Migratory Patterns

Migratory Patterns

Conversations about the reasons humans migrate & how it effects our identity.

  1. 06.04.2020

    #059: Trapped In Wuhan During COVID-19 | Jen Knight

    Jen Knight says that she "won the in-laws lottery" when it comes to her Chinese husband's parents. But luck wasn't on her side this past January, when a day after she arrived in her husband's hometown just outside of Wuhan for a Spring Festival celebration, the Chinese government started shutting down all transit links into and out of the area, effectively trapping her at Ground Zero of what would soon come to be known as the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. She was, as she easily admits, "terrified" and felt isolated, but what helped her feel less alone was participating in a study that asked China-based expats how they were feeling during the crisis. And through 2 months of lockdown in Hubei + 2 weeks of self isolation in her apartment in Shenzhen, her notions of "home" have shifted- or maybe she was just being made aware of a shift that had already taken place. If you missed it, be sure to go back one episode and listen to part 1 of this series where I speak with Chris Barnhart, who designed the survey that Jen assisted on. You can also read a summary of their findings on our blog here.   And scroll back one more episode, to #057, to hear my impromptu conversation with a group of China-based expats who found them themselves trapped in Bali just as the outbreak began spreading across China.   To learn more about Jen and her work as a life coach for women living abroad, check out her website,  https://www.jenknight.com, or follow her updates on Facebook and Instagram.    Get in touch with comments, suggestions or interview recommendations:   Twitter: @zax2000 eMail: mike.shaw@migrationmedia.net   Check out all of the shows in the Migration Media network on the web (www.migrationmedia.net) and please take a moment to "Like" us and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Podbean or wherever you get your podcasts... and subscribe!

    37 Min.
  2. 30.03.2020

    #058: Studying Anxiety In Expats In the Time of COVID-19 | Chris Barnhart

    This week we're kicking off Season 4 with part 1 of a special 2-part series focusing on a pair of international migrants who have written a study on how the initial outbreak of COVID-19 in China effected foreign nationals living there. The lead researcher, Chris Barnhart, was a high school teacher in Florida who'd been laid off during a round of budget cuts and was as surprised as anyone to find himself heading to China months later to be the first foreign professor at a university in Guangdong province. His experience there has been a revelation to him, and his empathy and desire to check in on fellow foreigners during the initial stages of the outbreak led him to want to quantify the resilience that he saw in the people around him. When he couldn't find evidence of anyone else studying expats in China during this time he took it on himself to gather the data... and what he found was... well, let's let him explain how things went. Read the summary of Chis and Jen's findings on our blog, here. You can contact him with questions about his study via e-mail at c.r.barnhart@outlook.com, or you can follow him on LinkedIn here.   Get in touch with comments, suggestions or interview recommendations:   Twitter: @zax2000 eMail: mike.shaw@migrationmedia.net   Check out all of the shows in the Migration Media network on the web (www.migrationmedia.net) and please take a moment to "Like" us and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Podbean or wherever you get your podcasts... and subscribe!

    44 Min.
  3. 06.02.2020

    #057: Emergency Pod with Coronavirus Expats

    We're interrupting our inter-season interregnum to bring you a discussion with a group of expats who live in China but who have found themselves "stuck" in Bali after the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan shut down virtually all businesses and most travel into the country. It's estimated that there are close to 1 million foreigners living in China, and while those who have been evacuated from, or who are still in, Wuhan and the surrounding area rightly get lots of attention, there are hundreds of thousands more folks who are either stuck somewhere, or grappling with the decision to leave or return. We've gathered 3 of these expats to talk about what it feels like to be "between homes," neither able to be where they live, nor in their place of origin, in a time of crisis. How are they dealing with their isolation? Do they feel guilty about not being in their host cities? Are they glad to have escaped? There are lots of complex emotions to deal with and we're diving right in. Learn more about Asher's groundbreaking business, Go Vegan, by visiting their website here, or by jumping over to their Instagram page. Shawn is chronicling her time in Bali on Instagram. You can follow her here.  You can see Chris' videos, where he's vlogging about his experiences as an expat both inside of and outside of China during the coronavirus outbreak, on his YouTube page here.   We'll be back in a few weeks with Season 4, so stay tuned! Get in touch with comments, suggestions or interview recommendations:   Twitter: @zax2000 eMail: mike.shaw@migrationmedia.net   Check out all of the shows in the Migration Media network on the web (www.migrationmedia.net) and please take a moment to "Like" us and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Podbean or wherever you get your podcasts... and subscribe!

    36 Min.
  4. 06.01.2020

    #056: The Expats Are Alright | Dr. Sonia Jaeger

    It's part 2 of the two-part Season 3 finale, wherein Mike & Alisa take a look at the issues and problems that have come up for the in their move from Beijing to Bali with a professional. Dr. Sonia Jaeger is a clinical psychologist & psychotherapist who is one of the growing number of location independent professionals who choose to live and work from multiple places. In essence, she's always on the move. A speaker of German, French and English, she helps expats and migrants around the world with their mental health issues through remote sessions. She talks about the struggles of people who follow their partners overseas, so-called "trailing spouses," as well as the importance of finding and building community in your new home and even expat divorce! It's an eye-opening conversation that gives us lots to think about during our break until next season starts. Be sure to listen to the previous episode to hear us break down the issues that we've faced during our move to Bali!   You can learn more about Dr. Jaeger and her work, or inquire about making an appointment with her by visiting her website, https://www.sonia-jaeger.com/. You can also follow her on social media here:   Facebook Instagram LinkedIn   Get in touch with comments, suggestions or interview recommendations:   Twitter: @zax2000 eMail: mike.shaw@migrationmedia.net   Check out all of the shows in the Migration Media network on the web (www.migrationmedia.net) and please take a moment to "Like" us and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Podbean or wherever you get your podcasts... and subscribe!

    43 Min.
  5. 23.12.2019

    #054: Mental Health In A 'Global Nomad's World' | Daniela Tomer

    Daniela Tomer, founder of Global Nomad's World, knows something about migration. Not only is she a clinical psychologist who specializes in helping families deal with the issues surrounding migration, but she's the product of migration herself. Born to parents who had fled from Eastern Europe to Argentina in the early days of WWII, Daniela migrated to Israel as a child and went through a profound identity evolution. Later in life, a move to Europe and then the US meant the loss of her professional credentials- a familiar roadblock for many who migrate. So she did the most "expat-y" thing next: Start a business to deal with the barrier. Today she is at the vanguard of a growing movement of mental health processionals who are working to create resources that will help people around the world to better deal with the complex issue that arise when they migrate. Learn more about Global Nomad's World and Daniela's work with migrant families by visiting their website,  https://www.globalnomadsworld.com/.   Dive deeper into the issues that children & families face when living overseas by checking out our past interviews with people who have gone through the experience themselves:   Ep. #033: Coming of Age As A TCK… And Then What? | Mio Rudnicki Ep. #030: A Grown-up TCK Raising TCKs & Searching for Community | Dr. Kate Bailey Gardner Ep. #025: From Raising A TCK to Empty-Nesting Overseas | Amelie Mongrain Ep. #019: Studying TCKs As A TCA | Tanya Crossman Ep. #017: “This Wasn’t A Choice She Made”: Raising A Daughter Overseas | Sarah Peel Ep. #014: Growing Up As A TCK & Developing ‘Bordered Dinners’ | Ragini Kashyap Ep. #006: Forging Your Own Identity & Socially Responsible Pizza | Kerry Lin   Get in touch with comments, suggestions or interview recommendations:   Twitter: @zax2000 eMail: mike.shaw@migrationmedia.net   Check out all of the shows in the Migration Media network on the web (www.migrationmedia.net). Please take a moment to "Like" us and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Podbean or wherever you get your podcasts... and subscribe!

    44 Min.
  6. 09.12.2019

    #052: A Passion for Naked Nut Butters | Meredith Sides

    Nut butters were never supposed to be a part of Meredith Sides' life; but, then again, neither was living abroad. Not wanting to choose the path that most other people in her small town followed - moving from high school into the trades, farming or beauty school - she moved to Philadelphia for college, did a semester abroad in Europe, and then, on a whim, decided to spend a gap year before going to medical school teaching English in China. 5 years later she still doesn't even know her own blood type, but she knows what her passion is, and it's nut butters. She's the Co-founder of Naked Nut Butters, a purveyor of all-natural nut butters in China. And far from having any desire to go back "home," she's discovered that she enjoys the uncertainty of the #ExpatLife. She doesn't want to feel "nailed down" by the expectations of her home culture. And with her new business taking off, she's fully invested in life overseas... and nut butters. Read more about Naked Nut Butters' recent presentation at China's Paradise Foundation annual board meeting + their meeting with Alibaba founder Jack Ma here. You can also check them out on social media:   Instagram Facebook WeChat: "NAKEDnutbutters拿颗酱"   Get in touch with comments, suggestions or interview recommendations:   Twitter: @zax2000 eMail: mike.shaw@migrationmedia.net   Check out all of the shows in the Migration Media network on the web (www.migrationmedia.net). Please take a moment to "Like" us and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Podbean or wherever you get your podcasts... and subscribe!

    34 Min.

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Conversations about the reasons humans migrate & how it effects our identity.