Tracks From Abroad

Myanmar/India – Tracks From Abroad Ep.86

Episode 86 of Tracks From Abroad starts in India, where we talk to Harman Grewal, a PhD student from West Bengal. While chatting with us, Harman describes how his his family journeyed through the jungle from Myanmar to their current home in India. We make a similar trek as we cross the border into Myanmar, where we talk to globetrotting photographer Bryan Dickie and Napas Thein, president of U of T's Myanmar Culture Club. They enlighten us on their experience with the ongoing conflict in Myanmar.
Tune in to our show Mondays at 6pm on CIUT, and for a chance to win two tickets to a concert by Indian tabla musician Ritesh Das, follow @TFA, follow @CIUT895FM, and tag three friends in the comments under our giveaway post on Instagram.
Here's the link to the concert if you'd like to include it in the post: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/ritesh-das-album-release-concert-to-begin-with-tickets-730439743937

Hungary – Tracks From Abroad Ep.85

This week on Tracks From Abroad we speak to a Shaolin Kung Fu World Champion from Hungary.@misskisswushu is an architecture student at @uoftdaniels at @uoft , and she sat down with TFA’s hosts to discuss Kung Fu competitions in China, the building of UFO-shaped homes in Hungary, and her method for goal-setting both in class and in the real world.On this episode of TFA you’ll be exposed to Hungarian music from across the 20th century, and you can send in your thoughts on the episode to TracksFromAbroad@ciut.fm .Next week is a highly anticipated episode on Myanmar, and we hope you’ll tune in on @ciut895fm — Mondays at 6pm EST.

Azerbaijan – Tracks From Abroad Ep.84

On episode 84 of Tracks From Abroad we visit Azerbaijan, a country situated at a crossroads of cultures.
Our TFA hosts spoke with Matin Muradli, an Azerbaijani exchange student studying biology with a focus on stem cells. Matin tells us about car racing in Baku, Azerbaijani cuisine, and his experience as a two-time Biology Olympiad.
Later on the broadcast we chatted with Artemis Sadeghi, founder of the U of T chapter of Not Just Tourists (NJT). NJT sends medical supplies around the world in airplane suitcases to countries in desperate need of humanitarian aid. Artemis explains how to get involved, the need she's seen in her home country of Iran, and tourists' tendency to ignore strife when traveling abroad.
The Azerbaijani music on this episode come from several distinct genres mixing rock, traditional folk, and even classical music!
Tune in to our show Mondays at 6pm on CIUT or anytime online. Next week's show is all about Hungary!

Scotland – Tracks From Abroad Ep.83

On episode 83 of Tracks From Abroad we visited Scotland, a country with an especially strong cultural influence on eastern Canadian provinces like Prince Edward Island where 41% of the population is Scottish! 
TFA's hosts spoke with Megan, an exchange student studying linguistics with a special interest in sign language. She is most familiar with British Sign Language, although she plans to take a course in American Sign Language starting next semester. 
Having only been living in Canada for a month, Megan reflects on the differences between Toronto and her hometown of Glasgow–namely all the cars driving on the opposite side of the road.
Megan introduces us to a fascinating traditional Scottish tune from Jean Redpath as well as a more contemporary track by the band Current Affairs.
Tune in next week on CIUT 89.5 FM to listen to TFA episode 84 on Azerbaijan!

South Korea – Tracks From Abroad Ep.82

For episode 82 of Tracks From Abroad we finally visited South Korea!
TFA hosts Alex and Seth spoke with Ryan Cho, a student of Ethics, Society, & Law at U of T. Ryan talked about the appeal of K-pop, the changing values in Korean culture, and how he maintains his connection to the country.
You will also hear from Bill Ju, a human biology professor at U of T. We talked to Bill about his parent's journey to Canada, his own teaching style, and his view of the international student experience.
Listen up for a great mixture of Korean and Canadian tracks, and tune into our show, Mondays at 6pm on CIUT.
Our next episode is all about Scotland!

Greece – Tracks From Abroad Ep.81

For episode 81 of Tracks From Abroad we speak with Phaedra Archi, a Theatre and Performance & Cinema Studies student in U of T's drama department. 
Phaedra talked about the Greek mythology that inspired her name, being bilingual, her love of the Greek mountains, Toronto's Greektown (does their food compare to authentic Greek food in Greece?), and her interest in the Performing Arts. 
The music on this episode include popular Greek songs which have influences from neighboring countries like Turkey. Tune in to our show Mondays at 6pm on CIUT for episode 82 coming up next week!

Spain -- Tracks From Abroad Ep.80

We have been around the world in 80 episodes on Tracks From Abroad, and this week our outgoing host, Jesse, finished off with an episode on Spain.
Jesse visited Bilbao in the Basque part of Spain this summer, and today's episode you will hear music with traditional influences of the Basque Country. You will also hear music on this show played with traditional Basque instruments like the Txistu flute and the Txalaparta.
Our first guest on this episode was Jon Ander, a local in Bilbao who talked about the region’s transformation into a cultural hub, the Athletic Bilbao football club, and the historic Camino de Santiago pilgrimage.
Later, Jesse shares field recordings of the Euskara language and of a church organist performing in San Sebastien.
Next week TFA will begin a new chapter with a volunteer team and two new hosts, Alex and Seth. The structure is the same, but Jesse is graduating this fall and the show must go on! Please listen next week when TFA visits Greece on CIUT 89.5 FM.

Italy/Colombia -- Tracks From Abroad Ep.79

For episode 79 of Tracks From Abroad we speak with Isabella Milano, a classical voice performance student in U of T's music department. 
Isabella performed her original song, Up In the Air, at Youth Day this summer at Yonge and Dundas Square, and on this episode you will hear about how that project came together. 
Isabella's family is Italian and Colombian, so we chatted about the kind of music she grew up listening to, code switching between Spanish and English, and her first trip to Colombia to visit her abuela. 
The music on today's show is a mixture of Italian and Colombian tracks with lots of Canadian artists like Frank Moyo, Beny Esguerra, and Dia. Tune in to our show Mondays at 6pm on CIUT for episode 80 coming up next week!

Taiwan -- Tracks From Abroad Ep.78

After last week's show in Slovenia, Tracks From Abroad is crossing to eastern Asia to visit the island of Taiwan. We are approaching episode 80 of TFA while entering into a new chapter of our show as we bring together a team of talented CIUT volunteers to carry the show for the next 8 months. 
First on the episode we speak with Simon, a U of T student who lived in Taiwan from age 4 until age 18 before coming to study in Canada. Simon talks on TFA about Taiwanese restaurants, we compare the island's social norms to Canada's, and we touch on the gory Taiwanese horror film industry. 
Next on the episode you'll hear Ross, a TFA listener who shares about his experience being married to his Taiwanese wife, a Daoist, who practices the religion of Daoism. Ross talks about the six visits he's made to Taiwan, the religious festivals he's witnessed, and the different paper objects he's seen burned in order to be sent to ancestors in the afterlife. 
If you're hungry for some soup dumplings and a look into Taiwanese culture, this is the episode for you. Check it out on Tracks From Abroad, Mondays at 6pm on CIUT 89.5 FM. 

Slovenia -- Tracks From Abroad Ep.77

Ever wanted to travel to Slovenia? Now is your chance, because this week on Tracks From Abroad you will hear an interview from a Slovenian exchange student and some fantastic Balkan music. 
We welcomed Andrej to our show who studied abroad in Toronto during the last winter semester. Andrej talks about Slovenian folk music, the languages he speaks (ever heard of Serbo-Croatian?) and of his family back in Slovenia. 
What music will you hear on this episode? Well my favorite track is a Slovenia cover of She's a Lady by Tom Jones...Dama by Oto Pestner! Keep it locked on TFA Mondays at 6pm on CIUT, and send us a message anytime, at TracksFromAbroad@ciut.fm