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For Rika Bouffe, Indonesian by birth, married to a French husband, and an expat spouse who has built a life across Indonesia, France, the United States, and India, home was never going to be a fixed address. It had to become something else entirely.

In this episode, Rika shares one of the most honest and layered conversations we've had on Rooted and Routed. She talks about observing Ramadan as a minority in Western countries, where the absence of community led to something unexpected — deeper personal reflection. She talks about pausing a career that had spanned logistics, IT, L'Oréal, and education, and how volunteering became the bridge between who she was professionally and who she was becoming. She talks about raising children between cultures, the guilt that comes with every move, and the quiet work of passing on values when everything else keeps changing.

And she arrives at something that will stay with you long after the episode ends. Identity is not fragmented by living across cultures. It is layered. Every country adds something. Nothing is lost.

In this episode:

— Ramadan across four countries and what changes, what doesn't

— Why Rika's identity feels different in Indonesia than it does in the West

— The identity gap a career pause creates and how volunteering fills it

— Raising third culture kids and answering the question: where is home?

— Cross-cultural marriage, language and the patience it requires

— Why home is not a place, it's wherever the family is together

Wherever you are in your global journey, this one is for you.

🎧 Available now on:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0SIZRiApXjy4UzKVP1Yrzv
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1755695962
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9fdd33e4-4e7a-4be7-b7c6-9f2ce76c5580/rooted-and-routed-podcast
Podcast Index: https://podcastindex.org/podcast/6956558
Podcast Addict: https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/rooted-and-routed-podcast/5204852
Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/rooted-and-routed-podcast-5782163
Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/vbrcdo35
Player FM: https://player.fm/series/rooted-and-routed-podcast

Follow us: https://rootedandrouted.com

Join us and dive into the fascinating world of expat life. Your journey towards connection, culture, and community starts here.

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Season 2 of the Rooted and Routed Podcast is officially wrapped, and this is your recap.

From authentic voices to deep-dive conversations, this season has been about growth, identity, and navigating change. Thank you to every subscriber, listener, and guest who joined the journey.

As we reflect, we’re also reimagining what’s next. The conversations are evolving in direction, in depth, and in reach.

We’re not just telling stories.
We’re exploring what it takes to begin, to adapt, and to create impact through lived experiences across cultures. Small steps that connect, bridge, and quietly transform lives.

👇 Got someone in mind whose story deserves to be heard?
Nominate a guest for Season 3; we’re always looking for voices that inspire, inform, and challenge the way we see the world.
All nominations will be thoughtfully reviewed by our team.

Drop your nomination in the comments or message us directly with a brief intro to their story.

🎧 Available now on:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0SIZRiApXjy4UzKVP1Yrzv
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1755695962
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9fdd33e4-4e7a-4be7-b7c6-9f2ce76c5580/rooted-and-routed-podcast
Podcast Index: https://podcastindex.org/podcast/6956558
Podcast Addict: https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/rooted-and-routed-podcast/5204852
Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/rooted-and-routed-podcast-5782163
Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/vbrcdo35
Player FM: https://player.fm/series/rooted-and-routed-podcast

Follow us: https://rootedandrouted.com

Join us and dive into the fascinating world of expat life. Your journey towards connection, culture, and community starts here.

Send us a text

In part 2 of our conversation, Carlos Ruano unpacks the quiet decisions and systemic gaps many never hear about — from pensions to policy reform, reinvention, and the emotional costs of service.

What We Cover in This Segment:

• Why some diplomats transition into real estate, coaching, or other services tailored to diplomatic families
• How working inside institutions contrasts with entrepreneurship: balancing structure, autonomy, and adaptation
• The emotional decisions behind leaving a diplomatic career to return home — and how priorities shift
• Concrete policy measures Carlos is proposing that require no new resources — just a shift in mindset and internal memos
• The pension dilemma: how years of service lost while following a partner abroad affect long-term security
• Comparative thoughts: Why some countries may already have better support systems for diplomatic families
• How educational systems abroad force families to pick between curricula, bilingual schooling, and cultural continuity
• Carlos’s passion project: linking nutrition with education in high-need areas, and the innovation in bridging ministries
• A touching personal story of a former student whose life was shaped by a radio-based education program
• Reflections on the unseen impact we have on others — sometimes by simply pointing someone toward an opportunity

Tune in to hear how Carlos imagines systems evolving, and how lived experience can push policy toward more human-centered change.

This is only Part 2. If you haven’t listened to Part 1 yet, we encourage you to start there for full context.

🎧 Available now on:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0SIZRiApXjy4UzKVP1Yrzv
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1755695962
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9fdd33e4-4e7a-4be7-b7c6-9f2ce76c5580/rooted-and-routed-podcast
Podcast Index: https://podcastindex.org/podcast/6956558
Podcast Addict: https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/rooted-and-routed-podcast/5204852
Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/rooted-and-routed-podcast-5782163
Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/vbrcdo35
Player FM: https://player.fm/series/rooted-and-routed-podcast

Follow us: https://rootedandrouted.com

Join us and dive into the fascinating world of expat life. Your journey towards connection, culture, and community starts here.