The Bridge: Recent Episodes
Bridges: Friends of Internationals
The Bridges team brings you inspiring, hilarious, and sometime ridiculous conversations, with a new student guest every episode!
Chris is back! The three of us talk to our guest, Josh, about how to navigate the current moment, how to overcome cultural differences in the workplace, and the importance of community.
Plus, we learn about a 5300-year-old Iceman and get jobs as deodorant quality control officers.
Order of topics:
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Warm-up questions
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Classroom
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Interview with Josh
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Encouragement from the Bible
Special thanks to Shammah for the music in today’s episode.
Check out our website: bridgesfriends.com
Follow us on Instagram: @bridgesinternationalfriends
We welcome Anand on as our guest today, alongside part II or “Meagan fills in for Chris.” Together, we listen to Anand talk about his time at UB, what students can do to adjust to changes in the world, and where he sees international education goin in the next few years.
Plus, we learn about animal elections and have a special drop-in guest at the end!
Order of topics:
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Warm-up questions
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Classroom
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Interview with Anand
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Encouragement from the Bible
Special thanks to Shammah for the music in today’s episode.
Check out our website: bridgesfriends.com
Follow us on Instagram: @bridgesinternationalfriends
Zach’s sister Meagan is back! Filling in for Chris, she joins our alumni guest, Hits, for a conversation about what jobs have looked like during COVID and how to take care of your personal goals in the midst of a lot of change.
Plus, emotional support kangaroos might come up as well.
Order of topics:
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Warm-up questions
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Classroom
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Interview with Hits
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Encouragement from the Bible
Special thanks to Shammah for the music in today’s episode.
Check out our website: bridgesfriends.com
Follow us on Instagram: @bridgesinternationalfriends
This week we have an inspiring conversation with Franklin, a former UB student who has recently moved to Texas to take a new job. We sit down with him to talk about getting laid off during COVID and how he managed that disappointment, plus balancing work and family and 4 practical tips on how to settle into a new job.
And also more zombie talk, plus more than you ever wanted to know about McDonalds.
Order of topics:
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Warm-up questions
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Classroom
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Interview with Franklin
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Encouragement from the Bible
Special thanks to Shammah for the music in today’s episode.
Check out our website: bridgesfriends.com
Follow us on Instagram: @bridgesinternationalfriends
We also discuss Nobel prizes and ant zombies.
Order of topics:
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Warm-up questions
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Classroom
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Interview with Professor Macwan
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Encouragement from the Bible
Special thanks to Shammah for the music in today’s episode.
Check out our website: bridgesfriends.com
Follow us on Instagram: @bridgesinternationalfriends
Professor Isaac Macwan is our guest this week! Isaac is a former UB international student who eventually became a a professor of computer science and engineering at his school and then at Fairfield University. He shares with us the keys that a student in his class needs to succeed, and the one thing he knows that will predict their success in their field.
We also discuss Nobel prizes and ant zombies.
Order of topics:
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Warm-up questions
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Classroom
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Interview with Professor Macwan
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Encouragement from the Bible
Special thanks to Shammah for the music in today’s episode.
Check out our website: bridgesfriends.com
Follow us on Instagram: @bridgesinternationalfriends
This week we’re joined by Duke, who graduated from UB in 2013 and has been working in his field ever since. Our conversation is mainly focused on the process of getting a job: interviews, important skills and decisions, and how to continually improve as you search.
Other topics include whether we would want to be a miniature hippo or use our foreheads as ad space.
Order of topics:
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Warm-up questions
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Classroom
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Interview with Duke
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Encouragement from the Bible
Special thanks to Shammah for the music in today’s episode.
Check out our website: bridgesfriends.com
Follow us on Instagram: @bridgesinternationalfriends
Our guest this week is Marvin, who studied at UB and is now pursuing his PhD at Tufts University. We talk about that decision and why getting a PhD is not for everyone, as well as good reasons to get a terminal degree.
And as always, our talk involves worms, skunks, and why your baby’s citizenship could depend on whether your flight is delayed.
Order of topics:
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Warm-up questions
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Classroom
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Interview with Marvin
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Encouragement from the Bible
Special thanks to Shammah for the music in today’s episode.
Check out our website: bridgesfriends.com
Follow us on Instagram: @bridgesinternationalfriends
The first guest in our new series is Raghu, a former student who has job experience both in the US and in his home country of India. In this episode, he reflects on the differences between the two experiences and stresses the importance of continuous learning.
Plus, we talk about having snakes for hair and how to get away with murder.
Order of topics:
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Warm-up questions
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Classroom
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Interview with Raghu
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Encouragement from the Bible
Special thanks to Shammah for the music in today’s episode.
Check out our website: bridgesfriends.com
Follow us on Instagram: @bridgesinternationalfriends
We’re back! And for this semester, we decided to take a new approach and hear from former international students who give you wisdom and advice to help you succeed! Plus, you know, plenty of talk about skunks.
Special thanks to Shammah for the music in today’s episode.
Check out our website: bridgesfriends.com
Follow us on Instagram: @bridgesinternationalfriends
In our last special episode on the topic of racism in America, we take a hard look at the message of Jesus and how it has been twisted by Americans to promote racism. We also hear from an international student, Alex, about his experiences and perspective on this topic and about following Jesus in America in 2020.
If you have questions or thoughts about our series on racism, email us at internationalbridgesub@gmail.com!
Special thanks to Shammah for the music in today’s episode.
Check out our website: bridgesfriends.com
Follow us on Instagram: @bridgesinternationalfriends
If slavery ended over a hundred and fifty years ago, why is there still so much racial tension and injustice in America today ?
Here is Part II of our conversation with Dr. Matthew Rowley, an expert on American history who studied at the University of Leicester and at Cambridge. In this episode, we talk about what happened after slaves in America were freed, all the way up to today. How did we get to where we are now?
We hope this helps you to understand our current situation and challenges some beliefs you might hold about this topic. If you have questions or thoughts about these two episodes, email us at internationalbridgesub@gmail.com!
Check out our website: bridgesfriends.com
Follow us on Instagram: @bridgesinternationalfriends
Hi everyone, today we are releasing a special edition of The Bridge CONVERSATIONS that we hope will help you understand everything that is happening in America. Why are there so many protests right now? Why are tensions so high between many black and white Americans?
To help you, we have brought on Dr. Matthew Rowley, an expert on American history who studied at the University of Leicester and Cambridge. He has a conversation with us about the history of slavery and racism in America all the way up to right now, and about how the past influences our present.
This is Part I, and Part II will release very soon.
We hope this helps you to understand our current situation and how to respond to it!
Check out our website: bridgesfriends.com
Follow us on Instagram: @bridgesinternationalfriends
This week we are starting a new type of podcast alongside our normal episodes! The Bridge CONVERSATIONS are a little bit more in-depth than normal, with a student guest who brings challenging and interesting questions about WHATEVER THEY WANT for us to talk about. In this episode, we go in deep with Kari about nature, its effects on us personally, and what the relationship should be between nature, humans, and God.
It’s a fascinating conversation, and we hope you enjoy it. If you want to be a guest and ask your own questions, let us know!
Check out our website: bridgesfriends.com
Follow us on Instagram: @bridgesinternationalfriends
In this episode our thoughtful student guest, Gabriel, calls in from Florida to talk about how to deal with loss, bird murmuration, and the usefulness of a phone that slaps you. Michelle also finds out why she loves dancing, and Chris sets himself up perfectly by turning his favorite music albums into encouragement from the Bible. Tchau!
Check out our website: bridgesfriends.com
Follow us on Instagram: @bridgesinternationalfriends
We finally have the esteemed Sisi on as our guest, who starts off with a sizzling hot take on our CHOPEC debate. From there, we talk about how to know who to trust, the origins of “OK,” flying crocodiles, and garbage museums. Chris also takes us from burning his journals to encouragement from the Bible. Bonne journée!
Check out our website: bridgesfriends.com
Follow us on Instagram: @bridgesinternationalfriends
We welcome two new faces on this episode as Chris takes a week off: our wonderful student guest Shunjie, and Zach’s sister, Meagan! Together we investigate topics like how to stay motivated, the joys of pogo sticks, Meagan’s obsession with ducks, and yes, how to use glowing cats to communicate 10,000 years into the future. Finally, Michelle’s first time giving encouragement from the Bible (and transitioning to it) is a huge success. Zàijiàn!
We invite our friend and PhD student Vijay on as our guest to answer a very important question: when is Zach getting his third arm? Along the way, we use his expertise on such topics as planning for the future, why cats hate cucumbers, and controversial smells. Finally, Chris turns gasoline and cigarettes into encouragement from the Bible. Naṉṟi vaṇakkam!
We sit down with our thoughtful student guest, the newly-graduated Bishow, for a crazy and wonderful conversation! We talk about how to deal with conflict, whether maggot farming will save the world, time travel in a spaceship, and whether self-awareness or compassion is more important. Chris will also never get a better transition to encouragement from the Bible. Vintuna!
A storm is coming... and not a metaphorical one! Our wonderful student guest Celes helps us navigate the weather, though, and we get deep into how to deal with loneliness and how to cause trouble with an army of snails. We also touch on the bartering price of a cacao bean, fall headlong into the Ghana/Ivory Coast chocolate rivalry (CHOPEC!), and learn from Chris about God's love for us. Aaparam paakalam!
We're fortunate to have our student guest, Jonathan, on this episode as we talk about where to go for help, why medieval baby paintings are so ugly, and becoming a professional shin kicker. Finally, Chris shares about how a 911 call changed his life in our encouragement from the Bible. Mushale biyampe!
It's a packed show this time, with everything from potential T-Rex hairstyles to invisible unicorns on the table, aided by our esteemed student guest, Sanjay! We also discuss how to grow proper space lettuce and squander a really good transition to encouragement from the Bible. Dhanyavaad phir milate hai!
If you've been waiting for the episode where we cover conspiracy theories, wait no more! With our astute student guest Nirveek, we also get a crash course in meme history, sympathize with T-Rexes, and don't worry - the Nepalese flag isn't going anywhere. Chris also shares about his days in the Navy to give us encouragement from the Bible. Namaste!
We jump right in on this episode with our student guest, Shammah, addressing the Wakandan controversy from Episode 3, analyzing a criminal empire built on maple syrup, and talking about the merits of pet koalas. We also talk about how to handle disappointment, and Chris gives us poignant encouragement from the Bible. Goodbye!
We welcome our friend Pranav on this episode as our student guest to discuss such topics as helping others, a definitely-not-true fact about the American Revolution, and why we want to become the International Space Station. Chris also talks about the time he met the president during our encouragement from the Bible. Matte sigōṇa!
Beware the bear-pigeons! This episode is equal parts wisdom and nonsense as we talk about artistic expression, an animal you have probably never heard of, and Reginald the chauffeur with our inimitable student guest, Prince. Chris also gives the best transition to Bible encouragement we've had yet. Tichaonana!
In this episode we debate out-of-this-world topics like procrastibaking, Mars, and what to do if a baby stares at you in public. Our guest for this episode is the one, the only... Jose! Like every episode, Chris ends the show with an encouraging message from the Bible about God's love. Adios!
Do you miss hanging out with us at Bridges events? This is the next best thing! Listen to us discuss hard-hitting topics like garden gnomes and Leonardo DiCaprio with our very first student guest... Ms. President herself, August! Like we will do every episode, we end the show with some encouragement for you from the Bible. Dula hantle!