It's Tea Time Somewhere - TopPodcast.com

Latest Episodes:

Speaking Honestly about Life Abroad Long-term with Rachel Pieh Jones | TRP 27 Sep 23, 2019

Show notes

When we first move overseas, we don't often think about the long-term implications. It's hard to wrap our minds around what nearly 20 years of life abroad will look like, or if we'll even make it to that point. Quite honestly, not many people do stay for that long. Rachel Pieh Jones, the author of the book Stronger Than Death, speaks honestly within this episode about the unexpected grief and loneliness she has felt while staying overseas for the long-haul. She also shares about the things her family has done well over the last 17 years, the benefits of staying long-term, and why we need to start being more honest about the joys and the hardships of life abroad.

Connect with Denise

Connect with Alicia

Connect with Rachel: Blog | Books | Newsletter | Instagram

Do you need to keep up with your Netflix shows while living abroad? Try Express VPN to allow you to view all American channels you are subscribed to.

Like what you heard? Go to www.takingroute.net for more expat conversations and resources. Don't forget to join our Expat Community on Instagram or Facebook Private Group.

We also have show notes! Light reading for your pleasure.

Questions discussed during this episode:

What has it been like raising your kids in Africa and now sending them back to the States? What have been the challenges and joys in that?

Looking back, is there anything you did really well or wish you would have done to help prepare for this time when they're being launched to extended family and friends?

Was there any awkwardness with the relationships of extended family members or do you feel like your kids fit right in and it was a smooth transition?

Do you feel like this stage in life is something that's talked about enough in the expat community or something that's not addressed?

What are some of the amazing things you've seen because you've been overseas for 17 years?

Have there ever been any close calls where you've thought, "maybe we should go home." If so, how did you decide to stay?

Share with us the story behind your new book and what it's about.

If you could encourage an expat woman right now, what would you say to her to help her fight the good fight one more day?

Going "Home" with Lauren Pinkston | TRP 26 Aug 29, 2019

Show notes

On the difficult days of expat life, we might be guilty of daydreaming about "going home." But then, we snap ourselves out of it and declare, "what doesn't kill me only makes me stronger!" We pick ourselves up by the bootstraps and march forward, determined to stay the course and not let anything threaten to send us packing. Over time, pride takes over and suddenly we think "going home" is equal to "quitting." But what if it's EXACTLY what the Lord is calling us to do? What if going home is the next RIGHT step to take? Join us as we chat with returning guest, Lauren Pinkston, on the topic of going "home."

Connect with Lauren | and her fair-trade business: Wearthy | and her new job

Connect with the Taking Route Community on Instagram or Facebook. Check out more relevant expat articles on Taking Route Blog.

Connect with Denise

Connect with Alicia

Like what you heard? Go to www.takingroute.net for more expat conversations and resources. Don't forget to join our Expat Community on Instagram @takingrouteblog or Facebook.

We also have show notes! Light reading for your pleasure.

Questions discussed during this episode:

When you moved overseas, did you think it was going to be forever?

When you started thinking about coming back to your passport country, walk me through what that looked like. Was it just because your 5-year contract was coming to an end?

What were the confirmations to move back?

How did you work through the bitterness and resentment and get to a place where you were ok going back to the U.S.?

Did you have any fears about how you would be viewed once you got back to the United States?

How did you finish well? What were some of the things you did before you got on that plane that has allowed you to live in more freedom being back in North America?

Now that you're on the other side, what was it like landing and still having the hardships you carried with you from Southeast Asia?

Now that you've been through the whole process, how has it been confirmed that this was the right thing for your family?

What's on the horizon for you?

It's Tea Time Somewhere: All About Back to School | ITTS 07 Aug 13, 2019

Show notes

It's that time of year again: school uniforms are being purchased, homeschool rooms are being organized, and kids are holding signs and cheesing for mom to mark the first day of school. In this tea-time episode, we're discussing the experiences we've had in our host countries with local school and homeschooling, along with some things we've learned. We also talk about what kind of students we were growing up, how you better not miss too many days of public school in the States "OR ELSE," and how one PTA president let power get to her head.

Come connect with our community on Instagram. Also, find Denise, Alicia, and Melissa there, too.

Please check out our show notes for all the resources listed in this episode and for resources for your home assignment at www.takingroute.net/podcast.

Like what you heard? Go to www.takingroute.net for more expat conversations and resources. Don't forget to join our Instagram community @takingrouteblog.

Please hit SUBSCRIBE and leave us a REVIEW!! It helps others like you find us.

It's Tea Time Somewhere: All About Expectations | ITTS 06 Jul 21, 2019

Show notes

We're so excited to be recording this episode of Taking Route Podcast, mainly because it's been SO LONG since we've released a new one. Thanks to all the transition in each of our expat lives, finding the perfect time to record a podcast was simply not going to happen. One could even say we didn't set realistic expectations – hey, what a great segue into today's topic! For this segment of "It's Tea Time Somewhere", we're talking "All About Expectations." Life overseas brings a whole load of expectations – what we put on ourselves, what others put on us, unspoken expectations, and spoken expectations. How do you deal with it all without going crazy? That's what we're going to chat about. (We're also talking about Honda. If you're listening to Honda, we'll send you an invoice for the ad space we gave you.)

Come connect with our community on Instagram. Also, find Denise, Alicia, and Melissa there, too.

Please check out our show notes for all the resources listed in this episode and for resources for your home assignment at www.takingroute.net/podcast.

Like what you heard? Go to www.takingroute.net for more expat conversations and resources. Don't forget to join our Instagram community @takingrouteblog.

Please hit SUBSCRIBE and leave us a REVIEW!! It helps others like you find us.

Helping TCKs Find Their Place in the World with Ruth Van Reken | TRP 25 Dec 03, 2018

Show notes

On today's podcast, we have a guest who might be familiar to many: Ruth Van Reken, author of Letters Never Sent, and Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds.Growing up overseas before there was a concrete explanation of Third Culture Kids, Ruth had to navigate through the emotions, gifts, and baggage of a cross-cultural lifestyle on her own. Now she does her best to raise awareness of these joys and struggles so that families can be well equipped for these experiences. Listen as she shares her life story and answers some questions suggested by listeners about the tools and methods she has learned to help develop the capacity of these TCKS to be a positive influence on the world.

_______

Connect with Ruth on her website or Facebook. Find her books on Amazon.

Connect with the Taking Route Community on Instagram or Facebook. Check out more relevant expat articles on Taking Route Blog.

Like what you heard? Go to www.takingroute.net for more expat conversations and resources. Don't forget to join our Expat Community on Instagram @takingrouteblog or Facebook.

We also have show notes! Light reading for your pleasure.

It's Tea Time Somewhere: All About Expat Friendships | ITTS 05 Nov 14, 2018

Show notes

Time for a new segment of "It's Tea Time Somewhere." This is when our podcast team chats all about a particular topic of interest and this episode is all about expat friendships. We discuss how you can't be too picky and how being that way can actually cause you to miss out on some amazing friendships. We chat about handling disagreements and what to do when you have to regularly interact with someone who isn't the easiest to love. Are expat friendships worth all of the work? Do expat friendships hinder your ability to acclimate to the host culture? Did Alicia, Melissa, and Denise even like each other when they first met? You'll have to go download the episode and find out what we have to say about all of this.

Come connect with our community on Instagram. Also, find Denise, Alicia, and Melissa there, too.

Please check out our show notes for all the resources listed in this episode and for resources for your home assignment at www.takingroute.net/podcast.

Like what you heard? Go to www.takingroute.net for more expat conversations and resources. Don't forget to join our Instagram community @takingrouteblog.

Please hit SUBSCRIBE and leave us a REVIEW!! It helps others like you find us.

Committing to What Matters Most with Gloria Furman | TRP 24 Oct 22, 2018

Show notes

How do you balance cross-cultural living, motherhood, the responsibilities of being a pastors wife, and still find the time to write books? To many of us that may seem like an overwhelming amount of pressure and expectations, and today's guest, Gloria Furman agrees that sometimes it does feel a little out of control. How are you supposed to plan when you get thrown curveballs like your little ones getting batteries stuck in their ears? Gloria shares the honest struggles and tips on how to prayerfully keep from overcommitting.

Connect with Gloria on her website or Instagram. Find her books on Amazon.

Connect with the Taking Route Community on Instagram or Facebook. Check out more relevant expat articles on Taking Route Blog.

Questions Denise asked Gloria:

You have all these people who have different cultures that might have different expectations – how do you balance those expectations on you and your family and Redeemer Church, just in your small church family?

I know that you have written several books about being a mother and about the gospel, and I know you are doing other things too, so how do you pick, or what is the process that you go through of picking what to get involved with and what to put your time into?

So when you have these 99 different things coming your way, what is your litmus test for deciding whether it is a yes or a no? Is it something that you and your husband have discussed? You said you have learned a lot by trial and error, but now, 10 years in, do you know?

Is [going on sabbatical] something that you normally do? Is that a discipline that you have in your life?

Do you think that sabbatical, maybe not for months on end, will become a discipline for you guys moving forward?

So what are some practical things that you do to reset your family and yourself on what matters when you have speaking engagements and people to love and kids that have batteries in their ears?

So on top of that going on, how do you reset and focus on what is important?

What would you say to someone who is struggling with getting started, as the demands seem so great and they do not know where the start line is? How would you encourage them?

I have a request – could you share a story from your book?

Finish this sentence: When traveling internationally, you will not be found without this item:

___________

Like what you heard? Go to www.takingroute.net for more expat conversations and resources. Don't forget to join our Expat Community on Instagram @takingrouteblog or Facebook.

Please check out our show notes for all the resources listed in this episode including links to "Our Favorite Things" www.takingroute.net/podcast.

Please hit SUBSCRIBE and leave us a REVIEW!! It helps others like you find us.

Growing Up in a Mix of Cultures with Jessi Vance | TRP 23 Oct 09, 2018

Show notes

We all know life overseas can be tough for adults, but think about how much more difficult it must be for the kids! They are going through a lot of transition, too, but aren't always able to process all the change on their own. We may wonder what they are experiencing and how we can help them through it. On this episode, we chat with Jessi Vance, who grew up as a TCK (third culture kid). She now runs a non-profit which works with TCKs to create spaces so they can build relationships with their peers. Join us as we discuss the challenges TCKs face and ways to support them as they grow up in a mixture of cultures.

Connect with Jessi on Instagram. Find Kaleidoscope on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Connect with the Taking Route Community on Instagram or Facebook. Check out more relevant expat articles on Taking Route Blog.

Questions we asked Jessi in this episode:

Introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your work.

Is everyone who comes out to your events TCKs also?

As you reflect on your life as a TCK, and now as a TCK adult and working with so many TCKs overseas, what would you say are some of the issues that TCKs face and how can parents help through those issues?

When you were younger, - 10,11,12 - did you think, "This culture is different?" or where you just mixed up? Did you not even come to self-realization about all that was going on? How did you process being young and raised overseas?

When you look back at those picture moments in your life that were really foundational in you realizing you were different, was anyone talking to you about it? Was there anything your parents were doing or not doing that would have helped?

What would you say the 2ndand 3rdchallenges are?

What would you recommend as a way to process that grief with your children? How do we handle it healthily and what are some things that we do unhealthily?

Is there anything else to worry about?

What do you think was the best thing about being a TCK?

___________

Like what you heard? Go to www.takingroute.net for more expat conversations and resources. Don't forget to join our Expat Community on Instagram @takingrouteblog or Facebook.

Please check out our shownotes for all the resources listed in this episode including links to "Our Favorite Things" www.takingroute.net/podcast.

Please hit SUBSCRIBE and leave us a REVIEW!! It helps others like you find us.

Living Abroad with a Diagnosis with Ashley McCartney | TRP 22 Sep 25, 2018

Show notes

As a mother of three small children living overseas, the last thing you need is more on your plate. In the midst of transitioning between continents, Ashley McCartney received more complications than just lost baggage and a tight schedule – she received a brain tumor diagnosis. However, our God does not say he gives help if suffering comes; he says when suffering comes. In today's podcast, Ashley shares the story of her ongoing illness and her family's eventual transition back overseas, along with how God has sustained her in the midst of suffering -- showing her(and us)how an undeniably bad thing can still be used for His glory.

Connect with Ashley on Instagram.

Connect with the Taking Route Community on Instagram or Facebook. Check out more relevant expat articles on Taking Route Blog.

Questions we asked Ashley:

Share with us about your health and some of the challenges that you guys have been through over the past couple of years in your diagnosis of cancer.

What were you thinking? Oh, we'll get through this? We'll get this tumor removed? He'll take care of this and life will go on? Is that what you were thinking in the beginning?

So they could not remove the tumor and you today are living in Turkey and still have a cancerous tumor in your brain – is that correct? That's the reality of your every day?

How did this decision to move back overseas [happen] and how did the people around you, if they are reacting to your radiation decision, how did they react to your decision to move back overseas?

So you have this in the back of you mind -- you're not sidelined, this is the best for you --you go to your husband and say "I think we need to go back overseas even though I have a brain tumor, you have MS", and he was like, "Let's do this. Ashley let's pack tonight?"

[How did your husband respond?]

Did your family agree with this [decision]?

How do you talk with your children about what's going on in your life with your illness and your husband's illness?

Does fear rise up? How do you deal with that?

How has your view on suffering changed? How has suffering changed you?

For a woman who may be in the middle of something, or coming out of something, or dealing with a friend who is suffering, how would you encourage them in the middle of their trial?

Like what you heard? Go to www.takingroute.net for more expat conversations and resources. Don't forget to join our Expat Community on Instagram @takingrouteblog or Facebook.

Please check out our shownotes for all the resources listed in this episode including links to "Our Favorite Things" www.takingroute.net/podcast.

Please hit SUBSCRIBE and leave us a REVIEW!! It helps others like you find us.

Navigating Hot and Cold Climate Culture with Sarah Lanier |TRP 21 Sep 11, 2018

Show notes

Learning the culture of your host country is just as important as learning the language. Without ever intending it, we can cause hurt feelings to abound when our culture collides with another — especially when we try to project our social rules into the relationship. This is why we're so thankful Sarah Lanier took the time to write about these differences in her book, "Foreign to Familiar." In this episode we talk with her about hot climate and cold climate cultures and how knowing the difference between the two can completely change how you approach friendships in your host country.

Like what you heard? Go to www.takingroute.net for more expat conversations and resources. Don't forget to join our Expat Community on Instagram @takingrouteblog or Facebook.

Please check out our shownotes for all the resources listed in this episode including links to "Our Favorite Things" www.takingroute.net/podcast.

Please hit SUBSCRIBE and leave us a REVIEW!! It helps others like you find us.

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