Behind the Curtain

Justin contrasts cultural norms from his childhood with the Czech experience and manages to find a connection in an unexpected way.

Justin discusses common foreigner coping mechanisms and when, how, and why to abandon them. 

Justin unpacks two contrasting ways a foreigner handles cultural differences: assimilation and separation. He details his failed attempts at both, bringing him to a third way.

A quick hello to start up Season Two. 

Justin wraps up Season One with a quick behind-the-scenes from the first ten episodes and a teaser for Season Two, starting in September.

Justin answers listener questions about life as a foreigner.

Using announcements and articles from the local community magazine, Justin discusses several cultural peculiarities that he's learned to love and follow...almost.

In the fourth and final relationship series, Justin discusses the differences in cultural responses when chaos breaks down male-female relationships and finds the anecdote hidden within the culture.

In the third part of the Relationship Series, Justin unpacks the tradition of gift giving, especially in neighborly relationships. And makes us hungry for apple pie.

In the second part of the Relationship Series, Justin tells about his first days in Europe and how the influence of one person changed his story.

Relationship Series #1 Some languages create a conundrum for Americans who are unused to defining relationships with complicated uses of pronouns. Justin tells stories of how he has navigated through the cultural rules of language to build stronger relationships.

What do storks and expats have in common? In this episode, Justin takes a look at a stork's life and three ways it's similar to an expat's experience. Here's a link to a live cam on a stork next in the Czech Republic: https://www.ipcamlive.com/5ca7589bb4c42?fbclid=IwAR3R7rWfSrbbwfubWlzI4leUuoNn1Il9EWgiHsAlXSBqKGUZuaVeDava-XA

In this episode, Justin finds several advantages to wearing face masks and discusses other benefits we can find in today’s unusual circumstances. Resources mentioned: Uses of Adversity by Timothy Garton Ash https://amzn.to/2xNRZcl USA Today article: https://eu.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/04/04/czech-government-implemented-face-mask-requirement-help-combat-coronavirus-column/2940393001/

In this episode, Justin breaks down the drama of a grocery store check-out line from the perspective of a foreigner. His issues with such a simple task bring him to a helpful conclusion about interacting with others.

In this initial episode to the Behind the Curtain Podcast, host Justin Loy introduces himself and outlines the setup of the podcast.