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The Bittersweet Life — Places & Travel
The Bittersweet Life

Life doesn’t have a script. At least, it doesn’t have to. Hosts Katy Sewall and Tiffany Parks explore the challenges and joys of moving abroad and moving home. Whether you’re living overseas, or not — or not yet — join us weekly for unadulterated conversation. Get to know Rome. Laugh at our embarrassments and insights. Most of all, imagine the possibilities for your own life (and meet some famous authors along the way).

Copyright: © Katy Sewall/Tiffany Parks

Latest Episodes:

Bittersweet Moment #10: RAMADAN May 23, 2019

Show notes

Ramadan began for millions of Muslims on May 5, 2019. But what exactly is Ramadan? Most people know it entails fasting, contemplation, and prayer, but not much else. To learn a bit more about it, Katy interviews her former colleague, Amina Al-Sadi on this mini-episode for an inside look at celebrating Ramadan in the United States. Hear Amina's tips for getting from sun-up to sun-down without eating, the aspects of Ramadan that go beyond the physical, and how observing it in a place where Muslims are in the vast minority allows Amina to take a better look at herself.

Amina is a producer at the great daily news podcast, Today Explained (@today_explained).

Find her on Twitter at @voxdotcom and @amialsa.

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SPONSOR THE SHOW: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

DONATE: Click here to send financial support to The Bittersweet Life via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email at bittersweetlife@mail.com.

You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram – Better yet, tag #thebittersweetlife with your story for a chance to be featured!

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

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode.

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

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 258: NIECE May 20, 2019

Show notes

This week, we're joined by a very special guest, Tiffany's niece Hannah Ritter. At 22, Hannah has lived in France for the better part of two years, first as a study-abroad student, then as an English teacher. Tiffany sits down with Hannah to talk about how she was able to integrate into French culture so thoroughly in such a short period of time, how she became fluent in French in record time, and what led her to move back to France three days after graduation.

She also reveals that despite her passion for the country, she's decided to move back home, although she's leaving a door open to move back to France one day. She gives valuable advice on other study-abroad students on how to get the most out their expat experience.

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SPONSOR THE SHOW: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

DONATE: Click here to send financial support to The Bittersweet Life via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email at bittersweetlife@mail.com.

You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram – Better yet, tag #thebittersweetlife with your story for a chance to be featured!

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

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode.

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

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 #9: SCALA May 16, 2019

Show notes

In this week's mini-episode, Tiffany recounts her visit to the Scala Santa and the Sancta Sanctorum. The so-called Holy Staircase is believed to be made up of the actual 28 steps that Christ climbed on his way to his trial, shortly before the crucifixion. Transported to Rome in the early 4th century by St. Helena, the stairs are now part of a monumental complex that also includes the jewel of medieval art, the Sancta Sanctorum chapel. The stairs are usually covered with a layer of wood to protect them from being worn away by the knees of the millions of pilgrims who climb them every year, but on occasion of a recent restoration, they are now uncovered for the short period for the first time in 300 years. Tiffany takes the inspiring (and painful) trip up the stairs (on her knees) and lives to tell the tale.

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SPONSOR THE SHOW: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

DONATE: Click here to send financial support to The Bittersweet Life via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email at bittersweetlife@mail.com.

You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram – Better yet, tag #thebittersweetlife with your story for a chance to be featured!

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

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode.

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

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 257: THERAPIST (with Lori Gottlieb) May 13, 2019

Show notes

This week, therapist and bestselling author Lori Gottlieb joins us to talk about change, loss, self-examination...and when you should really talk to someone. If you've ever wondered what your therapist was thinking, this is a conversation you'll want to hear. Lori and Katy discuss everything from what you should look for in a therapist to what your therapist is listening for—and why it's often not what you tell them the problem is. Lori explains how patients often try to impress their therapists (and even strive to become their favorite) and how this can lead to not being fully honest with them. Lori reveals what happens when the therapist herself realizes she too needs therapy, and how sometimes, it's the therapist who learns from the patient.

Her new book, Maybe You Should Talk To Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed, covers topics that make people think differently about themselves and the world around them: love and loss, meaning and mortality, gender and culture, parents and children, female appearance, regret and redemption, hope and change. It's a New York Times bestseller, and is currently being made into a television series with Eva Longoria on ABC.

Follow Lori on Twitter and Facebook, or find her on her website. You can also read her work in The Atlantic.

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SPONSOR THE SHOW: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

DONATE: Click here to send financial support to The Bittersweet Life via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email at bittersweetlife@mail.com.

You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram – Better yet, tag #thebittersweetlife with your story for a chance to be featured!

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

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode.

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

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 #8: PLAY May 09, 2019

Show notes

On this week's Bittersweet Moment, Katy talks about the joys of play, and specifically, games. We are all familiar with simple childhood games, board games, and travel games, but what about games that spark your imagination and fuel your creativity?

Katy's longtime friend Robert Fulgham, author of, among many others, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, makes a brief appearance on this mini-episode to talk about "infinite" games. He puts it best when he says that the purpose of playing these games is "to add a quality of delight to the serious business of the world."

On this episode, you'll learn how to play an "infinite game." Teach it to your loved ones tonight, and maybe you'll forget to look at your devices for a few hours, and have some unforgettable fun instead.

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SPONSOR THE SHOW: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

DONATE: Click here to send financial support to The Bittersweet Life via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email at bittersweetlife@mail.com.

You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram – Better yet, tag #thebittersweetlife with your story for a chance to be featured!

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

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode.

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

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 256: YOUTH May 05, 2019

Show notes

As a follow-up to last week's Bittersweet Moment mini-episode KIDS, where Tiffany offers tips on traveling to Rome with little ones, this week, Katy and Tiffany reminisce about traveling in their youth. Were they "good" travelers? Were they interested in what they were seeing, or were they bored and sulking? At what age did they begin to appreciate what they were seeing? What is it that causes this shift? Is it merely maturity, or is something else at play?

Also: as kids, why do we remember what we remember from our travels? How can insignificant details stick in our heads, and major sites disappear from our memories?

They also wonder: are kids today—with their ever-present screens—worse than we were back in the day? Or are teenage travelers equally insufferable in any century?

Lastly, we recall our favorite travel games...and invite our listeners to send in theirs.

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SPONSOR THE SHOW: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

DONATE: Click here to send financial support to The Bittersweet Life via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email at bittersweetlife@mail.com.

You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram – Better yet, tag #thebittersweetlife with your story for a chance to be featured!

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

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode.

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

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 #7: KIDS May 02, 2019

Show notes

On this week's mini-episode, Tiffany shares her tips on traveling to Rome with kids. She not only gives suggestions about what sites in Rome are most suited to kids, but more importantly, she shares tricks on how to get your little ones to enjoy the places you want to go.

Aurelio stops by too, and shares his favorite piazza and palazzo in Rome.

Places mentioned in the episode:

Explora Children's Museum

Museo delle Civiltà (prehistoric museum)

More on Papal Seals

Galleria Doria Pamphilj

Case Romane Ancient homes on the Caelian Hill

Villa Farnesina

Palazzo Braschi

Palazzo Altemps

VoiceMap (Tiffany's Trastevere Audio Tour)

Take a private tour with Tiffany

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SPONSOR THE SHOW: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

DONATE: Click here to send financial support to The Bittersweet Life via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email at bittersweetlife@mail.com.

You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram – Better yet, tag #thebittersweetlife with your story for a chance to be featured!

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

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode.

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

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 255 AWARENESS (with Amy Herman) Apr 29, 2019

Show notes

In a sequel to Episode 253 PERCEPTION, this week we are joined once again by visual intelligence expert Amy Herman. Katy and Amy take a walk through the streets of Manhattan, discussing how better to observe the world around them, and by doing so, make better decisions. Decisions that could save a life, or simply make their day better.

They discuss the way our attention has been taken over by our phones, which leads not only to rudeness, but also to missing important things that are happening around us. And Katy asks: How have we collectively decided that what's happening in the world isn't interesting? She also wonders: When you work so hard to heighten your visual senses, do the other senses get heightened too or does the visual sense take over the rest?

Amy details how, in a world where we're constantly bombarded with information, we can learn to distill out the information we need and want instead of trying to take it all in, or worse, missing it.

Join us for this fascinating conversation on the streets of New York, and learn how being aware will make you a better cop, nurse, firefighter, parent, student, tourist—person.

Amy Herman is the founder of The Art of Perception, and the author of Visual Intelligence. Find her on Twitter.

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SPONSOR THE SHOW: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

DONATE: Click here to send financial support to The Bittersweet Life via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email at bittersweetlife@mail.com.

You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram – Better yet, tag #thebittersweetlife with your story for a chance to be featured!

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

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode.

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

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 #6: PLACES Apr 25, 2019

Show notes

On Monday's episode, we discussed the tragic fire at Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral. (If you haven't listened to that episode yet, do that now!) At the end of the episode, we wonder what other buildings in the world, if any, could elicit the same universal heartbreak as Notre Dame? We asked and you answered. Listeners nominated buildings and monuments around the world that, were they to be lost, would leave a gaping hole in human history. Take an audio tour of the world's most priceless and irreplaceable monuments in this mid-week mini-episode.

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SPONSOR THE SHOW: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

DONATE: Click here to send financial support to The Bittersweet Life via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email at bittersweetlife@mail.com.

You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram – Better yet, tag #thebittersweetlife with your story for a chance to be featured!

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

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode.

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

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 254 NOTRE DAME Apr 22, 2019

Show notes

This week, Katy and Tiffany discuss the tragedy of the Notre Dame fire. How do you move on after all but losing such an integral monument to human history? We muse on our own reactions to the disaster, and how it took us back to the trauma of tragedies such as 9/11. And that raises another question: can the loss of a building like Notre Dame be compared to the loss of a human life? We also ask: is there another building or monument in the world that has an equivalent weight, not just in its own city, but to people around the world?

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SPONSOR THE SHOW: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

DONATE: Click here to send financial support to The Bittersweet Life via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email at bittersweetlife@mail.com.

You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram – Better yet, tag #thebittersweetlife with your story for a chance to be featured!

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

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode.

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

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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