nomestia

Welcome to The Field. Twice a year as the seasons change, we'll drop a gift in the post. A small collection to mark the turn of the year. A gift to yourself, or to someone who needs the reminder to land gently into the here and now. Join us here: https://naomigale.myflodesk.com/thefield Join the field: https://naomigale.myflodesk.com/thefield Substack: https://nomestia.substack.com/ Hosted on Acas...

It's a diaries episode where we begin talking about park-ups and the specific rules about 'parking' vs 'camping' in Spain and what that meant for four weeks of washing that needed to dry. We move onto chatting about a Spanish IKEA and why we let the children run loose in big shops. Keeping cool and letting off steam at the same time. Can IKEA be actually relaxing? In our Sevilla trip, Xanthe atten...

In this episode, we explore our journey with reading from childhood to now, our children's journey, and the system in schools around reading. We end with our own mini book club, sharing three of our favourite recent books. If you’d like to explore joining The Field—a place where we will eventually be sending you real-life gifts click here. This is a space for nuance. For the beauty and the frictio...

In this episode, we discuss chasing water in every sense of the word while we are here in Spain. We move on to talking about supermarket opening hours and what Sunday hours are, anyway? We end with a share on holding our child as she navigates this potentially life-changing journey, and what it means to be her parents within this. Each episode opens up conversations around current life, emotional...

We explore ten things we’d tell our bestest best friend before visiting Morocco. It’s a slow chat where we expand on our thoughts at length. There are stories, thoughts and experiences within the episode. As a family of five, we explored Morocco for 4.5 months in our van and left with joy and love for this country. If you’d like to explore joining The Field—a place where we will eventually be send...

This week we said goodbye to Morocco after nearly five months travelling there. In our final days we needed a garage after being trapped in the van (kind of), reflected on thong bikinis in a Muslim country versus Spanish beach vibes. Then we discuss sobriety, the aisles of Lidl and why Ali almost keeled over on our ferry trip over. Each episode opens up conversations around current life, emotional...

(NB there is a Trigger Warning on this post in the final story). This episode explores our final days in Morocco, where we will go next and why we feel ready to move on. We discuss CrocoPark in Agadir and our thoughts on visiting a Crocodile Zoo. We move swiftly on to chat about donuts- and not the ones you eat. Then we end with (NB Trigger Warning) what we all ended up witnessing on the beach and...

Can you raise children and have freedom? In response to the many questions we have had about how we are doing what we are doing with three children in tow. Let's discuss what home educating looks like in this world. This podcast is, as always, aimed at all looking to move away from the script. It’s especially for anyone thinking of having children one day and wondering whether freedom can exist. T...

This week we, as Ali puts it, set out our stall. We explore where and when nomestia began in our journey to here. Why we wanted to start this nomestia space in the first place. We share some more intimate details about why we financially 'cut and ran' but also what it means for us moving forward. What do we do now? This kind of vibe. It's a full fifty minutes of discussion where we chat personal d...

Discussing this week in our nomestia diaries- was there a mule in actual jeans? Puppies- eight of them. Items we are running out of now we have been in Morocco four months- does a Alum Stone actually work for your armpits for example? A booze cruise (cruise) gone wrong. An update on our cat's nemesis creating more carnage. Each episode opens up conversations around current life, emotional realitie...

We Designed Your Perfect Day in Marrakech (From Sunrise Gardens to Rooftop Nights). We share everything we wish we had known before visiting Marrakech with and without children from how to navigate the Medina to how to experience Marrakech in a way that actually supports your nervous system, so you don’t just see Marrakech… you enjoy it. If you’re planning a trip to Marrakech and want more than ju...

In this episode, we share from the coast of Safi in Morocco on three topics. First, we chat about why Alan Sugar would love the Ouzoud Waterfalls. We then move on to just how horrendous the Ceuta border run was for us, personally. Finally, we explore whether Ali was risking death by not dealing with his foot after trying to break up a cat fight. nomestia explores: family van life • homeschooling •...

In this podcast, we unpack Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken. Alistair read the book and has been quoting studies from it ever since, so we decided to sit down together and explore the ideas behind it. We talk about why we now discuss ultra-processed food with our children, how we think Ali lost some extra weight, common myths around exercise, and the relationship children have with sug...

In this episode we share from the side of the road in Imsouane discussing all things learning to surf at 37 in Morocco. Stray dogs and puppies- how we ended up involved with a dog and her puppies. Why we love driving a 7.5ton truck in an African country. Each episode opens up conversations around current life, emotional realities of navigating this world in unconventional ways. We speak to the pra...

In this episode, we sit down by the “fire”, or more accurately, around our table in our Mercedes Vario in Morocco with Kate and Roger to talk all things van life. We explore the journey that brought them here, from selling their home to travelling across Europe and into North Africa in their VW Crafter with their 8-year-old. This conversation weaves through the emotional and practical realities of...

In this nomestia episode we discuss dates growing on trees and what Xanthe found in a date. How we ended up in a garage in the desert. Going to a Hammam with children. We share a real-time diary of our life in the van as a family living van life with children while navigating homeschooling, slow travel, and nervous-system-led living. Rather than polished highlight reels, these episodes capture the...

In this nomestia episode we discuss what it means to be distracted in a distracting world. After Naomi listened to Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life by Nir Eyal, it sparked a conversation around phones, screens, children and whether the screens are the issue or whether we are simply projecting our issues onto something else to avoid responsibility for the choices w...

In this nomestia episode, we share a real-time diary of our life in the van as a family living van life with children while navigating homeschooling, slow travel, and nervous-system-led living. Rather than polished highlight reels, these episodes capture the honest rhythm of our current family van life in Europe where learning, parenting, travel, creativity, and work all blend together. We talk ab...

In this episode, we begin our podcast journey, sitting down together - Ali and I- to discuss and learn more about our own schooling. Ali, a private school boarder from the age of 7, and I, an ‘underachiever,’ navigating Primary and High School. Has our own schooling made an impact on the choices our own children have made for their home education journey? We discuss. Welcome. This is a public epis...