An "American asshole" apologizes to Rome, roadside meals for stranded UK truckers and Katie Quinn claims Italian citizenship through ancestry.
First Stop:
In November 2020, the National Roman Museum received a package from a woman named Jess. It contained a small piece of marble pilfered from the Roman Forum (which someone, presumably Jess) had covered with marker commemorating a romantic relationship and a note, which read, in part; “Please forgive me for being such an American asshole and taking something that was not mine to take."
As far as apologies go, this is a pretty good one. And it made us laugh. Well done, Jess. (Well, about the apology part anyway. Thumbs down on the whole initial theft situation.)
Have you ever taken something that you maaaaaaaybe shouldn't have as a souvenir?
Do you think Jess actually felt remorse?
Or did she just break up with the person who she wrote about on the rock and staring at it during lockdown was getting to her? Discuss. :)
Next Stop:
Katie Quinn––a YouTuber, host of the “Keep It Quirky” podcast, and author of the forthcoming “Cheese, Wine, and Bread: Discovering the Magic of Fermentation in England, Italy, and France” due out April 27, 2021––is our first-ever returning guest! She joined us for the first time last December for the weirdly prophetic "I Won't Be Home For Christmas" episode.
This time, she hopped back on the mic to discuss the process of claiming dual citizenship through ancestral heritage. She's working on claiming her Italian citizenship right now and she has some solid tips for those who are curious about the (seemingly endless, paperwork intensive) process.
In case you're curious, here are a few of the easiest countries to gain second citizenship by descent. (And please take the word "easiest" with a grain of salt. We're talking about bureaucracies after all.)
Have ever considered second or dual citizenship by heritage?
What country would you choose if any option was open to you?
Postcard:
What did you do on your holiday break? Sikh worshippers at Gravesend Gurdwara in Kent in the United Kingdom made 800 meals for truckers stuck in a 48-hour traffic jam at the port of Dover when the border with France was temporarily closed. And they did it in two and a half hours.
Suddenly, spending our break snacking and binging Netflix doesn't look quite as impressive.
What's the worst traffic jam or travel delay you've ever experienced?
How have you been helped by a stranger in the past?