Funboat Diplomacy: Recent Episodes
Weimin Chen
Funboat Diplomacy is a show hosted by Weimin Chen. Guests come from a variety of backgrounds and discuss their lives back home, experiences in other countries, and share their perspectives.
Seung Hyun Kim is from South Korea. We discuss the history of the two Koreas, the complexity of contemporary South Korea, and the unique institutionalized corporatism in the country.
Stavros stuck around for another short bonus episode where he discusses his tour of the American South including tailgating at an LSU football game and going to a race at the Talladega Speedway.
Check out our friend Dylan's company Orange Sky Adventures for the tour described in this episode. https://orangeskyco.com/
Stavros Anagnou returns to the podcast. He is from Greece. We discuss the peculiarities of insect behavior, doing research on ants in Zimbabwe and South Africa, and Greek Rebetiko music.
Fabio Haenel is from Germany. We discuss artificial intelligence, the security considerations regarding the technology, and its implications on mankind.
Dhairya Joshi is from India. We discuss the variety of Indian cuisine, aspects of the pharmaceutical business, and going to a Ferrari amusement park in Abu Dhabi.
This episode covers the topic of free trade as opposed to protectionism as well as the recent American tariffs on steel and aluminum and some thoughts about the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Luka Šterić is from Serbia. We discuss the topic Croatia-Serbia relations from the historical context to contemporary issues of the treatment of minorities, economic ties, political disputes, and the role of the European Union and NATO
Salma Kadry is from Egypt. We discuss her experience starting university during the Egyptian Revolution, studying abroad in Sweden, and the impact of travel.
Private Military Firms (PMFs) are a relatively new phenomenon in the contemporary application of armed force around the world in the evolving environment of hybrid warfare. Boris Vylov and I discuss this topic, how they are being used in recent times, and what it could mean for war in the future.
This solo episode goes into my recent trip to the Campania region of Italy including Naples, the ruins of Pompeii, and the Amalfi Coast.
Tawanda Munyuki is from Zimbabwe. We discuss the history of the country since independence, growing up in the time of economic crisis, and the recent overthrow of Robert Mugabe.
Hemn Hussein is from Iraqi Kurdistan we discuss the history of the region, life and the experience of growing up there, and prospects for the future of his country.
Francis Russell is from Australia. We discuss his experiences working in many countries, traveling in Southeast Asia, and various topics spanning the whole world.
Pete Pölzleithner is from Austria. We discuss health as it relates to Austrian education, podcasts, coffee, mushrooms, the left, Alex Jones, and Milo Yiannolpolous.
This solo episode goes into my recent trip to Austria for my university program including Vienna and the small Alpine town of Payerbach
Ninnu Erkilä is from Finland. We discuss the Finnish education system, Universal Basic Income (UBI), and the role of individual and collective identity.
Vincent Desbouit is from France. He has been traveling around Europe by bike. We discuss his mode of travel, the thoughts and feelings that arise from it, and appreciating the comforts of a home.
This solo episode goes into my recent trip to Israel including Jerusalem, Masada, the Dead Sea, Tel Aviv and my harrowing rush to get to the airport on time for my flight home
Gvantsa is from Georgia (the country). We discuss her time abroad at an American high school, Georgian history, and experiencing the 2008 invasion of her country by Russia.
Boris Vylov is from Bulgaria. We discuss his experience in Work & Travel Programs in the US and the history of Bulgaria.
The Funboat Diplomacy Podcast is back! This episode covers the past year on hiatus, my time in Tahoe, travels through Asia, and my return to academics in the Erasmus Mundus Global Studies Programme.
Andrew Diao is from China. He works in electronic hardware in Silicon Valley. We sip Campari and discuss his passion for electronics, his service in the armed forces of Singapore, and his experience of getting struck by lightning and the lingering effects of that incident.
Lars Braekken is from Norway. He is a teacher of history and economics in his home country. We discuss the origins of Norway, the development and nature of the Norwegian welfare state, and Norwegian conservatism.
Maxime Jonckiere and Marie Flederick are from France. They have been traveling the United States in a camper ever since quitting their jobs. We discuss the car culture in America, Walmart, food production, and the Big Lebowski.
Tommy Fleming is from the United Kingdom. He is a barber in North Yorkshire. We discuss the pro-Brexit position, how we see the direction of the UK going forward, and the perception of peers of our age group toward those who favor the UK’s separation from the European Union.
Jeremy Brake is from Canada. He is a photographer exploring the unique aesthetic of San Francisco and attending exhibitions in the city. We discuss Canadian history, basics and methodology of photography, and the latest season of South Park.
Daniel Lyra is from Brazil. He is currently studying at the Hult International Business School in San Francisco. We discuss the impeachment of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, rapid technological development and problem solving in the free market, entrepreneurship, and mental and emotional grounding techniques in everyday life.
Yasin Abdel Hamid is from Germany and grew up in Egypt. He is a filmmaker and actor in Berlin. We discuss culture in Berlin, the selective bias of global media, being targeted and arrested during the Egyptian Revolution, and the state of the Middle East today.
Jorge Alcantara is from Spain. He is a solutions engineer for a startup based in Barcelona. We talk about being a magician in a bar in Madrid, space exploration, and Spanish politics.
Jhoon Saravia is from Peru. He is a software engineer and is in San Francisco to attend the Google I/O conference. We discuss the cutting-edge technologies emerging from Silicon Valley, workflow and work habits, and the and the history of computers.
Thomas Rouaud is from Switzerland. He visited the Bay Area to attend the Clinton Global Initiative University meeting in Oakland with his idea for a sustainable school in Kenya after his experience volunteering there. We discuss his own project as well as the kinds of projects other attendants were proposing to change the world, the virtues of altruism and cooperation in a globalized world, and Switzerland’s position in the European economic condition.
Jamie Mandella is from Boston, Massachusetts. He currently works in the restaurant industry in the Bay Area. We discuss Vipassna meditation, ayhuasca, and our curiosity regarding the nature of the Landmark Forum and its relationship to Panda Express.
Naima Zakaria is from Bangladesh and lives in Norway. She is visiting eco-villages on her trip around the world. We begin the podcast with a calming and grounding guided meditation led by Naima and then discuss the mind's projection of time and reality, the cultural and technological bubble of China, and environmental sustainability.
Follow her projects at http://naima.strikingly.com
Periscope and Twitter: @naimanow
Patarida (Lynn) Kiatsamuttara is from Thailand. She began traveling after taking a hiatus from working in the oil and gas industry. We discuss the history and politics of Thailand, living in Xinjiang Province in western China, and traveling in mainland China.
Niko Delaeter and Joke Durnez are from Belgium and currently live in San Francisco. We discuss the big companies in Silicon Valley, the 2016 Presidential Election, the Belgian mentality, the terrorist attacks in Brussels, and the refugee crisis in Europe.
Motoko Kuromasa and Yuya Ume are from Japan. Both are university students in Tokyo who recently completed their internship program at the Nomad-A-What Co-Working Space in San Francisco. We discuss historical memory in Japan, impressions of America, Asian identity in American, learning English from Spongebob Squarepants, and marijuana.
Jamie Mandella is from Boston, Massachusetts. He currently works in the restaurant industry in the Bay Area and served in the United States Marine Corps in the mid-90s. We discuss his career in the service, his mission in Somalia following the events depicted in Black Hawk Down, and his first-hand observations regarding geo-political leveraging of American foreign policy.
Rudy Haryono is from Indonesia. He currently lives in Washington DC and works at the historic Mayflower Hotel just a couple of blocks from the White House. We discuss the high-profile guests he has welcomed to the hotel, memory building techniques, and the tumultuous history of Indonesia, as well as the current state of country.
Nekia Wright is from the United States. She is a sound healer uses Tibetan singing bowls to provide sound therapy. We discuss her experience losing a teaching position in Guatemala and hitchhiking her way 3,000 miles overland back to the United States, attending a conference held by the separatist revolutionary Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) in Mexico, and the ins and outs of Tibetan singing bowls.
Charles Korir is from Kenya. He is a student of Computer Science at James Madison University. We discuss the day-to-day of growing up in Kenya, attending boarding school in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and the people he has caddied for on golf courses in the US.
Hezekiah Crocker is from the United States. He currently works in Silicon Valley at the online education platform Udacity as a video editor. We discuss the recent developments in virtual reality technology, the possibilities for cinematic VR experiences, and its implications in defining human consciousness.
Orlando Werffeli is from New Zealand. He has been living in San Francisco for a year and will soon be studying International Development in Switzerland. We discuss the remnants of the Beat Movement in San Francisco, all kinds of political theories, the 2016 US Presidential Election, and the contemporary global condition.
Stavros Anagnou is from Greece and the studies Biology in the United Kingdom. He currently completing a year abroad Purdue University in Indiana. We discuss theories in neuroscience, the condition of contemporary Greek society, and the concept of Polymaths.
Nuno Neves is from Portugal. He is a graphic novelist and storyboard artist. We discuss his project The Story By Everyone, his hometown in Setubal, his involvement with Locking, and traveling in California.
Bente Schreurs is from the Netherlands. She recently completed a trip to San Diego, Phoenix, San Antonio, Austin, and New Orleans before returning home to Amsterdam. We discuss celebrating New Years at a rowdy hostel in San Diego (where I used to work), her short detour into Tijuana, and the danger of bears.
David Ayala is from Colombia. He has returned to Bogotá after a year and a half of traveling. We discuss his travels by cycling, by sailing, and by hitchhiking from Colombia to Panama and Mexico, the people he has met along the way, the affects of travel on his life, lessons learned, and the ‘vamos’ philosophy.
Cherith Reddy is from India. He is a medical student in Chennai focusing on orthopedics. We discuss growing up in the UK and moving to southeast India, musculoskeletal health, his travels in Spain, and the evolving tradition of arranged marriages among other societal norms.
Gard Ulven Bahlk is from Norway. He has completed a month in his year long travel toward his goal of homesteading in the woods of North America. We discuss the delicate balance of wildlife and the ecosystem, Scandinavia and the Vikings, trolls, and finding your way in life.
Bente Schreurs is from the Netherlands and Lavinia de Lucci is from Italy. Bente and Lavinia are completing their study abroad experience in San Francisco. We discuss their trip to Las Vegas, hitchhiking the Pacific Northwest and into Canada, as well as some political topics and the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche.
Read about their travels at the blog Wild Young Minds http://parismorningsnewyorknights.blogspot.com/2015/12/hitchhiking-our-way-across-west-usa_9.html
Mike Santini is from the United States. He is the Development Director at the Prospect Theater in Ridgefield, Connecticut providing vocational training to people with disabilities. We discuss his work at the theater and its mission, the changing dynamics of the cinema-going experience, and the upcoming Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens among other films.
Check out The Prospector Theater here: http://www.prospectortheater.org
Pacific Tradewinds Hostel Discount Code: WEIMINXMASDEAL
David Leik is from the United States. He joined the United States Marine Corps in 1973 and served for 22 years. David recently retired from the US Department of State where he was an intelligence analyst and Chief of Station in Tel Aviv, Israel. We discuss his experience in the military and civil service, war and politics, and reflections upon life and family.
Mohamed Morsy is from Egypt. He currently lives in Cologne, Germany where he earned a Master of Science in Web Science and where he intends to open a hostel for travelers. He also writes for his travel blog and project, The Road Mo Traveled. We discuss his travels in South America, life in Cologne, growing up in Cairo, and the Egyptian Revolution.
Check out his blog and project at: theroadmotraveled.com
Richard Chan is from Venezuela. He is an entrepreneur, world traveler, and marathon runner based in San Francisco. We discuss his experience growing up in Venezuela, the societal and political conditions in his home country, his year abroad in Hong Kong, and travels in Asia.
Richard’s Blog rchrdchan.com
Tomás Bastos and Felipe Carvalho are from Brazil. They know each other from Rio de Janeiro and were fellow Erasmus students in Lisbon studying photography. We discuss Portuguese and Brazilian politics, the history of the military dictatorship in Brazil, and the baffling dance called Surra de Bunda, literally “Punishment by Ass."
Alicja Białek is from Poland. She recently finished her Masters Thesis on Migration from Former African Colonies to Lisbon, Portugal. We discuss this in more detail as well as the recent Polish parliamentary elections and her experience in Israel. Meanwhile, a turf escalates during our recording session.
Marcus Moody lives in Washington DC and is the head of Hip Hop Orchestra at the University of Maryland, College Park. Marcus also works with Words Beats & Life, a DC organization dedicated to Hip Hop education, culture, and arts. We discuss Marcus' projects and listen to the new track 'Peter Sparker' by collaborative partner Kassim.
Check out the Hip Hop Orchestra: https://www.facebook.com/TheHipHopOrchestraAtUmd/timeline
Check out Kassim: http://kassimmusic.com
Check out Words Beats & Life: http://www.wblinc.org
Corey Kendall is from Canada and is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Advanced Mathematics and Calculus at Western University in Ontario. We discuss hookers, drugs, and the enriching lessons of travel.
Abeer Khairy is from Sudan and currently writing her Masters Thesis in Geospatial Technologies in Münster, Germany. In part two we discuss her experience studying in Germany and the European Refugee Crisis.
Please don't forget to subscribe and rate on iTunes!
Abeer Khairy is from Sudan and currently writing her Masters Thesis in Geospatial Technologies in Münster, Germany. In part one we discuss her home country of Sudan, her birth country of Saudi Arabia, and the state of the modern Middle East.
Please don't forget to subscribe and rate on iTunes!
Derek Marshall is a filmmaker, bar-owner, entrepreneur, and fellow Berlin-enthusiast from the United States. We discuss his new film Of Fortune and Gold, Burning Man, starting businesses, habits and goals, studying abroad in Beijing, and the value of travel among many other topics.
Please check out his film Of Fortune and Gold http://www.offortuneandgold.com
Alyona Shulika lived most of her life in Ukraine and went to Portugal under the Erasmus Mundus Programme. We discuss education and society as well as tensions between the west-leaning Ukraine and the pro-Russian elements that have been active in East Ukraine in recent times.
Alex Garofalo writes for the television section of International Business Times in New York City. He visited me in Lisbon and allegedly had a great time in his first taste of Europe. We discuss the American perspective of foreign countries and US current events in the past year.
Hamza Abbas is from France and has worked for a couple of months at the Embassy of France in Berlin, Germany. We discuss the refugee crisis in Europe, the state of contemporary Algeria, and the secret trade agreements (TPP and TTIP) involving the United States and many nations around the world that will come into effect in the next few years.
Karla Landripet and Romana Ficko are Erasmus students from Croatia studying Lisbon. We discuss the history and identity of Croatia and their transformative Erasmus semester in the capital of Portugal.
Kara-Lisa Scott is from Australia and is the creator of Cartwheeling the Globe on Youtube. Check out her work in the link below:
https://www.facebook.com/cartwheeltheglobe?fref=ts
Katarina Maltar and Armin Karalic work in visual and creative communications are from Croatia and Bosnia respectively. We discuss their project, Hostel People as well as the difficult history and memories of the Balkan Wars in the 90s.
Check out Hostel People at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7lB0Ytpq-8qGCWtf6kjyIg
Ilker Kutlucan is an electrical engineering student from Ankara, Turkey. We discuss the Kurdish identity in modern Turkey.