Even though we didn't plan on going to the centre before leaving, we didn't want to miss Madrid's Christmas atmosphere, so we decided to visit the centre one last time. We followed the Christmas Light Walk, mainly along Gran Vía, and it was absolutely beautiful! We finally felt like it was Christmas, which is what we were looking for. Our goal for this visit was also to get some presents for our families, but of course, the first gift we bought was for ourselves. Our excuse was that we got it for each other, since we got matching bracelets.  We came across a Christmas market on Plaza Mayor and ran into some interesting characters in costumes. And, of course, we couldn't miss the food! We discovered an Italian street food place and bought some amazing calzone. We weren't as successful with the gift shopping as we hoped we would be, but we got a few things. After that, Lauren left to Malaga to meet her friend (we had an extended weekend) and Kristýna spent the entire time studying for the upcoming exams.  In this episode, we talk about CHRISTMAS!!!  Since it's almost here, we wanted to share our experiences with each other, and all of you, of course. We talk about traditions, food, Christmas movies, and songs. Basically everything from ever since we were kids. It was really interesting and enriching to hear about how everyone spends this beautiful time of year a little differently.  Also, this is our last episode before the holidays, but we will be back sometime in January 2022 (insane btw.), if you want to keep in touch with what we’re up to in the meantime, follow our IG account. We will try to keep you updated there. We wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS! Try to relax as much as possible, drink lots of hot chocolate and spend time with your loved ones. With love, L & K Podcast's IG account: 2strangers2friends christmas intro+outro: Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/cozy-holidays, License code: LKOWOYT16SPDDMRC sectioning music: Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/together, License code: MQAKLZFRMPUJV80Z --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lets-chew-the-fat/message

A quick disclaimer to start off with: This episode is a bit chaotic, we were in a weird and tumultuous mood while recording it...  Of course, we catch you up on everything uni related: final exams, last assignments, and random classes. We talk about Lauren's Birthday adventure: a karaoke experience that (as is often the case) didn't quite go as planned, but still ended up being a lot of fun.  For the main topic we decided to discuss mental health, more specifically our personal experience with mental health, both before and after we moved to Spain. We share our struggles with mental health and how moving abroad has affected us in this regard. We also discuss different strategies that we have found to be helpful when it comes to better managing our mental health. We hope you enjoy this week's episode and, maybe, feel less alone in what you're struggling with after listening to it. With love,  L & K Podcast's IG account: 2strangers2friends  intro+outro: Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/walz/name, License code: DVGPO19IQVTYWXCB sectioning music: Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/together, License code: MQAKLZFRMPUJV80Z --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lets-chew-the-fat/message

As we get closer to the end of semester, more and more stressful time is approaching. Exams are starting to get more frequent, assignments have to be handed in, etc. You know the drill, right? But with this comes also something exciting, which is Christmas and everything around it. This past weekend, we went to a botanical garden in Madrid that was was lit up with beautiful lights and it was truly an amazing experience. This event was rounded with food comas, because before that, we went to a Asian food market and afterwards to Dunkin's (we still think about those donuts to this very day). While getting home, we got on the wrong train and 2 university exams were ahead of us.  Lauren celebrated her 22nd birthday and we decided to hop on a youtube trend / tag (very late might we add) and do an episode explaining what she has discovered as meaningful and important in life so far. It is very interesting to think about how for every person is important something different but we mostly Kristýna and Lauren agreed. Hopefully, you enjoy this episode as much as we did!  With love,  L & K  Podcast's IG account: 2strangers2friends (Yes, it is different than what our outro says, we decided to change it!) intro+outro: Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/walz/name, License code: DVGPO19IQVTYWXCB sectioning music: Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/together, License code: MQAKLZFRMPUJV80Z --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lets-chew-the-fat/message

Hi everyone! We hope you guys are doing well :) In this podcast episode, we recap our past week, which included a Raclette night (delicious!), a presentation in Spanish (we were only a little bit stressed out...) and an afternoon spent shopping for Christmas decorations.   For the main topic, we give you the whole rundown of how we made the decision to go study abroad in Madrid, how we applied, and how we found out we’d been accepted. It was a whole chaotic journey... We talk about the struggles we encountered in relation to bureaucracy, what our university's application process required, and how we felt when we finally received the news we'd been hoping for: that we'd gotten accepted into the university and would be moving to Spain soon. And, a (very important) sidenote: We both finally got our mic stands, which means that we were able to record this episode from the couch. It was a whole new experience! With love, L&K Podcast's IG account: 2strangers2friends (Yes, it is different than what our outro says, we decided to change it!) intro+outro: Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/walz/name, License code: DVGPO19IQVTYWXCB sectioning music: Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/together, License code: MQAKLZFRMPUJV80Z --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lets-chew-the-fat/message

Hi, everyone! As you probably expected, we had our second pilates class, which made us VERY sore. We could barely manage to walk and no, we are not exaggerating one bit. The whole week was so busy and hectic that the day we were recording, Lauren forgot to bring her mic and when she decided to go grab it, she forgot her keys. So we decided to let it be and recorded this episode at 9PM that day! Apart from that, Kristýna went to get her NIE number, which went surprisingly well (considering all she had to go through and prepare for it) and we finally ate the most delicious pizza in a really long time - and the restaurant we visited? Absolutely stunning! ❤️ The main topic of this episode is the struggle of finding an apartment to live in during our first university year here, in Madrid. Each of us went through a different process but we (luckily) both succeed and we bring you all the tips on how to find one for yourself as well! Also, here are the websites we used and mentioned. Hopefully, it will make the apartment-hunt a little easier for you: Idealista, Uniplaces, Spotahome. With love, L & K Podcast's IG account: 2strangers2friends (Yes, it is different than what our outro says, we decided to change it!) intro+outro: Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/walz/name, License code: DVGPO19IQVTYWXCB sectioning music: Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/together, License code: MQAKLZFRMPUJV80Z --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lets-chew-the-fat/message

Hi!  We're back for another podcast episode. This week, we look back on our Halloween plans, our very first Pilates class, Lauren's second time taking her Political Philosophy midterm (after the professor lost it...), and our complete failure to properly melt chocolate (do NOT add water!). For the main topic of this week's episode, we take a walk down memory lane and talk about how we experienced the week before we left to study abroad in Spain. We discuss the rollercoaster of emotions we felt, talk about how we prepared for the big change, and recall how difficult it was for us to say goodbye to our friends, families, homes, and hometowns.  With love,  L & K  Podcast's IG account: 2strangers2friends (Yes, it is different than what our outro says, we decided to change it!) intro+outro: Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/walz/name, License code: DVGPO19IQVTYWXCB  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lets-chew-the-fat/message

Hi! It's us!  It's not like we don't already have enough things to stress about... Lauren's exam got lost, Kristýna had the worst day after coming back from her trip to Málaga, and then later on had her first experience with the local health care system. But we've (almost) recovered and decided to distract ourselves from all the stress by playing a little game.  It is fascinating to see how other people think – in comparison to yourself. So, asking each other a list of random questions, started some very interesting conversations. What value are you not willing to compromise on? Or: What is the first thing you notice when meeting a stranger? Two people might even have the same opinion, but approach the question in a different way. We also shared our bucket list dreams and our appetite for Chinese food. And one enlightenment from –today–: Don’t tell people not to cry! It has the exact opposite effect.  With love,  L & K  Podcast's IG account: 2strangers2friends (Yes, it is different than what our outro says, we decided to change it!) intro+outro: Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/walz/name, License code: DVGPO19IQVTYWXCB  sectioning music: Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/together, License code: MQAKLZFRMPUJV80Z  music in-between questions: Sound from Zapsplat.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lets-chew-the-fat/message

Uff. Our first midterm, interesting wine opening strategies, and another in-class activity we would have rather not been a part of... These are just a few of the points we cover this week. For the main part of the episode, we share our personal list of culture shocks and talk about the main differences we've noticed after moving from Switzerland and the Czech Republic to Spain. We touch on everything from mealtimes to the amount of playgrounds. And finally, Kristyna reflects on her time living in Madrid and shares her top three favourite memories so far!  With love,  L & K Podcast's IG account: 2strangers2friends (Yes, it is different than what our outro says, we decided to change it!) intro+outro: Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/walz/name, License code: DVGPO19IQVTYWXCB sectioning music: Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/together, License code: MQAKLZFRMPUJV80Z --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lets-chew-the-fat/message

Hi! We covered a lot in this one... Scary speaking exercise, pizza night with wine (that we failed to open properly) and Britney Spears documentary AND we laughed a lot. But mainly, we focus on our cooking skills (or rather lack thereof 😁), Lauren describes what her usual grocery shopping list looks like and we share a few pieces of advice that we've found helpful so far. (Sneak peek: don't go shopping hungry!) With love, L & K Podcast's IG account: 2strangers2friends (Yes, it is different than what our outro says, we decided to change it!) intro+outro: Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/walz/name, License code: DVGPO19IQVTYWXCB sectioning music: Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/together, License code: MQAKLZFRMPUJV80Z --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lets-chew-the-fat/message

Hi! This is an introduction to our podcast Let's Chew the Fat that we, Lauren and Kristýna, created. In this first episode, we talk about why and how we got to Spain and what it is like to study abroad as international students. We share some funny stories and challenges that we've encountered along the way. And of course, we explain how we met!  With love,  L & K  Podcast's IG account: 2strangers2friends (Yes, it is different than what our outro says, we decided to change it!) intro+outro: Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/walz/name, License code: DVGPO19IQVTYWXCB  sectioning music: Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/together, License code: MQAKLZFRMPUJV80Z --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lets-chew-the-fat/message