EXPAT LIFE
The original concept of this show was an exploration of expat life: what it means to live outside your country of birth—for the short term as well as the long term. Although the show has broadened over the years, the many facets of expat life remain an important topic of discussion on The Bittersweet Life.
![[THE BITTERSWEET PAST] The Science Behind Language Learning (with Lisa Wilcox)](https://thebittersweetlife.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/BSP-08-The-Science-of-Language-Learning-wide-400x250.jpg)
[THE BITTERSWEET PAST] The Science Behind Language Learning (with Lisa Wilcox)
On The Science Behind Language Learning, an eye-opening interview with special guest Lisa Wilcox,...
Episode 573: Getting Sick in Italy
Getting sick in Italy: what does it entail? How much does medical care cost? As an expat, how does...
![[THE BITTERSWEET PAST] The Unexpected Trauma of Moving, Part 2](https://thebittersweetlife.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/TBP-The-Unexpected-Trauma-of-Moving-Part-2-wide-400x250.jpg)
[THE BITTERSWEET PAST] The Unexpected Trauma of Moving, Part 2
The Unexpected Trauma of Moving, Part 2, an episode from our archives, was inspired by a letter...
Episode 572: A Crazy Student Falls in Love with Italian (with Melissa Muldoon)
Have you ever lost your mind over a foreign language? In Episode 572: A Crazy Student Falls in...
![[THE BITTERSWEET PAST] The Unexpected Trauma of Moving, Part 1](https://thebittersweetlife.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/BSP-06-The-Unexpected-Trauma-of-Moivng-Part-1-400x250.jpg)
[THE BITTERSWEET PAST] The Unexpected Trauma of Moving, Part 1
On The Unexpected Trauma of Moving, Part 1, an episode from our archives, Tiffany and Katy both...
![[THE BITTERSWEET PAST] How Traveling Makes You Rude](https://thebittersweetlife.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/TBP-How-Traveling-Makes-You-Rude-Wide-400x250.jpg)
[THE BITTERSWEET PAST] How Traveling Makes You Rude
How Traveling Makes You Rude, an episode from our archives, looks at the cultural differences that...
![[THE BITTERSWEET PAST] Raising a Bilingual Family](https://thebittersweetlife.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/The-Bittersweet-Life-Past-03-Raising-a-Bilingual-Family-image-wide-400x250.jpg)
[THE BITTERSWEET PAST] Raising a Bilingual Family
Raising a bilingual family? Or dreaming of it? Whether you are an expat or not, in a mixed-culture...
Episode 568: The Benefits and Dangers of Being Stubborn
Is being stubborn a good thing or a bad thing? Are there benefits as well as dangers of being...
![[THE BITTERSWEET PAST] Hitting an Expat Plateau](https://thebittersweetlife.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/The-Bittersweet-Past-02-Plateau-thumb-copy-400x250.jpg)
[THE BITTERSWEET PAST] Hitting an Expat Plateau
Hitting an Expat Plateau, an episode from our archives, is inspired by a letter from one of our...
Episode 567: What if Moving Abroad Isn’t Great?
What if moving abroad isn’t great? You've dreamed of moving to Italy since you were 16 years old,...
![[THE BITTERSWEET PAST] Living Life in a Foreign Language](https://thebittersweetlife.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/01-Throwback-Ep-Living-Life-in-a-Foreign-Language-thumb-400x250.jpg)
[THE BITTERSWEET PAST] Living Life in a Foreign Language
How does living life in a foreign language change impact your life? Have you ever wondered how...
Episode 566: How to Move to Italy
On Episode 566: How to Move to Italy, we are joined by a guest who happens to have all the...
Episode 563: How to Renovate a 17th-century Umbrian Villa
How many of us dream of living in a villa in the Umbrian countryside... but how many of us would...
Episode 562: Moving to Rome—Sight Unseen, Part 2
Last year we met Brie Ripley, a young newly married Seattlite who had moved to Rome for a job...
Episode 557: Ready to Flee the US?
Tomorrow is presidential election day in the US! (Cue the angst-ridden gnashing of teeth.) If...
Episode 551: How to Retire to Florence with Your Granddaughter
Retiring to Italy—it's a dream for many people. But what about for a single man who has sole...
Episode 548: Expat or Immigrant?
Tiffany moved to Italy as an expat in the fall of 2004—almost exactly two decades ago. Since then,...
Episode 546: Advice for Would-be Expats
Dreaming of moving abroad but loath to give up the job you love? On Episode 546: Advice for...
Episode 543: Leisure Wars: Italy vs. the US
Who does leisure better, Italy or America? We tackle this question on Episode 543 Leisure Wars:...
Episode 541: Living Life Between Two Countries (with Laurel Attanasio)
Living Between Two Countries (with Laurel Attanasio) What is it like to divide your life between...
Episode 540: I’m Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself (with Glynnis MacNicol)
"When you’re a woman of a certain age, you are only promised that everything will get worse. But...
Episode 538: Stayers, Goers, and Newbies
One of the hardest things about expat life is when your friends inevitably leave. For some expats, this happens like clockwork every single year (usually in June), causing heartache, disappointment, and a sense of continually having to begin again with a fresh set of expat friends.
Episode 533: Italy Welcomes the Digital Nomad
Italy welcomes the digital nomad! If you've been dreaming of moving to Italy but thought it was...
Visiting Rome in person? Take a tour with Tiffany as your guide!
Or better yet, join us on our next listener Rome trip, coming up in October 2025!