Far From Home is a travel and culture podcast where Peabody award-winning host Scott Gurian tells fascinating stories from faraway places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. Listen in and come along for the adventure!

After releasing <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/flyover-country-oklahoma" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">my last episode</a> where I shared stories from my time in Oklahoma many years ago, I came across one more short radio piece in my archives that I thought some of your might enjoy. It’s about another cultural phenomenon unique to Oklahoma that I experienced: the world’s only <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyvw2O5Uk_0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">behind-the-walls prison rodeo</a>. Before a stadium of 9000 cheering fans, a hundred inmates from around the state competed in events like calf roping, steer wrestling, a wild horse race, and “Money the Hard Way,” a competition where people tried to grab a $100 bill that was tied between the horns of a charging bull.

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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a>

Far From Home

Prison Rodeo

Two decades ago, I was just starting out as a public radio reporter, applying for literally every radio job opening I saw, and somehow I ended up getting hired by a small station in Norman, Oklahoma. Given that the culture, politics, and geography were so incredibly different from anything I’d been exposed to up to that point. moving there from my home state of New Jersey almost felt like going to a foreign country. Yet despite any initial reservations I had, it turned out to be a really great experience, and the five years I spent there ended up making me a better journalist and a better person.

On this episode, I’m sharing a couple of my favorite radio stories I produced during my time in Oklahoma, to give you a small sense of the culture of this region that many Americans on the coasts simply regard as “flyover country.” First, I get to experience the traditional sport known as catfish noodling. Then I go on a rattlesnake hunt in southwestern Oklahoma.

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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a>

Stories From Flyover Country

If you listened to <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/news/american-expat-in-netherlands" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">my last episode</a>, you heard the story of my friend Jamie Yuenger, an American who moved from New York City to the Netherlands and was struggling to make the transition and figure out how to fit in. Following up on that theme, today I’m sharing a recent episode from my friends at <a href="http://www.thebittersweetlife.net/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Bittersweet Life</a> podcast, where co-host Tiffany Parks looks back at the past nearly two decades she’s spent in Italy and discusses the milestone she’s just reached of having now officially lived in Rome longer than she’s lived anywhere else.

If you enjoy this conversation, you can find The Bittersweet Life wherever you get your podcasts or delve into their archives of nearly 500 shows on their website, <a href="https://thebittersweetlife.net/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">thebittersweetlife.net</a>

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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a>

18 Years in Rome (with The Bittersweet Life)

From the age of 24 until she was 37, Jamie Yuenger lived in New York City. While she started out having a complicated relationship with the city, she grew over time to love her adopted hometown. Then a few years ago, she fell in love with a Dutch guy named Piet and decided to move to the Netherlands to be with him. That meant she’d be starting over in a new country where she didn’t understand the language or the culture. Jamie set about adapting to her new life, but it turned out to be way harder than she imagined.

Jamie has her own podcast called <a href="https://ifyouknewme.show/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">“If You Knew Me,”</a> which features personal stories of the inner lives of women. And she also produced <a href="https://shows.acast.com/totem-podcast/episodes/pandoras-box" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">“Totem,”</a> where she told the incredible story of how she met her husband Piet.

Were you able to relate to Jamie’s story, and have you ever experienced anything similar? Tell me about it by dropping me a line or -- better yet – recording a voice memo on your phone and sending it to me at <a href="mailto:info@farfromhomepodcast.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">info@farfromhomepodcast.org</a>

You can also find Far From Home on <a href="https://instagram.com/farfromhomepodcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a> or <a href="https://facebook.com/farfromhomepodcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.

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On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit <a href="https://farfromhomepodcast.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">farfromhomepodcast.org</a>

Scott Gurian

Far From Home by Scott Gurian

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