Oyster World Radio

(Episode 70) Columbus, Ohio. The trip has come to an end. As the dust settles on a long, tough, amazing, exhausting, and unbelievable two years, Jackie and I reminisce about the trip and ask each other some burning questions about our favorite moments and struggles coming home. It has been a wild ride and I want to thank every one of you for tuning in to the stories and moments from the road. This isn't a goodbye but rather a see you later because I heard the travel bug is seasonal and we have a good chance of catching it again.  SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON Follow me on InstagramJackie's Blog - Gish Out of WaterSubscribe to the ShowWrite us a ReviewMusic by Charlie Millikin See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

(Episode 69) Budapest, Hungary. Everyone has ebbs and flows throughout their life, but how we respond to each twist and turn can greatly impact the trajectory of the next phase. Our guest, Balu Szilvássy, has made a career, relationship, and life by taking on hard challenges and persevering. From Muay Thai, to coding, to attending a high school that was taught primarily in a different language, Balu refused to give up and that refusal has built the life that he lives today. He calls it his bulldog mentality, and it's a great reminder for all of us that sometimes you just need to get after it to get where you want to go.SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON Follow me on InstagramJackie's Blog - Gish Out of WaterSubscribe to the ShowWrite us a ReviewMusic by Charlie Millikin See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

(Episode 68) Gaborone, Botswana. Life can be complicated, but identifying your mother is usually an item on the short list of things that are easy to do. I say usually because today's guest, Stanley Nchena Kaseke, did not have this luxury. Stanley's family life was anything but straightforward, but the gift from this situation was the love and support from three different mothers throughout his lifetime. This episode is a tribute to all the Mom's out there, biological or not, that love their children unconditionally. Motherly love is what made Stanley the man he is today, and I know that he is far from alone in that category.SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON Follow me on InstagramJackie's Blog - Gish Out of WaterSubscribe to the ShowWrite us a ReviewMusic by Charlie Millikin See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

(Episode 67) Bratislava, Slovakia. Growing up, Kris and Mike Cebecauer fought constantly. That's what brothers are supposed to do. The little sibling always plots the demise of the older as the older attempts to maintain control. It's funny how time works though because now the two brothers have teamed up as they try to find their place in the world. No small task, but that is what brothers are for.  SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON Follow me on InstagramJackie's Blog - Gish Out of WaterSubscribe to the ShowWrite us a ReviewMusic by Charlie Millikin See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

(Episode 66) Nicosia, Cyprus. Christiana Polyviou grew up a good girl. She lived on her little island of Cyprus and did everything that was asked of her. That all changed when life suddenly took her to the metropolis of Athens. Christiana thrived in the city. She quickly made friends, got a degree, and was out in the world seeing and exploring everything she could. It is truly amazing what a change in scenery can do. It can challenge you in ways you never thought were possible yet unlock a piece of you that you didn't know exist. In the case of Christiana, the change let her become who she truly was.SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON Follow me on InstagramJackie's Blog - Gish Out of WaterSubscribe to the ShowWrite us a ReviewMusic by Charlie Millikin   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

(Episode 65) Paris, France. What happens when you have to suppress who you are? It's not as if Mounir wanted to live a double life, but when he could be jailed for his sexual preferences he didn't have much of a choice. Now that Mounir has taken control of his life, he faces the question of continuing to live the double life he's lived so long. Tune in to find out his next move and get a glimpse at what it's like when it's illegal to be yourself.  SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON Follow me on InstagramJackie's Blog - Gish Out of WaterSubscribe to the ShowWrite us a ReviewMusic by Charlie Millikin See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

(Episode 64) Jerusalem, Israel. Yael and Jake Kaufman are from New York, but their real home is in Jerusalem. It is a strange phenomenon when you find a place that syncs with the rhythm of your soul more than your home town, but that connection is what called this young couple to the holy city. Unfortunately, the land of milk and honey has its own problems and in this episode we chat about making a home in a foreign land and the conflict that separates it.SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON Follow me on InstagramJackie's Blog - Gish Out of WaterSubscribe to the ShowWrite us a ReviewMusic by Charlie Millikin See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

(Episode 63) Zagreb, Croatia. Propaganda is a powerful thing. It can lead a movement for human rights, or make neighbors turn on each other. Ante Živkovič, today's guest, saw the power of propaganda first hand as it fueled the situation in former Yugoslavia to boil into violence. Propaganda is as old as human society, but as the world and information age evolves, it is up to us to stay focused on reality and triangulate the truth.  SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON Follow me on InstagramJackie's Blog - Gish Out of WaterSubscribe to the ShowWrite us a ReviewMusic by Charlie Millikin See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

(Episode 62) Rome, Italy. Omar is a long way from home but that doesn't bother him. Well, maybe a little bit. It's in the Filipino culture to be resilient, but being over 6,500 miles from home isn't exactly easy. It is normal to have ups and downs especially when laying roots in a different part of the world. Those downs are important, though, which is why it is important to find mountains to climb and hard obstacles to tackle. Down periods are how we find out what we are made of. For Omar, he found his mountain in his master's thesis. Sometimes you just have to push even when you think you have nothing left. Tune in for our talk about taking on hard projects, creating something, and finding your passion in life no matter what.   SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREONFollow me on InstagramJackie's Blog - Gish Out of WaterSubscribe to the ShowWrite us a ReviewMusic by Charlie Millikin See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

(Episode 61) Marseille, France. Jean Alain, today's guest, lives in a beautiful coastal town of southern France, but that might be a step back from the Caribbean island he called home. Jean likes a good challenge, though, and there was no way his little, island home could contain his ambition. His transition was smooth for the most part until he hit the existential, "What do I do with my life," crisis we all know and love. Jean needed to dissect his past, observe his present, and foresee his future to create the plan that ultimately drove his life towards the happiness he sought, but his simple trick of using the good ole' pen and paper and rewriting his own story that made the difference.  SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON Follow me on InstagramJackie's Blog - Gish Out of WaterSubscribe to the ShowWrite us a ReviewMusic by Charlie Millikin See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

(Episode 60) Bordeaux, France. Don't you hate it when everything piles on you at once? It happens, and the year of 2015 was Bertrand's, today's guest, time to be life's punching bag. Tragedy and strife can come in a blink of an eye but take years to recover. That is just the way life is, but Bertrand's method to combat the blues is described in a way only a Frenchman can. To figure out how Bertrand reached stable ground, tune in today.  SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON Follow me on InstagramJackie's Blog - Gish Out of WaterSubscribe to the ShowWrite us a ReviewMusic by Charlie Millikin See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

(Episode 59) Madrid, Spain. Giseth Ramos, today's guest, could of had three kids, a nice wife, a lovely home, and a Mercedes. That was the direction his family was pushing him anyway, but that lifestyle never suited Giseth. He wanted to live every second of his life without regret. So the kids and the family life are going to have to wait, because Giseth isn't done fighting for what he wants.   SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON Follow me on InstagramJackie's Blog - Gish Out of WaterSubscribe to the ShowWrite us a ReviewMusic by Charlie Millikin See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

(Episode 58) Francistown, Botswana. This is a crash course on happiness. Veronique Mamashela was being shaped into something that she wasn't. Pressure from her former husband was taking off the edges and curves that made her who she was until she fit within the picture that he had for her. The problem with being shaped is that you no longer fit into the purpose that originally was meant for you. It was through her community and her own contributions of love that she regained those curves and edges and finally completed the picture she was born to complete.  SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON Follow me on InstagramJackie's Blog - Gish Out of WaterSubscribe to the ShowWrite us a ReviewMusic by Charlie Millikin See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

(Episode 57) Johannesburg, South Africa. The last episode of the the four-part, Apartheid mini series brings on Anesu Dahwa. Anesu embodies the first generation that lives in a post Apartheid world. Anesu is a deep thinker, luckily, because it takes a strong mind to decipher not only the consequences of Apartheid but the everyday malfunctions (and other crazy life events) that we all know so well. People like Anesu give me hope because it proves that even in the face of tragedy and countless adversities, Anesu is thinking forward. She has chosen to pursue a brighter future instead of a troubled past. Something we should all take to heart as we begin to take on the challenges of the day.  SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON Follow me on InstagramJackie's Blog - Gish Out of WaterSubscribe to the ShowWrite us a ReviewMusic by Charlie Millikin See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

(Episode 56) Johannesburg, South Africa. In episode three of four of the Apartheid series, Koketso Mushe joins us for a bit of a different episode. Today we just talk. We talk about Apartheid, and race relations, and humanity, and try to make sense of it all. It was a conversation that I've wanted to have for a long time, but even more than that, it helped me shift my perspective. In a time when the world seems so full of hate, know that it's not, and if we expect to move on to the next era of human history, we must forgive our pasts and come together. We should never forget the atrocities such as Apartheid, but old atrocities should never come between us and progress.   SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON Follow me on InstagramJackie's Blog - Gish Out of WaterSubscribe to the ShowWrite us a ReviewMusic by Charlie Millikin See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

(Episode 55) Johannesburg, South Africa. In the second episode of this short Apartheid series, Richard Meletse shares his perspective from the black side of the razor wire. This episode is a glimpse into what life was like in Soweto, the most famous Johannesburg township, and what happened, on the ground, during the 1976 uprising. It is an action packed episode that you don't want to miss.  SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON Follow me on InstagramJackie's Blog - Gish Out of WaterSubscribe to the ShowWrite us a ReviewMusic by Charlie Millikin See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

(Episode 54) Johannesburg, South Africa. It was finally time to cash in on our one way ticket to the southern hemisphere and our Africa chapter started out with a bang. The next four episodes are coming to you from the complex city of Johannesburg where the the ruins of the Apartheid government still lay a heavy burden on the city. There are so many variables, forces, events, and story lines from the tragedy that was Apartheid, but today's guest, Lyzette Van Der Linde, shares her perspective from the white side of the razor wire. I guarantee that this episode will be much different than you expect.   SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON Follow me on InstagramJackie's Blog - Gish Out of WaterSubscribe to the ShowWrite us a ReviewMusic by Charlie Millikin See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

(Episode 53) Paros, Greece. Sauglou Michalis had a habit of jumping into things head first. Not knowing how to ride didn't stop him from buying a motorcycle and being an engineer didn't stop him from becoming a teacher. He made a habit of being adjustable and learning on the fly. Of course, life has a funny way of testing whatever you think your strengths are and that test came in the form of the financial crisis and a newborn son. How did Michalis adapt? Tune in to find out.SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON Follow me on InstagramJackie's Blog - Gish Out of WaterSubscribe to the ShowWrite us a ReviewMusic by Charlie Millikin See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

(Episode 52) Crete, Greece. Ah, the island life. Everything moves a bit slower on the islands of Greece but not in a bad way. It is peaceful here, and everywhere you look olives grow merrily on their trees. Anything can get dull if you live your entire life in one place though. That is why Stelios Pipparakis spent some time away from his little paradise in Athens and by traveling. It all led back home eventually though. There really is no where like home. Especially if it's an island paradise. When I asked Stelios why he came back, all he said was, "more easy."  SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREONFollow me on InstagramJackie's Blog - Gish Out of WaterSubscribe to the ShowWrite us a ReviewMusic by Charlie Millikin See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

(Episode 51) Edinburgh, Scotland. A common theme throughout these episodes is the struggle with the age old question of what to do with the rest of your life. It is a question that seems to loom over us but is the heaviest at the crossroads between school and the real world. Most of us continue our schooling, but few people choose a road less traveled (pun intended). Adam McIntosh chose the latter. He decided to use his thumb over a pencil, and took off around the world. He left life to serendipity, and life tends to favor the bold.  SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON Follow me on InstagramJackie's Blog - Gish Out of WaterSubscribe to the ShowWrite us a ReviewMusic by Charlie Millikin See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.