I Got Questions with Ash Z

It's the last part of my interview with Andrea where we pick up after Korea in Canada: how she got started in events management and the software world, our first impressions of each other when we met at work, startup life and all the opportunities it provided, and Andrea turns the tables and asks me a bunch of questions.

This episode I find out that Andrea always wanted to be a teacher. We talk about the path that got her to Korea teaching: going through high school, then university for criminology, playing varsity volleyball and why she stopped playing, and moving to Korea. Then we talk about Korea itself and you don't want to miss it: how she was basically sexually assaulted by kindergartener kids, getting a helping hand or two in ladies change rooms, and eating food that doesn’t go down without a fight.

This episode I interview Andrea. She’s one of the reasons why I wanted to start a podcast. As Andrea puts it, "we’re two peas in the same pot". She has a way with sayings. In part 1, we laugh our way through her childhood, how her family escaped Czechoslovakia, what her memories of communism were, her first impressions of the west and Canada, and how she balanced being Slovak with being Canadian.

In the second part of my interview with Tad, we pick up in a small town where Tad has lived for the last 30 years. We talk about the loss of his wife, how to get along with everybody, and what he thinks has kept him going for so long.

I interview my wife's grandfather, who is was born in Poland in 1912. On his own since he was 14, I couldn't wait to record his story so I took my gear to Thanksgiving dinner. I had heard many of them before but am always blown away. The first time I heard it, it sparked a change in me for the better. In Part 1, we explore his life in Poland, a German forced labour camp, immigrating to Montreal, and his knack for learning.

We pick up in Turkey, where Manoo walks me through applying for refugee status at the UN, life in Turkey, reuniting with my Mom, and his first impression of Canada. We end on a favourite topic: western political conspiracy theories.

This week I interview Manoo, a fantastic story teller, about growing up in Iran, his experience of the Islamic revolution, joining the Kurdish rebellion, and eventually escaping to Turkey.

This is a bit of wild one. I interview my friend, Leo/Juan, about immigrating from Honduras, his life and career in real estate, starting a food truck with no experience, and how he's not interesting.

I interview my Father in law, Henry, about being the child of WW2 survivors, growing up in Montreal, working his way up through factories, and how he got into the horse racing business.

I interview my brother, Alan, who is the definition of a rebel. He's got stories and I pulled some of out him. We talk about his memories of Iran, going through school his way, and his life and career in the music and entertainment industry. Note: this episode contains swearing.

I interview one of my best friends, Nathan, about his Indian-ness, moving to Canada, his very successful interior design career, and being a parent.

I interview my wife, Laura, to learn about how her parent shaped her, times she got in trouble, and her fascination with decomposing bodies and crime.