The Meandering Pod

Welcome back to another, and our ~penultimate~ group episode! The group has travelled all the way from Australia to Europe, almost (...) without flying. It was recorded during the final catch up in Germany before Dom and Lotta fly home shortly, with Cam and Bec following them a week afterwards. Bec and Cam travelled from Ireland since the last episode and Dom and Lotta have been doing a lap of Germany. This one is short and sweet, as there was a sauna waiting for us after the recording sesh! We cover a few topics such as travel fatigue, different cultures regarding hosting, Autumn in Europe, cool events we attended recent favourite foods! RECOMMENDATIONS:Books: Project Hail Mary - Andy WeirThe works of Patricia Carvali (Italian poet) Women Without Men – Shahrnush ParsipurTV shows: UK celebrity traitors – British reality show and cultural moment bringing the game mafia to life!

In the last episode we discussed how we could feel the increase in far right sentiment across Europe. In this episode, join me, Lotta, as I explore the intricacies of refugees and immigrants in Europe and their ability to find a home - from detention facilities to social housing. I explore questions relating to how housing can contribute to community and reduce stigma, how the current housing crisis helping fan far right rhetoric of xenophobia and nationalism, and what we can do to maintain our own and other’s dignity by acting with humanity in these hard times.I talk to Giovanni Cicero, Kea Riedl and Cam from the pod to explore the impact of well made infrastructure for locals and newcomers alike. If you‘re an Italian speaker, checkout Giovanni‘s book.If you would like to donate to help refugees make it to safer places and build a new life, here are some organisations that can use your support:Sea Watch Refugee Council of Australia P.S. sorry for the poor audio quality in sections!

Andddddddd we’re back with another group episode to update you all on our adventures, mishaps and memorable moments now that we have officially made it to Europe! In the last six weeks, we’ve trained, tramped and tussled our way through many European nations and can’t wait to share our experiences with you. Dom reached (for) enlightenment , Lotta became a tree, Cam got culture shock, Bec got bedbugs… it’s been a busy time.Our book recommendations we never have time for on the show:Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (heartwarming, hilarious, super readable)Elixir: In the Valley at the End of Time by Kapka Kassabova (if you want to get deep life lesssons from Bulgarian grannies and strive to become a witch and heal both yourself and the earth)Flesh by David Szalay: A Booker Prize-winning novel about the incredible rollercoaster of a life lived by Hungarian-born István. Born a Crime: fascinating and hilarious memoir written by comedian Trevor Noah about his life in Apartheid and post-Apartheid South Africa If you enjoyed the episode, please press the bell, subscribe and leave a comment!

This week, Bec and Cam deep dive on a little known crime in the Asia Pacific during WW2 – The Comfort Women. These were the 50,000-200,000 young women and girls who were forced into sexual slavery in service of the Japanese Empire. They suffered humiliating and dehumanising experienced in euphemistically-named ‘Comfort Stations’ that stayed with them for the rest of their lives. Activism against Japan over the Comfort Women issue is high-profile and contentious in South Korea, and in this episode we also discuss whether it is motivated primarily by feminism or nationalism. For those approaching this episode with care, please refer to the contents below, including trigger warnings (with time stamps) about particularly distressing topics. Section 1Who were the comfort women?What happened to them (includes more in depth discussion of sexual and physical assault, suicide and domestic violence)? – (08:29 – 15:35)How did their story come out?Section 2The contemporary political situation between Japan and South Korea How the Comfort Women issue developed alongside this context Discussing Park Yu-Ha’s attempted censure over her academic work on the Comfort Women Is the comfort women issue activism in South Korea a question of feminism or nationalism?The future of the Comfort Women issue and of relations between South Korea and Japan  Books referenced in this epsode: Comfort Women of the Japanese Empire: Colonial Rule and Battle over Memory, by Park Yu-Ha (2024 in English) Jugun Ianfu (Military Comfort Women), by Senda Kakou (1973)

The gang are joined by Dianna and Emma this week! From sleeping in caves to exploring one of the worlds great cities this episode covers some great stories and provides glimpses into thousands of years of history in Asia Minor.

Women in the Central Asia and Caucasus regions have experienced some of the biggest social and political changes to their social status, with policy often at odds with traditional patriarchal practices. In this deep dive, I, Lotta, explore the history of feminism and women’s rights in Central Asia and the Caucasus, through Soviet policies to current independent nationhood. I interview Nargiz Rasulova, a Azer i feminist and activist and talk to her about her thesis - on sex - dependent abortions in Azerbaijan. I also talk to my sister, Ronya Ramrath, PhD candidate at Oxford University in feminist philosophy. The book I refer to regularly and helped shape my understanding of this issue is “The Nomadity of Being” in Central Asia: Narratives of Kyrgyzstani Women’s Rights Activists by Syinat Sultanalieva.I hope you enjoy the episode!

Ahhh shit, we took a plane! Such a clickbait title, but hey, let us explain. Come along for a yap about our travels since Samarkand in Uzbekistan, to Aktau in Kazakhstan on the Caspian Sea, taking the ferry with wings to Baku, and hitchhiking to Georgia. 

An episode first thought up in the busy, yet silent streets of Kunming, the first City in China we visited. Bec and Cam explore how good EVs really are for the climate, supply chain issues and how much of a role electric cars should play in the future versus active and public transportation.

The Aral Sea was once the 4th largest lake in the world, which has been greatly diminished by the taking of water from its rivers for irrigation beyond the point of sustainability. This week join Dom & Lotta to hear this incredible story set in the western expanses of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The drying of the Aral Sea came with its own sea of consequences and loss that comes with increasing salinity, receding shorelines, and toxic dust storms. It’s not just about loss however, it’s a story of Mongols, secret soviet bases for developing biological weapons, insane irrigation projects in the desert, and the incredible resilience of nature. Lotta’s book recommendation: The Dead Wander in the Desert by Rollan SeisenbayevAcademic paper for ‘Lessons from the Aral Sea’The Future Aral: Hope and Despair by Philip Micklin 

This week, join us for another bonus episode where Bec interviews her parents, Sally Ashbrook and Aidan Perse, about their Asian odyssey from 30 years ago. Sally and Aidan are prolific travellers and even joined the group briefly while we were in Uzbekistan! Learn about how much travel has changed since the 90’s, the biggest brick moments they had on their trip, and how Aidan was influenced to pursue travel medicine in his career.Enjoy the chatty vibe as we engage in a multi-decade throwback!