It's Tea Time Somewhere
78 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 months ago - ★★★★★ - 152 ratingsA podcast for those who are doing the daily grind in a foreign land (or for those who want to know more about life overseas). If you ARE living abroad, you know the average day is anything but ordinary. Join Alicia, Melissa, and Denise as they chat about learning to embrace the joys AND trials of taking root right where they’ve been planted.
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Episodes
Growing Up in a Mix of Cultures with Jessi Vance | TRP 23
October 09, 2018 00:40 - 38 minutes - 70.4 MBWe 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 t...
Living Abroad with a Diagnosis with Ashley McCartney | TRP 22
September 25, 2018 04:00 - 35 minutes - 65.7 MBAs 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, alon...
Navigating Hot and Cold Climate Culture with Sarah Lanier |TRP 21
September 11, 2018 01:00 - 39 minutes - 73.6 MBLearning 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 diffe...
It's Tea Time Somewhere: All About Transitions and Season 1 Wrap-Up | ITTS 04
April 27, 2018 12:40 - 29 minutes - 41.3 MBIn this final episode of the season, our podcast team gathers together once more to discuss a relatable topic of overseas life. This time, it’s all about transition. Denise, Melissa, and Alicia each take a moment to share about how they’ve navigated through and coped with the transitions that have come their way this past year. Some of the change was excepted and some of it came as a shock. Regardless of how it comes about, we’re all aware change is a regular part of the expat life that we h...
Struggling with Infertility While Living Abroad with Emily Thomas | TRP 20
April 04, 2018 12:54 - 35 minutes - 49.4 MBEmily Thomas (Mom Struggling Well Podcast) admits that expat life was not the exciting adventure of her dreams. Maybe it was the lack of a good shower, the morning roosters, the firework plant next to your apartment or maybe, it was the fact that she was right in the middle of her journey through infertility. It can be excruciating enough dealing with the disappointment of not being pregnant month after month, but when you sprinkle in life abroad, life can be overwhelming. Emily shares abo...
Building Community Overseas Between Families and Singles with Amy Young |TRP 19
March 21, 2018 12:37 - 50 minutes - 70.3 MBThere are very few careers on this earth where we group individuals by their marital status. However, when it comes to team dynamics and cultural expectations overseas, it happens a lot. Oftentimes, we gravitate towards being best friends with people who share the same marital status as us, but that doesn't have to be the case. In this episode we talk with happily-single Amy Young. She shares about her experiences of living in community during her 20 years of life in China. We discuss the ...
Embracing a Healthy Body Image Overseas with Elizabeth Trotter | TRP 18
March 07, 2018 01:52 - 49 minutes - 69 MBStress, transition and unrealistic expectations of a culture can all be triggers for eating disorders and negative body issues. All three of these things are prevalent in life abroad. Elizabeth Trotter, Editor of A Life Overseas, shares candidly about her personal story of battling an eating disorder and how she has seen victory in this area of her life. Elizabeth shares how to speak positively about our bodies in front our children and how to protect them from unwanted touching and attent...
Tending to Your Heart and Soul While Living Abroad with Danielle Wheeler | TRP 17
February 21, 2018 04:57 - 44 minutes - 61.8 MBExhaustion. Burnout. Fatigue. Somehow we don’t see it coming but we know when we’re there. That moment when we’ve come to the end of our rope, when we’ve given and poured out all that we have, all while forgetting to take care of ourselves in the process. In this interview with Danielle Wheeler, founder and creator of Velvet Ashes, we talk about being proactive to find sustainment in our lives (and not waiting until we’ve depleted ourselves before doing so!) Danielle isn’t only passionate in...
Moving Forward in Brokenness with Julie Martinez | TRP 16
February 06, 2018 18:17 - 44 minutes - 61.1 MB“You think your life is one thing and then you get blindsided by the reality that it’s actually something else, something you were totally unprepared for,” Julie Martinez recounts about her final weeks in Chile. Five days after Julie delivered her second child, she found out devastating news concerning actions done by her husband. The next thing she new, she and her family were on a plane headed back to the States in a cloud of shame and embarrassment. Just when she thought the worst was beh...
Raising a Multiracial Family Abroad with Sharon Rivers | TRP 15
January 24, 2018 23:45 - 44 minutes - 62.2 MBDepending on where you live in the world, the topic of skin color might come up daily. Maybe your skin tone is noticeably different than everyone else around you and this physical feature is brought to your attention (as if you weren’t already aware of it). It then becomes the topic of discussion for the next 5 minutes. It’s a type of discussion our friend Sharon Rivers is all too familiar with and she’s become quite well-versed in it by now. As a mother of 5 children (3 biological and 2 ado...
Extending Hospitality Cross-Culturally with Julie | TRP EP 14
January 10, 2018 04:50 - 40 minutes - 56.1 MBOne of the more intimidating things about living cross-culturally is when you decide to start inviting people into your home. Our minds tend to go into overthinking mode with all sorts of questions: “What if they don’t feel comfortable? What if they don’t like the food I prepare for them? Is this halal? Do I need to make room to sit on the floor or in chairs?” Fortunately, Julie, the writer behind The Serviette, puts our minds to ease about the topic of hosting others in our home. She opens ...
It's Tea Time Somewhere: All About Christmas | ITTS 03
December 22, 2017 14:25 - 23 minutes - 33.4 MBChristmas is upon us and Denise, Alicia and Melissa are talking ALL about it. They take the discussion way back to their childhood years and discuss the traditions they grew to love. Those traditions turned into expectations (which sometimes led to disappointments) they put on the holiday season as an adult. They discuss their first Christmases overseas as well as what they have come to love about celebrating the holidays overseas. And what holiday special wouldn't be complete without di...
Staying Steadfast when Starting Over with Philippa Brooks |TRP Ep 13
December 13, 2017 01:51 - 48 minutes - 67.4 MBFor 13 years, Phillippa and her husband and their 2 kids lived in a remote village in the Philippines. When it became obvious that their time there was coming to a close, Philippa found herself dreaming of a life in the West drinking coffee while her kids went to a beautiful public school. Then they received an email asking them to consider a new village with a NEW language and a NEW culture (which also requires a helicopter ride in and out). Philippa knew in her heart her family would be mo...
Navigating Cross-Cultural Marriage with Michelle Acker Perez | TRP 12
November 30, 2017 20:24 - 51 minutes - 95.8 MBLiving Abroad can challenge any marriage. When married cross-culturally those challenges quadruple. Michelle Acker Perez candidly shares about life overseas and experiences of be Guatemala and the joy and difficulties of cross-cultural marriage. We covered a wide range of topics with Michelle including navigating uncomfortable situations within each others home cultures, sorting out family dynamics, and dealing with the tension between her and her husband around opportunities brought on b...
Holding Loosely to Our Plans with Allie Riddle | TRP 11
November 20, 2017 15:46 - 37 minutes - 70 MBIt's always good to have a plan. That's the responsible thing to do, after all. Unfortunately, there's never any guarantee things will go according to plan -- and this is when our flexibility as expats is tested. Allie Riddle, a third generation expat, shares her experience from her family's sudden evacuation from her home in South Sudan when the war was just too close. Allie left behind her home and her dream job as a nurse in a mission hospital. Allie shares the emotional and spiritual ...
It’s Tea Time Somewhere: All About Home Assignments | ITTS 02
October 30, 2017 23:05 - 43 minutes - 59.9 MBIt’s time for another segment of “It’s Tea Time Somewhere!” This time we’re talking home assignments. What does our preparation look like? How bad is the jet lag? (Spoiler alert: real bad.) What does life look like when we’re finally back to our home country? These are just a few of the things Denise, Alicia, and Melissa chat about in regards to heading “home.” So go ahead and make yourself some tea or coffee and get comfy. You won’t want to miss us talk about all that has happened to us whi...
The Trade-Offs of Expat Life with Elizabeth | TRP 10
October 19, 2017 21:07 - 52 minutes - 48.5 MBThe longer you live overseas, the harder it is to answer the question, "which country do you like best?" While culture shock usually brings all the things you don't love about a country to the surface, longevity ends up showing you things about the culture you wish you could take with you everywhere you go. We covered a wide-range of topics with Elizabeth including making friends, having a bicycle as your main transportation, and giving birth abroad. What do they all have in common? Trade-of...
Making Time for New Adventures with Sara Beth | TRP 09
September 16, 2017 18:33 - 44 minutes - 21.1 MBSometimes we don't think we "have the time" to embark on anything new. No time for exercise, no time for writing, no time to start a new hobby (or pick an old one back up). The idea seems dreamy but you're convinced your schedule is simply too packed to add anything else. Sara Beth certainly thought this same thing when considering whether or not she should join her husband in training for a triathlon. She had plenty of good reasons not to: homeschooling five kids, bouncing back and forth be...
Taking the Extra Few Steps with Jana Kelley | TRP 08
August 19, 2017 14:58 - 37 minutes - 17.7 MBIsn’t it funny how sometimes we struggle with going the extra few steps to meet our neighbor, even though we’ve already taken thousands of steps to move overseas in the first place? We’ve already sold all our possessions, moved away from all that’s familiar, and immersed ourselves into a new culture and language. So what makes taking some of those extra steps to reach out to the people around us so difficult? Jana shares her personal experience with this struggle and how she has found ways t...
Homeschooling Through High School (and making decisions WITH your teens) with Robin Talley | TRP 07
July 21, 2017 03:13 - 41 minutes - 19.5 MBAny high schooler would choose boarding school over homeschooling, right? Not necessarily. Robin Talley discusses how as a family they talked through educational choices and how they decided to homeschool through high school, even though they live in a remote area without traditional American opportunities. Robin talks to us about overcoming doubt during hard times, being creative to fulfill the social needs of her teens and how to smoothly transition from making decisions FOR your childr...
Choosing Joy Over Fear with Ruth Ripken | TRP06
July 06, 2017 12:12 - 34 minutes - 16.2 MBWhat do you do when fear seems like it's paralyzing you? What if the life overseas you envisioned seems to be unraveling? Ruth Ripken touches on these questions as she opens up about sickness and loss in her own life while living abroad. She reminds us that moving forward doesn't have to be a lot of steps all at once. Sometimes it simply means taking one obedient step at a time. Please check out our shownotes for resources on grief, loss and dealing with death from afar. www.takingroute...
It's Tea Time Somewhere: All About Language
June 23, 2017 07:45 - 40 minutes - 19.1 MBIntroducing our new episode series: "It's Tea Time Somewhere!" Every several episodes, we'll take a break from interviewing guests and the podcast team will get together to chat about different topics. This week it's all about LANGUAGE. The thought of that either made you fist pump the air with excitement or made your eye twitch a little. Denise, Alicia and Melissa share about the beginnings of their language journeys. They also share tips for our Instagram Community and chat a little about...
Meeting Your Host Culture More Than Halfway with Dacia Hamby | TRP 05
June 07, 2017 01:46 - 38 minutes - 18.2 MBA lot of people thought Dacia wouldn't last in Uganda. Pretty clothes and heels filled her closet in Texas before she decided to sell everything, buy her first pair of flat shoes, and move abroad. She was the only overseas worker with a local boss and she knew if they were going to make this work, she was going to have to submit to the culture a little more than most people do. Dacia is a radiant example of someone who went all in, even when rejection was abundant, in order to show her love ...
Finding Your Parenting Style in the Foreign and Familiar with Lisa Ferland | TRP 04
May 24, 2017 02:46 - 42 minutes - 20.3 MBLisa’s greatest adventure — parenting — combined with unique cultural experiences, has led to some of her most exciting discoveries about herself. When she and her husband, along with their infant son had the opportunity to move abroad, a lot changed. But the fresh start (plus adding a new family member) brought the opportunity to figure out what mattered most to them. Whether it’s picking and choosing parenting styles from two different cultures or choosing a new line of work while living a...
Cultivating Christian - Muslim Friendships with Marilyn Gardner | TRP 03
May 10, 2017 04:00 - 42 minutes - 19.3 MBMuslim women have always been a close part of Marilyn's life. Growing up as a TCK, they were like her aunts and second moms. As she became older, Muslim women became some of her closest friends. Differences in religions can certainly complicate things sometimes -- maybe even challenge our own faith -- but when a foundation of respect is built, cross-cultural friendship can prove to be just as deeply rooted as friendships we have within our own culture. For full show notes go to www.takingr...
Transparency in Expat Marriage with Colette Hernandez | TRP 02
May 01, 2017 09:38 - 46 minutes - 21.2 MBColette and her husband, Max, have a marriage that is admired by the young students they spend time with in their city. "I want a marriage just like yours," the students constantly exclaim. But Colette assures the students (and us) that their marriage does not come without a lot of hard work, commitment, and sometimes having the same conversation over and over and... well, you get the point. Their secret? Transparency! For full show notes go to www.takingroute.net/podcast Like what you h...
Doing the Never-Ever Things While Living Abroad with Lauren Pinkston | TRP 01
April 28, 2017 10:38 - 45 minutes - 20.7 MBJoin us as we chat with Lauren Pinkston about adoption, moving between different countries (4 to be exact), and doing the things we said would never, EVER do. You'll also hear a little bit about the fair trade business started and how she handles herself when invited to "ELITE" events with local friends. You won't want to miss that story. For full show notes go to www.takingroute.net/podcast Like what you heard? Go to www.takingroute.net for more expat conversations and resources. Don't...
All You Need to Know About Taking Route Podcast | TRP 00
April 27, 2017 15:52 - 20 minutes - 9.49 MBWelcome to the NEW podcast from Taking Route. We’re not going to lie, starting a podcast in a country known for frequent power outages (and having poor internet connection) definitely complicates things. Nevertheless, we are determined to bring you quality conversations from expat women around the globe. We have SO many topics to cover and we can’t wait to bring you into the conversation. To start things off, Denise and Alicia chat in this “trailer” episode about what you can expect from thi...