absolutely intercultural!

Hello dear listeners, and welcome to show 321 of Absolutely Intercultural!

Have you ever been in a room where everyone was friendly, everyone smiled and yet you still felt like an outsider? Maybe people invited you in, and made an effort to include you but something still felt different, like you were standing at the edge of a circle instead of being completely inside it.

Today, we are talking about something many people experience when they move to a new place, start at a new university, or enter a new community – the Feeling of Belonging. My name is Jerusha, and in today’s episode, we are exploring what it really means to feel like we belong, to feel at home somewhere.

Belonging is not always created through big moments. Sometimes, it is the small things that stay with us – someone making an effort to understand where we come from, remembering something about our culture, or simply making us feel that we are not just present, but that we are part of the group.

As always, here on Absolutely Intercultural, everyone is free to think and say absolutely anything. The stories we share today come from personal experiences and we want to remind you that each story gives us a chance to look at belonging from a different perspective, and a single story does not represent everyone.

In this episode, we will hear from three guests about finding a sense of belonging.

In our first story, Absolutely Unseen, we hear from Marlo, who takes us into moments when belonging felt uncertain. Her story explores how the feeling of belonging can be shaped by the way we see ourselves, and by the way others see us.

In our second story, Absolutely Included, we meet Marla, who talks about her work with international students and the different ways their team creates opportunities for students to feel welcomed and included on campus. Through her story, we get a glimpse of how small interactions and support systems can make a big difference in helping students feel like they belong.

In our final story, Absolutely Connected, we meet Iris, who shares her journey of finding belonging through teaching. She talks about how she adapts the way she teaches to make her students feel comfortable, included, and like they are truly part of the classroom.

Together, these stories invite us to think about a simple question.

What makes a place feel like home?

Is it the people around us? The moments when we feel understood? Or the feeling that we no longer have to question whether we belong?

Maybe belonging is not something we simply find. It is something that grows through the relationships we build, the spaces we share, and the way we choose to include one another.

We would love to hear your stories. Leave a comment on our website, send us an email, or reach out if you would like to be a guest.

Don’t forget that we are also on  Apple podcasts and Spotify where you can give us a rating. And if you enjoyed the show, please like us on Facebook too. 

Our next show will be coming to you from Anne Fox in Denmark on 4th of September, 2026.

Chief Editor: Jerusha Antipas (Indian).
Assistant Editor: Livia Tafili (Albanian).

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Hello dear listeners, today, I want to bring to your attention a moment that doesn’t get talked about enough. It’s when you realize you’re not the same person in every place anymore, not completely who you were back home, but not entirely who you are here either. You laugh differently. You speak differently. Perhaps you even think differently, depending on where you are and who you are with.

Welcome to Show 319 of Absolutely Intercultural. My name is Jerusha, and today we are exploring “The In-Between Identity.”

Being intercultural is rarely just about learning a new language or adapting to a new country; rather, it is about navigating multiple versions of yourself. Today, we’ll take a look at what happens when different cultures shape different parts of who we are, because in an interconnected world, identity doesn’t always stay in one place. Sometimes, it stretches across languages, countries, friendships, and experiences.

As always, here on Absolutely Intercultural, everyone is free to think and say absolutely anything. We’re discussing personal experiences of intercultural living here. A small disclaimer that we would like to give our viewers is that in reality, there is no official guidebook for this experience, no one represents an entire culture, and no single story represents everyone. There are many different ways people find their place between cultures.

In today’s episode, we’re exploring what it really means to live between cultures, not just externally, but internally, through three different stories.

In our first story, Absolutely Blended, we meet Ms. Mhairi Sharkey, a Scot living in Germany who discovered that switching languages actually meant switching her entire personality. Instead of fighting this internal split, she turned it into a toolkit, borrowing the best traits from each culture to make her daily life much easier.

In our second story, Absolutely Repatriated, we meet Mr. Daniel who returned home after twenty years abroad with a transformed perspective. Now, working at a senior position in his workplace, he draws on his international background to actively weave new cultural dynamics into his current professional environment.

In our final story, Absolutely Reciprocal, we meet Ms. Alisa from Albania who moved to Germany six years ago and found that adjusting to a more structured lifestyle entirely reshaped her daily routines. Living in this intercultural space ultimately allowed her to embrace a quiet sense of independence and become comfortable with her own company. 

So, here’s a question for you. If someone met you in every culture you’ve been part of, would they meet the same person each time? We’d love to hear your stories. Leave a comment on our website, send us an email or reach out if you’d like to be a guest. Leave a comment on our website, send us an email or reach out if you’d like to be a guest.

Our next show will be coming to you from Anne Fox in Denmark on 3rd of July, 2026.

Until then – Bleiben Sie absolut interkulturell!

The host of this show is: Jerusha Antipas (Indian).

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Hello dear listeners, and welcome to Show 317 of Absolutely Intercultural!
Have you ever looked at your desk and wondered: How much of my actual life is allowed to happen here?
Today, we’re diving into a topic that affects almost all of us: Workplace Culture. Specifically, we are looking at where the “employee” ends, and the  “human being” begins.

 

In a globalized world, the rules of the office change dramatically the moment you cross a border. For instance, think about the time. In some cultures, leaving exactly at 5:00 PM is seen as a sign of efficiency and self-respect, while in others, leaving while your boss is still there feels like an unspoken betrayal.

Even the way we disagree tells a story. Does a usual meeting look like a “productive clash” of ideas, or a carefully chosen words where you only say what you really think over a private coffee later?

And finally, do we work to live, or do we live to work?

As always, here on Absolutely Intercultural, everyone is free to think and say absolutely anything. My name is Ahmed, and this episode comes to you from Germany. So, grab a coffee, sit back, and ask yourself: How much of your real self do you bring to work?

Before we begin, a small declaimer. We’re discussing cultural ‘averages’ here, those mythical people who represent a whole society. In reality, no one fits the description perfectly. So, we also celebrate the outliers, the exceptions, and the individuals who do things their own way.

In today’s show, we’ll get to know three guests who have navigated the culture shock of shifting boundaries:
In our first story Absolutely Remote, we hear from Julia, who explores the “new normal” for some employees in German offices, where a tradition of strict presence is clashing with a modern demand for mobile flexibility.

Then, in our second story, Absolutely Divided we meet Ivan, who moved from a socially “warm” workplace in Serbia to the structured environment of Germany and found an unexpected sense of freedom in the rules.

In our last story Absolutely Open-minded, we’ll sit down with Rutchika, who compares the “clean-desk” reality of the West with the beautifully tangled, family-like chaos of Indian workplaces.

Maybe the perfect workplace doesn’t exist. Maybe it’s just about finding a workplace culture that fits the way you want to live.

So, here’s a question for you: If someone looked at your workspace right now, what would it tell them about your private life? We’d love to hear your stories. Leave a comment on our website or reach out if you’d like to be a guest. And don’t forget to find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Facebook.

Our next show will be coming to you on 1st of May 2026 from Anne Fox in Denmark. Until then – Bleiben Sie absolut interkulturell!

The host of this show is: Ahmed Kebbaoui (Germany).

Chief Editor: Oleksii Tsapenko (Ukrainian).
Assistant Editor: Lorena Peposhi (Albanian).

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