Most people dread culture shock. Sarah Riches goes looking for it.

Sarah is a travel journalist who started her career teaching English in Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan. She later worked in Abu Dhabi, and has travelled to around 50 countries. In this episode, she talks about why the unfamiliar is what keeps her going.

Why would a stunning trip to Tuscany leave a seasoned traveller feeling empty?
Which move turned out far easier than she ever expected?
Of all the countries she has visited, where did she feel the safest?
And how did a few words of the “wrong” language get her out of trouble in Taiwan?

If this episode makes you think about your own culture shock moments, there’s more where it came from.

Tell me what was your biggest culture shock.

If you are an expat, a global professional, or simply someone fascinated by international living, you are in the right place. This podcast explores the real-life stories of people who live and work outside of their country. But it’s also about locals who are willing to share their cultural stories.

Who am I?
I'm a French expat and international educator. I've lived and worked in Asia since 2004, and I'm based in Bangalore.

Listen to the other episodes of Navigate Across Borders for more stories of people living and working across cultures.

Follow the podcast behind the scenes and much more on Instagram @navigate_across_borders

Join the YouTube community at youtube.com/@NavigateAcrossBorders.

Chapters

0:00 Meet Sarah Riches, travel journalist
4:03 The one thing she always packs
5:46 The foods Britain didn’t have yet
9:34 A strange confession about culture shock
11:11 First day in Japan
14:41 Inside a Japanese workplace
18:29 Moving to Hong Kong
22:52 Taiwan, and a language surprise in Taipei
27:17 Who queues, and who doesn’t?
30:14 Moving to Abu Dhabi
33:42 Who actually lives in the UAE?
37:09 One country at a time
39:00 Argentina: it’s not what you think!
43:10 What keeps bringing her back to India
44:57 A side of Vienna most visitors miss

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Léo Castaing, ingénieur aéronautique stagiaire pour une entreprise française, nous raconte sans filtre sa vie d'expatrié à Bangalore, dans le sud de l'Inde.

Ensemble, nous cassons les clichés souvent véhiculés sur ce pays, et comment s'y adapter facilement.

Tu découvriras les réponses à ces questions :

• L'Inde était-elle vraiment le premier choix de Léo pour son V.IE. (Volontariat International en Entreprise) ?
• Comment mieux comprendre les malentendus entre les professionnels français et indiens ?
• Comment bien communiquer avec ses collègues locaux ?
• Est-il plus facile de s'adapter à Bangalore ?
• De quel budget a-t-on réellement besoin pour avoir un train de vie confortable en Inde ?
• En quoi le réseau des expatriés français et les groupes de discussion facilitent-ils la vie sur place ?
• Faut-il croire ce que l'on voit sur les réseaux sociaux avant de s'expatrier ?

Épisode indispensable pour les futurs stagiaires et jeunes professionnels qui hésitent encore à franchir le pas pour s'expatrier.

Si tu es nouveau ou nouvelle, je suis Dorothée, une expatriée originaire de Lyon. Je vis en Asie depuis plus de 20 ans. Je suis basée à Bangalore depuis 2018.

Pour en savoir plus sur l'expatriation et les expériences interculturelles, abonne-toi à ce podcast sur ta plateforme favorite, YouTube et Instagram ici : https://lnk.bio/navigate_across_borders

Laisse un commentaire pour commencer une discussion et 5 étoiles pour soutenir l'émission !

Chapitres

• 00:00 - Introduction de Léo, ingénieur V.I.E
• 01:09 - Comment trouver son stage
• 04:12 - Ses missions et chocs culturels en entreprise
• 05:16 - La gestion du temps en Inde v.s. en France
• 17:55 - L'importance de la diplomatie, de l'ego et de la hiérarchie au travail
• 21:30 - La vérité sur la sécurité dans les rues indiennes
• 23:53 - Hygiène, livraison de repas et bonnes adresses à Bangalore
• 26:45 - Budget et salaire V.I.E : de combien as-tu besoin pour bien vivre ?
• 28:46 - L'aide de Business France
• 31:48 - S'intégrer : le réseau des expatriés et le groupe de discussion indispensable
• 36:03 - Le conseil final de Léo pour ceux qui ont peur de partir à l'étranger pour un stage.

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She's founded three companies on two continents, and still won't leave the house without her emergency snack kit.

In this episode of Navigate Across Borders, I virtually sat down with Anna Kuhnt, a German entrepreneur based in Bangalore for over six years.

Anna talks about building Quadrigo, her German-language learning centre and about co-founding a business network connecting expats in Bangalore with Indian professionals.

The conversation covers her culture shocks and life in different countries.

Anna's network organisation

If you've ever felt like a slightly different person depending on the language you're speaking, this one's for you. Subscribe for more on identity, migration, and building a life across borders.

Chapter

00:00 - Introduction & Welcome

01:22 - Icebreaker Questions: Cultural Quirks & Food

03:51 - Travel Essentials & Commuting in Bangalore

05:13 - What Drives an Expat: Motivation & Mindset

07:24 - Building the Expat Business Council

11:06 - Community Support, Events & Expat Services

13:44 - Quadrigo: German Language & Cultural Learning

16:43 - Navigating Cultural Differences: Germany vs. India

24:06 - Experiencing Culture Shock & Adapting Abroad

29:02 - How Speaking Multiple Languages Changes You

30:52 - Closing Thoughts: Staying Curious & Living Abroad

Access the other podcast episodes of Navigate Across Borders on YouTube and on your favorite platforms here

If you are an expat, a global professional, or simply someone fascinated by international living, you are in the right place. This podcast explores the real-life stories of people who live and work outside of their country. But it’s also about locals who are willing to share their cultural stories.

Who am I?
I'm a French expat and international educator. I've lived and worked in Asia since 2004, and I'm based in Bangalore.

EBC: https://www.expatbusinesscouncil.org/

Learning center
Quadrigo: https://www.quadrigo.in/

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