Janusz made a movie in Namibia. He claims to look like a neanderthal. I asked how it felt to escape communist Poland ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé.
Michal needs funds to repair his time machine and get back to the 1960s. I asked what we can do to help ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé.
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Jaey is in the process of moving from Seoul to Barcelona by way of South America. We met in a blustery corner of Chile, where he told three beautiful stories from his trip. I asked why he's not allowed into the most famous soccer stadium in Buenos Aires ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé.
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Part 2 of our special 50th Episode celebration!
We look back at some of the stories that resonated this year and what their sum could mean. At the end I tell the story of the man in Burma who made me hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé. And a very special thanks to Dave for stepping in to host again this week.
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Part 1 of our special 50th Episode mile marker!
A friend helped me lift the hood to look into the engine of this podcast. Inside we found a Yeats poem, the story of the coin Primo Levi brought back from Auschwitz, and why his is the path I most want to follow. And of course, as always, I hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé. And to Allison for taking this photo. And a very special thanks to Dave for stepping in to host this week and share W.B. Yeats's fitting "The Song of Wandering Aengus."
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Elio and I met in a cwm, a mountain valley carved by a glacier. What he said there led me to reflect on the sublime ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé.
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Andes has to get a letter from the office of labor in Bonn, so that he can extend his stay in Berlin, before returning to Sweden to continue his studies, before ultimately, maybe, one day returning to Indonesia. I went with him to the post office ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé.
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Visit the Global Experience, where Andes interns→
Learn More about Life Back Home→
Practice Easy German→
Binta took her very first trip alone at a very young age. Looking back, she wonders if maybe she might have been too trusting. We asked why she's traveling alone still ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé.
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Kaveesh grew up in Toronto and wonders what he might have been had he only ever stayed there rather than study in London. We asked who's on the other path that diverged from the one he chose ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé.
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Visit Junior's Barbershop→
Silas works at Harding University in Greece, an overseas program where students spend a semester just outside Athens. A former attendee himself, he now leads the trips around the Mediterranean that made such a big impact on his life. I asked whether he could put into words what this kind of experience does to a young person ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé.
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See Mohammad's Story on Kiva.org→
Helkin moved to Chicago from Venezuela to study English, with dreams of big city life and plans to return to the company that gave him time off. He ended up falling in love and getting married. I asked why he came out ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé.
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Go to Dollop→
Bertrand shared a traditional Italian drink with us from a wooden, six-spouted pot—called La Grolla—one evening in his home in Bordeaux with his girlfriend Anna. We had no idea how rich a story he would tell when we asked what his tattoo means ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé.
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Anna was once a stewardess and did something unexpected on her regular route to Kenya, but that's just one small part of her story. She met her boyfriend Bertrand in Australia, when she moved there from Italy because of a tragedy. And we met them when we stayed in their apartment in Bordeaux, France through Airbnb. Nearly every night, they cooked a special dish for us since they're chefs. We couldn't believe our good fortune, asking excitedly how all these travels changed her ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé.
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Tomek visited Frida Kahlo's Blue House in Mexico City, little knowing that I would interview him while we stood in line. I asked him to describe one of her paintings ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé.
Lend to Lourenco on Kiva.org→ Subscribe in iTunes→
Check out Saskia Diez's Designs→
Hamou did not want to share his story with me. This is the first anniversary of The Observer Effect. Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé.
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Carroll moved from Chicago to Arkansas, then Texas. I asked why he didn't feel worthy of going on the trip to Hawaii his kids gave him to celebrate his thirty-fifth anniversary ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé.
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See Elsie's Story on Kiva.org→
Mary Ann wanted to support the effort to block the Dakota Access Pipeline but also wanted to make sure her intent was the right one. I asked whether going to Standing Rock changed her ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé.
Whether you go or not, Mary Ann highly recommends reading the Resource Packet at:
Standing Rock Solidarity Network→
You can also join the Observer Effect Kiva Team→
Or subscribe in iTunes→
The Hull House Museum in Chicago has one particular item on which they have lavished special attention. Instead of a paper label stuck to the wall simply telling what the object is, they commissioned a book to draw every visitor into a slow museum experience. I tracked down and asked its author, Terri Kapsalis, what role travel played in shaping Jane Addams and Hull House ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé.
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Buy Terri's Book: Jane Addams' Travel Medicine Kit→
The Freud Museum at Berggasse 19 in Vienna showcases among other artifacts from the psychoanalyst's life, his suitcase, stamped with his initials and the name of his adopted city. They also published a book called Freud's Travels. I asked what led him to choose travel as one of the defining metaphors of his work ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé.
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Learn about Dominga→
Read Freud's Letter "A Disturbance of Memory on the Acropolis"→
The Moby-Dick Marathon draws fans of Herman Melville's classic from all over the world to the New Bedford Whaling Museum in Massachusetts every January to read the great book straight through over 25 glorious hours. Afterwards, I sat down with a scholar who has taught Melville in Pakistan and led his own life of adventure. I asked why Melville took that fateful first voyage on the Acushnet in 1840 ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé.