katia and kyliemac original version (VO)

In episode 447 we get tremendously excited as we recount getting all fabulously dressed up and throwing an Engagement Party for Kathryn & Seb, along with Derica from Japan and Ksam & C, playing games and eating Japanese goodies. We chat about the fact that Katia & the Muffin Man are heading over to the US for the wedding (in a week!!!) and what they've been doing to prepare - from trying to buy hats and watching movies set in LA.

In episode 446, after munching on cookies from Karina, we chat about the honour of beta-reading book two of Amy Plum's Revenants trilogy, meeting up with fantastic listeners, an amazing story about Finnish listener Jaana and the opera and graduation. Again!

We're jumping back in time in episode 445 and bring you an episode we recorded a few months ago with the delightful Ann Mah and her diplomat husband Chris, who tells us about the fascinating experience of serving as for a year a diplomat in Baghdad. We chat about the intensive language training program, learning languages and making mistakes, how to be culturally sensitive and the importance for diplomats to learn about cultural differences, then he explains his current role for the Embassy in France and tells us about some of the interesting people he's rubbed shoulders with over the years.

In episode 444 we continue talking to Axel (of Paris Urban Adventures and the new non-profit fundraising project Adventures 4 Action) about our adventures at Versailles - there is lots more fountain talk and fish stories, discussion about mythology behind the fountains, ancient restoration techniques, special exhibitions and public reactions to modern art shows, exhibition trends, and chronological questions!

It's been a while, so we're excited to welcome Axel to the studio for episode 443! We start off by chatting about what he and his lovely wife Michelle have been up to lately with Paris Urban Adventures and their new non-profit fundraising project, Adventurers 4 Action! We then talk about a particularly exciting excursion we did that day at Versailles with Axel, who is currently working there - we jumped queues, learned exciting insider secrets, watched some serious fountain action and learned how fountains work!

We continue chatting with Camille in episode 442 as we talk about our field trip to the pastry shop where she works - discovering how to enrobe chocolates, learning how Croquembouche are made, what baby pain au chocolats look like, pastry chef lingo and how to fit all those kitchens into a typical Parisian building! We discuss French techniques and what she learned when she started working here, and we ask her how to spot a good Pastry shop, and what to look for in a not-so-good one!

In episode 441 we're delighted to welcome the lovely Camille into the studio, who tells us all about the path that took her from Oregon to the Cordon Bleu, to cooking with Mexicans in Pasadena and plating desserts in a five star restaurant in Dallas, right through to finding a job in a traditional French pastry shop in Paris. We talk about the differences between a bakery and a pastry shop, and as we discuss the typical things one might find in a pastry shop we do a little taste test too!

In episode 440 we bring you a conversation we recorded a few months ago with Naughty Heather and Victoria the Pleasure Coach! We tackle the subject of s(ch)wag, shoes, Public Displays of Affection (or Arousal) in Paris, Sex Aptitude Tests, awkward moments in public, the importance of kissing and communicating what we want, affairs, being creative in a relationship, comfort zones and exploring yourself in a new city.

In episode 439, after dealing a packet of m&ms, talking about awesome listeners and the upcoming k&k App, we get to talking about language: how our respective understanding of the French language is improving, whether we feel comfortable speaking French, what we are doing to improve our language skills... And all this leads to a discussion of how to correct people who are learning a language - how other people correct us in French, and how we correct others in English.

In episode 438 we continue our chat with the delightful Amy Plum, author of Die for Me, and tackle one of our favourite aspects of her book - the supernatural side! We talk about how she came up with the idea of the "revenant" and how she created the mythology behind it (as opposed to zombies!), how she came to choose Paris as a setting for the novel and why she chose various areas of Paris for different events in the book, and we chat about how her intimate knowledge of French and Parisian culture influenced her writing and we geek out over the movie potential.

We're delighted to welcome Amy Plum, author of Die for Me, on the show for episode 437! We have a chat about the book itself, then Amy tells us all about what brought her from Alabama to France, with a few fascinating detours on the way, including getting a Masters degree in Medieval Art History, meeting Winona Ryder and being a tour guide. She then describes the process of writing the book and her experience of getting published, and we share some of our thoughts about the main protagonist of the novel. (Stay tuned - in a couple of days we'll release the next part of our chat with Amy!)

In episode 436 we pick up where we left off in the previous episode, as we discuss with Kim what it's like to try to raise a bilingual child. We talk at length about strategies, challenges and techniques, we wonder what kinds of challenges she might encounter as her son gets older, then we debate whether or not it is difficult for teachers to teach children who don't speak the school's main language.

We're excited to welcome Kim back to the k&k fold for episode 435, and we talk about receiving goodies from listeners and having adventures at an outdoors Food & Wine Fair. With Kim's perspective as a new mum, we then have a lengthy chat about what it's like to raise a bilingual child in France - the techniques they're using and why.

In episode 434 we continue chatting with Ann Mah and her diplomat husband Chris. Ann takes us all to Brittany (at least in our imagination!) and reveals some of the secrets behind her current book project, then we continue our discussion with Chris about the life of the diplomat. He tells us what the difference is between an embassy and a consulate, and describes the role of embassies and consulates and their various departments, then we talk about the reasons why diplomats are moved regularly around the world rather than being left in one country for an extended period. We find out whether people really try to get refuge in embassies and what sometimes happens if your country doesn't have representation in a particular part of the world, then Chris traces his diplomatic journey for us, from his first assignment right through to what he is doing now in Paris, and we discuss learning languages and the various strategies employed by the Foreign Service to help people learn languages.

We are joined in episode 433 by the delightful Ann Mah and her husband Chris, who tells us all about what it means to be a diplomat working for the American foreign service. After chatting about gimlets, champagne and cheetos, Chris tells us a little about his first assignment in Turkmenistan, then we chat about why he decided to become a diplomat and the process behind joining the foreign service. From grueling written exams to diplomatic boot camp, we learn all about the various challenges surrounding the application process right through to the official foreign service training, including learning negotiation skills and mastering small talk!