Episode 12: Max Jess: American by birth, Irish by luck, Gaditano by choice

The Immigrant Perspective · Aug 5, 2026 · 39m

Max grew up in Fort Collins, Colorado. Thanks to his Irish-born mother, he has an Irish passport and a restlessness he couldn't quite explain. He left college, spent a semester in Costa Rica with essentially no Spanish, and somewhere between a host mother who spoke no English and a breakfast table breakthrough, something shifted. In Sept 2026, he moved to Cádiz, Spain, on the southwest coast near Gibraltar, and he has no intention of leaving.

In this episode, Mary Lou talks with her nephew about the winding road that led him to Cádiz, the culture shock of Costa Rica, and what daily life…