Sifu Mimi and Oscar in the Azores Islands

59. Adventures of Mimi and Oscar: The culture of sea life, Italy, and Spain

Oscar and I just returned from our transatlantic cruise to Italy and Spain.  We love talking about our travels and today we are sharing stories about our recent adventure.  Listen in for more on Italy, Spain, Azores Islands, life at sea and learn why we call Oscar the ‘taxi cab whisperer’.  Warning: We do discuss a lot of amazing food, so do not listen to this episode hungry!

Read more

52. Happy Birthday-Anniversary to me

Hi Everyone!  It’s my 52nd episode of Culture Chat! I can’t believe it has been a year of podcasts.  Today, I am answering listener questions and will be joined with my occasional co-host Oscar Agramonte.  I am so grateful to all of you who have been tuning in each week THANK YOU so much.  I have enjoyed learning from all of my guests, but have also learned a lot about myself.  Although I still have a long way to go, I know that I am trying to become a much better listener.  Thank you to all of my guests who graciously shared their stories with me, and thanks again to all of you for listening.  Special gratitude love to those who have supported this podcast through Patreon and donations.  Thanks to all of you, I hope to bring you more interesting podcasts in 2018. If anyone else is interested in donating please visit my website www.culturechatpodcast.com

Read more
Dave Nguyen

41. Dave Nguyen on adoption, Operation Baby Lift, and reunions in Vietnam

In 1975, the mass evacuation of children from South Vietnam to the United States and other countries at the end of the Vietnam War was named Operation Babylift.  Thousands of children were evacuated during that time, and today I speak with one of those evacuees, Dave Nguyen. Dave was adopted at the age of three by an American family and now has a family of his own.  In 2010, Dave set out on a journey to discover his heritage and find his birth parents.  He shares his compelling story of his return to Vietnam, visiting his birth place, and reuniting with his birth mother.   Through this emotional journey, Dave discovers his own identity, and is now on a mission to find more answers about his past.  I love learning from others, and in this chat, I enjoyed hearing Dave’s story of his adoption, reunions, and self-discovery and learning about Operation Babylift.

Read more

34.Antje Wiegand on cultural barriers

I have been enjoying all of my conversations, but I feel especially privileged to have spoken with strong women who inspire me. On previous podcasts I’ve spoken to real life Wonder Women like Hailey, a transgender gay woman who had to fight for her identity; Helena, a woman who left her religious cult to save her life; and Commissioner Sheehan, the first openly gay elected woman in Central Florida, who discussed her fight with politics and the aftermath of the Pulse shooting tragedy. Today I had the privilege to speak with Antje Wiegand. Antje had to overcome her own challenges being born with hip dysplasia and being bullied as a child. Today, she teaches others about Cultural Awareness to dismiss stereotypes amongst the community in Germany. She also shares some emotional stories of her work with Syrian and Nigerian refugees. Although I see myself as someone who advocates for diversity, after speaking with Antje, I learned that having true respect is more than just embracing someone’s culture, but embracing them simply as humans.

Read more

14. Indie filmmaker Aaron Yamasato on Hawaii, ninjas, and camp films

Aaron is a Japanese American Indie filmmaker from Hawaii. We met 10 years ago working on a TV show together in Hong Kong. He is one of the most fun and lighthearted guys I know. Laugh along and learn about ‘camp’ films, and the inspiration behind his critically acclaimed hit Blood of the Samurai. We had some connection issues, so I apologize for the sound. Thank you for the feedback I have been receiving and please share the podcast with one person to help get the word out. Always feel free to send me show ideas or comments to mimi@culturechatpodcast.com or on socialmedia @sifumimichan   – now on with the show.

Read more