As part of this series, I conduct interviews with fascinating people who have resided all over the country and the globe. These occasional interviews appear as podcast episodes (available through your browser or on various podcast apps) and while the starting place for these interviews are questions about physical “homes”, we get to talk about all sorts of other things that are (or are not) “home” in their lives.
It’s finally my favorite season, summer! And that means it’s time for the second episode of the Home is a Changeling podcast!
I am thrilled to introduce you to my newest guest, Maureen “Mo” Maloney. We met nearly two decades ago as bright-eyed twentysomethings in the mountain town of Flagstaff, Arizona, and have been great friends ever since. At certain times in our lives, we’ve had the same clothes, the same interests, and yin-and-yang haircuts (hers would be long when mine was short, then mine would be long and hers was cut short–this happened a lot). We’ve been mistaken for each other numerous times, though she is far braver and more outspoken than I. For those reasons and many more, I am so thankful I have her in my life, and I know you’ll enjoy meeting her and listening to her stories, too.
Some high points of Mo’s interview include hearing her speak about serving in the Peace Corps in Madagascar where, at first, she stuck out in the most hilarious of ways. She tells us how her Peace Corps service took an unexpected turn when she was evacuated following a national coup, and how this final chapter of her experience there left her with an acute sense of loss.
She also talks about living on a Tall Ship and sailing around the Channel Islands. Listen to her recount the time she and the crew had to navigate through a harrowing midnight storm while a reality TV show was being filmed on the ship (and the surprising choices the show’s producers made later about depicting the action).
For someone like Maureen who, throughout her adult life, has chosen to live in a diverse array of locales and travel extensively, many lessons are learned quickly and often. She has some wise words about combating homesickness, how living the dream entails sacrifice, and how humor helps her appreciate the present moment.
Enjoy!
Check out the podcast first to hear Mo explain the backstory, and then watch this (ridiculous, obviously staged) 2-minute clip about the epic storm aboard Mo's Tall Ship from the reality TV show "Owner's Manual":
Note: You’ll notice that there have been some improvements to the podcast page and app–it seems like they’re still tweaking it, but I think it flows much better! You should be able to download it by clicking on the “Listen On” button above. As always, let me know if you’re not seeing how to get access to it.
Reflection questions:
If frequent travel is important to you, how have you incorporated travel into your sense of “home” (and vice versa)?
Have you ever visited a place and realized that you could see yourself living there? What are some of the elements that spoke to you about making a home in that place?
Here’s the scenario: an anonymous benefactor has gifted you a free ticket to live anywhere in the world for six months, free of charge. The catch: you leave tomorrow, and you can only bring a backpack with you. Are you up for it? If not, why not? If so, where do you go and what do you bring?
Image: At the summit of Kala Patthar (that’s Mount Everest in the background, natch). Photo courtesy of Maureen Maloney.
Mo Mo Mo