It's Tea Time Somewhere

The Taking Route Community is growing and we are so happy to see more and more women from around the world connecting and encouraging each other as we all learn to thrive right where we are planted. With that growth comes the need to reevaluate what brings life as we juggle connection online and feeding our multitudes of children. So. Many. Children. Doing this podcast is a lot of fun, and brings...

For our last episode of Taking Route Podcast, we're doing something a little different — a Christmas Special, if you will. This episode is only about ten minutes — but it's packed full of Christmas goodness. First, we'll read an expat-friendly rendition of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. Then, Melissa will perform a new song she wrote (it's record label good, no exaggeration).  We love you guys...

The final stop in our series, "This Global Pandemic," is in South Korea to visit Oklahoma native, Kara. She, her husband, and their four kids stayed put in South Korea this year, even though they had long-awaited travel plans to go to the States (it's been four years since their last visit!) In this episode, Kara shares what a pandemic looks like in a culture that is very communal and how South Ko...

We ' re coming up on that time of year: the time of turkey, traditions, and gathering around the table with the ones we love. It ' s almost Thanksgiving! Will there be green bean casserole and sweet potatoes on your table? Can you even get turkey wherever you are in the world? In this episode, Denise, Alicia, and Melissa talk about all things Thanksgiving. They compare their childhood memories of...

Next in our 3rd installment of our "This Global Pandemic" series we are travel to São Paulo, Brazil to visit Tennessee native, Melissa (@melissastormer). Melissa along with her husband and three kids are determined to thrive and not just survive this pandemic. Melissa tells how they've maintained their well-being, learned to prioritize and let some things go to the wayside, and have made sure to h...

One of the hardest parts about expat life is being so far away when tragedy strikes your home country. You want to hug your loved ones, process things out loud with your closest friends, and be near the ones you hold closest to your heart. In today's episode, we talk with Tamika about what it's been like to be a Black American woman, married to an Austrian, and living far away from the States as r...

As the Covid 19 pandemic spread to each of our corners of the world earlier this year, many of us had to consider access to medical care (or lack of it) as we made decisions about staying or evacuating. When Rachel and her husband found out they were pregnant with their fourth child right as lockdowns began, they had to make the hard choice to leave their home in India and evacuate to America. In...

Wherever you currently find yourself in the world, it's no secret that all our lives have been affected by the Covid 19 pandemic. Our circumstances and situations might be different, but in an effort to create some solidarity between us we are starting a new mini-series titled "This Global Pandemic."  Each episode will have an interview with a new expat woman who will share her perspective on what...

Here at Taking Route, we desire to make you feel like you are welcomed and belong in this expat community. We want you to be able to see your story and your expat experience reflected in this space. However, we know we can do so much better at having more perspectives and voices in order to more accurately represent expat life. In this episode, we are speaking specifically about the work of racial...

During this pandemic, we expats have fallen into one of two categories: those who stayed and those who left. Expats who made the decision to evacuate their host country have undoubtedly faced some very unique challenges in leaving and finding a new normal in their passport country. In this episode Denise interviews Alicia about her family's decision to leave Indonesia and evacuate to the States, h...

Jenilee Goodwin opens up with us about the stressful intense time in her life that included a tough medical diagnosis, family issues, cancer and the quick death of her mother-in-law, putting her girls in boarding school for the first time-- all of that on top of regular expat stresses, expectations, and responsibilities. These combined circumstances led to a very intense time in her life. In this...

Should I stay or should I go? This is a question that most of us have had to wrestle with recently as country borders closed and flights were grounded. In this episode, Denise and Melissa talk about staying in their host countries during this pandemic, how they made the decision, and how they are coping with their choice. From schooling changes for the kids to cancelled trips and loss of control,...

A lot can change in ten years, especially when you throw being an expat in the mix. From reflections on moving abroad for the first time to a hilarious quiz on today's lingo, Denise, Melissa, and Alicia explore a decade's worth of fun and wisdom in this episode. Join them for a discussion about how their surroundings, families, and hearts have changed through their prospective journeys. Grab a cup...

Married or single, it's likely you have struggled at some point with finding joy and purpose in the tasks expected of you in your life abroad. In Tawnie's experience of becoming a "trailing spouse"-the spouse who isn't working full-time- those expectations can be challenging and isolating. In this episode, she shares vulnerably about leaving her career in the states behind, and her journey to find...

Some of you might think this episode is not for you. "I'm not a creative person," you might be saying to yourself. On the contrary, my friend. As Lauren reminds us in this episode, "there are so many ways you can be creative without owning paintbrushes." In this episode, we talk with Lauren Hooper (podcast host of How She Creates ) about how to make time for creativity while you're living abroad....

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 lon...

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 t...

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...

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 Te...

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...

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 som...

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...

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 r...

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...

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 thi...