The Bittersweet Life
Episodes
Episode 420: Live Show: Objects to Love, Objects to Loathe
21 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ever had a souvenir that you' grew to hate? Something that you'd love to get rid of, but can't bear to because you carried it across the world? Or wha...
Bittersweet Moment #146: Mailbag: Expat Friendships
17 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We had so many listeners send us feedback about Monday's episode on the challenges of maintain long-term friendships when you live abroad for a signif...
Episode 419: The Friend, the Bread, and the Knife
14 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When you're a longtime expat, do your friends back home move on? Expats often make friends with other expats in their adopted country. That can be gre...
Bittersweet Life #145: Greetings from Casablanca
10 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If you like podcasts (and we assume you do if you're listening to this one), you know how powerful the human voice can be. While we love getting lette...
Episode 418: Black Cake (with Charmaine Wilkerson)
07 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Formerly close but now estranged siblings, two girls with a passion for swimming in the sea, a death that reveals long hidden secrets, a voice message...
Bittersweet Moment #144: Free Art in Rome's Churches: Mosaics
03 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Love medieval mosaics? Then you're in luck as Tiffany continues her Free Art in Rome's Churches series with a mini-episode all about mosaics— which ...
Episode 417: Patriotism for Expats
28 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How long do you have to live outside your own country before your patriotism starts to fade? How long do you have to be an expat or immigrant before h...
Bittersweet Moment #143: The Evolution of Seattle's Coffee Culture
24 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On Monday we talked about Italian espresso, and what an integral part of Italian culture it is. In the same vein, Katy describes the unique coffee sh...
Episode 416: The Art of Italian Espresso (with Wendy Pojmann)
21 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What makes Italian espresso different from American coffee? Perhaps more to the point, what makes it better? And what separates good espresso from gre...
Bittersweet Moment #142: Free Art in Rome's Churches: Statues
17 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Only in Rome can you stumble upon a Michelangelo sculpture in a church hardly any tourists visit. A few weeks ago we talked about some of the most art...
Episode 415: Which Roman Neighborhood Should You Live in?
14 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Tiffany gives you the low-down on Rome's neighborhoods, particularly from the expat perspective. Which neighborhoods are the prettiest? Where are they...
Bittersweet Moment #141: Distance Learning with Aurelio
10 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Tiffany and Aurelio brave the distance learning trenches! What's it like for a six-year-old who has only just started school to attend clas...
Episode 414: The Listening Planet (with Martyn Stewart)
06 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What does it take to capture the sounds of the world's rich and diverse wildlife? On this extraordinary interview, we are joined by sound and nature r...
Bittersweet Moment #140: Third Culture Kids (with Chelsea Hicks)
03 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What is life like when you grow up in no fixed place and in countries that neither of your parents are from? The term for this kind of person is Thir...
Episode 413: The Challenge of Speaking Italian in Italy (with Gloria Spagnoli)
31 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You've taken your Italian lessons, you've memorized your vocabulary, you've practiced all your most useful phrases. Then you get to Italy...and it all...
Bittersweet Moment #139: Free Art in Rome's Churches: Paintings
27 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Wander into one of Rome's hundreds of churches, and you might just find yourself face to face with an artistic masterpiece that, in any other city, wo...
Episode 412: The Auction of a Lifetime: The Villa, the Princess, and the Caravaggio
24 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When the sons of a centuries-old noble Roman family and the American widow of their father, the prince, can't decide who gets to live in the family's ...
Bittersweet Moment #138: Behind the Scenes with Midnight Madness (with David Wechter, Michael Nankin & Alan Solomon)
20 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When you decide to hop a plane to LA and recreate your favorite childhood film with your sisters, you contact the writers and directors and ask if the...
Episode 411: A Sisterly Quest to Midnight Madness
17 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Seven years ago, Katy and her sisters—who each live in different states—started gathering once a year for "Sisterfest." But this year they are doi...
Bittersweet Moment #137: Opening Back up the Listener Mail Bag
13 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We get lots of mail from our loyal listeners and we love reading it! You guys always have the best questions and the most insightful commentary on our...
Episode 410: Books, Horses, Lard and other New Year's Resolutions
10 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After the disaster of the last two years, Katy and Tiffany are a bit reluctant to make New Year's Resolutions this year. After all, what will the year...
Bittersweet Moment #136: Underwater Encounter
06 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After hearing from Katy's own lips before and after her experience going scuba diving in the frigid waters of the Pacific Ocean in winter, listen to T...
Episode 409: Diving into the New Year
03 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
New Year—new experiences! At least that's the idea. That's the way we used to do it pre-pandemic anyway. On this first episode of 2022, Katy digs ba...
Bittersweet Moment #135: The Thirty Year Secret
30 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
About a month ago, in Bittersweet Moment No. 129, you learned about the 24-hour Radio Race, a competition that challenges radio artists to create a 4-...
Episode 408: A Year in Reading 2021
27 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Instead of looking back on the entire year of 2021 (because that might not be too fun), today we look back on the year through the books we read. Find...
Bittersweet Moment #134: Aurelio Talks Books
23 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Do you read to your kids? Tiffany an Aurelio read together every night (and sometimes, when the book is especially good, at every meal). Tiffany and A...
Episode 407: All I Watch for Christmas
20 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Tell us your favorite Christmas movie, and we'll tell you what to do in Rome at Christmastime. All alone like Kevin McCallister? Feeling romantic à l...
Bittersweet Moment #133: Epilogue to "A Gift"
16 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If you listened to A Gift, the charming and heart-warming radio play we aired on Monday, don't miss the short epilogue, which we are airing on today's...
Episode 406: A Gift (A Radio Play)
13 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the flavor of Its a Wonderful Life, this original radio play is about a mysterious, magical shop where the customer might just find what they long ...
Bittersweet Moment #132: Italian Christmas Sweets
09 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
From pandora to panettone and everything in between, follow us a dessert-rich tour of Italy at Christmastime. From Cremona's super-sweet and sticky t...
Episode 405: How to Dress Like an Italian
06 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How do you dress in Italy so you blend in? No one wants to be pegged as a tourist the moment they step off the plane, so today, in response to a list...
Bittersweet Moment #131: Perfect Pitch (with Evan Doty and Dana Zahler)
02 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine you hear a note—any note—from a ding in an elevator to the whistle of a bird, and somehow, without even having to thing about it, you just...
Episode 404: When Not to Move Abroad
29 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We spend a lot of time on this show encouraging our listeners—especially those who write in for advice—to throw caution to the wind and move abroa...
Episode 404: When Not to Move Abroad
29 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We spend a lot of time on this show encouraging our listeners—especially those who write in for advice—to throw caution to the wind and move abroa...
Bittersweet Moment #130: Empty Nesters Move to Rome (with Adrianne Castro)
25 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For Adrianne Castro and her husband Joe, a move to Rome had been a very long time in the making. At first it started out as just an idea when they wer...
Episode 403: Coping with Anxiety
22 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Do you suffer from anxiety? Is it a chronic problem, or something that only flairs up at certain times? Or are you one of the lucky ones, blessed with...
Bittersweet Moment #129: The 24-hour Radio Race
18 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Can you produce an entire creative project in just 24 hours, from start to finish? This week, Katy attempted just that. She and her good friend and fe...
Episode 402: Where Do Ideas Come From?
15 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Where do you find your ideas? Do they come to you in a dream? Do you find them by reading, traveling, researching? Do you get them in the shower? By l...
Bittersweet Moment #128: How to Write a Book
11 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What does it take to write a book from beginning to end? The novel-writing process probably looks very different from writer to writer, but on this mi...
Episode 401: The Three (by Matthew P. Woerner)
08 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today we present a special radio drama, The Three, created by our friends over at AudioImagination77. After the listener response of their earlier sho...
Bittersweet Moment #127: Listening to the World
04 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How often do you stop and listen to the world? Just stop and listen. How often do you take the time to notice the sounds around you, birds, wind blowi...
Episode 400: A Dark and Deathly Month
01 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Lots of people pack up the ghostly decor come November, but in truth, November is the real month of the dead, starting with All Saints' Day on the fi...
Bittersweet Moment #126: Halloween with Aurelio
28 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How's first grade in Italy going? Does Aurelio love it or hate it, what's his favorite subject, and does his English teacher actually speak English? W...
Episode 399: Resilience, Curiosity, and a Very Important Pig (with Robert Fulghum)
25 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As the author of 21 books and a career that has spanned multiple decades, how to you stay curious about the world around you? This is just one of the ...
Bittersweet Moment #125: More Listener Mail!
20 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
One of the most interesting thing about our show is that people are listening at all over the place—and no, we don't mean from all over the globe, a...
Episode 398: Listener Mail Bag!
18 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today we dig into our overflowing mail bag and pull out a few listener letters that have particularly struck us lately. We always appreciate hearing ...
Bittersweet Moment #124: Rome—Fifty Years Later
14 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What's it like to return to the city where you studied abroad? What's it like return 50 years later... and in the company of your former classmates, ...
Episode 397: Is it Hard Work or Luck?
11 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
You did it! You've landed that amazing job, or maybe you're successfully living abroad in the country you've always dreamed of, or you've published yo...
Bittersweet Moment #123: Katy's First Days in Rome
07 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Last week we heard from Tiffany about her very first days living as an expat in Rome 17 years ago. Today, it's Katy's turn. She digs into the daily jo...
Episode 396: Stuck Home, Stuck Abroad (with Diana Opong)
04 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The COVID pandemic has separated many families around the world, including that of today's guest, Diana Opong. Normally, her parents travel to Ghana, ...
Bittersweet Moment #122: Tiffany's First Days in Rome
30 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What was Rome like when Tiffany first moved there? On this mini-episode, Tiffany reminisces about what it was like to find an apartment, look for a jo...
Episode 395: Should I Move Abroad?
27 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Tiffany and Katy dig into their mail bag and pull out a letter from Tyler, who had been just about to move abroad when the pandemic hit. As he waits ...
Bittersweet Moment #121: More Culture Shock!
23 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How has one of our listeners adjusted to moving back to the States after years as an expat in Europe? We find out on this mini-episode. In a follow-up...
Episode 394: Reverse Culture Shock: Italy vs. USA
20 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When you've lived abroad for 17 years, going "back home" can sometimes feel like going to a completely foreign country. Things that were once normal ...
Bittersweet Moment #120: First Day of School in Italy
16 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Tiffany's son Aurelio starts first grade! What is Italian elementary school like and how is it different from elementary school in the US?...
Episode 393: Braving International Travel—during Covid
13 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
After her month-long mega-trip to the States in August, Tiffany regales our listeners with the adventures (and many mis-adventures) of the internation...
Episode 392: Make Your Home (Abroad) Your Own (with Rebecca West)
09 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When you move abroad, chances are you'll spend at least a certain amount of time living in a space that doesn't feel like your own: temporary lodgings...
Episode 391: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Moving Abroad... (with Lori-Lee Elliott)
06 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Planning (or hoping) to move abroad? We're guessing you have a lot of questions. Well today, we try to answer them. We rebroadcast one of our most hel...
Episode 390: A Hurricane Strikes... Or Does It?
02 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the wake of menacing Hurricane Ida, Katy relives her own experiences with hurricanes in the Big Easy. When she was living in New Orleans several ye...
Episode 389: An Idyll on the Amalfi Coast
30 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Katy interviews Antonio Sersale, son of the founder of the legendary Le Sirenuse hotel in Postiano. From a young age, Antonio was groomed to take over...
Episode 388: Studying Abroad in the 1960s
26 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
American Sunny Strong studied abroad in Florence in 1963, leaving her boyfriend Mike at home. Amazing (especially for us), Sunny captured some of her ...
Episode 387: Those Fleeting Moments of Glamour
23 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A short memoir by Beth Ann Fennelly, from her book Heating & Cooling: 52 Micro Memoirs, inspires a discussion on what makes something glamorous rather...
Episode 386: The Fascinating Science of Speech (with Lisa Wilcox)
19 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Learning a foreign language is one of the most desired goals most people have—and that's particularly true for travel lovers. But why do so many peo...
Episode 385: The Most Notorious Family in Rome
16 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Borgias are one of the most fascinating and depraved families in Italian history, and they ruled the Catholic Church. This family has been portray...
Episode 384: Being French in New Orleans
12 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We often talk about North American expats in Europe or Asia. But what about when the shoe is on the other foot? Today we talk to Sabine, a French expa...
Episode 383: Are You Living Your Dream Life?
09 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We all have fantasies when we're young about how we want our life to turn out. Some are far-fetched, some are probably doable. But ow much of life is ...
Episode 382: The Art of Travel Journaling (with Daniel Butterworth)
05 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Writing while traveling. Many of us do it. Professor Daniel Butterworth teaches us how to do it better. Whether journaling is the way you document you...
Episode 381: The Best Way to Visit a Museum
02 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What mistakes do museum visitors make? Tiffany Parks, a regular museum visitor and someone who has led tours through the Vatican Museums upwards of a ...
Bittersweet Moment #119: How to Avoid Jetlag
29 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Can you travel across nine time zones without more than a day's worth of jetlag? Tiffany is convinced that you can (without taking any pills). After d...
Episode 380: Finding Caravaggio at an Estate Sale
26 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Did you hear about the doctor who unknowingly bought an original Caravaggio painting at an estate sale? Yes. That happened. Today we talk not only abo...
Bittersweet Moment #118: Harry Potter, One of the Most Translated Books of All Time
22 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone has their favorite book, author, or series, but when children fall in love with a book, that love can border on obsession. (And how lovely th...
Episode 379: Can You Truly Be Bilingual?
19 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Inspired by a passage in the book Outline by Rachel Cusk, today we discuss the complexity of living life in two (or more!) languages, and if you can ...
Bittersweet Moment #117: Being English in Italy—During the European Cup (with Julia Charity)
15 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's the biggest soccer (aka football) (aka calcio) match of the year as Italy faces off against England in the European Cup. But who do cheer for if ...
Episode 378: Nostalgic Endings
12 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Are you someone who has a hard time when things come to an end? Even when what's coming next might be just as good, if not better? Or possibly even ...
Bittersweet Moment #116: School's Out in Italy (featuring Aurelio and friend)
08 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We hear from five-year-old Aurelio and his friend Jacopo on their very last day of Kindergarten—are they feeling the same sense of nostalgia that Ti...
Episode 377: Returning Again and Again
05 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Are you a person who always travels to a new place? Or do you prefer to revisit the same place over and over? Today we explore the value of going to t...
Bittersweet Moment #115: Alaska Boat Trip – Your Questions Answered
01 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Last week Katy regaled listeners with the story of her adventure aboard the Sea Star, a 1965 classic yacht, and her experiences cruising the inland pa...
Episode 376: From Heartbreak to Purpose (with Asia Dawn Simonelli)
28 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What do you do when your partner of almost a decade—and husband of only a few short months—tells you he thinks you made a mistake in getting marri...
Bittersweet Moment #114: Getting Married in Ancient Rome
24 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
To conclude our series of wedding-related mini-episodes, Tiffany regales you with the most common traditions and rituals surrounding weddings that to...
Episode 375: Sea Adventure to Alaska
21 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A private yacht called the Sea Star, a handful of strangers who would soon be friends, the inland passage to Alaska, and a few whales that like to sho...
Bittersweet Moment #113: Italian vs. American Weddings
17 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Last week we talked about food, cake, invitations, and the dreaded colors of black and purple. This week, on the third installment in the Italian wedd...
Episode 374: Keep This, Ditch That
14 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Make-up. Unpleasant social obligations. Commuting. Lots of things fell by the wayside during the pandemic. Lots of things that seemed absolutely neces...
Bittersweet Moment #112: An American Wedding in Italy
10 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For the second installment in our series of Italian wedding-themed mini-episodes, Tiffany looks back on her wedding in Rome almost exactly ten years a...
Episode 373: The Label Debate Continues (with Keith Cooke)
07 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Last week we talked about the labels expat vs immigrant, and specifically, why Tiffany, after nearly 17 years in Italy, still considers herself more o...
Bittersweet Moment #111: Italian Wedding Traditions
03 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On occasion of her 10th wedding anniversary, Tiffany talks about Italian wedding traditions, particularly the ones popular in the mid-20th century. Ev...
Episode 372: Expat or Immigrant?
31 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Tiffany moved to Italy as an expat in the fall 2004—nearly 17 years ago. Since then, she's married an Italian and started a family, bought an apartm...
Episode 371: Anna Sale Talks About Hard Things, Part 2
27 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today we continue our conversation with Anna Sale, host of the popular podcast Death, Sex, and Money and author of bestselling book Let's Talk About ...
Episode 370: Anna Sale Talks About Hard Things, Part 1
24 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Can you talk about hard things? Can you negotiate your salary with a new boss? Can you tactfully comfort someone who's just had a devastating loss? Ca...
Bittersweet Moment #110: Italy Welcomes Tourists
20 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What was it like to work in an international airport in the time of Covid? For this mini-episode, we're joined by someone who can answer that question...
Episode 369: A Day in the Life: One Year Later
17 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
One year ago, we asked our listeners, What does a day in the life of someone under lockdown look like? Listeners from around the world sent us a peek ...
Bittersweet Moment #109: A Boudoir Adventure
13 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever taken off your clothes for the camera? Today Katy reaches back into the archives of her long career as a radio producer and pulls out an...
Episode 368: Italy Reopens to the World
10 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The wait is over—at long last, you can finally go to Italy again! But is it a good idea? According to a recent announcement, the Italian government ...
Bittersweet Moment #108: The Spanish Steps in Bloom
06 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Tiffany joins us from the Spanish Steps for this mini-episode, where glorious azalea plants are spilling down the steps and there is nary a tourist in...
Episode 367: Documenting Travel (with Riley Morton)
03 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week we sit down with Riley Morton, a freelance documentary producer and cinematographer who kicked off his career two decades ago in the adventu...
Bittersweet Moment #107: Vaccine Hesitancy (with Jess Walter)
29 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Bestselling author and friend of the show Jess Walter joins us for this mini-episode to talk about the reluctance so many people seem to have over get...
Episode 366: Vaccinated
26 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Over in the US, Katy is now fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Hurrah! Tiffany in Italy, meanwhile, still has a long wait ahead of her. How long is an...
Bittersweet Moment #106: Speed Writing
22 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Want to write a 90k-word novel? If you've got 46 days (the length of Lent) Tiffany will tell you how to do it. This year during the period of Lent, Ti...
Episode 365: A Day in the Life Revisited
19 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
One year ago, we asked our listeners, What does a day in the life of someone under lockdown look like? Listeners from around the world sent us a peek ...
Bittersweet Moment #105: How to Find Work Abroad (with David McNeill)
15 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Want to move abroad but have no idea how to support yourself when you get there? For this mini-episode, we are joined by David McNeill, creator of Exp...
Episode 364: Cross-cultural Challenges
12 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Inspired by our conversation with Elizabeth Miki Brina, author of the new memoir Speak, Okinawa, we turn again to cross-cultural relationships and fam...