The Forrin Podcast

Mike and Pat talk about conscription in this latest episode of The Forrin Podcast. Mike's facing the real prospect of one of his four children being called up for military service in Denmark, where the length of conscription had just been lengthened from four to 11 months. The British Prime Minister this week announced that a form of national service will be reinstated in the UK if the Conservatives win the election this year.Pat talks about his experiences in the army cadets in Wales and gives a quick history of conscription in France, including details of current youth service schemes.And here's the link from the discussion about levels of absolute poverty in the UK.

Welcome back to the 16th episode of Forrin. This week, Pat and Mike consider how living in another country has affected their relationship with their family. As Mike's parents are divorced, he feels that perhaps he feels even more estranged from his parents. Whereas Pat still feels close to his family.Pat opens up about how the death of his father affected him as he received the news while he was several hundred miles from his homeland, and the pair discuss how they feel about their parents getting old.So without further ado, get your AirPods in, or your headphones on, or, turn up the volume on your stereo and take a trip in to the land of foreignness.Also, while you’re here, don't forget to follow the guys on Instagram and Facebook. You can email the boys at forrinpodcast@gmail.comThis episode was produced and edited by Mike BowdenMusic by Mike Bowden

Welcome to the 15th episode of Forrin. In this episode Pat and Mike talk about the things they miss, and really don’t miss, from live in the UK. If you take a quick glance at the episode title and image, it’ll give you a clue as to some of things they get their teeth into! So without further ado, get your AirPods in, or your headphones on, or, turn up the volume on your stereo and take a trip in to the land of foreignness. Also, while you’re here, don't forget to follow the guys on Instagram and Facebook. You can email the boys at forrinpodcast@gmail.comThis episode was produced and edited by Patrick Garratt. Music by Mike Bowden

This episode sees Pat and Mike tackle the new-Nike-flag-on-the-England-kit controversy! Mike gets told on Facebook about the sacrifice made for the St. George's cross...Big Lebowski style! The pair go on to talk about the history of the 'Dannebrog' and the 'Tricolour' and how the French and the Danes would feel if their flag on their football team's shirt was changed as a result. Don't forget to follow on Instagram and Facebook. You can email the boys at forrinpodcast@gmail.comThis episode was produced and edited by Mike Bowden.Music by Mike Bowden

In this week's episode, Pat and Mike answer listener Rasmus' question about the school systems in the UK/DK and France. They talk about pedagogy - or the lack thereof - in school when they were young, and how much has changed since the 80s and early 90s when they went to school. They also touch upon the last survey showing that Denmark is the second happiest country in the world, whereas France doesn't even make the top 20. Pat muses on why that might be.Don't hesitate to contact us with your questions and comments at forrinpodcast@gmail.com, or via our instagram, @forrinpodcast.This week's episode was produced and edited by Patrick Garratt.Music by Mike Bowden

Mike and Pat, two men from England who now live in Denmark and France respectively, continue to talk about issues related to foreigners an foreignness. Here they discuss an email from Pat's mum about whether or not they feel a sense of cultural identity. Mike does, Pat doesn't.In this hour-long episode, the pair explore the concept of cultural identity, how it can be confused with national identity, what it means to Mike to come from London and methods of buying tea.Next episode the subject will be the Danish and the French education systems and how they differ from their British equivalent. Don't forget to follow on Instagram and Facebook. Watch Pat and Mike talking on YouTube.

Episode 11 of Forrin answers a listener's question that reads, "Do you find that there are situations where you prefer one language over another? Does one language support one part of your personality better than the other? Do you feel more confident expressing certain ideas in one language over another?"With that as a starting point, the pair discuss how French and Danish can both heighten and hamper their every day experiences. For example, Pat talks about how, in French, the pronoun "you" can be both informal and formal, and the varying complexities of when to use which and with whom. Mike recounts meetings at work where his relatively limited Danish can come across as confrontational and not be a fair reflection of what he was trying to convey. To much hilarity of everyone (including Pat!)The first 30 mins of this episode can be viewed on YouTube! More video content to come in the future!Next week, the idea of cultural and national identity will be discussed. Don't hesitate to contact us with your questions and comments at forrinpodcast@gmail.com, or via our instagram, @forrinpodcast.This week's episode was produced and edited by Patrick Garratt.Music by Mike Bowden.

Hello and welcome back to the Forrin podcast extra! This week, we’ve interviewed a good colleague of mine, Nerrma Dedic Palomino Aedo. It’s a fascinating interview about how she travelled to Denmark in the early 90s at just 8 years old and how she became the woman she is today. I feel her story is fascinating, relevant and important. Not only in terms of integration, but also her strength, mindset and outlook are all in many ways inspirational regardless of cultural and notional background. When we do these interviews we’re at the mercy of the location that we find ourselves in, and that can affect the audio quality. We have, as always, done our utmost to give you the best sound quality possible. So I urge you to sit back, grab a coffee, and have a listen. Produced and edited by Mike Bowden.Music by Mike Bowden.