Tracks From Abroad

Argentina and Ecuador – Tracks From Abroad Ep.89

Episode 89 of Tracks from Abroad first brings us to Ecuador, where we speak to Tomas. He speaks about his love of the cello and his aspiration to play in symphonic orchestras. But it's not all strings and seriousness - we also hear about his affection for danceable Ecuadorian music, which he hears when he meets with other Ecuadorian-Canadians and which you will hear on this episode.
We then travel south and talk with Argentinian professor Alejandro Sofier. He explains to us his interest in the horror genre of literature and also about his past as a journalist.
As always, join us next week on the next Tracks from Abroad episode!

Bangladesh – Tracks From Abroad Ep.88

Episode 88 of Tracks from Abroad brings us to Bangladesh, where we speak to Neha. She speaks about her interests while studying at the university and about how language plays a big role in Bengali culture. She reminisces on her time living in Bangladesh and later speaks to being involved in the community on campus, advocating for commuter students.
 
We hear some classic Bengali folk tracks as well as some newer tunes recommended by Neha. Join us next week as we take a trip to South America and visit Ecuador!

Rwanda/Madagascar – Tracks From Abroad Ep.87

On episode 87 of Tracks From Abroad, we take a visit to two African countries, one on the mainland and another off the coast.
We first speak to Skylar from Rwanda, who tells us about his journey moving to Uganda, and more recently about his time thus far in Toronto. He touches upon his love for film and fashion, as well as his artistic expression through writing.
We then speak to Madagascar-born Donné Roberts, and his Japanese collaborator Yukiko Tsutsui. They reflect on how unique cultural experiences have impacted their music and describe some of the traditional aspects in both Japanese and Malagasy music.
Join us next week for episode 88 of 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.