absolutely intercultural!

The In-between Identity +++ Absolutely Intercultural 319

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).

migrant entrepreneurship +++ Polychronopoulos +++ Norway +++ 100€ company +++ Absolutely Intercultural 318 +++

In the last show we heard about different working cultures but what if you are newly arrived in the country and you cannot get a job because you don’t speak the language, your qualifications and experience are not recognised and other challenges? In that case you may consider starting your own business.

Welcome to absolutely intercultural, show 318. My name’s Anne Fox, this show is coming from Denmark and today we have an expert on what we can call migrant entrepreneurs. Dimitris Polychronopoulus, himself a Greek migrant to Norway, has just completed a PhD on the topic of how best to support migrant entrepreneurs. I wanted to ask him about whether there are certain types of businesses that migrants set up, what challenges they face and what sort of help is most effective.

And at the very end of the show we’ll find out about a possible development in the EU that could help you set up a business more easily as you move between countries.

absolutely typical
Let’s go absolutely typical and find out first if there is such a thing as a typical migrant entrepreneur profiles.

So the transnational business is often a defence mechanism, you know you will probably succeed when you start getting native customers as well as your fellow country folk and you don’t just need finance to start a business but also use your human capital, which is your education and experience, and your social capital, which is that dreaded word, your network.

And it’s great news that the EU may be able to help by allowing people to set up a limited company for 100€ very soon. Fingers crossed.

If you want to share your experiences of migrant entrepreneurship on the podcast then let us know by adding a comment on the website

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 on the fifth of June from Germany.

Until then, stay tuned!

Editor: Anne Fox (French/British)

Workplace Culture +++ Absolutely Intercultural 317

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).

USA +++ UK +++ Zach moves abroad +++ Absolutely Intercultural 316+++

Welcome to Absolutely Intercultural show number 316. My name’s Anne Fox and this show is coming to you from Denmark. In the last few weeks I began to see lots of videos by Zach Lincoln, an American who is moving to Europe. Why would he move to Europe?

One of the things that struck me about Zach’s videos is that he is very good at noticing cultural differences.

Zach has by now produced many videos about his family’s experiences in the UK and Spain. I put two of them on here and you can surely find the rest by searching for Zach Moves Abroad.

So for the rest of the show let’s go absolutely observant and meet Zach Lincoln.

Absolutely observant
Huge thanks to Zach for agreeing to talk with me and you can find many more of his videos on Facebook, Tiktok and Instagram by just searching for Zach moves abroad. If you have moved to the UK would you have picked the same topics as Zach or something entirely different? We’d love to hear if you have moved countries or continents. How did you cope with the cultural differences? If you have a story to tell on this or any related topic then don’t hesitate to get in touch or leave a comment on this website where you can also listen to all our previous shows.

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 on the third of April.

Until then, stay tuned!

Produced by Anne Fox

Between Cultures +++ Faith +++ Identity +++ Home +++ New Beginnings+++ Absolutely Intercultural 315

Hello dear listeners, and welcome to Show 315 of Absolutely Intercultural!
Have you ever wondered how much of who you are is shaped by where you are?
Today we’re diving into a fascinating question:
“Do we change our identity when we cross borders?”In a world that’s constantly on the move through study exchanges, remote work, or migration our sense of belonging can shift in surprising ways. Does home remain in one place, or can we collect new “homes” as we go?

As always, here on Absolutely Intercultural, everyone is free to think and say absolutely anything. And because identity can be a personal topic, you might notice yourself agreeing strongly with one guest… and feeling challenged by another. If that happens, it’s okay to pause, reflect, and come back.
My name is Lorena, and this episode comes to you from Germany.
So sit back, get curious, and maybe ask yourself: How would you define “home” today?In this show, we’ll hear from three guests who share how living in Germany transformed not only how others see them, but how they see themselves.

In our first story, Absolutely Rooted, we meet Asma someone who grew up in Germany in a Pakistani Muslim family and learned early what it means to live between cultures, without losing herself.

In our second story, Absolutely Transformed, we hear from Fouad, a 24-year-old student who arrived in Germany with strong stereotypes and then had to update them, one everyday situation at a time.

And in our last story, Absolutely In-Between, we listen to Ahmed who discovered that the longer you live abroad, the more complicated “home” becomes… because you start changing in both directions.

So here’s a question for you, dear listeners:
If someone asked you today, “Where are you from?”
Would your answer be a country… or would it be a journey?

Our next show will be coming to you on 6th of March 2026 from Anne Fox in Denmark. Until then – Bleiben Sie absolut interkulturell!

The host of this show is: Lorena Peposhi (Albanian)

Chief Editor: Oleksii Tsapenko (Ukrainian)
Assistant Editor: Lorena Peposhi (Albanian), Eltun Khudiev (Azerbaijani)

En-ROADS +++ Climate Interactive +++ climate policies +++ Susan Golden +++ absolutely intercultural 314 +++

Happy New Year?

How would you ensure that the world does not raise average temperatures above 1.5 degrees? “Kill all the cows!” was one answer. “Shut down all the coal mines!” was another when I asked my conference audience in Albania last month.

Welcome to Show 314 of Absolutely Intercultural, the podcast about all things intercultural. My name’s Anne Fox and this show is coming to you from Denmark. It’s the first show of 2026 so I should be wishing everyone a Happy New Year, but I know that many people are worried about the state of the world; one of those issues being climate change and the effects it will have and is already having on our lives.

How would you solve it?

A tool that could help is the one-page website, En-ROADS, that you can use for free to see the effects of your suggestions to reduce global warming. En-ROADS shows you the main policies that could be used to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and their effects on global average temperature. Of course, that depends on the type and extent of the policies you choose. You can use En-ROADS to find out which would be the most effective policies.

Spoiler alert! No one policy works on its own.

absolutely climate interactive!

En-ROADS allows you to explore in real time the effects of eating less meat, taxing oil and gas, planting more trees and many other options. The simulator shows you what will happen if we carry on as we are with existing policies, a rise of 3.3 degrees Celsius, and what could happen if we change those policies. Just as one example, you could move the slider on nuclear energy to increase the subsidy on new nuclear energy plants to encourage more clean energy. En-ROADS is a simulator based on the most up to date and reliable information and was built to help the top tier of policy makers, you know, the ones that attend the annual COP meetings. But it can also help you to think about what’s possible in your local context or organisation.

Climate Interactive, the organisation that built the En-ROADS simulator with MIT Sloan, offers free training courses in using and understanding the simulator and once you become expert at it, you can be an En-ROADS ambassador. There are En-ROADS ambassadors all over the world and I spoke to one of them, Susan Golden, who is an ambassador in the USA, about who uses En-ROADS and what they get out of it.

We’d love to hear if you have tried out En-ROADS on the Climate Interactive page. Did you manage to bring projected global warming down? If so, how did you do it? How realistic do you think your policies were? How did they compare to my conference audience that you heard at the beginning of the show? Is there anything you could change in your local context that would help with the overall aim of bringing down average global temperatures? If you have a story to tell on this or any related topic then don’t hesitate to get in touch or leave a comment on our website where you can also listen to all our previous shows.

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, as usual, on the first Friday of next month.
Until then, stay tuned!

Produced by Anne Fox

Modern Values and Religion +++ Marriage +++ Fasting +++ Progressive vs Conservative +++ Absolutely Intercultural 313

Hello dear listeners and welcome to show 313 of our podcast Absolutely Intercultural. Our topic today is one that touches the core of many societies: “Are modern values diluting religion?” We live in a time of rapid change, where new social norms often clash with centuries-old traditions. Does this mean faith is watering down, or is it simply evolving? Today, we will hear from three guests with very different perspectives on whether modern life and traditional belief can coexist.

As always, here at Absolutely Intercultural, everyone is free to think and say absolutely anything. However, we understand that today’s topic might stir up strong emotions. If you feel triggered by any of the opinions shared, please feel free to take a short break.

In our first story, absolutely faithful, we will listen to Matthias, a student and coach who believes modern values are indeed diluting religion. He argues that faith provides necessary direction but admits that fitting traditional values into today’s world is a struggle.

In our second story, absolutely secular, we will hear from Oleksii, a student who transitioned from believer to atheist. He shares why he doesn’t need religion, fasting, or prayer to be a good person, yet he maintains a deep respect for those who do believe.

In our last story, absolutely inclusive, we will listen to Louisa. She challenges the idea that modern values dilute religion. Instead, she focuses on marriage and the LGBT community, arguing that the Church must adapt its rules to be more just and inclusive.

In our first story, absolutely faithful, we have Matthias. Matthias is a student but, and for him, the dilution of religion by modern values is a real concern. He believes that believing in God is essential and that the Catholic Church is doing a good job guiding people.

What about you? Do you think modern values are a threat to religion, or are they saving it from becoming irrelevant? We’d love to hear your stories! You can leave a comment, send us an email, or even reach out for a follow-up interview.

On our web page, absolutely-intercultural.com, you can get more information about this show and previous episodes. And if you enjoyed the show, please like us on Facebook too.

Our next show will be coming to you on 2 January from Anne Fox in Denmark. Until then – Bleiben Sie absolut interkulturell!

The host of this show is: Lorena Peposhi (Albanian)

Chief Editor: Oleksii Tsapenko (Ukrainian)
Assistant Editor: Lorena Peposhi (Albanian), Eltun Khudiev (Azerbaijani)

DEI +++ Verónica Higareda +++ authenticity +++ Absolutely Intercultural 312

absolutely poetic
This show is about DEI, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and in a first for the podcast, we’ll go absolutely poetic and start with a poem.
The book, in which this poem by Alan Maley appeared, is available free of charge from the British Council. It’s called Integrating global issues in the creative English language classroom .

Verónica Higareda, based in the Basque Country and originally from Califonia, is a DEI and Equity-Centered Behavior Management Consultant and an ELT educator with over 20 years of experience. Click here to find out more.

absolutely profitable
Let’s find out more about why DEI is absolutely profitable.

absolutely authentic
In this next segment we’ll breakdown the components of DEI and hear about different ways in which teachers can bring it to the classroom. In the end it’s all about enabling everyone involved to be their authentic selves so let’s go absolutely authentic.

absolutely trained
Verónica wants to help teachers make this happen in the classroom so I asked her to tell us more about her upcoming course. How are teachers to become absolutely trained?

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is about reflection and dialogue, it’s about enabling everyone to bring their authentic selves to the classroom or work. If diversity is the science (of metrics) then inclusion is the art, and equity means equal access.In the classroom it is about providing mirrors, so you see yourself, and windows, so you see others. Thanks to Veronica for telling us more about this topical idea.
What about you? Do you bring your authentic self to work or school? What would make that easier? If you have a story to tell on this or any related topic then don’t hesitate to get in touch or leave a comment on our website where you can also listen to all our previous shows.

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, as usual, on the first Friday of next month.
Until then, stay tuned!

Produced by Anne Fox

Between Support and Struggle +++ Transgender People +++ Gender Identity +++ Misunderstandings +++ Absolutely Intercultural 311

Our topic today is about “gender”, the way in which persons recognize and identify themselves. Traditionally you could only identify as a man or as a woman. Today, however, we will focus on transgender people. A transgender person is a “transitioning person”, someone who does not feel comfortable with the gender they have been assigned at birth. As always, here on our Absolutely Intercultural podcast everyone is absolutely free to think and say absolutely everything they feel, but we understand that today’s topic might be a little unsettling for some listeners.

Disclaimer: Be warned, this topic may cause brain heat 😉 and may trigger strong emotions in sensitive individuals. Try to keep calm and keep, above all, your sense of humour 😉 If any allergic symptoms arise during listening, we recommend a short break, perhaps a walk around the block and if symptoms persist to rinse off excess arguments with a shower ;-)

In our first story, “absolutely myself”, we will listen to Levi, a transgender man. A transgender man is someone born as a female, who realizes he does not identify himself as a woman, but rather as a man. He has a lot of first-hand experience to share with us, talking about challenges that transgender people face, tips on how to handle the topic and stories related to his transitioning experience.

In our second story, “absolutely struggling”, we will listen to Tea, a lecturer from Albania, who will share stories regarding her encounters with transgender students in the academic setting. She admits it’s still challenging, especially since she doesn’t have enough exposure to this topic. She shares how these moments feel in the classroom, how she handled making “mistakes”, and why she believes it’s important to keep on learning, even when the topic feels uncomfortable.

In our last story, “absolutely concerned”, we will listen to Alex, who shares a different perspective on the topic and raises an important concern about exposing people to this subject. Alex is a little concerned and asks himself: What if the transitioning person regrets their choice later in life?

What about you? What do you think about transgender people? Do you think society should adjust to their needs and change laws to make their transition easier and faster? We’d love to hear your stories! Feel free to share your opinion with us here on the podcast. You can leave a comment, send us an email, or even reach out for a follow-up interview in one of our next shows.

Write a comment or mail us, we could do a follow-up interview with you in one of our next shows. On our web page, absolutely-intercultural.com, you can get more information about this show and previous episodes, and you can leave comments. And if you enjoyed the show, please like us on Facebook too.

By the way, did you know we are also on iTunes or Apple Podcasts? You can subscribe to us there for free and give us a rating and a comment.

Our next show will be coming to you from Anne Fox in Denmark on November 7

Until then –

Bleiben Sie absolut interkulturell!

The host of this show is: Michele Varvara (Italian)

Chief Editor: Michele Varvara (Italian)
Assistant Editor: Era Meço (Albanian), Oleksii Tsapenko (Ukrainian)