Dear Expats

Polina Milushkova, Julia Kuzmina

Living abroad is an epic ride – until you’re dragging heavy boxes up a creaky staircase, crying over your favorite hometown song, or become baffled by foreign medicine instructions. We’re Polina and Julia, two Russian expats in the Netherlands, here to chat about the wins (and epic fails) of expat life. Every episode, we read your letters, share our own mishaps, and dish out honest advice. Raw stories. Real laughs. Let’s swap experiences and help each other survive – and thrive – no matter where we land.

Episodes

  1. 08/13/2025

    Episode 10: Immigration Before & Afters – Rating Career, Self-Esteem and Daily Lives

    This time we continue experimenting with the new format and challenge the notion of immigration being a way of improving one’s live quality by giving a score to different aspects of our life. Tune in to hear our before/after marks for: - social life; - career perspectives; - mental health and freedom; - daily routine; - feeling of home. And share your before/after scores in the comments or via email, so we can do a part two! Write us at hello@dear-expats.com Our website dear-expats.com

    35 min

  2. 08/06/2025

    Episode 9: Money in Immigration – How We Save, Spend and Stress

    This time we try a new format, and instead of your letters we read the ones from our bank — aka go through our account statements to see, how our relationship with money changed in immigration. Tune in to learn about: - How much do you have to spend on groceries and transportation in Amsterdam - How our top spending categories changed - Taxes and another unexpected expenses we had - Do we manage to save in immigration - And what do we feel about? As usual, we are glad to hear back from you and learn your stories and most unexpected spendings you’ve had since moving abroad! Our website: https://www.dear-expats.com/ Write us at hello@dear-expats.com

    34 min

  3. 07/22/2025

    Episode 8: Nails, Countryhouse & Other Abandoned Essentials

    This turned out to be a rather slavic episode. But don’t worry if you are from other culture – as usual we cover the topics well recognisable by any immigrant, such as: - Having to spend more on essentials and struggling to find services you are used to; - Unexpected ways of finding friends when you’ve just moved; - Acquiring new personality when you move and hesitating to accept it. Write us you letters at hello@dear-expats.com Our website: https://www.dear-expats.com/

    31 min

  4. 07/15/2025

    Episode 7: New Countries, Old Cravings & Holidays That Don’t Feel Like Yours

    Jumping from country to country sounds exciting – until you realize you’re always starting over. In this episode, we talk about what it’s like to constantly move, miss the taste of your favorite products and celebrate holidays that don’t really feel like yours. How do you find comfort when the food, people, and even calendars feel foreign? And how do you build a life when your suitcase is always half-packed? Join Polina and Julia for an honest talk about homesickness, migration fatigue, and finding your rhythm in a world that keeps changing. Write us at hello@dear-expats.com And don't forget we have a website: https://www.dear-expats.com/

    30 min

  5. 07/08/2025

    Episode 6: Downshifting, Foreign Words & Falling for Barcelona

    What if the “better life” you built abroad starts to feel like hard mode?  Today’s topics: - moving to Barcelona without speaking the language (and crying in the rain about it) - rediscovering lightness in Asia after five heavy European years - why working in English sometimes feels like writing with someone else’s hands. When is it time to slow down? Can you reinvent your expat life without burning it all down? And why do the sea and a cheap flight sometimes matter more than ambition? Polina and Julia are here – with stories, questions and no perfect answers. Do not forget to write us at hello@dear-expats.com Our website: https://www.dear-expats.com/

    27 min

  6. 05/13/2025

    Episode 5: Hating Hotel Rooms, Cultural Nostalgia and Choosing Not to Be First

    What is my tax id, where to buy a mop, how do I pay for my insurance? These are only the tip of the iceberg of questions immigration poses to us.  So this time we go deeper and ask ourselves: - How immigration changed our attitude to trains, airports and hotels? - Stages of adaptation to a new country and what we could have done differently? - Living in the Netherlands and never traveling abroad — whaaaaat? Why people choose a more emotionally regulated lifestyle. Join us on this reflection journey, write comments and share your stories in a letter! Our email: hello@dear-expats.com Our website: https://www.dear-expats.com/

    27 min

  7. 05/06/2025

    Episode 4: Serial Movers, First‑Love Homeland & ‘I Don’t Want to Be an Expat’

    Packing boxes, still being in love with the place you left and refusing the “expat” label? Same. In this episode, we try to stop moving, silence the nostalgia and escape that expat feeling. Grab your coffee (or wine) – we’re here for an honest talk. Thank you for staying with us, don’t forget to send us your letters to hello@dear-expats.com Our website: https://www.dear-expats.com/

    27 min

  8. 04/29/2025

    Episode 3: Language barrier, avoiding responsibilities and newfound love for your own bed

    Welcome back to the new episode of Dear Expats podcast! In this episode you’ll find: - Polina’s practical tips for learning foreign languages; - Reasons for Julia’s obsession with getting a cat; - Discussion on whether immigration spoils travelling for good. Thank you for staying with us, don’t forget to send us your letters to hello@dear-expats.com Our website: https://www.dear-expats.com/

    25 min

  9. 04/22/2025

    Episode 2: Complaints, New Friends and Long-Distance Love

    Missing homemade food, complaints about everything – even the weather – and the chaos of long‑distance love: say hello to the second episode of Dear Expats! Today we chat about: - How to find new friends (and what to do if they move away); - What to tell colleagues who don’t like your new country; - And how to keep the rhythm when you and your partner live in different countries Be with us, stay with us, and send us your letters – Polina and Julia are ready to talk! Send us your letters to hello@dear-expats.com Our website: https://www.dear-expats.com/

    28 min

  10. 04/14/2025

    Episode 1: Mice, Reinventing Yourself, and the Future

    Episode 1 tackles the ugly truth of mice invasions, the art of reinventing yourself in a new place, and the fear of missing out on future opportunities. Send us your letters to hello@dear-expats.com Our website: https://www.dear-expats.com/

    23 min
  • 10 Episodes

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Living abroad is an epic ride – until you’re dragging heavy boxes up a creaky staircase, crying over your favorite hometown song, or become baffled by foreign medicine instructions. We’re Polina and Julia, two Russian expats in the Netherlands, here to chat about the wins (and epic fails) of expat life. Every episode, we read your letters, share our own mishaps, and dish out honest advice. Raw stories. Real laughs. Let’s swap experiences and help each other survive – and thrive – no matter where we land.

Information

  • Creator
    Polina Milushkova, Julia Kuzmina
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Polina Milushkova, Julia Kuzmina
  • Show Website
    Dear Expats