April 14, 2025 • 38 mins
Where to find Aimee:
- Instagram: @vibrancenutrition
- Nutrition Coaching: vibrancenutrition.com
- Podcast on Nutrition: Blasphemous Nutrition
- Substack on Nomadic Life: NomadicNomMom
Where to find Rebecca:
- Instagram and her life in Paris: @beseriouslyhappy
- Podcast for Interior Design-preneurs: Stuff Interior Designers Need to Know
- Biz Coaching for Interior Designers: seriouslyhappy.com
- Book on Interior Design Psychology: Happy Starts at Home
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
Welcome to Bonjola, a podcastabout two women, Aimee and
Rebecca, who each moved from theUnited States to Europe to
become expats, Aimee to Spainand Rebecca to France.
We're here to share the highs,the lows, and the logistics of
this adventure, encourage you tofollow your own move abroad
dreams, and remind you thatyou're not alone when the going
gets tough.
Enjoy.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084 (00:24):
Bonjola, Rebecca.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_ (00:25):
Tell
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (00:27):
I have some really good news.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_17 (00:31):
us your really good news.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (00:33):
I actually passed my Spanish class
again.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_17 (00:37):
We all knew you would.
Congratulations!
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (00:40):
Thank you And I not only passed it, I
got a 70 percent.
So, it's not even, like, barelypassing.
I'm solidly right at the linethat marks average.
From below average.
So I feel super proud.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_17 (00:56):
Do you feel that all of that future
worry paid off or was a waste ofenergy?
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (01:02):
I don't think it was really too
much of a waste of energy?
because I created a backup planand which actually I have to
implement anyway.
and I got to be pleasantlysurprised rather than
Disappointed, so that was supercool, and the feedback I got
was, you know, nothing reallysurprising, and also reinforcing
my decision not to continue withthat school, but to choose, but
(01:26):
to give Apediomas a try, theworst things that I scored on
was grammar, and also, oral,like speaking.
I'm like, yeah.
None of that, none of thatshocks me at all.
So, I'm going to continue withthe Epidiomas class and I'll be
doing just that because my tripto the States needs to be
(01:47):
extended and I won't actually bein Spain for the start of the
second half of the class.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (01:56):
the universe was just setting you up
to have the backup plan that youended up needing despite having
done fabulously.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (02:03):
Which I would not have even considered
had I had grandiose selfconfidence in my Spanish
speaking ability.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_17 (02:11):
So the lesson is future worry for
the win.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (02:15):
Yay!
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025 (02:18):
mean, it does help from a planning
perspective.
The more I think about, Ooh, ifthe zombies or aliens showed up
right now, what would I do?
The more prepared I'll be forthat.
unlikely eventuality,
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084 (02:31):
Exactly.
I mean, when I, when I amfretting about something, I
don't have a habit most of thetime of staying in the worry
place too long where you're justkind of ruminating.
I always aim to take that andturn it into an action plan
because otherwise, otherwise,you just go crazy, right?
And you just let your emotionsrun you into the ground.
(02:54):
And so, with everything.
I may have, I may have momentsof, you know, deer in headlights
or crawl under the covers, butusually within 24 hours I'm
like, okay, what are youactually going to do if this
situation unfolds like you'reworried it will?
And then it puts me back in thedriver's seat and also ends up
(03:19):
being an excellent exercise increative problem solving,
whether or not you ever actuallyget to implement it.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-202 (03:25):
right?
Like I said, you'll be ready forthe zombies.
Now, I like that because there'sa big difference between kind of
the paranoia of looking overyour shoulder, feeling chased
and, you know, having a battleplan, like, okay, well, if this
were to happen, I know preciselywhat I would do, which actually
kind of makes the worry fallaway.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (03:45):
Yeah, exactly.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025 (03:47):
quite nice.
It is really funny that we'rehaving this conversation because
I started a walking,, plan forour Camino trip coming up.
And I did my five mile aroundthe Eiffel tower loop today.
And literally this morning wasstanding there looking at the
Eiffel tower, thinking tomyself, Hmm.
If the aliens landed right now,what would I do?
(04:10):
And then I went on to zombies.
Would I survive?
And then I was thinking, well,if you were caught in the Eiffel
Tower, when these thingshappened, are you safer up
there?
I was literally thinking aboutthat this morning.
I don't, I don't know why.
It's like I have a zombie movieon autoplay in my head.
But the thing is, I love it.
It's like you were justdescribing it kind of being a
game.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (04:30):
Yeah.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (04:31):
not worrying, obviously, about the
zombies coming,
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (04:35):
I'm really glad to hear that you do
not worry about the zombiesactually coming.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_174 (04:40):
I worry about plenty of other
things, but not that.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (04:43):
So that's the entertainment worry
that you have rather than thereal life worry.
rebecca-west_2_02-1 (04:49):
Definitely.
It's almost like daydreaming,honestly.
I, I just choose kind of darkmacabre things to daydream
about, which totally aligns withone of the things I got to do
this week.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (05:02):
Tell me.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_17 (05:04):
So there is this amazing store here
in Paris for anybody that likesoddities and curiosities and
things like taxidermy and gemcollections.
I don't know if I've mentionedit before.
Probably I have.
It's called Dayroll.
D E Y R O L L E.
Yeah.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (05:21):
Yeah.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_ (05:22):
this week they had a book signing for
Ryan Matthew Cohn, um, andRegina, oh, I'm forgetting her
last name.
Sorry, Regina.
But they wrote a book.
They just came out with a bookcalled The Witch's Door.
And it's all about thecollection that Ryan has
collected.
Over like decades and thestories behind his collections,
(05:45):
obviously bought the book.
I've been binge reading it.
I'm a third of the way through.
I thought it was going to belike a picture book, but I was
delighted to find that it's muchmore of a memoir.
And I'm actually learning justthe most odd, wonderful facts.
And he's a great entrepreneur.
So you're getting a lot of that.
Behind the scenes of the hustleof surviving in antiquities and
(06:10):
that buying and selling realm ofthings of value.
It's super cool.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (06:14):
How fun is that?
Can you drop one of the factoidsthat you've learned from reading
the book?
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (06:20):
Let me think for a minute.
One of the moments I reallyliked was when he was talking
about how in order to grow agood collection, one of the
things you have to be good at isletting go of parts of your
collection.
You have to shed the least goodthings, whatever good means
(06:41):
based on your count andcalibration in order to make
room for the great things.
And especially because he wasliving in New York and so he was
living in tiny apartments.
which this particular careerdoes not really jive with.
Um, and in fact, they've moved.
I think they said they've movedto Connecticut because they
needed like a big proper housefor all the things.
(07:04):
But I just loved that.
I mean, it's such a lifetakeaway that you have to let go
of clutter.
What becomes clutter in order tomake room for what's even
better.
Even if you're attached to thosethings that came before.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (07:20):
Yeah, that's a hard one for me.
I definitely lean towardsclutter myself
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025 (07:27):
Given that you shed so much in order
to move to Spain, I'm, I'mreally surprised to hear you say
that.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (07:34):
yeah Well we do have a storage unit
left in the States, so it's notlike
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025 (07:41):
Yeah.
So do we.
For, it's mostly for mementosand things that we don't
consider replaceable, but arealso not the kind of thing we
were going to pack on the plane.
How, how much, how big of astorage unit do you guys have?
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (07:56):
What is it?
I think it's like a 6x10 or a6x8.
It's not huge as far as storageunits go.
And there but there aredefinitely, yeah there are
definitely things in there whichare mementos that I wouldn't put
on a plane.
for instance, I got veryattached to an antique scale
(08:17):
that I found at Salvation Armyfor 20 because, you know, it was
like one of those old slideyscales that they used to have at
the doctor's office and it wasonly 20.
What an amazing deal.
And none of this digital BSwhere you can't tell if it's
actually calibrated or not.
And that actually fell in, inthe move and maybe permanently
(08:39):
damaged, which
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (08:40):
Oh, no,
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (08:40):
is, well, it's at the end of the
day, it's actually a good thingbecause if it's permanently
damaged, then I don't have tofeel so bad about not bringing
it to Spain eventually.
Right.
rebecca-west_2_02-11- (08:50):
excellent outlook
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (08:52):
but it's still sitting in storage.
you know, I have things likeshirts that I am obscenely
attached to from, um, my teenyears that I never wear, but I
still have them and they don'tbelong in a Spanish piso
because, you know, Spanish pisosare only slightly larger than
Parisian apartments.
(09:14):
So I definitely have acollection of things which
ultimately should not ever getto Europe, but I just cannot
bear to part with.
And then there are, you know,family heirlooms and things that
have been passed down.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (09:29):
and those would ultimately come here
if it became your permanenthome,
aimee_2_02-11-2025_08444 (09:33):
right?
Yep.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_ (09:34):
it's a combination of things.
And, you know, when Damien and Iwere filling ours, there's a
certain amount of space thatkind of is available.
And so right at the end, yousort of shove extras.
In because first of all, you'reout of decision making power.
And second of all, there's roomand you're leaving on a plane in
two days.
And who cares?
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (09:54):
Yes,
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_17 (09:55):
So there's definitely that
category,
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (09:57):
yeah, we'll deal with this later.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (10:00):
but it is funny.
The things we hold on to, I, weheld on to no furniture except
for a hanging chair that I amlike, like you just completely
attached to, I got it on Wayfairor someplace it was.
A sizable amount of money when Ibought it at 600 for me, that
chair was expensive when I gotit.
(10:21):
So I love it.
It was, you know, meaningful interms of what I spent on it at
the time.
And it evokes my grandma'shanging chair from when I was a
kid, but it's way morecomfortable than my grandma's
hanging chair.
So it's got like extra value,like.
And, um, there was room, soyeah, in a storage unit in the
(10:41):
middle of Seattle, going onyears probably, because we're
going to be here at least twoyears.
Do you ever, do you ever do themath in your head of how much
you're paying for?
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (10:55):
That is a sunk cost fallacy.
It is like, it's, it's alreadygone, you know?
So, it is what it is.
And,
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_174 (11:02):
I guess it's already gone if you
know you're going to keep thestorage unit, because it's not
like you're deciding that youdon't need that stuff.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084 (11:09):
exactly.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (11:11):
the same way.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (11:12):
Yeah, and getting rid of, you know,
the things which ultimately wewouldn't be bringing over likely
would not free up enough spaceto downsize the storage unit.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025 (11:22):
Yeah.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (11:23):
you know, why, why, waste my time
crunching numbers,
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_174 (11:29):
I did, speaking of Day Roll, I
definitely held on to my RockinGem collection and I definitely
did not put it on the plane, butI would, oh, I would, it would
be really hard for me to get ridof that, and so it's gotta be.
You know, it's got to be paidfor in storage long enough for
me to decide that I'm apermanent resident of Europe or
(11:51):
I'm going back.
And that could take a decade ormore to figure out.
And meanwhile, it's just sittingthere.
It's kind of a weird thing.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (11:59):
Yeah, I actually did bring some of my
favorite gemstones and rocksbecause
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_17 (12:05):
a, I brought a small handful.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (12:07):
Yeah, because they're just, for me
those were decorative homepieces that remind me of home,
and I really wanted us to settlein Spain feeling like we were in
home and not an Airbnb ortemporary housing.
I really wanted it to feel likehome for us.
(12:27):
So, or at least for me.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_ (12:30):
What was the biggest size or heaviest
rock that you packed fromAmerica to Spain?
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (12:36):
Not my biggest ones for sure.
I think the biggest one Ibrought was probably an amethyst
chunk that I would say would beabout 8 ounces, about 450 500
grams.
Yeah, nothing too outrageous.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (12:50):
All of mine fit in my jewelry box.
It was my smaller specimens thathad been given to me by a
person.
Because one of the things Ireally wanted moving here was,
like tokens of the people thatmatter to me.
So like right before theChristmas before we moved my
parents asked what I wanted forChristmas And I asked them to
get me my phone case that I youknow, it's just a silly plastic
(13:12):
phone case I'd chosen on Amazonbut having them get it for me
means that every time I look atthe case I think of them so a
lot of those Small things Ichose to bring are mementos of
people.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (13:25):
Yeah.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_174 (13:26):
I should just write those people a
letter, it just occurs to me.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (13:29):
They probably would love to hear from
you.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-20 (13:34):
Growing up in the army, I do have a
habit of when I move, I have apretty clean break from where I
lived before.
I usually only carry forwardactively a small handful of
friends.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (13:48):
yeah.
that makes a lot of sense, thatthat would be the case.
Because after, I imagine afterone or two moves, you realize
that you don't get to take allyour friends with you, that some
people naturally just kind ofshed away.
rebecca-west_2_02-1 (14:02):
Absolutely, and when you don't have a day to
day relationship with somebody,a lot of friendships are
circumstantial, and it'sactually quite surprising to me
which ones end up being longlasting.
It won't necessarily be theperson you spent every single
day with when you were 13.
It could be the, you know, thegal you just met at summer camp
one year.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (14:23):
Yeah.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (14:24):
Um, but I do have a small collection
of friends from every place thatI've lived over the years.
And this moving to Spain, excuseme, to France is really just an
extension of that story.
Damien and I both want tocollect friends that live all
over the world.
Because one of our big dreamswould be to just take a year and
(14:45):
travel and go from friend tofriend to friend and see where
they live.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (14:50):
Oh, that would be amazing.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2 (14:52):
Wouldn't it?
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (14:53):
Yeah.
Aside from Go ahead.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025 (14:57):
Well, I was going to say, how much
connection do you have with yourfriends back home?
Are you actively texting orletters or Zooms or nothing?
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (15:05):
I have one friend that I Zoom with
once a month to stay in touch,and she's always been so good at
keeping contact, which I reallyappreciate, because that's
actually not my forte.
Of reaching out and keepingconsistent contact with people.
But I always deeply appreciateit when someone, um, takes that
initiative and then I'm alwayseager to meet them there, but
(15:28):
I'm not a strong initiator inthat way.
Um, so we speak once a month andI have, I have, a friend, a
couple of friends from, youknow, two friends from school
age who I'm still in contactwith.
from childhood.
And, you know, as far as theSeattle folks, there aren't many
(15:56):
people I'm, actually, no,there's nobody from Seattle that
I am in consistent contact with,aside from you.
Um, well, that's where ourfriendship started.
So I guess you're not really aSeattleite anymore though.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_174 (16:16):
I did just apply for a speaking
opportunity today and for thevery first time it said, you
know, what city and state areyou from?
And I, I couldn't actually bringmyself to write Paris, France.
I wrote Paris, France,parentheses, formerly Seattle,
Washington.
I couldn't completely give itup.
I don't know.
It was really weird.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (16:33):
yeah, it's not, it's not real yet.
It's not very real yet for meeither.
Um, but you know, that said, Ihaven't lost complete contact
with, with Seattle folks.
We, actually just last month, myformer boss was in Europe.
Um, dropping his daughter offfor a foreign exchange program
(16:56):
up north and in, in Scandinaviancountry.
I don't remember exactly whichone, which is so embarrassing.
And then he
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_ (17:05):
that because you're back in the
States right now and that partof your brain is turned back
off?
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (17:10):
no, um, it's because I'm really bad
at, um, keeping them.
I think I probably need to go toDenmark and Sweden and Finland
and have experiences of each ofthem in order to be able to keep
them in my mind.
You know, they're just sort of awhite blob on the map where
there's reindeer.
(17:31):
and, and, and, and, and, and,and, and, and, and,
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_ (17:32):
That also sounds like a very nifty
excuse to have to go take atrip.
I
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (17:36):
I concur completely.
I concur completely.
Anyway, he was over on thecontinent, and so he popped down
into Spain, uh, because he knowssomebody else in, in the area.
And so we got to hang out withhim for, for a day or so, which
was awesome.
So, you know, it's not, it's notthat they're completely out of
my life.
I just don't have very regularcontact with most folks from
(17:57):
Seattle, which is consistent.
I mean, we didn't have regularcontact when I lived there.
So,
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025 (18:06):
think that's one of the things about a
good friendship is that you,like, obviously, you know,
ideally have some things incommon, but there's also a
rhythm that has to align.
Like, people who want to textwith me, Have to understand that
I treat texts like Victorianletters being sent by post on a,
on a horse and, you know, and,and so if that drove somebody
(18:29):
crazy, that's actually going tomake our friendship harder.
And then somebody who is textingme eight times in a row, three
times a day, I'm like, Ooh, hownozzle off?
aimee_2_02-11-2025_08444 (18:41):
Right.
Right.
Yeah, it's communication styleat the end of the day, right?
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_17 (18:47):
It is.
It is.
It is.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (18:49):
How has your week been?
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025 (18:51):
Well, aside from the trip to Dayroll,
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (18:53):
Oh, did you, did you get anything at
Day Roll?
Aside from the book?
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (18:58):
no, just the book.
I mean, we're moving every threeto six months.
I cannot weigh
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (19:03):
know, but dead animal skeletons and
little curated, like, jars.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025 (19:10):
Nope.
All I came away with is a newfriend and that's just going to
have to be enough.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (19:14):
Fine.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (19:15):
Oh, and of course a new, you know,
item on my Instagram feed.
So I do get all of thatwonderful visual in my face, you
know, and that's really funnybecause like those computers
that we carry in our pocket.
They are a part of the clutterof our lives, um, and they
actually do add texture anddimension to our day to day
(19:37):
lives, too.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (19:38):
That is true.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_17 (19:40):
Mm hmm.
Um, what good happened?
I don't know what you know.
I've done some successfulshopping.
I bought shoes, but I thinkwe've talked about that.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (19:49):
We talked about your boots,
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (19:51):
Um, I got mail, oh, I got mail at a
USA unicorn fairy magic level.
Let me say it that way.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (20:01):
I, you said, I got mail and I hear
the a OL voice in my head.
You've got mail
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_ (20:08):
It's very funny.
Not that kind of mail.
Physical mail by post, bycourier.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (20:15):
So it was sent from the US and it
arrived in France.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (20:19):
No, no goodness.
No, but you know, we've talkedabout how one of the things that
we've given up by moving toEurope is that Uber convenience.
Like order it today.
It's in your house by 3 p.
m.
Not really a thing here inEurope, which we're grateful for
because it goes with all of theother lifestyle stuff.
Well, I am going to a designconference in two weeks called
(20:43):
KBiz.
I am speaking there on the topicof how you help your clients
make decisions.
And I knew I was pushing thedeadline for getting things
printed, but I was like, I stillhave two weeks.
I'm sure that's fine.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (20:58):
Oh my gosh.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (20:59):
But as I was pushing the print
button, I was like, Rebecca,that was dumb, but, and because
I thought it was gonna be easierthan it was.
I should say a couple of thingshere.
So I designed the post as apostcard and a business card.
I designed them on Canva.
Love that program.
They have an easy button.
They will print things for youand I've used them before and it
(21:21):
was fantastic.
Well, that was in the UnitedStates.
Come to find out that easybutton does not work here in
Europe.
So of course I'd already set upthe whole order.
I was kind of annoyed aboutthat.
So it took me another two hoursto reformat, whatever.
But I went to good oldVistaprint.
The thing is most websites, youhave to change the ending.
(21:41):
So it would have beenVistaprint.
com in the States.
Here it's Vistaprint.
fr for France.
I assume you guys have somethingsimilar in Spain.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (21:50):
we do, yeah.
Everything is like Es, it's EtsyEs.
It's uh.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (21:56):
Oh, for España.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (21:57):
Mm hmm.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025 (21:58):
Okay, got it.
Um, so I did, and I uploaded myfiles, and it said it would get
here between the 14th to the18th.
That was Saturday.
Today is Tuesday the 11th,folks.
And it showed up this afternoon.
That blew my mind.
(22:20):
So, um, yay to this to print.
I love the quality.
The timing was phenomenal and,uh, they have a loyal customer
in me.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_08444 (22:29):
That's fantastic.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_ (22:31):
This is the excitement of being an
entrepreneur.
Guess what I got in the mail?
Postcards.
But it is huge because I amcontinuing to try and figure out
how do I run my company fromhere?
How do I do the things I need todo from here?
Because I had, I had a wholesystem for all of these things
(22:53):
in the United States and I hadmy trusted vendors and I knew my
timelines and I don't knowanything here, but I am still
trying to make a living.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (23:02):
Yeah.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_17 (23:02):
So this feels like a big win.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_08444 (23:04):
That's a huge win.
I mean every little thing likethat that One, you discover how
to do, and then two, youdiscover it's easier than you
feared.
Is a massive win.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (23:15):
I'm not sure anything has hit the,
that was easier than I expectedbutton being in France.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (23:21):
Yeah, that's pretty amazing.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_174 (23:22):
I also don't think that I had
successfully withdrawn moneyusing my very own ATM card from
a bank machine.
Um, so that was the final stepin confirming that France has my
money and I can access it.
So that was a little mini extrawin too.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084 (23:38):
Amazing.
I have a feeling within the nextsix months, especially now that
you have a bank account, you'lleasily be able to say, I'm from
Paris, France.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_ (23:50):
suis de Paris.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (23:51):
There we go.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_17 (23:54):
So yeah, it's really been really
normal life stuff this week.
A lot of wins, but it's notnecessarily wins that are
specific to being in Paris.
It's more like specific torunning your adult life, which
that in and of itself is a win.
It does mean, as you say, thatI'm settling into a rhythm and
it's becoming my, my hometerritory.
(24:16):
Oh my gosh.
To the point where I was sittingon the terrace.
And it's been really cold.
It's like one to four degreesCelsius, which is chilly chilly.
And then some wind.
And I sit, I'm sitting there andI say to Damien, It'd be really
nice to be on a beach right now.
(24:37):
And then I gave myself anemotional smack upside the head
because I'm like, Rebecca,
aimee_2_02-11-2025_08444 (24:42):
You're on a terrace in Paris.
rebecca-west_2_02-11 (24:45):
precisely.
It's amazing what our, what ourbrains will do with the grass is
greener stuff.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (24:51):
I
rebecca-west_2_02-11- (24:52):
goodness.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (24:53):
I know.
Yeah, it's, it's super hilariousbecause, um, you know, in one of
our recent episodes, I wascomplaining about how cold it
was in Girona.
Because it was, you know, it'slike right at freezing and it
had been in mornings for a week.
And that was before I realizedthat, you know, my trip back to
(25:14):
the States was going to includea side trip to Alaska where,
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (25:19):
How cold is it there?
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (25:21):
uh, it is I mean, it's, it's finally
warming up now, but when Iarrived, it was consistently
about negative 13, negative 15degrees Celsius.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_ (25:31):
That makes my whole soul shiver.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (25:33):
Yeah, which, you know, for, for our
North American listeners is, um,is, you know, between five, five
and eight degrees.
And yeah, and, and, you know,it's interesting though, because
it hasn't been, um, it has notbeen, it has not felt as cold as
I remember that feeling, whichmay be because I have a proper
(25:59):
winter coat now that I pickedup.
for our trip to Madrid.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_174 (26:04):
I mean, the right clothes do make
all the difference in winter
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (26:07):
make, they do make a difference.
And you know, when I was growingup in Alaska, that the proper
clothes were like so big andpoofy that you can't really move
in them.
And they're just not, they dothe job.
But other than that, they'resuper unfunctional to like, try
and be a human and not.
Not
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_ (26:26):
it's like the snow, the snowsuits
that we put the toddlers in andnow they're just a little tiny
marshmallow man.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_08444 (26:31):
bingo, precisely, precisely.
So fashion has evolved sincethen.
Thank goodness.
So I have a coat that I canmostly move around in and it's
one of those long coats, right?
The calf length coats.
And I've never owned one ofthose before in a winter
version.
And it's doing the job quitewell.
It's doing the job quite well.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_ (26:50):
It's one of the things that the
Parisian ladies definitelyfigured out.
Now, the Parisian ladies alsoleave them unbuttoned and open
to the wind because it's morefashionable.
So that aside, Uh, unless itgets really cold and they'll
belt it up, but it's all calflength coats and wow, that makes
a more, I mean, first of all, itmakes you look super fancy and
(27:11):
dressed up, which is cool, butit is remarkably more warm than
the short jackets that we're allused to in the United States.
It's, it's kind of funny howsome of the more fashionable
things that I've taken on herein France are actually also very
functional
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (27:27):
yeah,
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_17 (27:28):
as well.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (27:29):
yeah, it is, you know, on that, on
that thing about European, onthe theme of European fashion.
It is absolutely hilarious howin many ways The fashion is much
more functional, like calflength coats, shoes that you can
walk miles and miles in and notwant to, you know, cut off your
(27:49):
own feet to spare the agony atthe end of the day, and yet how
people utilize the fashion hereis sometimes absolutely
ridiculous, like keeping yourcoat open to the exposed wind,
because that's what you do.
That's the fashionable way towear the coat.
Or in Spain, the calendardictates what you wear, not the
(28:11):
weather.
And so if it is, you know, ifit's April, but it's freezing
out, you still dress like it'sspring.
If it's October, but it's 80degrees, you're still walking
around in a poofy jacket,because The calendar says so,
and I'm like, oh hell no, thisis where I will out myself as a
(28:34):
foreigner because I'm not goingto be sweating bullets in a
winter jacket if it's 75 or 80degrees out.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-202 (28:42):
That's so funny.
But I want to go back to whatyou were saying a second ago.
I hadn't thought about how wethink of, especially the French
Parisian stuff is so fashionableand it tends, does tend to be
wool and cashmere and khaki andbeige and cream, which all you
think of as very highmaintenance, low function, but
(29:03):
you're absolutely right.
Everything is wearable.
It allows them to just exist.
And the quality, by and large,everybody, whatever socio
socioeconomic level you'retalking about, they're dressing
better than the equivalentAmerican.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (29:21):
Yeah,
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (29:22):
And that better equates to the stuff
just lasting longer and beingsomething you can actually
maintain in the first place.
The whole thing is, it's, it'smuch more nuanced than I had
ever realized,
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (29:35):
me too, me too, but I get, I think
we don't really think of fashionin a nuanced way most of the
time in the States.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_17 (29:44):
or that something luxurious would
also be practical.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_08444 (29:48):
right,
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025 (29:49):
Those aren't usually equated.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (29:51):
mm hmm,
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_ (29:52):
Wow.
It's, it's like living.
I mean, it really is like livingin an episode of Star Trek where
you're just kind of going, well,they're humanoid, but it's just
a little off,
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (30:05):
but it's just a little off,
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (30:08):
but I love it.
It's so fun.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (30:10):
yeah,
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (30:11):
How are you feeling back in the
culture of Alaska?
Any, um, cultural friction?
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (30:16):
um, Yes, but that's not a U.
S.
cultural friction so much as a,oh, this is my small town I grew
up in and this is why I leftfriction.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (30:28):
The same friction you would have
felt just visiting from Seattle.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084 (30:32):
Exactly, exactly,
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_17 (30:34):
So for me in Kentucky, that means,
uh, every single grocery clerkhas to ask me about myself and
my business.
What drives you crazy in Alaska?
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (30:47):
Um, I don't know if it's small town
stuff or if I don't, or I don'tknow if it's, I suspect it's
more Latin culture stuff, butit's all the gossip.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (30:57):
Oh,
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (30:58):
Yeah, it's just all the, all the
gossip, um, not in a favorableway, but a lot of, a lot of
backbiting and, um, just veryunsavory talk.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025 (31:16):
well, that's no fun.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (31:17):
No! It isn't!
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_ (31:20):
It's always hard to go home again.
The, your buttons get pushed soeasy.
There's certain things thatalways make you feel like you
are home, even if it doesn'tnecessarily mean it's a place
you want to be,
aimee_2_02-11-2025_08444 (31:32):
right.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_ (31:33):
they know how to get your buttons.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (31:34):
For sure.
And it's, you know, it's one ofthose things where like, Oh,
right, right.
And, you know, I actuallyadmonished myself a little bit
because I was like, you know,this is like this here.
And you thought that you couldbe here for more than four days
without it showing up.
(31:55):
Like, what were you thinking,child?
How could you forget?
How could you forget?
Um, but you know, I, I, I knowhow, I know how to deal with it.
I know how to adjust to it.
I know the things that I have todo for myself to just me, you
know, to just deal with it,survive it because.
(32:18):
It is what it is and they arewho they are and
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (32:23):
And it hopefully make you feel even
better about getting back home.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_0844 (32:31):
Indeed, indeed.
But, you know, I am, I am, um,liberally consuming string
cheese and that's a bonus.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_174 (32:41):
I am still craving Raisin Bran and
have every intention of gettingmy mouth conjoined with a box of
Raisin Bran when I get to Vegas.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (32:53):
that sounds so very sexual.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-202 (32:56):
That's the level at which this craving
has reached.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (32:59):
I get it.
I get it.
you know,
rebecca-west_2_02-11-202 (33:02):
string cheese when you get back on the
plane?
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (33:05):
I I probably will if i'm not sick of
it, you know the the ferventneed for it that I had Last year
is not present.
It's it's now it's kind of anenjoyable convenient thing for
me.
Um, So if i'm not like over it,I I will totally i'll totally
uh, bring some back.
(33:25):
I I will say though that Beingyou know, I I spent so many
decades really hating Alaska andbeing here this time, you know,
despite the, the socialabsurdities, the sunsets are
glorious.
(33:46):
The sunsets right now, thiswinter are absolutely stunning.
And I've been gone from thestate for 25 years.
And that's long enough that nowI come back and I find that the
landscape distracts me the waythat it would distract somebody
who is here for the first time.
(34:07):
and it can be dangerous.
Like, because you're on thefreeway driving and the sun is
starting to set.
And in the, in the Alaska statesong, one of the lines is purple
mountains majesty.
And when the sun is setting, theway that the light hits the
mountains does turn them purple.
And it's really phenomenal.
(34:29):
It's, it is glorious.
It's, it's a really beautifulsight.
And because the mountains are sohuge and imposing on the
landscape, it's impossible notto notice them.
And they can be highlydistracting.
So.
I've had some good walks withfriends while I'm here too, and,
one of my friends even took mefor a stress relieving
(34:49):
weightlifting session onSaturday, which was amazing.
So, um, yeah, that was great.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (34:58):
I'm glad you're having good moments.
If people want to see thesebeautiful purple mountains,
what, Alaska is a fairly largestate.
What part of Alaska are wetalking?
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (35:08):
I'm in Anchorage right now.
so those are the, the ChugachMountains that, that they would
be seeing.
If I'm remembering correctly, Ibelieve it's the Chugach
Mountains.
and they are in the, they framethe eastern side of the city.
So that's the other thing isit's very easy to navigate where
you are in this town because themountains are east and no matter
(35:30):
where you are you can see themountains.
And from there you can orientyourself to whether you're
heading north or south orwhatever.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-202 (35:37):
Damien and I got to take a more normal
touristy vacation to Alaska oneyear, and it remains one of the
best trips I've ever taken.
And we splurged on a helicopterride that had us land on top of
a which meant,
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (35:51):
Whoa, cool.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_17 (35:54):
we were walking on top of So much
ice, which is one of the thingsthat I loved about living in
Seattle with some, as a geologymajor, I would sometimes just
walk around and try to imagine amile or two of ice above my head
or, you know, whatever thethickness was.
So we got to walk on thatamazing amount of water and ice.
(36:15):
And then those, those pools thatare up there and the rivers that
are up there and that bluecolor.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (36:23):
Yeah.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025 (36:24):
other worldly.
It almost is hypnotizing to thepoint where you want to.
I wanted to step into that pool,but you can imagine magical
creatures like sirens justbeckoning you forward.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (36:41):
Yeah,
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_17 (36:42):
It was one of the most Remarkable
excursions I've ever taken andworth every penny.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (36:48):
yeah.
For those of you who are oldenough to remember the
popularity of neon colors in the1980s, glaciers are like a
somewhat transparent tone ofneon blue.
They are crazy in color.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_ (37:06):
It's impossibly beautiful.
Yeah, there's so much on thisplanet to see, even in places we
don't really want to be spendingour time.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_0 (37:14):
Precisely.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (37:16):
Um, well, we've meandered all over
the place.
You feel like there's a, any,uh, a nice Packageable takeaways
today.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (37:23):
I got nothing.
I'm going to throw that back atyou because you always ask me
that question.
And now I think it's your turn.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025 (37:31):
Yeah, but I was the one that
meandered.
Meandered?
I meandered.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (37:35):
hence you're the one who knows what
the lessons along the way are.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025 (37:38):
Okay, here's what I'm coming up with.
If you are the kind of personprone to future worry, like me,
which is not always an actuallyhelpful habit, see if you can
reframe it as action planning.
Like, if this were to happen,What would you do?
Because as Aimee says, it's agreat way to reclaim some agency
(38:00):
and power and turn it from worryinto a plan.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084 (38:05):
Perfect.
Hasta pronto.
We hope you enjoyed this episodeof Bonjola.
If you did, the best thing youcan do is share it with another
person brave enough to moveabroad.
See you next time!
Welcome to Bonjola, a podcastabout two women, Aimee and
Rebecca, who each moved from theUnited States to Europe to
become expats, Aimee to Spainand Rebecca to France.
We're here to share the highs,the lows, and the logistics of
this adventure, encourage you tofollow your own move abroad
dreams, and remind you thatyou're not alone when the going
gets tough.
Enjoy.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084 (00:24):
Bonjola, Rebecca.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_ (00:25):
Tell
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (00:27):
I have some really good news.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_17 (00:31):
us your really good news.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (00:33):
I actually passed my Spanish class
again.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_17 (00:37):
We all knew you would.
Congratulations!
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (00:40):
Thank you And I not only passed it, I
got a 70 percent.
So, it's not even, like, barelypassing.
I'm solidly right at the linethat marks average.
From below average.
So I feel super proud.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_17 (00:56):
Do you feel that all of that future
worry paid off or was a waste ofenergy?
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (01:02):
I don't think it was really too
much of a waste of energy?
because I created a backup planand which actually I have to
implement anyway.
and I got to be pleasantlysurprised rather than
Disappointed, so that was supercool, and the feedback I got
was, you know, nothing reallysurprising, and also reinforcing
my decision not to continue withthat school, but to choose, but
(01:26):
to give Apediomas a try, theworst things that I scored on
was grammar, and also, oral,like speaking.
I'm like, yeah.
None of that, none of thatshocks me at all.
So, I'm going to continue withthe Epidiomas class and I'll be
doing just that because my tripto the States needs to be
(01:47):
extended and I won't actually bein Spain for the start of the
second half of the class.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (01:56):
the universe was just setting you up
to have the backup plan that youended up needing despite having
done fabulously.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (02:03):
Which I would not have even considered
had I had grandiose selfconfidence in my Spanish
speaking ability.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_17 (02:11):
So the lesson is future worry for
the win.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (02:15):
Yay!
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025 (02:18):
mean, it does help from a planning
perspective.
The more I think about, Ooh, ifthe zombies or aliens showed up
right now, what would I do?
The more prepared I'll be forthat.
unlikely eventuality,
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084 (02:31):
Exactly.
I mean, when I, when I amfretting about something, I
don't have a habit most of thetime of staying in the worry
place too long where you're justkind of ruminating.
I always aim to take that andturn it into an action plan
because otherwise, otherwise,you just go crazy, right?
And you just let your emotionsrun you into the ground.
(02:54):
And so, with everything.
I may have, I may have momentsof, you know, deer in headlights
or crawl under the covers, butusually within 24 hours I'm
like, okay, what are youactually going to do if this
situation unfolds like you'reworried it will?
And then it puts me back in thedriver's seat and also ends up
(03:19):
being an excellent exercise increative problem solving,
whether or not you ever actuallyget to implement it.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-202 (03:25):
right?
Like I said, you'll be ready forthe zombies.
Now, I like that because there'sa big difference between kind of
the paranoia of looking overyour shoulder, feeling chased
and, you know, having a battleplan, like, okay, well, if this
were to happen, I know preciselywhat I would do, which actually
kind of makes the worry fallaway.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (03:45):
Yeah, exactly.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025 (03:47):
quite nice.
It is really funny that we'rehaving this conversation because
I started a walking,, plan forour Camino trip coming up.
And I did my five mile aroundthe Eiffel tower loop today.
And literally this morning wasstanding there looking at the
Eiffel tower, thinking tomyself, Hmm.
If the aliens landed right now,what would I do?
(04:10):
And then I went on to zombies.
Would I survive?
And then I was thinking, well,if you were caught in the Eiffel
Tower, when these thingshappened, are you safer up
there?
I was literally thinking aboutthat this morning.
I don't, I don't know why.
It's like I have a zombie movieon autoplay in my head.
But the thing is, I love it.
It's like you were justdescribing it kind of being a
game.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (04:30):
Yeah.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (04:31):
not worrying, obviously, about the
zombies coming,
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (04:35):
I'm really glad to hear that you do
not worry about the zombiesactually coming.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_174 (04:40):
I worry about plenty of other
things, but not that.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (04:43):
So that's the entertainment worry
that you have rather than thereal life worry.
rebecca-west_2_02-1 (04:49):
Definitely.
It's almost like daydreaming,honestly.
I, I just choose kind of darkmacabre things to daydream
about, which totally aligns withone of the things I got to do
this week.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (05:02):
Tell me.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_17 (05:04):
So there is this amazing store here
in Paris for anybody that likesoddities and curiosities and
things like taxidermy and gemcollections.
I don't know if I've mentionedit before.
Probably I have.
It's called Dayroll.
D E Y R O L L E.
Yeah.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (05:21):
Yeah.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_ (05:22):
this week they had a book signing for
Ryan Matthew Cohn, um, andRegina, oh, I'm forgetting her
last name.
Sorry, Regina.
But they wrote a book.
They just came out with a bookcalled The Witch's Door.
And it's all about thecollection that Ryan has
collected.
Over like decades and thestories behind his collections,
(05:45):
obviously bought the book.
I've been binge reading it.
I'm a third of the way through.
I thought it was going to belike a picture book, but I was
delighted to find that it's muchmore of a memoir.
And I'm actually learning justthe most odd, wonderful facts.
And he's a great entrepreneur.
So you're getting a lot of that.
Behind the scenes of the hustleof surviving in antiquities and
(06:10):
that buying and selling realm ofthings of value.
It's super cool.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (06:14):
How fun is that?
Can you drop one of the factoidsthat you've learned from reading
the book?
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (06:20):
Let me think for a minute.
One of the moments I reallyliked was when he was talking
about how in order to grow agood collection, one of the
things you have to be good at isletting go of parts of your
collection.
You have to shed the least goodthings, whatever good means
(06:41):
based on your count andcalibration in order to make
room for the great things.
And especially because he wasliving in New York and so he was
living in tiny apartments.
which this particular careerdoes not really jive with.
Um, and in fact, they've moved.
I think they said they've movedto Connecticut because they
needed like a big proper housefor all the things.
(07:04):
But I just loved that.
I mean, it's such a lifetakeaway that you have to let go
of clutter.
What becomes clutter in order tomake room for what's even
better.
Even if you're attached to thosethings that came before.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (07:20):
Yeah, that's a hard one for me.
I definitely lean towardsclutter myself
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025 (07:27):
Given that you shed so much in order
to move to Spain, I'm, I'mreally surprised to hear you say
that.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (07:34):
yeah Well we do have a storage unit
left in the States, so it's notlike
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025 (07:41):
Yeah.
So do we.
For, it's mostly for mementosand things that we don't
consider replaceable, but arealso not the kind of thing we
were going to pack on the plane.
How, how much, how big of astorage unit do you guys have?
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (07:56):
What is it?
I think it's like a 6x10 or a6x8.
It's not huge as far as storageunits go.
And there but there aredefinitely, yeah there are
definitely things in there whichare mementos that I wouldn't put
on a plane.
for instance, I got veryattached to an antique scale
(08:17):
that I found at Salvation Armyfor 20 because, you know, it was
like one of those old slideyscales that they used to have at
the doctor's office and it wasonly 20.
What an amazing deal.
And none of this digital BSwhere you can't tell if it's
actually calibrated or not.
And that actually fell in, inthe move and maybe permanently
(08:39):
damaged, which
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (08:40):
Oh, no,
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (08:40):
is, well, it's at the end of the
day, it's actually a good thingbecause if it's permanently
damaged, then I don't have tofeel so bad about not bringing
it to Spain eventually.
Right.
rebecca-west_2_02-11- (08:50):
excellent outlook
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (08:52):
but it's still sitting in storage.
you know, I have things likeshirts that I am obscenely
attached to from, um, my teenyears that I never wear, but I
still have them and they don'tbelong in a Spanish piso
because, you know, Spanish pisosare only slightly larger than
Parisian apartments.
(09:14):
So I definitely have acollection of things which
ultimately should not ever getto Europe, but I just cannot
bear to part with.
And then there are, you know,family heirlooms and things that
have been passed down.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (09:29):
and those would ultimately come here
if it became your permanenthome,
aimee_2_02-11-2025_08444 (09:33):
right?
Yep.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_ (09:34):
it's a combination of things.
And, you know, when Damien and Iwere filling ours, there's a
certain amount of space thatkind of is available.
And so right at the end, yousort of shove extras.
In because first of all, you'reout of decision making power.
And second of all, there's roomand you're leaving on a plane in
two days.
And who cares?
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (09:54):
Yes,
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_17 (09:55):
So there's definitely that
category,
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (09:57):
yeah, we'll deal with this later.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (10:00):
but it is funny.
The things we hold on to, I, weheld on to no furniture except
for a hanging chair that I amlike, like you just completely
attached to, I got it on Wayfairor someplace it was.
A sizable amount of money when Ibought it at 600 for me, that
chair was expensive when I gotit.
(10:21):
So I love it.
It was, you know, meaningful interms of what I spent on it at
the time.
And it evokes my grandma'shanging chair from when I was a
kid, but it's way morecomfortable than my grandma's
hanging chair.
So it's got like extra value,like.
And, um, there was room, soyeah, in a storage unit in the
(10:41):
middle of Seattle, going onyears probably, because we're
going to be here at least twoyears.
Do you ever, do you ever do themath in your head of how much
you're paying for?
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (10:55):
That is a sunk cost fallacy.
It is like, it's, it's alreadygone, you know?
So, it is what it is.
And,
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_174 (11:02):
I guess it's already gone if you
know you're going to keep thestorage unit, because it's not
like you're deciding that youdon't need that stuff.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084 (11:09):
exactly.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (11:11):
the same way.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (11:12):
Yeah, and getting rid of, you know,
the things which ultimately wewouldn't be bringing over likely
would not free up enough spaceto downsize the storage unit.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025 (11:22):
Yeah.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (11:23):
you know, why, why, waste my time
crunching numbers,
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_174 (11:29):
I did, speaking of Day Roll, I
definitely held on to my RockinGem collection and I definitely
did not put it on the plane, butI would, oh, I would, it would
be really hard for me to get ridof that, and so it's gotta be.
You know, it's got to be paidfor in storage long enough for
me to decide that I'm apermanent resident of Europe or
(11:51):
I'm going back.
And that could take a decade ormore to figure out.
And meanwhile, it's just sittingthere.
It's kind of a weird thing.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (11:59):
Yeah, I actually did bring some of my
favorite gemstones and rocksbecause
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_17 (12:05):
a, I brought a small handful.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (12:07):
Yeah, because they're just, for me
those were decorative homepieces that remind me of home,
and I really wanted us to settlein Spain feeling like we were in
home and not an Airbnb ortemporary housing.
I really wanted it to feel likehome for us.
(12:27):
So, or at least for me.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_ (12:30):
What was the biggest size or heaviest
rock that you packed fromAmerica to Spain?
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (12:36):
Not my biggest ones for sure.
I think the biggest one Ibrought was probably an amethyst
chunk that I would say would beabout 8 ounces, about 450 500
grams.
Yeah, nothing too outrageous.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (12:50):
All of mine fit in my jewelry box.
It was my smaller specimens thathad been given to me by a
person.
Because one of the things Ireally wanted moving here was,
like tokens of the people thatmatter to me.
So like right before theChristmas before we moved my
parents asked what I wanted forChristmas And I asked them to
get me my phone case that I youknow, it's just a silly plastic
(13:12):
phone case I'd chosen on Amazonbut having them get it for me
means that every time I look atthe case I think of them so a
lot of those Small things Ichose to bring are mementos of
people.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (13:25):
Yeah.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_174 (13:26):
I should just write those people a
letter, it just occurs to me.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (13:29):
They probably would love to hear from
you.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-20 (13:34):
Growing up in the army, I do have a
habit of when I move, I have apretty clean break from where I
lived before.
I usually only carry forwardactively a small handful of
friends.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (13:48):
yeah.
that makes a lot of sense, thatthat would be the case.
Because after, I imagine afterone or two moves, you realize
that you don't get to take allyour friends with you, that some
people naturally just kind ofshed away.
rebecca-west_2_02-1 (14:02):
Absolutely, and when you don't have a day to
day relationship with somebody,a lot of friendships are
circumstantial, and it'sactually quite surprising to me
which ones end up being longlasting.
It won't necessarily be theperson you spent every single
day with when you were 13.
It could be the, you know, thegal you just met at summer camp
one year.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (14:23):
Yeah.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (14:24):
Um, but I do have a small collection
of friends from every place thatI've lived over the years.
And this moving to Spain, excuseme, to France is really just an
extension of that story.
Damien and I both want tocollect friends that live all
over the world.
Because one of our big dreamswould be to just take a year and
(14:45):
travel and go from friend tofriend to friend and see where
they live.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (14:50):
Oh, that would be amazing.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2 (14:52):
Wouldn't it?
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (14:53):
Yeah.
Aside from Go ahead.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025 (14:57):
Well, I was going to say, how much
connection do you have with yourfriends back home?
Are you actively texting orletters or Zooms or nothing?
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (15:05):
I have one friend that I Zoom with
once a month to stay in touch,and she's always been so good at
keeping contact, which I reallyappreciate, because that's
actually not my forte.
Of reaching out and keepingconsistent contact with people.
But I always deeply appreciateit when someone, um, takes that
initiative and then I'm alwayseager to meet them there, but
(15:28):
I'm not a strong initiator inthat way.
Um, so we speak once a month andI have, I have, a friend, a
couple of friends from, youknow, two friends from school
age who I'm still in contactwith.
from childhood.
And, you know, as far as theSeattle folks, there aren't many
(15:56):
people I'm, actually, no,there's nobody from Seattle that
I am in consistent contact with,aside from you.
Um, well, that's where ourfriendship started.
So I guess you're not really aSeattleite anymore though.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_174 (16:16):
I did just apply for a speaking
opportunity today and for thevery first time it said, you
know, what city and state areyou from?
And I, I couldn't actually bringmyself to write Paris, France.
I wrote Paris, France,parentheses, formerly Seattle,
Washington.
I couldn't completely give itup.
I don't know.
It was really weird.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (16:33):
yeah, it's not, it's not real yet.
It's not very real yet for meeither.
Um, but you know, that said, Ihaven't lost complete contact
with, with Seattle folks.
We, actually just last month, myformer boss was in Europe.
Um, dropping his daughter offfor a foreign exchange program
(16:56):
up north and in, in Scandinaviancountry.
I don't remember exactly whichone, which is so embarrassing.
And then he
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_ (17:05):
that because you're back in the
States right now and that partof your brain is turned back
off?
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (17:10):
no, um, it's because I'm really bad
at, um, keeping them.
I think I probably need to go toDenmark and Sweden and Finland
and have experiences of each ofthem in order to be able to keep
them in my mind.
You know, they're just sort of awhite blob on the map where
there's reindeer.
(17:31):
and, and, and, and, and, and,and, and, and, and,
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_ (17:32):
That also sounds like a very nifty
excuse to have to go take atrip.
I
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (17:36):
I concur completely.
I concur completely.
Anyway, he was over on thecontinent, and so he popped down
into Spain, uh, because he knowssomebody else in, in the area.
And so we got to hang out withhim for, for a day or so, which
was awesome.
So, you know, it's not, it's notthat they're completely out of
my life.
I just don't have very regularcontact with most folks from
(17:57):
Seattle, which is consistent.
I mean, we didn't have regularcontact when I lived there.
So,
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025 (18:06):
think that's one of the things about a
good friendship is that you,like, obviously, you know,
ideally have some things incommon, but there's also a
rhythm that has to align.
Like, people who want to textwith me, Have to understand that
I treat texts like Victorianletters being sent by post on a,
on a horse and, you know, and,and so if that drove somebody
(18:29):
crazy, that's actually going tomake our friendship harder.
And then somebody who is textingme eight times in a row, three
times a day, I'm like, Ooh, hownozzle off?
aimee_2_02-11-2025_08444 (18:41):
Right.
Right.
Yeah, it's communication styleat the end of the day, right?
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_17 (18:47):
It is.
It is.
It is.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (18:49):
How has your week been?
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025 (18:51):
Well, aside from the trip to Dayroll,
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (18:53):
Oh, did you, did you get anything at
Day Roll?
Aside from the book?
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (18:58):
no, just the book.
I mean, we're moving every threeto six months.
I cannot weigh
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (19:03):
know, but dead animal skeletons and
little curated, like, jars.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025 (19:10):
Nope.
All I came away with is a newfriend and that's just going to
have to be enough.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (19:14):
Fine.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (19:15):
Oh, and of course a new, you know,
item on my Instagram feed.
So I do get all of thatwonderful visual in my face, you
know, and that's really funnybecause like those computers
that we carry in our pocket.
They are a part of the clutterof our lives, um, and they
actually do add texture anddimension to our day to day
(19:37):
lives, too.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (19:38):
That is true.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_17 (19:40):
Mm hmm.
Um, what good happened?
I don't know what you know.
I've done some successfulshopping.
I bought shoes, but I thinkwe've talked about that.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (19:49):
We talked about your boots,
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (19:51):
Um, I got mail, oh, I got mail at a
USA unicorn fairy magic level.
Let me say it that way.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (20:01):
I, you said, I got mail and I hear
the a OL voice in my head.
You've got mail
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_ (20:08):
It's very funny.
Not that kind of mail.
Physical mail by post, bycourier.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (20:15):
So it was sent from the US and it
arrived in France.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (20:19):
No, no goodness.
No, but you know, we've talkedabout how one of the things that
we've given up by moving toEurope is that Uber convenience.
Like order it today.
It's in your house by 3 p.
m.
Not really a thing here inEurope, which we're grateful for
because it goes with all of theother lifestyle stuff.
Well, I am going to a designconference in two weeks called
(20:43):
KBiz.
I am speaking there on the topicof how you help your clients
make decisions.
And I knew I was pushing thedeadline for getting things
printed, but I was like, I stillhave two weeks.
I'm sure that's fine.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (20:58):
Oh my gosh.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (20:59):
But as I was pushing the print
button, I was like, Rebecca,that was dumb, but, and because
I thought it was gonna be easierthan it was.
I should say a couple of thingshere.
So I designed the post as apostcard and a business card.
I designed them on Canva.
Love that program.
They have an easy button.
They will print things for youand I've used them before and it
(21:21):
was fantastic.
Well, that was in the UnitedStates.
Come to find out that easybutton does not work here in
Europe.
So of course I'd already set upthe whole order.
I was kind of annoyed aboutthat.
So it took me another two hoursto reformat, whatever.
But I went to good oldVistaprint.
The thing is most websites, youhave to change the ending.
(21:41):
So it would have beenVistaprint.
com in the States.
Here it's Vistaprint.
fr for France.
I assume you guys have somethingsimilar in Spain.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (21:50):
we do, yeah.
Everything is like Es, it's EtsyEs.
It's uh.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (21:56):
Oh, for España.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (21:57):
Mm hmm.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025 (21:58):
Okay, got it.
Um, so I did, and I uploaded myfiles, and it said it would get
here between the 14th to the18th.
That was Saturday.
Today is Tuesday the 11th,folks.
And it showed up this afternoon.
That blew my mind.
(22:20):
So, um, yay to this to print.
I love the quality.
The timing was phenomenal and,uh, they have a loyal customer
in me.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_08444 (22:29):
That's fantastic.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_ (22:31):
This is the excitement of being an
entrepreneur.
Guess what I got in the mail?
Postcards.
But it is huge because I amcontinuing to try and figure out
how do I run my company fromhere?
How do I do the things I need todo from here?
Because I had, I had a wholesystem for all of these things
(22:53):
in the United States and I hadmy trusted vendors and I knew my
timelines and I don't knowanything here, but I am still
trying to make a living.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (23:02):
Yeah.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_17 (23:02):
So this feels like a big win.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_08444 (23:04):
That's a huge win.
I mean every little thing likethat that One, you discover how
to do, and then two, youdiscover it's easier than you
feared.
Is a massive win.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (23:15):
I'm not sure anything has hit the,
that was easier than I expectedbutton being in France.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (23:21):
Yeah, that's pretty amazing.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_174 (23:22):
I also don't think that I had
successfully withdrawn moneyusing my very own ATM card from
a bank machine.
Um, so that was the final stepin confirming that France has my
money and I can access it.
So that was a little mini extrawin too.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084 (23:38):
Amazing.
I have a feeling within the nextsix months, especially now that
you have a bank account, you'lleasily be able to say, I'm from
Paris, France.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_ (23:50):
suis de Paris.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (23:51):
There we go.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_17 (23:54):
So yeah, it's really been really
normal life stuff this week.
A lot of wins, but it's notnecessarily wins that are
specific to being in Paris.
It's more like specific torunning your adult life, which
that in and of itself is a win.
It does mean, as you say, thatI'm settling into a rhythm and
it's becoming my, my hometerritory.
(24:16):
Oh my gosh.
To the point where I was sittingon the terrace.
And it's been really cold.
It's like one to four degreesCelsius, which is chilly chilly.
And then some wind.
And I sit, I'm sitting there andI say to Damien, It'd be really
nice to be on a beach right now.
(24:37):
And then I gave myself anemotional smack upside the head
because I'm like, Rebecca,
aimee_2_02-11-2025_08444 (24:42):
You're on a terrace in Paris.
rebecca-west_2_02-11 (24:45):
precisely.
It's amazing what our, what ourbrains will do with the grass is
greener stuff.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (24:51):
I
rebecca-west_2_02-11- (24:52):
goodness.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (24:53):
I know.
Yeah, it's, it's super hilariousbecause, um, you know, in one of
our recent episodes, I wascomplaining about how cold it
was in Girona.
Because it was, you know, it'slike right at freezing and it
had been in mornings for a week.
And that was before I realizedthat, you know, my trip back to
(25:14):
the States was going to includea side trip to Alaska where,
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (25:19):
How cold is it there?
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (25:21):
uh, it is I mean, it's, it's finally
warming up now, but when Iarrived, it was consistently
about negative 13, negative 15degrees Celsius.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_ (25:31):
That makes my whole soul shiver.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (25:33):
Yeah, which, you know, for, for our
North American listeners is, um,is, you know, between five, five
and eight degrees.
And yeah, and, and, you know,it's interesting though, because
it hasn't been, um, it has notbeen, it has not felt as cold as
I remember that feeling, whichmay be because I have a proper
(25:59):
winter coat now that I pickedup.
for our trip to Madrid.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_174 (26:04):
I mean, the right clothes do make
all the difference in winter
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (26:07):
make, they do make a difference.
And you know, when I was growingup in Alaska, that the proper
clothes were like so big andpoofy that you can't really move
in them.
And they're just not, they dothe job.
But other than that, they'resuper unfunctional to like, try
and be a human and not.
Not
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_ (26:26):
it's like the snow, the snowsuits
that we put the toddlers in andnow they're just a little tiny
marshmallow man.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_08444 (26:31):
bingo, precisely, precisely.
So fashion has evolved sincethen.
Thank goodness.
So I have a coat that I canmostly move around in and it's
one of those long coats, right?
The calf length coats.
And I've never owned one ofthose before in a winter
version.
And it's doing the job quitewell.
It's doing the job quite well.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_ (26:50):
It's one of the things that the
Parisian ladies definitelyfigured out.
Now, the Parisian ladies alsoleave them unbuttoned and open
to the wind because it's morefashionable.
So that aside, Uh, unless itgets really cold and they'll
belt it up, but it's all calflength coats and wow, that makes
a more, I mean, first of all, itmakes you look super fancy and
(27:11):
dressed up, which is cool, butit is remarkably more warm than
the short jackets that we're allused to in the United States.
It's, it's kind of funny howsome of the more fashionable
things that I've taken on herein France are actually also very
functional
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (27:27):
yeah,
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_17 (27:28):
as well.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (27:29):
yeah, it is, you know, on that, on
that thing about European, onthe theme of European fashion.
It is absolutely hilarious howin many ways The fashion is much
more functional, like calflength coats, shoes that you can
walk miles and miles in and notwant to, you know, cut off your
(27:49):
own feet to spare the agony atthe end of the day, and yet how
people utilize the fashion hereis sometimes absolutely
ridiculous, like keeping yourcoat open to the exposed wind,
because that's what you do.
That's the fashionable way towear the coat.
Or in Spain, the calendardictates what you wear, not the
(28:11):
weather.
And so if it is, you know, ifit's April, but it's freezing
out, you still dress like it'sspring.
If it's October, but it's 80degrees, you're still walking
around in a poofy jacket,because The calendar says so,
and I'm like, oh hell no, thisis where I will out myself as a
(28:34):
foreigner because I'm not goingto be sweating bullets in a
winter jacket if it's 75 or 80degrees out.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-202 (28:42):
That's so funny.
But I want to go back to whatyou were saying a second ago.
I hadn't thought about how wethink of, especially the French
Parisian stuff is so fashionableand it tends, does tend to be
wool and cashmere and khaki andbeige and cream, which all you
think of as very highmaintenance, low function, but
(29:03):
you're absolutely right.
Everything is wearable.
It allows them to just exist.
And the quality, by and large,everybody, whatever socio
socioeconomic level you'retalking about, they're dressing
better than the equivalentAmerican.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (29:21):
Yeah,
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (29:22):
And that better equates to the stuff
just lasting longer and beingsomething you can actually
maintain in the first place.
The whole thing is, it's, it'smuch more nuanced than I had
ever realized,
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (29:35):
me too, me too, but I get, I think
we don't really think of fashionin a nuanced way most of the
time in the States.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_17 (29:44):
or that something luxurious would
also be practical.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_08444 (29:48):
right,
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025 (29:49):
Those aren't usually equated.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (29:51):
mm hmm,
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_ (29:52):
Wow.
It's, it's like living.
I mean, it really is like livingin an episode of Star Trek where
you're just kind of going, well,they're humanoid, but it's just
a little off,
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (30:05):
but it's just a little off,
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (30:08):
but I love it.
It's so fun.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (30:10):
yeah,
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (30:11):
How are you feeling back in the
culture of Alaska?
Any, um, cultural friction?
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (30:16):
um, Yes, but that's not a U.
S.
cultural friction so much as a,oh, this is my small town I grew
up in and this is why I leftfriction.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (30:28):
The same friction you would have
felt just visiting from Seattle.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084 (30:32):
Exactly, exactly,
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_17 (30:34):
So for me in Kentucky, that means,
uh, every single grocery clerkhas to ask me about myself and
my business.
What drives you crazy in Alaska?
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (30:47):
Um, I don't know if it's small town
stuff or if I don't, or I don'tknow if it's, I suspect it's
more Latin culture stuff, butit's all the gossip.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (30:57):
Oh,
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (30:58):
Yeah, it's just all the, all the
gossip, um, not in a favorableway, but a lot of, a lot of
backbiting and, um, just veryunsavory talk.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025 (31:16):
well, that's no fun.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (31:17):
No! It isn't!
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_ (31:20):
It's always hard to go home again.
The, your buttons get pushed soeasy.
There's certain things thatalways make you feel like you
are home, even if it doesn'tnecessarily mean it's a place
you want to be,
aimee_2_02-11-2025_08444 (31:32):
right.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_ (31:33):
they know how to get your buttons.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (31:34):
For sure.
And it's, you know, it's one ofthose things where like, Oh,
right, right.
And, you know, I actuallyadmonished myself a little bit
because I was like, you know,this is like this here.
And you thought that you couldbe here for more than four days
without it showing up.
(31:55):
Like, what were you thinking,child?
How could you forget?
How could you forget?
Um, but you know, I, I, I knowhow, I know how to deal with it.
I know how to adjust to it.
I know the things that I have todo for myself to just me, you
know, to just deal with it,survive it because.
(32:18):
It is what it is and they arewho they are and
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (32:23):
And it hopefully make you feel even
better about getting back home.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_0844 (32:31):
Indeed, indeed.
But, you know, I am, I am, um,liberally consuming string
cheese and that's a bonus.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_174 (32:41):
I am still craving Raisin Bran and
have every intention of gettingmy mouth conjoined with a box of
Raisin Bran when I get to Vegas.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (32:53):
that sounds so very sexual.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-202 (32:56):
That's the level at which this craving
has reached.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (32:59):
I get it.
I get it.
you know,
rebecca-west_2_02-11-202 (33:02):
string cheese when you get back on the
plane?
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (33:05):
I I probably will if i'm not sick of
it, you know the the ferventneed for it that I had Last year
is not present.
It's it's now it's kind of anenjoyable convenient thing for
me.
Um, So if i'm not like over it,I I will totally i'll totally
uh, bring some back.
(33:25):
I I will say though that Beingyou know, I I spent so many
decades really hating Alaska andbeing here this time, you know,
despite the, the socialabsurdities, the sunsets are
glorious.
(33:46):
The sunsets right now, thiswinter are absolutely stunning.
And I've been gone from thestate for 25 years.
And that's long enough that nowI come back and I find that the
landscape distracts me the waythat it would distract somebody
who is here for the first time.
(34:07):
and it can be dangerous.
Like, because you're on thefreeway driving and the sun is
starting to set.
And in the, in the Alaska statesong, one of the lines is purple
mountains majesty.
And when the sun is setting, theway that the light hits the
mountains does turn them purple.
And it's really phenomenal.
(34:29):
It's, it is glorious.
It's, it's a really beautifulsight.
And because the mountains are sohuge and imposing on the
landscape, it's impossible notto notice them.
And they can be highlydistracting.
So.
I've had some good walks withfriends while I'm here too, and,
one of my friends even took mefor a stress relieving
(34:49):
weightlifting session onSaturday, which was amazing.
So, um, yeah, that was great.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (34:58):
I'm glad you're having good moments.
If people want to see thesebeautiful purple mountains,
what, Alaska is a fairly largestate.
What part of Alaska are wetalking?
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (35:08):
I'm in Anchorage right now.
so those are the, the ChugachMountains that, that they would
be seeing.
If I'm remembering correctly, Ibelieve it's the Chugach
Mountains.
and they are in the, they framethe eastern side of the city.
So that's the other thing isit's very easy to navigate where
you are in this town because themountains are east and no matter
(35:30):
where you are you can see themountains.
And from there you can orientyourself to whether you're
heading north or south orwhatever.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-202 (35:37):
Damien and I got to take a more normal
touristy vacation to Alaska oneyear, and it remains one of the
best trips I've ever taken.
And we splurged on a helicopterride that had us land on top of
a which meant,
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (35:51):
Whoa, cool.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_17 (35:54):
we were walking on top of So much
ice, which is one of the thingsthat I loved about living in
Seattle with some, as a geologymajor, I would sometimes just
walk around and try to imagine amile or two of ice above my head
or, you know, whatever thethickness was.
So we got to walk on thatamazing amount of water and ice.
(36:15):
And then those, those pools thatare up there and the rivers that
are up there and that bluecolor.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (36:23):
Yeah.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025 (36:24):
other worldly.
It almost is hypnotizing to thepoint where you want to.
I wanted to step into that pool,but you can imagine magical
creatures like sirens justbeckoning you forward.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (36:41):
Yeah,
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_17 (36:42):
It was one of the most Remarkable
excursions I've ever taken andworth every penny.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (36:48):
yeah.
For those of you who are oldenough to remember the
popularity of neon colors in the1980s, glaciers are like a
somewhat transparent tone ofneon blue.
They are crazy in color.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_ (37:06):
It's impossibly beautiful.
Yeah, there's so much on thisplanet to see, even in places we
don't really want to be spendingour time.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_0 (37:14):
Precisely.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025_1 (37:16):
Um, well, we've meandered all over
the place.
You feel like there's a, any,uh, a nice Packageable takeaways
today.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (37:23):
I got nothing.
I'm going to throw that back atyou because you always ask me
that question.
And now I think it's your turn.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025 (37:31):
Yeah, but I was the one that
meandered.
Meandered?
I meandered.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084449 (37:35):
hence you're the one who knows what
the lessons along the way are.
rebecca-west_2_02-11-2025 (37:38):
Okay, here's what I'm coming up with.
If you are the kind of personprone to future worry, like me,
which is not always an actuallyhelpful habit, see if you can
reframe it as action planning.
Like, if this were to happen,What would you do?
Because as Aimee says, it's agreat way to reclaim some agency
(38:00):
and power and turn it from worryinto a plan.
aimee_2_02-11-2025_084 (38:05):
Perfect.
Hasta pronto.
We hope you enjoyed this episodeof Bonjola.
If you did, the best thing youcan do is share it with another
person brave enough to moveabroad.
See you next time!
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