Laos, a Southeast Asian country of about 7 million people,is known for its Buddhist traditions and vibrant food culture. Outhay grew up in the capital, Vientiane, helping her family run a 24-hour convenience store where everyone pitched in. Memories of both the abundance and scarcity of foodshaped her childhood.

After studying English at university, Outhay worked ingovernment administration, where she met Roger, a Tasmanian geologist working in Laos. Romance developed gradually, and laws in Laos had significant penalties for Lao women having relationships with foreign men, meaning they had to bite the bullet and they got married in 2005.

In 2006, Outhay moved to a farm in Wilmot, north-westTasmania. She connected with the local community through playgroups with herchildren and became known for her spring rolls. Later, she retrained by studying cooking at TAFE, worked at a café, and completed a chef’s apprenticeship—earning Tasmania’s Apprentice of the Year in 2016.

Yemen is a country that gets little attention despite being at the centre of one of the greatest humanitarian crises in the world, as declared by the UNHCR in 2025.

There is not space enough here to describe all the events that have led to such a crisis, including civil war, an overthrow of the government and in 2015 a Saudi-led mass bombing of the country, but the results have seen a catastrophic collapse in living standards, large-scale hunger and instability.

In other words, not the kind of environment parents would want their children to grow up in.

This was the view of Khaled's parents in 2015, as missiles rained down in their neighbourhood, destroying many buildings around them, and this was the first step to Khaled coming to Tasmania.

Coming to Hobart to study a Business and Finance degree, Khaled could scarcely have come to a more contrasting environment. A place that was peaceful and quiet, even a bit too quiet, and it took Khaled a while also to adjust to western culture. Despite this, he has truly made a lot of his opportunity to develop his skills, creative pursuits and character.

Of course, it goes without saying, that the situation in Yemen is still very unstable, and in this episode, Khaled speaks of the fears for family still living back home.

The Isle of Man, or Manx, is a self-governing dependency of the United Kingdom, located between Great Britain and Ireland, and has been influenced by the cultures of both. It's known for being an offshore tax haven and a centre for gambling companies. It also has the oldest continuously-running parliament, the Tynwald, which is claimed to be over 1000 years old. There is also the Manx tongue, a Celtic language spoken by little over 2000 people, but which has undergone a recent revival.

With a population of around 80,000, it is perhaps a surprise to find a Manxer on another island on the other side of the world.

It was Ellie's love of boats and sailing that drew her away from the Isle of Man, first with a a sailing adventure across the Atlantic, then 6 months sailing around the Pacific. Her first contact with Tasmania though came through a circumnavigation of Australia on the tall ship the Endeavour .

It wasn't until years later, when Ellie became pregnant with her second child, that her and her Australian partner, made the decision that Tasmania would be the place they would settle and raise their children, and it's been a decision that Ellie hasn't regretted.

Music used in this episode is in the Manx language and is used under Creative Commons from Culture Vannin -

https://culturevannin.im/manxfolklore... . Culture Vannin exists to promote, supportand celebrate the culture of the Isle of Man.