Chesney Severance, Author at American on the Outside

Episode 11: Al and Lies in St Albans

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After an unexpected break (thanks Omicron) – WE’RE BACK! Our conversation this week is with Al and Lies in St Albans. We talk about:
– What it’s like to cross the English Channel after Brexit during a pandemic for the holidays.
– Becoming a US citizen.
– Life as an American and Belgian/(newly) American Belgian couple.

We also talk Picardy, potatoes, finding bombs from WWII, heart attacks, and when your family finally gets Covid.

LINKS!
– Get to know the little known French region of Picardy
– Just a Little Heart Attack
– St Albans is a lovely little village.

Episode 10: January 6th

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:10 — 27.6MB)

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It’s been one year since the January 6th insurrection. The week we are sharing with you an early conversation that we recorded just days after the events. Here are just a few things we discuss:
– Watching the events unfold
– Conspiracy theories
– Reparations
– Silver linings and Overton Windows

Episode 9: The Holidays on the Outside

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:27 — 26.1MB)

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It’s our last episode of 2021 and this week we reflect on the past year and look forward to the next. We’re talking about:
– The Christmas Markets in Strasbourg, France
– The Omicron wave in Europe
– Celebrating New Years and the Southern US traditions we still keep.
– Our greatest challenges this year
– The best books we read this year: SPOILER it was The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen for Weldon and The Deepest South of All by Richard Grant for Chesney
– The things we are looking forward to and a few things we are worried about in 2022
– Our mottos as we begin a new year

As always, thank you so much for listening! We hope you’ll join us for more conversations and stories in 2022.

Stay safe. Stay healthy.

Episode 8: Whit in Stuttgart

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:31 — 51.8MB)

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Happy Holidays!

In this episode, we talk about:
– sourcing ingredients for our favorite holiday meals
– our favorite holiday recipes
– Christmas traditions at home and abroad

We also talk with Whit in Stuttgart about:
– life as an academic in Germany
– alienation and identification
– the Afro- Deutsch Movement, Audrey Lorde, and May Ayim

Episode 7: Bill in London

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 57:56 — 53.0MB)

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November in Europe is full of important historical events. In this week’s podcast, we talk about how knowing history is important because we experience places on a deeper level. Knowing the history of a place helps us to see the ghosts.
Just a few of the things we talk about:
– The Night of Shattered Glass, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the German The Day of Fate.
– The Southereastern Ceremonial Complex
– The Slave Cemetary at George Washington’s Mount Vernon
– Guy Fawkes Night

We also talk with our friend Bill in London who shares with us his thoughts on:
– Growing up as a twin
– Sharing a name with this popular movie
– The Great American Summer Road Trip™
– The importance of British pub culture
– The joys of good Mississippi BBQ

Episode 6: Gwen in Biggleswade

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 58:05 — 43.6MB)

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It’s a big day for us here at American on the Outside. After years of planning and months of getting our feet wet learning the process of podcasting, we’re jumping in with the show as it was conceived way back in 2016. We recorded this interview the day after Election Day 2020. It’s fitting to release it today – the day after Election Day 2021. We are so excited to finally bring you the first of many stories from Americans on the outside with our interview of Gwen in Biggleswade.

Just a few things we talk about:
– Growing up Mormon in Mississippi
– Expectations of assimalating into a new culture permanently
– How politics in the US and the UK are different and how they are the same

Taking A Break This Week

Hi there. It’s Chesney in Aarhus, Denmark. Weldon has just arrived back in the US for some long-overdue quality time with his family. I’m three days into the first week of a new school year here in Denmark. Life is a lot right now and so we’re taking a little break this week. We hope that you’re enjoying the show so far. Thank you so much for listening. We’ll be back later this month with another episode.

Until then, be safe. Stay healthy.

Episode 3: Football on the Outside

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:16 — 24.7MB)

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Curious about some of the things we’re talking about?
Read Umberto Eco’s essay The World Cup and Its Pomps.
Check out Calcio storico, an early form of football/rugby.
Here’s an article about racism in football: The Ugly Side of the Beautiful Game from The American School in London’s school newspaper, The Standard.

Call for Your 4th of July Stories!

Hey there, Outsiders! Independence Day is fast approaching and we’d love to hear from you! Tell us your favorite 4th of July memory or tradition from where you grew up and/or how you’ll be celebrating this year. Just hit the blue “Send Voicemail” button and follow the prompts in the popup window. You’ll have 90 secondsand we’d like for you to tell us your :
First name
Where you’re from
Where you are
And your story!
And because we love a good story, so please feel free to hit record more than once.
We’ll play any stories we receive on our next episode!