Internalization +++ Erasmus Experience +++ Life In a Cultural Exchange +++ Absolutely Intercutural 269 +++

Hello and welcome to show 269 of our podcast “Absolutely Intercultural”. Today we will listen to our Chef Editor, Esjona Musta from Albania who will share with us the biggest step in her internationalization story so far. Have you got any plans for internationalizing yourselves? What can you do to have a multitude of intercultural challenges? How does an Exchange program like ERASMUS change young people’s lives? How did Esjona manage to integrate herself so quickly and learn about traditions of a new culture and religion? 

absolutely integrated

In our first category, “absolutely integrated”, Esjona will take us into the Carnival Celebrations in Cologne. Imagine her in a crowded train full of Germans dressed as Movie characters, such as Pocahontas, but also as the Christmas Grinch, next to Santa Claus, and the whole zoo.

absolutely traditional

In our second category “absolutely traditional”, Esjona will get an unexpected Christmas present while she is describing how it feels to celebrate a traditional Christmas in Germany. 

absolutely Erasmus

Finally, in our last category, “absolutely Erasmus”, Esjona makes a toast with mulled spiced wine to the most valuable lesson she learned during her ERASMUS semester.

What about you? Have you had intercultural experiences which changed your mind set or your behavior? Have you thought about starting your own internationalization story in your own country or abroad?

Please 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, www.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 on 7th of January.

Until then – start formulating your next steps in your own internationalization – and Bleiben Sie absolutinterkulturell! 

The host of this show is: Dr. Laurent Borgmann

Chief Editor: Esjona Musta

Assistant Editors:  Natalia Obikhod,  Elene Mikeladze

 

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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 3rd 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 ObikhodNatia Nikvashvili.

 

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Erasmus Experience +++ International Friends +++ Life In A Cultural Exchange +++ Absolutely Intercultural 264 +++

Hello and welcome to show 264 of our podcast “Absolutely Intercultural”. Today we will listen to our chief editor Giorgi Sulaberidze from Georgia, Eastern Europe about his cultural experiences during his exchange semester in Germany.

How does the exchange program influence international students’ lives? What are the cultural challenges? Which aspects of life in a foreign country turn out easier than expected? How do our exchange students spend their free time during their stay abroad and what cultural insights do they gain from each other?

absolutely independent

In our first category, “absolutely independent”, Giorgi asked his international friends about things they did for the first time in their new cultural environment.

absolutely connected

In our second category “absolutely connected”, Giorgi tells us how the group of international students is spending their free time together and how they stay connected through sports and games.

absolutely standing

Finally, in our category, “absolutely standing”, Giorgi talks about cultural exchanges amongst the international students. His friend Rabee taught him that the most traditional Jordanian dish, Mansaf is eaten with your right hand while standing around the table.

Our next show will be coming to you on the 6th of August.

Until then, 

Bleiben Sie absolut interkulturell!

The host of this show is: Dr. Laurent Borgmann

Chief Editor: Giorgi Sulaberidze

Assistant Editors: Alina Vor, Natalia ObikhodNatia NikvashviliEsjona Musta.

 

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Young vs Old +++ Learning Cultures and Age +++ Lifelong Learning +++ Absolutely Intercultural 255 +++

Luis from Portugal thinks age makes learning easier

Hello and welcome to show 255 of Absolutely Intercultural. Today’s show is about two different cultures, and they have nothing to do with nationality or geography. We are talking about the culture of young people and old people – and we will focus on learning cultures. Have you ever wondered whether YOU will carry on learning all your life or whether you will stop at some point? Or perhaps there is no age limit to learning? Do you believe in lifelong learning? We interview young and old learners to find out about their learning habits. Our first guest is Dr. Beatrice Blüggel from Germany, who is the director of a large adult education institution. Our  second guest, Luis Iglesias, from Portugal is a 29-year-old master student who is currently socializing with younger students during his semester abroad.

Continue reading “Young vs Old +++ Learning Cultures and Age +++ Lifelong Learning +++ Absolutely Intercultural 255 +++”

Colombian coffee +++ Fourth of July +++ Absolutely Intercultural 252 +++

US flag

Welcome to show 252 of Absolutely Intercultural, the show about all things intercultural. My name’s Anne Fox and I’m coming to you from a locked down Denmark. But the Covid 19 pandemic is overshadowed somewhat by the Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd. These protests have gone global and with American Independence Day coming up I wondered how Americans were feeling about the meaning of the fourth of July right now.

Do you remember Luis from Colombia who we met in Show 250? He was a wedding photographer in Colombia but could not continue in cold and rainy Denmark so he decided to start a coffee importing business and how easy was that?

In this show we are talking to Elisabeth Hansen from Arizona who is now living and working in Australia. Elisabeth answered our call for Americans wanting to talk about what the fourth of July means to them. So, if you have an intercultural story you want to share then just get in touch either here on our webpage or on our Facebook page.

Continue reading “Colombian coffee +++ Fourth of July +++ Absolutely Intercultural 252 +++”

Open-hearted +++ Boquerones +++ Málaga, Spain +++ Absolutely Intercultural 233 +++

In this show, which could carry the sub-title “absolutely boquerones” we are going to focus on the culture of Málaga in Spain. And Boquerones is the typical fish grilled over open fire on the beaches of Málaga, but it is also the nickname for the inhabitants of Malaga. First, we will listen to Julian talking about his experience in Malaga, Spain, as he is doing a Semester abroad at our partner University, Universidad de Málaga. Juanjo, an Erasmus Student from Spain, who is currently studying a semester at RheinAhrCampus in Germany, will talk about the differences he noticed in the educational systems of Spain and Germany. And finally, we will listen to Trish, who is originally from Ireland but lived in various different countries and now lives in Málaga, will share with us why she decided to live in Spain.

Continue reading “Open-hearted +++ Boquerones +++ Málaga, Spain +++ Absolutely Intercultural 233 +++”

Soliya +++ Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange +++ African Science +++ Absolutely intercultural 232 +++

What is a virtual exchange? Maybe not what you think. We’ll be digging deeper into that in this special edition of Absolutely Intercultural coming to you from Denmark. My name’s Anne Fox and this is show 232. Today’s show is mainly about promoting dialogue between different groups of people. So what is dialogue? And can you tell the difference between dialogue and, for example, debate?

Continue reading “Soliya +++ Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange +++ African Science +++ Absolutely intercultural 232 +++”

Grocery shopping +++Vegetarian vs BBQ+++Market vs Supermarkets +++Multicultural supermarkets+++Absolutely Intercultural 228

Grocery shopping is a regular activity in our every-day culture. However, there seem to be different cultural aspects in our weekly shopping. At first, we will listen to Beate and Kati talking about the two opposite but equally strong movements in Germany: have you banned meat from your diet or do you buy big portions for your weekend BBQ?  Javier from Spain reports how grocery shopping has changed through the generations in Spain. And finally, we will listen to  Professor Scott Henderson from Canada, who talks about how the diverse cultures in Canada influence the choice of produce in supermarkets and how they differ from European supermarktes.

Continue reading “Grocery shopping +++Vegetarian vs BBQ+++Market vs Supermarkets +++Multicultural supermarkets+++Absolutely Intercultural 228”

Learning Outcomes +++ New Project +++ Skills to Learn and Apply +++ Semester Abroad +++ Absolutely Intercultural 224 +++

Have you ever thought about outcomes of your learning process? Well, in today’s show, we are going to focus on intercultural learning outcomes in lectures and seminars at university but also in study abroad experiences. First, we will listen to Mariana Silva, an Erasmus exchange student from Portugal. Mariana studied at RheinAhrCampus in Germany and did an intercultural internship at the same time. She will talk about the research she has done into the theory of learning outcomes or graduate attributes and quote examples from her own observations in classes and her intercultural development during the internship. Then, our main editor Zarnura Hajiyeva will take the microphone and will turn Dr. Borgmann into a guest in this show – as a lecturer who has some experience in formulating learning outcomes for his own classes. As he noticed considerable effects on both the style of his teaching and the effectiveness of his classes, he will share his experiences of the process. His next project will be to apply the idea of intercultural learning outcomes to the study abroad experience of his students. Finally, we will listen to Husniyya Huseynova, an exchange student from Azerbaijan, who will share her impressions of the courses and the lasting impact on her personal intercultural growth. Continue reading “Learning Outcomes +++ New Project +++ Skills to Learn and Apply +++ Semester Abroad +++ Absolutely Intercultural 224 +++”

Mindsets +++ Myanmar +++ Shamans +++ Finland +++ Zambia +++ Absolutely Intercultural 223 +++

Myanmar
Sunset in Mandalay, Myanmar

In this show we are going to find out how a shaman does his work, as well as first impressions of Finland when you come from Zambia. Strangely enough, it was also my first time in Finland and we did discuss in the project team whether it was a good idea to visit in January but we are planning to go again in June when there will be 24 hour daylight and mosquitos out in full force so we will get the whole range. The occasion was a small-scale conference in which the Prof E Sus project was wrestling with the idea of defining, measuring and creating a sustainable mindset in the teachers of home economics. One of the participants was Dr Hosea Lupambo Chishala a teacher trainer from Rockview University in Lusaka and he shared with us that in Zambia you can mark your status by how much you are able to waste. This means that he is faced with a really big challenge. And we’ll also be talking to Mia Fox about how she stumbled across a shaman unexpectedly in Myanmar

Continue reading “Mindsets +++ Myanmar +++ Shamans +++ Finland +++ Zambia +++ Absolutely Intercultural 223 +++”