The Bittersweet Life

Latest Episodes:

Episode 328: Summer Game: This or That? Aug 10, 2020

Show notes

Sometimes you just need to tune out the cacophony of terrifying news and the anxiety over an uncertain future, and play a silly game. Don't you agree?

This week, Katy and Tiffany take a much-needed break from the craziness that is life in 2020 to play an old favorite: This or That? And in this case, it's a summer themed version! Find out Tiffany and Katy's preferences on all things summer, and see if you can guess what they'll say.

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NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Bittersweet Moment #70: A Birthday Revelation Aug 06, 2020

Show notes

On a magical summer evening in Rome to celebrate her birthday, Tiffany has a sudden revelation. She shares it—and what Christian Dior's cologne Fahrenheit has to do with it—on this week's mini-episode.

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BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Episode 327: Rome's New Normal? Aug 03, 2020

Show notes

Is Rome back to normal? Is that "new normal" what we expected it to be?

This week's topic was sparked by an article in Esquire Magazine, "Things Are Not As Expected": Inside Rome's New Normal. We dissect the writer's claim that the only people who go out are teenagers and that the city's police are taking advantage of new-found powers to constantly harass anyone who dares to go out.

Maybe, in reality, "normal" just a matter of perspective that depends on your personality and habits?

Tiffany realizes that perhaps Rome has indeed changed dramatically, it's just that she doesn't notice the differences.

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ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Bittersweet Moment #69: How's Coping Going? Jul 30, 2020

Show notes

In response to a listener question, Katy talks about what she's doing during the pandemic and the ensuing lockdown to keep her spirits up and get through the day.

On this intimate and personal mini-episode, Katy shares the books she's been reading, the podcasts she's listening to, and the writing projects she's working on. She even shares the opening of an essay she wrote the last time she was in Rome, juxtaposing the languishing demise of poet John Keats with the sudden death of a close friend.

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ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Episode 326: Finding Life in the Surf (with Diane Cardwell) Jul 27, 2020

Show notes

What's the difference between having fun and having a happy life? This week's guest, award-winning journalist and author Diane Cardwell, tackles this and many other life questions when she joins us for our latest author interview.

After ending her marriage and giving up her attempts to have a child, Cardwell realizes that the thing that was missing from her life was the last thing she would have expected: surfing.

Rockaway: Surfing Headlong into a New Life is a "stirring story of inner salvation sought through a challenging physical pursuit—and of learning to accept the idea of a complete reset, no matter when in life it comes."

Order Rockaway here, or find it at your local bookshop. Read more about it on GoodReads, and learn more about Diane Cardwell on her website. You can also find her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Bittersweet Moment #68: Outside the Vatican Jul 23, 2020

Show notes

Tiffany finds herself just outside the walls of Vatican City on a summer morning and marvels at the dramatic change in the neighborhood.

In an area that once fed almost exclusively off of tourist dollars, from cafes to restaurants, from souvenir shops to tour agencies, even now, the dearth of tourists is disconcerting—and it's not clear how the area's businesses will survive.

The biggest shock for Tiffany is that for the first time ever, she can walk around the area without being asked if she wants a tour a dozen or more times. She also wonders: are the few tourists here now aware how lucky they are to see Rome like this?

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ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Episode 325: Good Teachers Jul 20, 2020

Show notes

If you tuned in last week, you heard us commiserate about the awful and sometimes destructive teachers of our past. If that episode left a little blue (it did us!), then take heart because today we're talking all about the best teachers we ever had (and there are a lot more of them!)

From teachers who made us believe in ourselves, to teachers who inspired us to consider a profession we'd never imagined, to the kind and wonderful teachers of our youth whom we will never forget, decades later.

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ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Bittersweet Moment #67: Collecting Collections Jul 16, 2020

Show notes

Today Katy looks at collections, and the people who keep them. What makes people collect things—or not? After asking our listeners to write in about their own personal collections, she realized that unprecedented time we are living through might be more conducive to letting things go rather than collecting them.

Nevertheless, she talks about her collections, both permanent and fleeting, and we hear from her nephew about the odd things he likes to collect.

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ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Episode 324: Bad Teachers Jul 12, 2020

Show notes

We all remember our favorite teachers, but what about the horrible ones? The ones who crushed our ambitions, treated us unfairly, or were just plain mean.

Tiffany tells the story of her abusive voice teacher in grad school, an experience that may have changed the trajectory of her entire life, and Katy talks about the high school biology teacher who carelessly quashed a beloved career dream.

(Don't worry if this topic sounds dire—next week we'll be talking about the amazing teacher who inspired us and whose teachings stay with us, even decades later.)

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ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Bittersweet Moment #66: Villa Doria Pamphilj Jul 08, 2020

Show notes

Have you noticed the birds more during lockdown? If your lockdown is over, do you find you're more aware of them than you were before?

On this mini-episode, Tiffany and Aurelio stop to watch (and listen to!) the birds, and Tiffany takes the opportunity to talk a little bit about one of her favorite places in Rome: Villa Doria Pamphilj, a massive public park that once belonged to a single family, and happens to be a wonderful place to see what the birds are doing.

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ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

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