online coaching materials to help women realize that their overseas lives can be made relevant to the goals and dreams they want to achieve. Rita is also the author of the book "Grow Abroad (Gift of Reinventing and Owning your Worth)" . This book is the quintessential guide for expat women looking to get beyond their "Zombie Mode" of existence. Rita says it better in her own words: From Rita's Expat Renaissance Website I’m a Career Makeover Strategist® for expat women and the founder of Expat Renaissance. A somewhat serial expat from childhood, I’m now a multicultural mom in Paris and a passionate lover of all chocolate:) More to the point though, I’m a former serial career sifter: a lawyer, economist, tutor, public policy analyst and a senior diplomat…. The question of “what do I want to do when I grow up?” hunted me for years. I read every book, attended every workshop and bought every program out there to try and figure it out… Till it hit me: there is NO right or wrong answers, it’s just the journey. And so, after training as a coach, I’ve decided I don’t want to grow up and I don’t want to put my dream on hold… this is my time to thrive. I since helped hundreds of women around the world redefine and reinvent their success abroad. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: If you are a female expat who is searching for a way to refocus on a goal, Rita’s awesome online service may be the guiding light that can help you remap and rediscover your life while abroad. Website: Expat Renaissance Book: "Grow Abroad (Gift of Reinventing and Owning your Worth)" More About: Expat Renaissance Facebook: Expat Wonder-Women THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life <a href="http://www.fourseasonefamily.com/expatsurvey" target= "_blank" re

Bonus · Sat, January 28, 2017

Commentary January 2017

I started this website and podcast, Four Seas One Family, to explain some of my personal insights to family members and friends back home about life overseas. I also wanted to expand the podcast to where people could easily observe that we have a lot more in common than we think. In this format, people would be able to listen in on examples that prove that we are fundamentally the same regardless of skin color, religion, politics or other beliefs. We all have basic concerns that include security, welfare, health, happiness, comfort and prosperity. I also wanted to showcase examples of how expats, who maybe living and working inside nations that are very unlike their own, interact with the people of their host nation and how they were able to have open and objective dialogue (with the local people). In the end, these interactions assisted in building or regaining mutual respect. We live in a world where we are more interconnected than ever. Nations are less limited by their physical boundaries. They are only limited by the amount of creative freedoms and ambitions their people are allowed to possess and display. Today’s innovative advancements are the direct results of the globalization of shared knowledge among people from different backgrounds, nations and cultures. Many live under different political regimes and are of different lifestyles and religious beliefs. This type of open exchange has allowed mankind to expand its knowledge exponentially. Unfortunately today, even in developed democratic nations, we are finding people who are willing to isolate themselves, sometimes by any means necessary, from people who they perceive as dangerous outsiders. They fear that these so-called “outsiders” have taken away and are destroying their livelihood. People harboring beliefs like this look to employ or elect representatives that they feel would uphold these types of beliefs at a national level in the hope of gaining some social, political and economic protections. Today, the question people in these nations need to ask themselves is, how far are they willing to allow their need of protection from people who they view as dangerous outsiders to go? Would these people encourage and allow their elected representatives to expel, mass-incarcerate or otherwise vastly impede on the civil rights of the people they “fear”? Is this the world we want to live in today? When we give ourselves the opportunity to embrace and interact with people from other cultures, we actually change our mindset which allows us to know even more about ourselves and, at the same time, what other people are really like regardless of the seas, rivers and WALLS that may be separating us. When people of different nations are deprived or blocked from accessing the tools needed to learn more about people who aren’t like them, distrust deepens, hardens and becomes more even more internally engraved within their culture at all levels. Over

Wed, January 25, 2017

Don't Let The First Three Months Dictate Your Experience.

Living as an expat can sometimes be like riding a rollercoaster in a thunderstorm. Sometimes things appear like they are going for a positive up swing an sometimes the swing runs out of inertia and head straight to the bottom. The same thing can be said for life in one’s home nation. However, riding the cultural wave as an expat takes a very different approach to facing fears, filtering doubts and finding of positive conclusion. Our guest this episode is Ms. Jasliyn Albert. Jasliyn is an American expat living in Ufa, Russia. Hear how this expat’s experience helped her to become stronger after facing issue after issue in a location over an hour flight outside of Moscow. Hear how Jasliyn managed to overcome her shyness that allowed her to face doubts when being confronted at her job as an English language instructor. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Website: Coffee and Cleveland From Jasliyn’s blog “ Coffee and Cleveland” : I am an American expat living in Russia. When I’m not teaching English or trying to master the Russian language I am taking photos of old buildings, graffiti, or abandoned places. Want to know more? Read about it here. You can follow along with my book list here. If you still want more you can follow my bucket link . Contact Jasliyn on her Contact Page . Facebook: Coffee and Cleveland Twitter: Follow @jasilynalbert Instagram: jasilynalbert Pinterest: jasilynalbert THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of

Thu, January 19, 2017

About Russia Without the BS.

In this episode, American expat Jim Kovpak joins us from Moscow, Russia. Jim has been living in Moscow for over ten years and goes into how he became attracted to Russia at an early age. Today Jim is a very active expat journalist who has covered stories for many international news agencies. While living and working in Russia, Jim and a friend noticed the false reality presented in the media about Russia and the lives of its people. Because of this, Jim and his friend created the website Russia Without BS. His blog centers on what Russia is really like without bias media opinions. His blog has a faithful following of readers who are well versed in Russian history and culture. In this interview, Jim not only explains what is behind some of the misalignments in Russian reporting, but also goes into some of the reasons why many media pundits in the West have developed an unrealistic view of Russia and its diverse people. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Website: Russia Without BS Facebook: Russia Without BS Twitter: Follow @RussiawithoutBS THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on iTunes . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in iTunes by clicking here! Thank you for

Mon, January 02, 2017

Expat Visits: Resetting Relationships.

People choose to go and live overseas for many different reasons. In the beginning, some people may have gone overseas to further their education, search for financial opportunities, seek romance or to simply search for adventure. The desire to travel overseas can come from variety of different sources. The desire to travel abroad may come from someone we admire, a book we may have read or even a movie we may have seen. So as you see, the reasons are countless and sometimes can be left to the imagination. For some, the search for something missing in their current lives maybe the reason they look and travel abroad. In this episode, I would like to talk about the times when an expat returns to their home nation for short visits; like for a vacation or for attending a family event like a wedding or funeral. We are not talking about repatriation, which is when a person returns, more or less, permanently to the nation of their citizenship. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on iTunes . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in iTunes by clicking here! Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Thu, December 15, 2016

Does an Expat Have The Right to Take Part In Local Protests?

An expat may never be fully intergraded or accepted into all parts of a host nation. There will always be a far side of a host nation that an expat may never be allowed to reach and this is something that may just have to be accepted. The reasons for this may frankly be the way an expat converses with citizens, habits displayed or simply the way a particular expat looks. Local citizens aren’t under any obligation to completely accept an expat as one of their own. The only thing an expat can do, as a human being, is to strengthen the personal relationships he or she has built within their host nation. Many national constitutions make it a clear point that in legal disputes between a foreign national and a citizen of their nation, any decision made must place their citizen’s rights as having priority over foreign national’s at all levels in any litigation. Sovereign nations retain the right to expel any foreign national deemed as disrupting the political affairs of their country. Expats taking part in local civil disobedience within a host nation is a sensitive issue. If expats do take it upon themselves to take part in protests or civil actions in their residing nation, they must be fully aware and understand the consequences of their actions. RELATED LINKS TO THIS EPISODE: Article: As an Expat, is it my Place to Join Another Country's Political Protest? Article: Should Expats and International Students Participate in the Protests? Article: Why as Foreign People Allowed to Participate in Political Movement in Hong Kong? Article: British Expats Take to the Streets in Spain to Protest Against Plans to Bulldoze Their Illegally Built Homes Article: Expats in Penang Protest Against a High Rise Paln on a Tiny Plot of Land THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks!

Sun, December 04, 2016

Expat Mom From The City of Lights Raising Children Abroad.

In this episode we are having a wonderful chat with Pakistani expat Shehar Bano Rizvi (A name that James easily mispronounces.) who, at the time of this interview, has been living in Doha, Qatar for 13 years. Shehar is raising three children in her adopted home and shares how her little ones are adapting to a life that is constantly being in a mix of different languages, faces and cultures. Learn why Shehar sees this fact as a strong asset to her children’s personal development. She goes into why she decided to not return to her high paced job in Doha to stay at home with her little ones. Also, hear how she and her husband are keeping their three young children connected with the culture and language of their home nation. Shehar wasn’t always upbeat about her life in Qatar after spending most of her life in Karachi, Pakistan, also known as the City of Lights, until the age of 13. Listen to how, after coming to Qatar as a Certified Project Management Professional, homesickness crawled into her life. Take a peek at how she worked her way into and integrated into her overseas environment. Hear how she uses her extensive blog postings to express life as an expat mother raising young children. Find out who should be a candidate for the Urdu police. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Website: Diary of a PMP Mom Article: Qatar and Me Article: From My Kicthen Facebook: Diary of a PMP Mom Twitter: Follow @diaryofaPMPmom Youtube: Diary of a PMP Mom Some of Shehar's Memorable Quotes: (05:47 mins.) "Do you get Burger King there?" (11:03 mins.) "After about six months I started to get depressed." (12:10 mins.) "I couldn't cook." (00:00 mins.) "Unless the she learns to speak the language, we are not.... " (24:44 mins.) "Ask daddy." (28:43mins.) "Why aren't celebrating Christmas? " (31:25 mins.)"..but deep down they're all her friends." (37:30 mins.) "Having that ability to adapt is the key to living abroad." THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the com

Sun, November 20, 2016

You Regret The Things That You Don't Do More Than The Things That You Do.

In this episode, we chat in the Marilyn Monroe suite with Angela Carson. Angela is an American expat from Southern California who has travelled all over the globe to over 33 different countries looking for adventure (I said "adventure" not trouble! [smile]). Angela has not only managed to travel the world and commit to an exciting career as an accomplished travel blogger (Boy! Am I jealous! [wink!]), but also raise, as a single parent I may add, a wonderful daughter. Find out what Angela's daughter considers the best thing that has ever happened to her. What is it that she discovered? What is it that she learnt? Listen to how Angela got the travel bug at an early age and avoided many obstacles along the way. She explains further how she took some terrible ideals and made the best of the experience. Find out why I call Angela the female "Rambo"! Memorable Quotes: (04:52 mins.) "I was attacked by bandits on a mountain road." (07:02 mins.) "You regret the things that you don't do more than the things that you do." (08:30 mins.) "That's not really how I work" (12:22 mins.) "Oh yeah, I really don't roll that way" (15:10 mins.) "I had shoulder pads and everything...purple leggings." (16:35 mins.) "We sat down on the sofa. We open up Google Maps and I said "Okay, where do we want to live?" (27:50 mins.) "Sounds stupid want to say it out loud sometimes, but because he was such a jackxxs..." (31:12 mins.) "We went from being in Barcelona...where we cared about labels... we cared about being cool, looking pretty, all those thingsto moving to India and... where you had to cover up." (32:10 mins.) "When she was leaving...Peace of mind on her back shoulder." (32:52 mins.) "Really? ...and she said "It's the best thing that eever happened to me." (36:37 mins.) "There is so much to learn about the world and ourselves by stepping outside our doors." (38:00 mins.) "If you're happy first as a parent, as a woman or man, then you'll bring happiness to your children." MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Website: Expat Angela Article: I’ve Never Been More Embarrassed To Be American: By California Expat Living in Muslim Country Website: Angela's Bangalore Website: Luxury Bucketlist Facebook: ExpatAngela Twitter: Follow @ExpatAngela Youtube: <a href= "https://www.youtube.com/c/AngelaCarson-ExpatTravel" target= "_blank"

Sat, November 05, 2016

To Be Smarter Than I was Yesterday.

In this episode, we have American-expat Drey Gibson who is, at the time of this episode, living in Germany. He is also an expat guest with a military background. Drey is from a place in the U.S. where people from his small town, at the time of his service in the U.S. military, had limited access to information regarding traveling and living overseas. Drey is an engaging speaker who goes into how he coped with life overseas while in the military. It is easy to hear that his clear and positive state of mind helped him enjoy life abroad. He mentions how being overseas with his fellow soldiers in the late 1990’s is a factor that keeps them united even to this day. He also states clearly that going abroad and interacting with the local people directly changed his perspective of the world and its people. With a background in media, Drey is now working in the education field. He and his German wife, have three wonderful children with very different and unique personalities. He points out that, partly because of his military postings, he is pleased that his children were able to travel with him to different countries and be exposed to different cultures. Drey is also the host of the secular interview podcast. Another Atheist Podcast Our guest is a strong believer that expats have a responsibility to share their experiences with those who, for various reasons, aren’t able to travel. He feels it’s important for expats to plant seeds in the minds of people in their hometown or nation that encourages them to travel abroad to see and learn about the world. Maybe by doing so, people will see at a personal level how much they really are alike. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Website: Another Atheist Podcast Facebook: Another Atheist Podcast Page Some of Drey’s memorable quotes: (13:08 mins.) "Coming here changed my perpective." (16:33 mins.) "Why do you stay in touch with them?" (17:14 mins) "We called ourselves "113"." (22:10 mins.) "They thought that all black people drove around in Cadillacs" (27:18 mins.) "I stay positive for one." (30:57 mins.) "Yeh, but none of that of what you just said is true." (42:15 mins) "We are looking at the election in a different manner." (48:15 mins) "I stride to be a good human being." (49:40 mins.) “It’s our duty to ... try to relate our experiences with other people.” THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey</

Mon, October 31, 2016

Embrace things and teach your kids to do that too

In our efforts to further understand the expat experience while raising children abroad, we are lucky this episode to gain further insights into the topic with our guest and fellow podcaster, Ms. Jennifer Langkjaer. Jennifer is an American expat currently living in Switzerland near Zurich. Jennifer briefly talks about how her children kept up with pop-culture in the US and the type of education her children are getting in Switzerland as opposed to what they may need upon returning to the United States. She also talks about how important it is to try to learn to communicate in the local language. She mentions one experience when she had to use the local language which later made her proud. At the moment of this interview, Jennifer is connecting to us during a semester stay in Houston Texas. Some of Jennifer’s memorable quotes. Find out why they were said: (05:45 mins.) “The things that you thought you were going to have access to aren’t the things that you actually have access to.” (07:00 mins.) “A case of you don’t know what you don’t know.” (09:00 mins.) “Everything that is just a normal easy part of everyday living becomes much harder becasue …” (19:58 mins.) “There’s nobody falling into employment in Switzerland.” (28:31 mins.) “If you can’t fit in were you’re living, you won’t make it to be a long-term expat.” (31:36 mins.) “Never compare because you will always find something coming up short.” (31:56 mins.) “…not reject your home culture unless …” (32:18 mins.) “If you’re living as an expat, then it’s important to embrace things from home and things from the host and teach your kids to do that too.” MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Website: Parenting Abroad Facebook: Parenting Abroad Facebook: Americans Parenting Abroad (The American Schoolhouse) THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Plea

Sun, October 23, 2016

People Need to be Treated as People.

I have been receiving email from listeners across Facebook and Twitter about covering the topic of parenting overseas. So over the next few weeks, I will be trying to deliver more information about the nuances of parenting as an expat abroad. I will also try to gather information from a variety of expats located in different parts of the world and focus on the commonalities of trying to raise children outside of their passport nation. So beginning in this episode we sit down for a chat with an American expat from Michigan, now living in Abu Dhabi, Ms. Liz Tracy. Liz has taken to the road abroad with her cute seven-year-old daughter who isn’t having any problem adapting to the expat experience. In fact, Liz’s little doll has been traveling since she was six months old! As a result, she has become used to hearing different languages, observing different cultures and meeting people of all colors, shapes and sizes. In her young innocent eyes, she is just seeing people for what they really are….just simply ”people”. At the time of this episode, Liz, who is a teacher with a degree in anthropology, has been living in Abu Dhabi with her daughter for four years and she doesn’t miss anything about the snow people back in her hometown get in Michigan. - Running helps Liz unwind. - Find out what is the “A” word in Liz’s home because somebody has to be one. Some of Liz’s quotes: 26:25 mins. “Sometimes you just need to cry and that’s okay.” 26:27 mins. “Sometimes you just need to eat a pound of chocolate and that’s okay.” 26:40 mins. “We can have a break now and that’s okay as long as we pick up the pieces and stand back up.” 27:30 mins. “When you say “yes” to everything, it gets expensive.” 31:13 mins. “I became parent so that I can parent. Whether it’s good or bad, that’s what I chose to do.” MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Website: Liz’s website: http://www.liztracywriting.com Twitter: Follow @liztracywriting LinkedIn: Liz Tracy Writing Facebook: Liz Tracy Writing Instagram: Liz Tracy Writing THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the com

Fri, October 07, 2016

People are still people no matter how different the cultures.

In this episode, James is talking to American expat, part-time musician with a voice that any radio announcer would dream of having, Mr. Jim Santos. Jim is a retired network engineer from the DC area someplace near Chesapeake Bay and is connecting to us from Ecuador. I found Jim from one of his articles posted on the Wall Street Journal website. From his overseas vantage point, Jim uses a direct and, at times, strategic humorous point of view to highlight the events currently going on in the US. He talks about unfortunate events brought him and his wife together and to life in Ecuador. Jim points out that there is a big difference between vacationing somewhere and living abroad. For Jim and his wife home is anywhere they are together and happy. In this interview, Jim honestly lays out what he notices from the events taking place in his home nation. I really appreciate he’s straightforward and honest opinions. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Jim words of wisdom while living as an expat: (05:04) “I give good phone.” (07:08) “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” (07:54) “Home is just where we are together and happy.” (08:25) “Your place doesn’t matter as much as where you are inside matters.” (13:14) “People are still people no matter how different the culture is.” (13:47) Jim talks about the two common complaints American expats mention while living abroad. (14:24) “Mañana” doesn’t mean tomorrow. It means not right now, not today.” (14:54) “It’s the time you spend with people that is important not to time as it is measured on your clock or on your calendar.” (29:26) “You don’t run away from something to enjoy yourself.” (30:30) "Reminds me of the George Wallace campaign." Jim's powerful blog posts Website: Jim’s informative blog: Jimsantosblog.com Article  Make America Hate Again Article: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year Article: Do You Believe in Forever? Article: Masters of Distraction Additional links of interest: THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Please help us make this show better by filling in this Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our <a href= "https://www.speakpipe.c

Wed, September 28, 2016

The Main Ingredient in Cultural Intolerance.

I truly believe every single person on Earth has the ability to show compassion towards their fellow human beings regardless of the many countless obstacles. In my podcast, Four Seas One Family, I frantically try to construct cultural bridges to shorten the distance between common beliefs and mutual concerns. Global events displayed daily on our televisions, read in newspapers and on-line causes us to develop a pessimistic view of the world. The large numbers of innocent people suffering and dying for causes they may not even care about or understand casts a negative view of the world that is being passed on to our children and future generations. This, in turn, is causing them to become suspicious, lose faith, feel insecure and, in the end, hopeless about their future. The side-effects of these feelings, situations and unfortunate events is a state of heightened fear that becomes multiplied over time. This constant state of fear affects everyone regardless of their location or social political status. Fear has taken on the effects of a wide spread disease and effects us all on multiple levels that aren't easy to detect. The physiological signs of fear can be quickly and easily observed within our communities. However, the signs of psychological fear isn't that easily detected and monitored. Today, it is easily seen that fear is a leading stimulus in the creation of many national policies and practices. And sadly, many of these policies and practices are causing harm to people who don't possess financial and political power. Many of these policies discriminate against people of color, different political ideologies, sexual orientation and religious views. Fear is not benign. Fears are also directly responsible for the rise of social evangelists and politicians who propagate these fears to those who feel that they are losing control of their political power, wealth, social status and freedoms. So, in an attempt to protect their way of life, those with the power and wealth that harbor these fears look for and develop legislative means to protect themselves from, what they perceive as, the types of people threatening their (social, political, religious and financial) existence. Rules and regulations are made and amended to separate themselves at all levels from the offending group or groups. Many of you may think that I'm only talking about the recent events now taking place in the United States or other Western nations. On the contrary, I want it to also be known that these same types of social suppressions can be observed in nations that have lesser global political and financial influences. Even in nations like these, national and local law enforcement agencies are given the powers to suppress opposition by threatening, incarcerating, physically punishing and, in some cases, killing those who refuse to abide by the limitations placed upon them or just about anyone who is perceived as a threat to the privileged rulin

Wed, September 21, 2016

You Should Live Where You're Treated Well.

In this episode we have a fellow podcaster from Kansas City who is now living as an expat in Belize on the island of Caye Caulker. A person of action, Robert Harper, explains how he has changed his philosophy about life and managed to arrange a lifestyle that allows him to work remotely and experience living abroad with his extended family which includes two wonderful young grandchildren. Robert shares why he feels supplying his grandchildren with supplementary remote educational resources will help them develop a more overall competitive educational advantage. He also explains what he doesn't miss about life in the U.S. and why he doesn't think he will own land to live on again. This maybe because of how his nomadic lifestyle suits the life he and his family have chosen to enjoy. He also points out, that as an expat, it is important to get out and learn about the surroundings and it's people. Listen to what Robert learnt from a local Belizean businesswoman about the connection Belize once had with the slave trade in the U.S.. Most importantly, Robert also explains why people in his home nation have to stop being afraid and explore the outside world. **Some of Robert's quotes**: 7:50 mins. "There is a saying on Caye Caulker. You're on Belizean time. Mañana doesn't mean tomorrow. It could mean next week." 9:56 mins. "I don't know if we'll ever again own a place in any country" 16:20 mins. "After the Civil War in the US, a number of plantation owners moved to South Belize and stopped growing cotton and started growing sugarcane and transfer their slaves." 20:20 mins. "Our experience is the first question asked by anybody in the State is: Aren't you afraid?" 21:10 mins. "Yes, we are going to be safe but we're not going to be in a bubble." 23:35 mins. "In today's world, you should live where you're treated well." 35:00 mins. About thinking about living life abroad: "Take action. Stop thinking about doing this because no matter where you are in your life you'll never have as much money as you think you should (have) to be able to do this." 35:47 mins. "Just because you (have) decided to do this doesn't mean you'll have to do this forever." Click here for Robert's Belize hospital experience. Robert get's a lot of questions from family and friends back home. He is trying to get them to explore the world and see what it has to offer. He often gets asked questions like: Another, and more serious, question Robert often gets is: "What will you do if you get sick?" Life abroad isn't always as cool as it looks like in the movies. Normal things happen while living abroad. Robert writes about what he went through to get medical care for his wife in Belize in a blog post. He notes that it's

Sun, September 11, 2016

What has become normal is fascinating again.

Many people find their life path at unexpected times and in bewildering situations. Sometimes, people find themselves “evacuating” a certain life situation to search for another purpose. In this episode we are happy to sit down for a chat with American expat Andrea Whitaker. Andrea is very energetic so she doesn’t just sit around waiting for adventure to somehow find her. She bravely goes out on her scooter and not only looks for adventure, but hunts for it. Andrea has left over 25 years in the world of aviation and has been all over the globe learning about different cultures and lifestyles. Today, Andrea is an English teacher in Taiwan’s technology center, Hsinchu, which is a little over 40 minutes south of the capital, Taipei. Also, she’s an affluent blogger. On her blog, she writes about her expat adventures and breathtaking discoveries. In this episode, Andrea talks about how she is extracting quality out of her expat experiences. She mentions how her relationships with her adult students are helping her get an even deeper knowledge of Taiwan and its people. All in all, while moving at the speed of light, she keeps a positive outlook on living life abroad. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Andrea Whitaker's blog: Andi on Adventure THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on iTunes . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in iTunes by clicking here! Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Wed, August 31, 2016

Lower your expectations so that you can get the results that you want.

Join us this episode as our host, James Thomas , sits down for a chat with Zambian-Canadian expat-entrepreneur Mr. Rico Ngoma . Tune in and listen to what lead Mr. Ngoma to learn more about China and what gave him the spark to finally move to China and start a business in the southern ever-moving Chinese city of Guangzhou. As Rico’s parents are also deeply involved in business, it maybe fair to say that doing business is in Rico’s DNA. Rico followed the road many expats take while living abroad and draws some interesting comparisons between doing business and living a normal life in China that may sound confusing to anyone upon their first encounter. Rico is and open-minded individual and shows how understanding the history of a people can help an expat except, survive and understand their life in their overseas location. Rico’s direct comments offers valuable insights into the life of an expat businessman navigating the bumpy business roads in China. Rico explains: “…China is not a big Walmart where you can go to an aisle and get want you want…” and On his Made in China Podcast , Rico explains what is a “ China Day ”. His experiences in China have also become valuable assets in the creation of his podcast that you can find in iTunes : Made in China Podcast . MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: www.sourcefindasia.com - Source Find Asia is my product manufacturing consulting company based in Guangzhou. We source high quality suppliers for clients, manage mass production orders, QC, shipping & logistics etc. Our clients range from e-commerce like Amazon FBA sellers or large software companies transitioning into physical products. www.enterchina.co - Is a private (paid) online mastermind community with 150 members. We focus on manufacturing in China; our members have raised over $2 million from crowd funding campaigns using the methods developed in the community. Additional links of interest: 4S1F34 Ian Mote: From Chicken Feet to Crystal Baths THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our <a href= "https://www.speakpipe.com/Four_Seas

Wed, August 24, 2016

Accept In Your Mind That You Can Do It.

Today, I am happy to have new dad, podcaster and entrepreneur Mr. Michael Michelini on the show. Michael is not only a new dad of two wonderful children; he is also a podcaster with two shows to look after! A top of all of this, Michael is also a business consultant for overseas companies looking to manufacture products in China. Michael’s consulting business, along with its website and other businesses, specializes in helping individuals and overseas companies understand how to do business in China. Michael has a long list of people and companies he has helped over the years to solve business issues related to China’s complex business maze. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Websites and Podcasts Website and Podcast: Global From Asia Website and Podcast: China Business Cast Website: Mike's Personal Blog On-line Entrepreneur Community Website: Enter China Book Website: The Slight Edge, by Jeff Olson THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on iTunes . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in iTunes by clicking here! Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Wed, August 17, 2016

Taking a Leap of Faith.

It is no secret that taking a leap of faith of any kind can lead to many important transitions in anyone’s life, which can help a person further develop him or herself as a part of the human race. In this episode, James is joined in his downtown office studio in Taipei with Mr. Johnny Fountain who currently works for a major global computer manufacturer with offices in Asia. Johnny is now based in Taipei, Taiwan and he joins us in this episode to talk about his experiences that lead to his life abroad. He talks about how he took a leap of faith and looks forward to life beyond the safety net he had at home. Johnny, from a little town in Georgia, mentions some similarities he has discovered between food and culture. Most importantly, Johnny shares how he learned to get involved with the local culture, which opened a gateway for him to make friends and take part in many local events. His experiences have offered him a better understanding of the local people within his environment. Join us as we take a look from a different perspective from someone who eagerly looks forward to his life abroad. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Taipei, Taiwan Georgia Tech THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on iTunes . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in iTunes by clicking here! Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Fri, August 05, 2016

Make People Understand That They are Heard and Understood.

Teaching is a tool to help make this world a better place for everyone and today I am very lucky to have Mr. Barry Mernin on the show this episode. Mr. Mernin is a lifelong elementary educator. Before teaching overseas, Mr. Mernin spent 12 years teaching in the US. Now, at the time of this episode, Mr. Mernin has spent the past fifteen years teaching in Singapore, Japan, Jordan and Hong Kong. He is currently a teaching administrator at Hokkaido International School- Niseko, Japan. Mr. Mernin’s professional mission statement is: “ I will provide a wholesome and upbeat environment for any and all students to succeed. I will teach students to learn to be content. I will demand that students care for the world around them as well as themselves. I will remember what it is like to be a child.” Mr. Mernin has a master’s degree in Mathematics and has attended summer workshops with Columbia University’s Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, directed by Lucy Calkins. Mr. Mernin has also obtained a leadership certificate from the Principal’s Training Center for International Educators. This interview touched me and I see why Mr. Mernin is really a professional educator who values lifelong learning and is constantly enhancing his craft. ABOUT GUEST:: Name: Barry Mernin Home nation: USA Current location: Niseko, Japan Mr. Mernin’s personal were he writes about teaching and living overseas: Expat Teacher Man : https://expatteacherman.com MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Hokkaido International School : http://home.his.ac.jp/niseko/ Hokkaido International School NISEKO12 Aza Fujimi Niseko-cho, Abuta-gun Japan 048-1501 How To Contact Us Email: his.niseko@his.ac.jp THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on <a

Wed, July 20, 2016

The Expat's Approach to Assimilation and Humility in Learning.

In this episode James and Jon Dunning sit down for a chat about the different types of expats that adventure beyond their nations borders to experience life and for what reasons. Expats view their overseas life experience in many ways and in this podcast learn about the make up of a few of them. The expat's approach to assimilation and humility in learning about a host country's culture, balancing birth/host country cultures, are we conquerors, escapees or explorers? MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: CONQUEROR, EXPLORER, ESCAPEE, NOMAD (BY-LIFESTYLE) Other possible types of expats: Student / Ex-student Job /Career recruit Traveling spouse Idealist or Romantic New Lifestyle Backpacker As of 2015: Examples of global migration: Source: International Organization for Migration United States Outward migration from United States of America: 2,994,925. In 2015, 0.92% of all citizens of United States of America lived outside their country of origin. Inward migration to United States of America: 46,627,102. In 2015, the immigrant population of United States of America was 14.49% of total resident population. United Kingdom Outward migration from United Kingdom: 4,911,334. In 2015, 7.05% of all citizens of United Kingdom lived outside their country of origin. UK: Inward migration to United Kingdom: 8,543,120. In 2015, the immigrant population of United Kingdom was 13.20% of total resident population. Five Countries that have the highest percentage of expats Website: (2015) Going Global Expat populations follows the money: - Some with very high turnover rates - Expat population is higher than the local population Examples of countries that have the highest percentage of expats Qatar Over 70% of Qatar's population is expat. In 2014, out of Qatar's 1.8 million, only 278,000 are locals. That means about 1.5 million were expats. United Arab Emirates The UAE has a population of 9.2 million but only about 1.4 million are locals. The rest are expats which number nearly 8 million. Meaning over 80% of the population are expats. Kuwait: Kuwait has a total population of 4.1 million, of which only 1.2 million are Kuwaiti nationals. The remaining 2.8 million, who make up 70% of the population, are expats. Singapore Singapore has a population of around five and a half (5.5) million people. About 40% are long-term permanent or expat residents About: Jon Dunning Host of NewZealand Pocket Radio NewZealand Pocket Radio NewZealand Pocket Radio Website: NewZealand Pocket Radio <a href= "http://www.fourseasonefamily.com/4s1f-blog/2016/2/9/4s1f25-jon-dunning-consciously-contribute?rq

Thu, July 14, 2016

Ian Mote: From Chicken Feet to Crystal Baths

We have expat author Ian Mote on the show to share his expat experience and how and why he decided to write a memoir of his life in China in his comically titled book "From Chicken Feet to Crystal Baths". As a youngster from London and while traveling from country to country with his parents, Ian may have picked up an expat gene along the way. As of this podcast, Ian has lived as a expat for over 14 years. He has lived 4 years in Hong Kong, 3 years in Dubai and over 7 years in Shanghai, China. Ian chats about how he got hooked on being an expat. However, in this interview, we centre on the making of his unique book that encircles his interactions as a commercial banker and communications with people in China. Hardcover | 6 x 9 in | 472 pages | ISBN 9781504903950 Softcover | 6 x 9 in | 472 pages | ISBN 9781504903943 E-Book | 472 pages | ISBN 9781504903967 Available at Amazon Website:  From Chicken Feet to Crystals Baths From the Author: Ian Mote: I have always loved to travel. Right from the time I went around the world as a baby in my parents’ arms, travelling has been in my blood. Growing up in London, as I grew older I started looking

Sat, July 02, 2016

Amanda Bate: The Black Expat Identity.

I’m very happy to have Ms. Amanda Bate as my guest on the podcast. Amanda was born in the US to Cameroonian parents and grew up in Africa. Amanda is also the founder of The Black Expat website.  The Black Expat website spotlights collected black expat experiences that are directly related to a black expat’s survival while living abroad. Also, parts of the website talks about issues that relate to raising children abroad and, in particular issues related to what Third Culture Kids (TCKs) face while living abroad and upon touching down in the nation of their parents birth. Currently Amanda lives in Richmond, Virginia, where she works in educational consulting as a director of a college access program that assist low income and underrepresented minority students regarding their postsecondary education plans.  Amanda explains how she became an advocate of studying abroad and why she’s working to make studying abroad more accessible to minority students who normally wouldn’t even think about an educational experience beyond their nation’s border. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: The Black Expat:  Website: http://www.theblackexpat.com Twitter: @theblackexpat Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theblackexpat/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/BlackExpat/ Read The Wall Street Journal’s interview: A Voice For Global Nomads Of Color Additional links of interest: The Difference between Expats and Immigrants? It’s Passports, Not Race ‘Expat’ Under Fire: The Word is Not Racist, Argues a Global Nomad Why are white people expats when the rest of us are immigrants? THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast.  If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe page. We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take

Sun, May 29, 2016

Give an expats point of view a fair listen.

EPISODE OVERVIEW: In this episode, I go into a direction that has been on my mind ever since I decided to live permanently outside my nation of birth. I often find it hard to explain to friends and family back in the South Bronx the reasons why I chose to live abroad and face the challenges of living away from familiar faces, places and customs. I didn’t want to fall into the same, and often limited, life style most African-Americans with little or no financial backing often find themselves becoming a part of. Even with a college degree, I felt that I needed to obtain education from other sources to acquire full understanding of the world and, in turn, myself. I also wanted to cast-off the predicted social limits male African-Americans directly or indirectly become a participant of. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL DISCOVER: I am a podcaster who does a podcast about the, mainly positive, aspects of living life abroad. I must say clearly that there are things that I see in my overseas environment that can upset me if I allow it. I understand that I’m really just a guest and I can’t make my host nation appeal to my western values. I don’t choose to carry negativity with me like a heavy bag of dirty laundry. So what gives? For example, here in Asia, I’ve witnessed a level of cruelty to animals that burns my heart. In some nations, what I consider animal cruelty is just a means to make a living and feed people. Maybe, because of my western upbringing, I just have a super high level of affection for animals. On the other side of the coin, I have quality long-term friendships with people from very different cultures who frankly know little or nothing about me and don’t require that I offer anything in return. I have never been able to foster these kinds of relationships in my home nation. Now, hold on! Before you jump on me, this could simply be a problem of my own making or my way of creating a feeling that I wasn’t able to feel back home. Maybe there’s some truth in stating that it’s just easier to accept the things you see as shameful in other countries and cultures than it is your own. POINTS TO REMEMBER:  I think an expat’s viewpoint can offer insights from a cultural awareness angle to people who are of the same or similar background as the expat. I am not saying, nor am I implying, that an expat’s point of view is superior to any other. Living within another culture isn’t as romantic as it may sound and expats have plenty of issues to face that can make them question their reasons for living abroad and many of these issues can cause an expat to pack up, return home and list their overseas journey as a failure.   For a long-term expat, there really isn’t an ending journey. People who are willing to fully engage in different ways of thinking and adjusting to new environments are in a constant state of transformation that brings with it a sense of accomplishment. This accomplishment shows that

Mon, May 02, 2016

Tom Heberlein: More Choices and The Myth of Paying High Swedish Taxes.

In this episode, we do some myth busting about the value of paying collective taxes. We see how an American expat learnt to appreciate something about his host nation that would raise eyebrows and receive loads of criticism back home. It is often veryhard for an expat to communicate the way other people in differentparts of the world are living and how the particular system theylive under would be of some good use elsewhere. ABOUT GUEST :  Tom Heberlein is a retired environmental sociologist professorfrom Wisconsin now living with his wife in Stockholm, Sweden. Tomexplains how he fell in love with Sweden. He also explains why themyth and mystery of paying high taxes in Sweden is misinterpretedbuy many Americans. Tom also takes the time to explain step-by-stepwhy logical and fair tax paying is better for the collectivecommunity.      Six Reasons Why to appreciate SwedishTaxes:   Swedish income taxes aren’t much higher than US taxes. Alsotaxes in Sweden provide universal medical and education.  Tax forms are simple. In fact, Swedish tax forms come alreadyfilled out! There is NO property tax. Sales taxes in Sweden are higher but far less noticeable andincluded in a sale. People who pay taxes in Sweden are given a cash return insteadof hard to calculate deductions. Slightly higher taxes in Sweden give tax payers more choicesand, in turn, freedoms. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: I’m anAmerican Living in  Sweden. Here’s why I came to embrace thehigher taxes. Related Article: Living in Switzerland ruined me for America and its lousy workculture .            THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank very much for taking the time this week toshare.  If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the commentssection below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe page. We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, familyand co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at thebottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic episodeupdates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest reviewand rating on iTunes. They really help us out when it comes to theranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single oneof the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in iTunes byclicking here! Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all thesame and at the same time uniqu

Thu, April 14, 2016

Expat Dilemmas

Recently I’ve come across loads of articles stating the “Top #” of places to live as an expat. After a while, I’ve found these lists on the edge of becoming misleading and sometimes down right biased. These “ Top #” lists point out the best nations to:  Retire  / Start a new business  /  Work or Do business /  Get health care / Find a partner Study or Do research  / Learn a new skill / Find romance /  Start a family /  Etc,…… I am finding that these oversimplified statements are lacking fully developed background information about the locations listed. I’m afraid, that this may cause some people to develop the wrong impression about an overseas location and make incorrect decisions about moving to a particular location. As an expat you have to learn that no place is a perfect place. Expats should take the positive elements around them and developed a healthy relationship in their second home.  They have come to learn that there may be things in their new environment they don’t agree with or can change. Please understand that Paradise doesn’t exist and your host nation is not obligated to change because of any personal conflicts you may be having.    POINTS TO REMEMBER: Please understand that Paradise doesn’t exist and your host nation is not obligated to change because of any personal conflicts you may be having.  MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Saul Fleischmann (American in Japan) : Rite Tag:  http://www.ritetag.com Anton Botes (South African in Taiwan) : Show Reel:  http://www.antonbotes.com Christine Chang (Taiwanese living in Hong Kong) FELLOW EXPAT PODCASTERS: Stephen Penny: Host of the Tech Expats Podcast  Jon Dunning: Host of the Big Nosed Ugly Guy podcast  Jonathan Rollins: Co-Host of The Power Meeting Podcast  Mohanalakshmi Rajakumr : Website:  http://www.mohadoha.com   THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank very much for taking the time this week to share. </p

Thu, April 07, 2016

Jamar Whaley: Overcoming Socioeconomic Barriers to Help Promote Educational Exchanges Abroad

In this info-packed episode, James sits down for a chat with fellow New Yorker, Jamar Whaley. Jamar shares his expat experience and talks about his observance on how people from low-socioeconomic classes are not offered or simply blocked from opportunities to study abroad and why this needs to be changed. Jamar often gives an emotional inter-personal perspective on his life abroad.

Thu, March 31, 2016

There’s a Whole New World Out There.

In this episode, we chat with Ms. Clara Wiggins, a prolific blogger, writer and mother of two wonderful girls from the UK and now living in South Africa. Clara is a TCK ( Third Culture Kid ) and shares her expat experiences with us and offers up some tips for living life abroad. Clara talks about the challenges of raising and educating children in an environment unlike the one they come from. Also, she taps into issues accompanying spouses of different types face while trying to maintain their relationship.  Clara is also the author of a book that I feel future and present-day expats should read called “ The Expat Partner’s Survival Guide ”. In her book, Clara opens up a pathway for understanding issues expats face while adapting to life overseas as well as explains some crisis an expat may face abroad. Mentioned in this episode: Expat Partner Survival: https://expatpartnersurvival.com Clara’s engaging handbook about living life as an expat: https://expatpartnersurvival.com/buy-the-book/ Expat Partner Survival Guide on Amazon. Please take time out to read Clara’s fact filled series about expat depression. Find out how to handle depression and where to look for help: A Series on Expat Depression: Introduction What’s it’s like being a same-sex expat partner

Tue, March 15, 2016

Be brave and bold. Step out your comfort zone.

Time really flies and people change. Hopefully people change in good ways and appreciate the things they have and the people around them. Sara Hong is a former student of mine. I first met Sara when she was a forth grader and now she’s working in the legal field in a country that is very unlike her own. Sara is in the city that never sleeps. Join us while we take a walk with Sara through events in her life abroad that at first confused and later amused her. Sara does all this while, at the same time, keeping a positive outlook on her expat life.  With her energetic personality, Sara shares some of the steps she took to prepare for her life abroad. Tune in and hear how Sara is adapting to life in her new environment and the ways she has learnt to further her personal development and interactions with people.

Sun, February 14, 2016

The Ups and Downs of a Long-Distance Relationship.

On this Valentines Day, James chats about the few steps couples can take to help their relationship apart stay afloat. It's not a secret that long-distance relationships can cause a lot of stress to partners and require that both partners be patient and   trust one another throughout. The following are five tips to deal with the ups and downs of a long-distance relationship. 1. Have mutual positive feelings 2. Strong commitment 3. Have faith and trust 4. Communication 5. Be Mature  

Mon, February 08, 2016

Jon Dunning: Consciously Contribute.

We often hear of or meet people who sacrifice many things for the betterment of others. In this episode, we sit down for a heart warming chat with Mr. Jon Dunning, originally from London, England, now living in Auckland, New Zealand. Listen to how he and his wife looked abroad to make a better future for their family. Jon wholeheartedly shares his story about how his situation back in London, along with the contacts he made while working overseas, gave him the idea to look beyond borders for a new life experience. Despite some odds against them, learn about the situations his family had to face in order to stay together during their journey to a place they now call home.  Jon touches on how he and his family learnt to become part of their new community. However, at the same time, he also eloquently touches on the fact that nowhere is perfect and that adjustments will always have to be made. While talking with Jon, I discovered that what he and his family went through shows how determined they had to be. His story shows that the willpower of a family can supersede all obstacles. Jon is also a podcaster and you can find it at the following link: http://bignoseduglyguy.com

Tue, January 19, 2016

Saul Fleischman : See the world. Visit it.

Busy Philadelphia native and Penn State graduate, Mr. Saul Fleischman, connects to us from Osaka, Japan to share his expat experiences. Saul is a long-term expat in Japan, with over 22 plus years living there, and shares his story of how he ended up in the place he now calls home. Saul is a straight-talker and walks us through how he followed the typical road many expats take while searching for a purpose in their adopted environment. He describes how Japan left an impression on him during his early visits. However, he points out clearly, even with all it’s uniqueness, Japan can still be challenging. Saul has a successful Internet business that he manages remotely.Rite Tag: The Social Media Marketing Toolkit: http://www.ritetag.com

Wed, January 13, 2016

Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar: Expat Dilemmas

At the end of 2015, I had the opportunity to interview Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar, a South Asian American Expat, now living and working in Doha. Mohana is a wonderful speaker and writer who gets to the point. She talks about how she and her two young children adapted to their host nation. Also, she sheds some light on the intricate interactions of the expat community where she lives. Besides being a wonderful writer, speaker and parent, Mohana is also a podcaster! This is why in the interview I called her “super woman”.

Tue, December 22, 2015

Jonathan Rollins: Keep an Open Mind

We are glad to have American expat Mr. Jonathan Rollins as a guest on the show. Now, living and working in Sweden, Jonathan is also married to a wonderful Swedish lady and they have a young little (1.5 year old) boy bouncing around the house. I learnt about Jonathan through a blog post he wrote about gun control in the US. His viewpoint of his home from abroad prompted me to track him down for a chat. As it turns out, Jonathan has an interesting story about how he ended up in Sweden and to top things off he is also a podcast co-host of a popular Swedish podcast! He podcasts in English mixed with Swedish! Very cool! And that’s not all! Jonathan is also a comedian! You just can’t get better than this! Join us for this memorable podcast!

Tue, December 15, 2015

Avalon Owens: Spend time in a place where you are a minority.

An American expat from Harvard University studying Entomology in Taiwan, Avalon Owens (姜安蓉), joins us in a chat about how she ended up in Taiwan. Avalon has also spent time in Beijing and she explains the non-typical way she learned Mandarin Chinese. Avalon is full of energy and always delightful. Come hear what she has to say. I guarantee she’ll put a smile on your face.

Tue, December 08, 2015

Anton Botes: If people want to make a change.

We are very happy to have South African music designer Anton Botes on the show to share his experiences living abroad. He talks about why he decided to make the change from his established occupation in South Africa to a new life overseas. He also offers some special insight to his lifestyle abroad.  Mentioned: Show Reel: http://www.antonbotes.com The Lab Space: https://www.facebook.com/labspacetw   THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Click HERE if you would like to load our Four Seas One Family Website RSS Feed . Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in Apple Podcasts by clicking here! Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Fri, December 04, 2015

Things you should know before accepting employment overseas.

Over the past few weeks, listeners have been writing to me asking about employment opportunities and conditions abroad and I found myself repeating the same advice over and over again. It looks like many people are to shy to leave a message on the website so I decided to create a podcast on the topic. Much like looking for employment in your home nation, there are basic questions that should be asked and be concerned about. However, simply because of the location and distances involved in overseas employment and assignments,  extra care and attention to detail must be given to the overall description, salary, benefits and others. All in all, working abroad can be a life changer for anyone accepting the challenge to step outside his or her home nation. It can help a person develop the skills necessary to function in an ever-expanding global marketplace. In this podcast I offer some tips to help those people looking for job opportunities overseas.   THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Click HERE if you would like to load our Four Seas One Family Website RSS Feed . Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in Apple Podcasts by clicking here! Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Tue, December 01, 2015

Mark Goding: There’s a grain of truth in a lot of what some people (say) who criticize.

Mark Goding, a fifteen plus year Australian expat living in Taiwan, chats with James about his early travels before ending up in the place he now calls home. A class A optimist, Mark is well known for his endless energy and outspokenness and he always has an antidote for any situation or cause.  He keeps active and also runs his own business selling sausages to local business.   THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Click HERE if you would like to load our Four Seas One Family Website RSS Feed . Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in Apple Podcasts by clicking here! Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Tue, November 24, 2015

Kathy Wang: You have to be Brave.

In this short episode we sit down for a late night chat with Kathy Wang, a Taiwanese expat living in Brisbane, Australia. Kathy started off her Australian journey on a working holiday. Now, two and a half years later, Kathy is pursuing her master’s degree and, at the same time, working in a local Australian company. Kathy talks about how she prepared to deal with language and cultural issues. She also points out the importance of getting out and mixing in your local community.   THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Click HERE if you would like to load our Four Seas One Family Website RSS Feed . Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in Apple Podcasts by clicking here! Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Tue, November 17, 2015

William Cruz Molina: Taking opportunities to learn.

Colombian Expatriate William Cruz Molina is in the Taipei studio to chat about how he ended up coming to Taiwan to study in university. William also talks about how important it is to get outside your protective shell and mix with an overseas environment. He explains the situations he encountered while learning the local language and culture. In the end, he points out how his experience as an expat helped him further develop his view of his life and world.    THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Click HERE if you would like to load our Four Seas One Family Website RSS Feed . Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in Apple Podcasts by clicking here! Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Tue, November 10, 2015

Brent Smith: We’re really not that all different. Kindness is universal.

Today we sit down for a chat with Brent Smith. Brent is a Canadian expat residing in Taiwan for 15 years! He shares his views of how his overseas experience helped him widen his view of the world. He notes during the interview that people are generally the same and kindness really is universal. Brent has lived in a few places in Taiwan and is well qualified to compare and contrast both the positive and negative aspects of being a long-term overseas expat.   THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Click HERE if you would like to load our Four Seas One Family Website RSS Feed . Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in Apple Podcasts by clicking here! Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Wed, November 04, 2015

Christine Chang: Working overseas as a Female Expat.

Today we interview Ms. Christine Chang, a Taiwanese expat working in Hong Kong. Ms. Chang, in her first Internet interview, shares with James Thomas her experiences working and living abroad. Christine talks about some of the issues she’s faced working in a “male dominated” industry and how it seems that more women at put in hi-level management positions in many Hong Kong companies. She also points out what was her drive to look overseas for an employment challenge and the value of an overseas work experience for women today. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Click HERE if you would like to load our Four Seas One Family Website RSS Feed . Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in Apple Podcasts by clicking here! Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Thu, October 29, 2015

Challenges Women Expatriates Face While Climbing Up the Ladder of Success.

What are some of the issues female expatriates have to face while living and working abroad? What are the unique situations they encounter as a result of their assignments, locations and especially gender? Today, female expats say that they feel the need to take on international assignments or rotations to further their career goals and prove self-worth. They note that one of the prerequisites for a top-level executive position is having an international overseas experience….. Women, under the many unspoken rules ( 不成文的規定 ) of some corporations, aren’t considered for certain overseas assignments because of their gender or a glass ceiling. Yes, the corporate world is still a man’s world and women are still finding it an uphill battle to raise their flags of accomplishments.  THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Click HERE if you would like to load our Four Seas One Family Website RSS Feed . Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in Apple Podcasts by clicking here! Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Fri, October 09, 2015

Homesickness

We often hear people from all cultures living away from their home or in an unfamiliar environment talk about their feelings of being homesick and the reasons why they feel the way they do. Now, hold on for a minute! What does homesick or homesickness really mean? What are the elements that form these feelings? Is being homesick really about how a person feels about their “home”? What really does “homesick” mean and what are the underlining symptoms that show up as a result? THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Click HERE if you would like to load our Four Seas One Family Website RSS Feed . Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in Apple Podcasts by clicking here! Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Sun, October 04, 2015

Things to Pay Attention to While Traveling Abroad.

Going abroad can help a traveler widen his or her viewpoint of the world by giving the person a personal relationship with the location and the people encountered. However, when planning to travel overseas there are steps that need to be taken to ensure the traveler’s safety and wellbeing. In this podcast I offer a few tips to assist anyone from anywhere in their preparations before and during a journey abroad. Many of the points I raise can be called common sense. No matter where you plan to travel, following these steps can help keep you safe and your trip a memorable one. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Click HERE if you would like to load our Four Seas One Family Website RSS Feed . Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in Apple Podcasts by clicking here! Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Fri, September 25, 2015

Learn about expat life in Finland with Steve, Ken and Guillermo of techxpatspodcast.com

When people talk about Finland, most of the time they describe a place flanked with historical architecture, monuments and fields of grass. Within this background three expats from Britain, America and Spain now call Finland their home. Steve, Ken and Guillermo, the three host of the podcast “techxpatspodcast.com”, sit down for a chat with our host, James Thomas, and share their connections and reasons for calling Finland home.   THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Click HERE if you would like to load our Four Seas One Family Website RSS Feed . Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in Apple Podcasts by clicking here! Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Tue, September 22, 2015

Interview with American expat language Consultant Erik Lahdekorpi.

Tune in and join us as we interview American expat Erik Lahdakorpi. Erik has been all over the world experiencing life overseas. He has interesting stories and antidotes to share about his times living abroad. Erik is not only an adventurer, but also a well established English language consultant. His service has helped many professionals get a secure foothold on the English language.   Erik Lahdekorpi Professional English Services:    http://www.eng.coach A few years ago a friend of Erik had an experience that changed his life...he: 1. Is American 2. Lived in Iran for 2.5 years  3. Has made a photojournal to document his experience If this would interest someone you know please share his Indiegogo campaign: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/becoming-iranian/ His incredible experience needs to be shared and will give you a chance to look into what Iran is really like. Check it out:

Sun, September 20, 2015

Leaving an EFL Job Gracefully After You’ve Been Screwed Over.

A longtime friend on Facebook sent me a link from a blog (http://anamericanintaipei.com) that had the flashing title “Leaving an EFL Job Gracefully After You’ve Been Screwed Over”. I found this to be an interesting title as well as a topic of interest to many expats employed abroad. Leaving an EFL Job Gracefully After You’ve Been Screwed Over”. I found this to be an interesting title as well as a topic of interest to many expats employed abroad. I contacted the Webmaster and author of the mentioned article, Ms. Katy Kessinger, to chat with her about her blog post. Let's listen to her experiences living overseas as well as how she handles a problem at the workplace. Please let me know your thoughts on this topic.   THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Click HERE if you would like to load our Four Seas One Family Website RSS Feed . Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in Apple Podcasts by clicking here! Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Sun, September 20, 2015

Views of an expat's home country from abroad.

Views of an expat's home country from abroad After watch the GOP debate the need for a more true international understanding is needed. This is why I created this podcast. We are all the same, but different. This really makes ALL our lives more colorful and meaningful.   THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Click HERE if you would like to load our Four Seas One Family Website RSS Feed . Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in Apple Podcasts by clicking here! Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Sun, September 06, 2015

Are you suitable for living abroad?

For a variety of different reasons, many people think about moving or living long-term in another country. Of course, people thinking like this should know that they might need time to adapt. Learning to co-exist in a country with people of different cultural characteristics, language, cuisines, religions, moral values, ethics and others on a daily basis may not be a skill some of us can obtain. If you are steadfast and determined to living a life abroad, be prepared to make a checklist of why you are suitable for living abroad. Explore your reason for wanting to live abroad with James. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Click HERE if you would like to load our Four Seas One Family Website RSS Feed . Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in Apple Podcasts by clicking here! Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Sat, August 29, 2015

Americans Trends in Studying Abroad.

This isn’t new news. In fact, maybe it’s a trend.  More and more students are leaving the US to study abroad. Nothing new about this fact, but the point to mention is less than 10% of American students today choose to study abroad and there are several reasons why this is so. This low rate of increase is far behind the rates of students seeking an overseas learning experience in the US from other countries... Institute of International Education (IIE): Demand for Study Overseas by American Students and Employers http://www.iie.org/Research-and-Publications/Publications-and-Reports/IIE-Bookstore/Demand-for-Study-Overseas-from-American-Students-and-Employers The Value of International Education to U.S. Business and Industry Leaders (2009): http://www.iie.org/Research-and-Publications/Publications-and-Reports/IIE-Bookstore/Value-of-International-Education THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Click HERE if you would like to load our Four Seas One Family Website RSS Feed . Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it wit

Sat, August 22, 2015

Interview with US Expat and radio personality Stevie G

Join James in a studio interview with local radio and TV personality Stevie G. Listen to the road this US expat took to find his way in his new home. Stevie has some funny encounters and anecdotes to share during his time in Taiwan. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Click HERE if you would like to load our Four Seas One Family Website RSS Feed . Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in Apple Podcasts by clicking here! Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Fri, August 07, 2015

Work Permit and the Alien Permanent Resident Certificate (APRC)

This episode was quickly patched together while in the middle of Super Typhoon Soudelor (8/8/2015). I wanted to get this episode out before the heavy part of the storm hit the island and as a result a lot of tongue twisting occurred.   In this episode I present a very brief overview of getting a Taiwan work permit and an  Alien Permanent Resident Certificate (APRC) . I would also like to make a correction. I referred to the Taiwan National Immigration Agency (NIA) as the National Immigration Association more than a few times in this episode, which isn’t the correct title of the NIA.   THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Click HERE if you would like to load our Four Seas One Family Website RSS Feed . Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in <a href= "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/four-seas-one-family/id704524955?mt=2&uo

Fri, July 31, 2015

Coming to Taiwan and the Alien Resident Certificate

First off, p lease excuse my “Ahhh”, “Humms” and twisted tongue in this episode. Here is some fast paced information for people planning to come to Taiwan. Here, I’ll quickly talk about what is needed to apply for a visit or a stay. Most of the information I present here in this episode can be found at the Taiwan Nation Immigration Agency (NIA) website at these links: Visa-exempt entry: http://www.immigration.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=1090149&ctNode=30085&mp=2 Applying for an Alien Resident Certificate: http://www.immigration.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=1090287&ctNode=30085&mp=2 In a later podcast episode I will cover how to obtain a work permit and later down the line an  Alien Permanent Resident Certificate (ARC). Feel free to preview the NIA website and if you have any questions drop me a note at this link  and I’ll do my best to point you in the right direction. 0 0 1 157 900 WDEVN 7 2 1055 14.0 Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE <

Sat, July 25, 2015

Podcast Introduction

Have you ever wondered how your life would be if you suddenly had to travel or live abroad? How would you adapt? How would you communicate? How would you make friends? This is the podcast to learn about living overseas as an expatriate. Tune in and learn about the ups and downs to cultural and social adaptation when living abroad.   THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Click HERE if you would like to load our Four Seas One Family Website RSS Feed . Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey . It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page . We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts . They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in Apple Podcasts by clicking here! Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!