Denny Goin, a returning guest who is currently traveling, talks about what it's like to travel internationally during a pandemic and gives insight into business ventures and acquiring residence in another country. He also discusses the use of English in foreign countries, challenges of setting up a business in Dubai, and the role of government in society. Additionally, the podcast explores topics such as COVID-19 regulations, flying in private jets, immigrating to the US, residency permits, challenges for Americans living abroad, and the potential of cryptocurrencies.

Newly ordained Father Jay Korban discusses his journey into the priesthood and overseeing parishes in rural Manitoba. Topics include Winnipeg's flooding issue, Catholicism, the role of faith, priest duties, Bible interpretation, and the possibility of God being an alien. The conversation also covers living in small towns during the pandemic, communication evolution, frustrations with email confirmation, and challenges in rural areas.

David Horton, a writer and editor based in Beijing, China, shares stories of living and traveling throughout the USA and China. He discusses the current state of the ESL industry and the challenges of language learning. The podcast also explores topics such as mainstream media, political ideologies, punk shows, workout routines, diverse music scenes, and the speaker's approach to poetry and writing projects. They delve into ancient knowledge, mythologies, and the challenges of being a working musician. The podcast concludes with discussions on creating projects and living in Winnipeg, Canada.

David Zellis, filmmaker and film producer, discusses the changing movie industry, services offered by Zellco Entertainment, and the impact of the Coronavirus in Winnipeg. They also touch on using social media for business and online dating experiences. The conversation covers topics such as Facebook's algorithm, the confusion caused by their shared name, challenges faced by micro-budget filmmakers, frustrations with exclusive content, and the transition from physical to digital media. They also explore their love for fighting games, the monetization of gaming, agricultural droning, scams on Tinder in China, and downtown revitalization in Winnipeg.

John Rennie, an ESL teacher and musician, discusses his experiences as an expat in South Korea, Thailand, Japan, and England, as well as his music project The Defector Frequency. Topics covered include the expat experience, the impact of COVID-19, currency values, crossing borders, a hospitalization in Bangkok, transitioning from teaching English, the challenges of performing at live venues, death metal subcultures, the challenges of using Zoom for music, and the challenges and rewards of pursuing music in the modern era.

Anna Bass, an ESL teacher and filmmaker, discusses her experiences in Montreal, New York, and Moscow. They cover the impact of the pandemic in New York, contact tracing in China, digital payments, the movie Generation P, studying Chinese and their plans for the HSK test, transportation in China, working as an ESL teacher, Dream Movers Camp, navigating the city, practical skills learned at the camp, and surviving in the online media world.

Guest Liubov Lomonosova, a running coach and personal trainer, shares her journey from Ukraine to the US and how she overcame her dislike of running. They discuss the challenges of relocating to a new country and delve into the mental and physical challenges of running marathons. The importance of having a coach and the impact of habits on the brain are also explored.

Topics discussed include buying gold and moving to an island in the south Pacific, proximity to Area 51 and plans to visit, transportation options in Las Vegas, hockey teams in the NHL, baseball culture and historical atrocities, manipulation techniques, politics, and media influence, foundations of the American Republic and the evolution of voting rights, exploring Canada and cultural integration, entrepreneurship, genetic predisposition, and immigration, division and limited resources, exploring different countries and dreaming of traveling to Northern Iraq, teaching English in Oman, property buying requirements in Fiji, finding aviation schools and availability of flight simulators, plans for Fiji, coronavirus impact, and economic collapse, leaving America for South Korea, reflections on American patriotism, anarchy, and the threat of political violence, encountering hostility while canvassing for a political candidate, political action committees, coronavirus overreaction, lack of democratic campaigning, failure to call out violence, politics, history, and perspectives.

This week’s episode features another friend here in Beijing, Natalya Ba. She has been in China for 9 years originally to study Chinese Medicine and then stayed on to work and to study the Chinese language. **You’ll note that I make a bit of mix up with the episode numbers right at the beginning of the episode. That is because last week I actually had recorded another episode with another person but technology did not let us save that one. So, we’ve arranged to record again sometime in the near future. Also, you’ll hear a bit of background noise from outside. Since I recorded this with one microphone and didn’t want it to be too intrusive in the conversation, I placed it a bit further back to record. I’m sure you can bear the few times it pops up. Show notes up at https://www.stevensirski.com/ssp17-nataly-ba/

This podcast episode takes the hosts back to their time in a band, discussing old recordings and their meanings. They also cover topics such as workout routines, lockdown impact, craft beer, adapting theater to film, admiration for Reggie Watts and band performances, cassette tapes, collaboration within jams, a fence, photo and regret, trapped feelings in mythology, play discussion, creating a swamp-like song, reminiscing about recording sessions, dealing with listeners, recording percussion instruments, moving a drum set, dusty attic memories, and analyzing familiar songs.