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Getting Emotional
Sisu- with Clare Balding and Dr Hilary Virtanen
Season 1, Ep. 9
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Here in Britain, we're known for having a 'stiff upper lip'.But do other countries have an equivalent? Well, Finland certainly does! And they called it 'sisu'.
It's about grit, determination, and working toward a goal. It's a willingness to keep on going, even though you might not win the battle you're fighting. Hey, even if you don't win, the victory is in trying. There's no direct translation in English, so I've done my best to dig out the spirit of the word. And I've come to the conclusion it's about being gutsy, showing chutzpah, and just...keeping on. Pure determination through adversity.
I've had the best time researching this word, and finding out more about a country I (embarrassingly) knew very little about. My research took me to the Finlandia University in Michigan, where I found a Professor of Finnish and Nordic Studies- Dr Hilary Virtanen (@HilaryVirtanen on twitter). Not only did she give me more info on sisu, she told me about times she, or students on her campus, have felt it too. After speaking to her I got a real sense that sisu, and the Finnish community she works with, are something pretty special.
I also decided to ask around, and see if anyone else had felt this determination through adversity. And during a chat with Clare Balding about her new children's book, 'Fall Off, Get Back On, Keep Going', I realised this feeling extends to kids as well as adults. Her book is about giving kids the skills and belief they need to face struggles in life, and it's an absolute winner- I highly recommend it! And she very kindly told me about a very candid story from her own past- one that I'd never heard before- as an example of a time she's had to work through.
Sisu was quite the most intriguing word I've come across in a long time, and it gave me a chance to indulge my love of history too. If anything, making this podcast was quite the opposite of sisu- it was a joy to make! Hopefully you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed putting it together. And next time you find yourself going through something a little tough- dig deep, and you might find some sisu to help you through.
Oh, if you want to say hi, I'm on twitter, @GetEmotionalPod. Thanks!
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5. Fago- with Bilal Zafar
25:14||Season 3, Ep. 5The act of caring for someone is important, brave, and selfless. It requires love and compassion, sure, but sometimes it's also inspired by pity and vulnerability of the other person. You're doing it all whilst knowing that it can't last forever; maybe they'll get stronger and not need you anymore, maybe they'll pass away, or maybe you'll leave them.All these factors come into play in this emotion: fago. It's a mixture of feelings that build into a broad combination of love, compassion and pity, and result in the act of caring for someone. It was first found to be described by the Ifaluk people on a remote island in the Pacific; their peaceful and sharing culture prizes fago as a deeply desired emotion and state of being. So for this feeling, I spoke to excellent comedian Bilal Zafar, who's written a whole Edinburgh Fringe show about the year he spent working in a care home. He tells me about what it was like having responsibility for residents with dementia, how he coped when they found out he was a comedian, and how it affected his point of view in his current career. You can find Bilal on twitter, at @zafarcakes, or on Twitch, at twitch.tv/zafarcakes. And I'm on twitter too, @getemotionalpod, plus instagram, @gettingemotionalpodcast.Also, as a side-note: this podcast was nominated at the British Podcast Awards last week! It's up for the Bullseye Award- a bit like the best small/niche podcast, so keep your eyes peeled in case we manage to nab a victory!4. Kaukokaipuu- with Hand Luggage Only
17:58||Season 3, Ep. 4Ever wanted to travel somewhere in particular, and you have no idea why? Perhaps somewhere you haven't been before, but you feel like if you were to get there, you'd suddenly feel...at home? Because that's what this feeling means. It's extreme wanderlust, an urge to travel, and almost feeling homesick for a place you've never been to. To describe it, I travel back to my old pals, the Finns, who created this beautiful- and very tricky to pronounce- word. (If nothing else, you'll enjoy the progress I make with it through the show.) And to discuss it in more depth, I chatted to travel bloggers Hand Luggage Only (aka Yaya and Lloyd) about how they became travellers, why they pick certain places to go to, and what top tips they might have for the curious adventurer. You can find them on instagram @HandLuggageOnly, and you can find me there too, at @gettingemotionalpodcast. I'm also on twitter, @getemotionalpod. Come say hi before you go off on your next adventure!3. Uhtcaere- with Stig Abell
17:23||Season 3, Ep. 3You're lying in bed, awake. It's 5.45am. Your mind wanders. Should you get up now? Is your packed lunch ready? Will you go to the gym? Have you paid your rent? All of these things play into the feeling of 'uhtcaere'- lying in bed, worrying about the day ahead before it's even started. The emotion comes from an Anglo-Saxon poem, The Wife's Lament, where a woman is bereft without her beloved. Although the poem is fantastically vague, we know it's about a woman looking for her partner. And most of that worry, it seems, is 'uhtcaere'- in the pre-dawn moments. So for this emotion I got incredibly geeky about Anglo-Saxon history (honestly, I had to hold myself back) and discovered more about literature from this era. I even read a very saucy riddle about an onion, but the less said about that the better. Then, I spoke to Times Radio's Breakfast presenter Stig Abell- because who knows early mornings better than a breakfast radio presenter? He told me what time he gets up, how his show is planned, and what he does to keep the show on the road while avoiding uhtcaere for himself and his listeners. We eben invented a few new emotions along the way, including 'sockdread'. (You'll have to listen to find out more.)So, when youre lying in bed worrying about the day ahead, I hope you're not worrying about which podcast to listen to. Because it's this one, obviously. Oh, by the way, you can find me on twitter @getemotionalpod, and instagram @gettingemotionalpodcast. And: Journey in the New World by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Source: http://www.twinmusicom.org/song/258/journey-in-the-new-worldArtist: http://www.twinmusicom.org2. La Cuna- with The Turner Twins and Jonathan Kolby
22:24||Season 3, Ep. 2Shackleton! Columbus! Attenborough! They're all people who have ruined it for the rest of us. Well, according to this emotion, La Cuna. It's a twinge of sadness that we maybe know too much about the world around us. In exploring everything we possibly can, we've ruined the mystery, the possibility, and excitement of it, for future generations. But are explorers even a thing anymore? It turns out, yes! I found The Turner Twins (@TheTurnerTwins), who have some fascinating adventures under their belt, and were kind enough to share not only their stories, but thoughts on modern-day exploring, and how maybe we need to focus more on looking after the bits of Earth we've already found. With that in mind, I chatted to conservationist and National Geographic explorer, Jonathan Kolby (@MyFrogCroaked). He reckons that maybe we have already found every place we can, but that doesn't mean we've found every creature, animal, or explanation for why things are the way they are. So have we explored every possible piece of our planet? I'll let you decide. But the one conclusion we can all come to seem like this: however much of it we've discovered, we need to make sure we look after it. Remember, if you want to get in touch, please do! Find me on twitter @getemotionalpod, or on instagram at @gettingemotionalpodcast.1. The Ick- with Aaliyah Harry
14:35||Season 3, Ep. 1You might know it from Love Island. You might know it from Ally McBeal. You might know it from feeling this way about a Tinder date last night. It's the ultimate in turn-offs, The Ick. This feeling is a gut reaction. A sudden and sharp revulsion, a feeling that the person you're romantically attached with has suddenly become...well, icky. This normally occurs relatively early on in a relationship, and the causes can be anything- from the way that person crosses a road, to the way you imagine them filling their car with petrol. (Yes, both of these are real-life examples of why The Ick struck.) The Ick seems silly and fun, but actually there's a little more to it than I- and maybe you- realise. Perhaps you're feeling it because of a fear of commitment, or fear of intimacy, or because your previous relationships have been so dysfunctional that this one, by virtue of being healthy, seems wrong. Perhaps this behaviour from your date is one that society has forced you to think of as embarrassing, and you don't truly believe that yourself. Or perhaps, y'know, they just breathe really loudly and it's INCREDIBLY ANNOYING.Either way, I discuss it with Grazia writer Aaliyah Harry, as she is someone who has both felt the emotion, and written about it for the magazine. So she has lots of fun examples to tell, and some 'on the ground' thoughts about why, and how, it's occurred to her previously. Oh, and if you want to get in touch, find me on twitter @getemotionalpod, or on my new instagram account, @gettingemotionalpodcast.Series 3 is coming...
03:00||Season 3Oh hi, friend. How are you? It's been a long time, I know. But thanks for sticking around. Series 3 is back after a longer hiatus than expected (I'll explain more if you listen) and I'm ready and raring to go with more emotions and guests than you can shake a stick at.This series has comedian Rufus Hound, broadcaster and writer Stig Abell, explorer brothers The Turner Twins, and loads more besides! It's going to be a rollercoaster of brand new emotions, and I can't wait for you to hear what I have up my sleeve. In the meantime, a lil trailer for ya, to whet your whistle...
8. Getting Emotional: End of Season 2
14:22||Season 2, Ep. 8IT IS THE END. Sorry to be dramatic, I had to get your attention. It's the end of season 2 and I'm just...y'know, emotional about it. It's been a ride, eh? Through this series we've met some incredible people, learnt about some amazing emotions, and we've all had a little cry. Oh, just me on that last one? Right.Anyway, to celebrate the end, here's a few snippets of some great interviews that I didn't get to include- we have Nish Kumar and I geeking out about comedy, Dr Soph Mort telling us it's ok to be sad, and Femi Oluwole explaining why a lot more people voted Brexit than some of us expected. I've also thrown in a few new emotions too- feelings that don't necessarily fill up a whole podcast, but I think you'd like to hear about anyway!Thanks so much for listening and getting in touch this series; it's so lovely to know there are people out there! If you want to say hi, come find me on twitter @getemotionalpod. And, as mentioned in the show, I got nominated for an award this week- hurray! It's for Moment of Raw Emotion at the International Women's Podcast Awards, and mostly I'm just thrilled to be called an International Woman. And don't worry- there's a new series on the way very soon. The guests are bookin' in and the emotions are bubblin' up- so far we have words like Treppenwitz, The Ick, and Kaukokaipuu to look forward to. See you soon..!
7. Basorexia
11:16||Season 2, Ep. 7Ever fancied a cheeky snog on a night out? Or a romantic embrace with the love of your life? Or even a peck on the cheek of an elderly relative? Then it sounds like you've felt basorexia: the sudden urge to kiss someone. This emotion is urgent, quick, and acted upon almost immediately. And it's also not one that is easy to get a guest for, so instead, I got loads! Listeners sent in their memories of feeling this emotion, and were kind enough to let me include them in the show. (Thank you so much to everyone who got in touch!) So we have a sneaky peek into what basorexia means for a selection of people- whether it represents fun and dancing, or just a craving for affection.Also, come find me on twitter, @GetEmotionalPod!
6. Ruinenlust- with Angela Barnes
19:46||Season 2, Ep. 6Picture this: you're wandering around a crumbling castle, fascinated by the ruins, totally lost in the history of it all. Not only are you amazed by its beauty, you're also heavily reminded of the past, present and future. These ruins of a once-grand building inspire a feeling of obsession, pleasure, and wonder. It's ruinenlust.This is a German word, and describes the feeling of pleasure you take when exploring old ruins. But 'ruins' don't have to be a castle- it could be a column, a church, a...cold war bunker. Because that's what I'm talking about with comedian, podcaster, and history lover Angela Barnes. Angela's love of cold war bunkers- now pretty much all abandoned- has inspired a full Radio 4 series, as well as providing a location for her hen-do! So I decided to ask her why these building in particular are so interesting- is it the building, or the history surrounding them? She gives some fascinating answers, as well as ruminating on her own ruinenlust.Angela is on the wonderful We Are History podcast, if you want to hear her discover more historical gems, and you can find her on twitter @AngelaBarnes. I'm there too, @GetEmotionalPod. Come say hi!