Living abroad is an epic ride – until you’re dragging heavy boxes up a creaky staircase, crying over your favorite hometown song, or become baffled by foreign medicine instructions. We’re Polina and Julia, two Russian expats in the Netherlands, here to chat about the wins (and epic fails) of expat life. Every episode, we read your letters, share our own mishaps, and dish out honest advice. Raw stories. Real laughs. Let’s swap experiences and help each other survive – and thrive – no matter where we land.
Episode 10: Immigration Before & Afters – Rating Career, Self-Esteem and Daily Lives
Hosts Anya and Maria rate their immigration experiences, exploring career, self-esteem, and daily life changes in this interview episode.
6 Aug 2025
Episode 9: Money in Immigration – How We Save, Spend and Stress
The hosts explore personal financial shifts experienced during immigration, examining spending habits, savings strategies, and unexpected expenses in Amsterdam.
22 Jul 2025
Episode 8: Nails, Countryhouse & Other Abandoned Essentials
The hosts discuss the increased cost of essentials, finding friends in unexpected ways, and personality changes that occur when moving to a new country.
15 Jul 2025
Episode 7: New Countries, Old Cravings & Holidays That Don’t Feel Like Yours
Polina and Julia explore the challenges of constant relocation, discussing homesickness, migration fatigue, and the search for stability amidst cultural transitions.
8 Jul 2025
Episode 6: Downshifting, Foreign Words & Falling for Barcelona
Hosts Polina and Julia explore the challenges of expat life, including language barriers and career transitions, revealing the importance of adapting and finding personal fulfillment abroad.
13 May 2025
Hating Hotel Rooms, Cultural Nostalgia and Choosing Not to Be First
What is my tax id, where to buy a mop, how do I pay for my insurance? These are only the tip of the iceberg of questions immigration poses to us.
So this time we go deeper and ask ourselves:
- How immigration changed our attitude to trains, airports and hotels?
- Stages of adaptation to a new country and what we could have done differently?
- Living in the Netherlands and never traveling abroad — whaaaaat? Why people choose a more emotionally regulated lifestyle.
Join us on this reflection journey, write comments and share your stories in a letter!
Our email: hello@dear-expats.com
Our website: https://www.dear-expats.com/
6 May 2025
Episode 4: Serial Movers, First‑Love Homeland & ‘I Don’t Want to Be an Expat’
Packing boxes, still being in love with the place you left and refusing the “expat” label? Same. In this episode, we try to stop moving, silence the nostalgia and escape that expat feeling. Grab your coffee (or wine) – we’re here for an honest talk.
Thank you for staying with us, don’t forget to send us your letters to hello@dear-expats.comOur website: https://www.dear-expats.com/
29 Apr 2025
Episode 3: Language barrier, avoiding responsibilities and newfound love for your own bed
Welcome back to the new episode of Dear Expats podcast!
In this episode you’ll find:
- Polina’s practical tips for learning foreign languages;
- Reasons for Julia’s obsession with getting a cat;
- Discussion on whether immigration spoils travelling for good.
Thank you for staying with us, don’t forget to send us your letters to hello@dear-expats.com
Our website: https://www.dear-expats.com/
22 Apr 2025
Episode 2: Complaints, New Friends and Long-Distance Love
Missing homemade food, complaints about everything – even the weather – and the chaos of long‑distance love: say hello to the second episode of Dear Expats!
Today we chat about:
- How to find new friends (and what to do if they move away);
- What to tell colleagues who don’t like your new country;
- And how to keep the rhythm when you and your partner live in different countries
Be with us, stay with us, and send us your letters – Polina and Julia are ready to talk!
Send us your letters to hello@dear-expats.com
Our website: https://www.dear-expats.com/
14 Apr 2025
Episode 1: Mice, Reinventing Yourself, and the Future
Episode 1 tackles the ugly truth of mice invasions, the art of reinventing yourself in a new place, and the fear of missing out on future opportunities.
Send us your letters to hello@dear-expats.com
Our website: https://www.dear-expats.com/
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
197
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 35 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
30
Social presence
0
YouTube
66
Engagement
32
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