Tag: absolutely intercultural

What is home? +++ Origin +++ Belonging +++ Absolutely Intercultural 273 +++

Hello and welcome to show 273 of our podcast “Absolutely Intercultural”. Our topic today is “What is home?”, a question that has many interpretations and potential answers. Is it the place in which we were born or the place where we live now? And is it actually a place at all? For some people, home is connected to their family roots. At the same time, others find it hard to identify themselves with their country or region of origin – they have moved on and made their home in other corners of the world. Some people had to leave their home, some may never even have had a real place to call home.

In this show, we tried to figure out where is home or more importantly, what is home? To find out the truth, we asked our guests what the word home means to them.

absolutely displaced

In our first category, “absolutely displaced”, Arina from Ukraine reports how she had to escape from her home town Kyiv after the war started in Ukraine five weeks ago.

absolutely belonging

In our second category, “absolutely belonging”, Teresa shares with us how she found a new home where she truly belongs.

absolutely alien

In our last category, “absolutely alien”, Sebastian, describes how he moved only a couple of hundred kilometers from his home city and suddenly felt like a complete stranger.

What about you? What does home mean to you? Your place of birth? A place where you feel comfortable, a circle of friends, or a beautiful memory? Tell us about how and where you experienced this feeling of belonging, of being truly at home.

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 on 6th May.

Until then – cherish your home and if you have not found home yet, get up, start looking for it and

Bleiben Sie absolut interkulturell!

The host of this show is: Dr. Laurent Borgmann

Chief Editor: Natalia Obikhod

Assistant Editors: Carlos Fuch, Lars Felder, Shelbi Ankiewicz

Apology Culture +++ Making mistakes +++ Forgiveness +++ Absolutely Intercultural 272 +++

Hello dear listeners, and welcome to our podcast “Absolutely Intercultural”. This is show 272, and our topic today is “The Apology Culture”. Are you the kind of person who easily and quickly apologizes? Or do you have a sleepless night when you know that you should apologize to your boss the next morning? Making mistakes may be painful, but it is the fastest way towards getting it right. Some people can admit their mistakes quite easily, they apologize and move forward. On the other hand, there are people who are stuck in their guilt for what they have done; people, who find it very hard to say sorry to others, and sometimes, even to forgive themselves. Is there any universal formula for how to apologize properly? Are there any paths for moving from guilt to self-improvement more quickly?

absolutely absent

In our first category, “absolutely absent”, Lars from Germany shares with us how he forgot to attend an important business meeting with his team and this almost cost him his job.

absolutely forgiven

In our second category, “absolutely forgiven”, Safi, a student from a German-Libyan family, tells us about an embarrassing situation where he had forgotten to cancel a one-to-one zoom meeting with his university lecturer. However, as he apologized very thoroughly, his lecturer was so disarmed by his honesty, that Safi was completely forgiven.

absolutely guilty

In our last category, “absolutely guilty”, Fernanda, a former medical student from Mexico tells us about how terribly sad and guilty she felt when a patient had died in her care in a very busy emergency room.

What about you? Have you recently been in a situation where you where you had to apologize to someone? Did you do what our guests today advise us to do in order to be forgiven or even to forgive yourself?

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 on 1st April.

Until then – allow yourself to make mistakes – but be prepared to fully apologize for them and

Bleiben Sie absolut interkulturell!

The host of this show is: Dr. Laurent Borgmann

Chief Editor: Natalia Obikhod

Assistant Editors: Carlos Fuch, Lars Felder, Shelbi Ankiewicz

Uncertainty +++ Decision-making +++ Semester abroad +++ Absolutely Intercultural 271 +++

Hello and welcome to show 271 of our podcast “Absolutely Intercultural”. Our topic today is “Uncertainty”. We are all faced with uncertainties every day, but the way that we deal with them and the way we feel about them makes us unique. Some of us feel terribly helpless in situations of uncertainty. On the other hand, there are people, for example those who enjoy playing poker, who think that certainty is boring and are always looking for the adrenaline which uncertainty provides them with during their adventures. Are there any tricks, for those who don’t like uncertainty to be able to take decisions and feel safe with their choices? Or for those who seek uncertainty as a thrill in life and enjoy weighing up different probabilities?

absolutely homeless

In our first category, “absolutely homeless”, Elene from Georgia shares with us how she left her lovely, predictable and comfortable home in Georgia and ended up sleeping rough in a car in Amsterdam together with three friends.

absolutely uncertain

In our second category, “absolutely uncertain”, Adika, a student from Azerbaijan, tells us about a situation where she observed a man well because she was not so sure whether she should accompany him to his house for CouchSurfing.

absolutely open

In our last category, “absolutely open”, Amauri, a student from Brazil tells us about how he resolved the uncertainty of living with a roommate from an Arab country. Amauri had read on the internet that single Arab men do not like to have girls around their house and feel a little awkward when there are female visitors at home.

What about you? Have you recently experienced uncertainty in your life? How did you feel about it? Will the tricks that we shared help you when you face uncertainty?

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 on 4 March.

Until then – allow a little more uncertainty in your lives – and

Bleiben Sie absolut interkulturell!

The host of this show is: Dr. Laurent Borgmann

Chief Editor: Esjona Musta

Assistant Editors: Natalia Obikhod, Elene Mikeladze

LGBTQ+ Community +++ Queer Culture +++ Cultural Diversity +++ Absolutely Intercultural 265 +++

Hello and welcome to show 265 of our podcast “Absolutely Intercultural”. Today we talk about the LGBTQ+ or the “queer” culture – the culture of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning individuals. Unlike the French or the Australian cultures the queer culture is a non-geographically determined culture. We spoke to enthusiastic supporters but also to passionate critics of the movement.

Why is being diverse seen so differently across the globe today? Are the new, more liberal ideas about gender identity a step forward, or are they just another factor which will soon divide our societies?

absolutely unorthodox

In our first category, “absolutely unorthodox”, Giorgi, a student from Tbilisi, reminds us that his Christian religion cannot and should not accept homosexuality. He criticizes the emerging LGBTQ+ movements, because they openly support behaviour which the church for the last 2000 years has called a “Great Sin”.

absolutely un-lady-like

In our second category, „absolutely un-lady-like”, Irina, also from Georgia, tells us how a man in the street openly challenged her appearance. She explains how much easier it is for her to show her same-sex affection for her girlfriend in Germany than in countries like Georgia or Portugal.

absolutely equal

Finally, in our last category, “absolutely equal”, Luka, also from Georgia, but studying in Germany right now, demands that queer people should be treated like everybody else. He shows his supportand understanding towards gay people and believes in equal human rights for everybody.

What about you? Are you also struggling with this topic? Do you have any views on what we heard today? Write a comment or mail us, we could do a follow-up with you in one of our next shows.

Our next show will be coming to you on the 3^rd of September.

Until then – stay as diverse as you are – and

Bleiben Sie absolut interkulturell!

The host of this show is: Dr. Laurent Borgmann

Chief Editor: Esjona Musta

Assistant Editors: Giorgi Sulaberidze, Alina Vor, Natalia Obikhod, Natia Nikvashvili.