Dynamics of Religion +++ Passion +++ Guidance +++ Religious Freedom +++ Absolutely Intercultural 301

Hello dear listeners. Before introducing the main topic, today’s episode is not hosted by Laurent Borgmann. This is an experimental episode, made only by students from Hochschule Koblenz Germany, and we hope that this experimental episode will be as enjoyable as the others. Without further ado, let’s start!

Hello dear listeners and welcome to show 301 of our podcasts “Absolutely Intercultural”. Today, we are going to talk about a topic that many of you might have strong feelings about, which is “Dynamics of Religion”. It is a topic that produces diverse perspectives, depending on cultural background and lifestyle choices all around the world. When we first brainstormed the subject, we were afraid of touching a very sensitive subject like religion. We realized how everyone in our team had diverse beliefs, coming from different cultures with respective approaches, but we still feel the same way towards the concept of belief, whether that might be related to a religious devotion or a strong passion. As always, our goal in this episode is not to support one perspective over another but to offer a platform for a range of voices to share their stories and perceptions. This is the Absolutely Intercultural Podcast – and we seriously appreciate cultural diversity and different views on the same subject and absolutely everyone is welcome to think absolutely everything about this topic! By listening to this episode, we hope to encourage a deeper understanding and promote a more thoughtful and respectful dialogue on this topic.

Through these conversations, we want to show you different perspectives shaped by beliefs, values and experiences. By listening to this episode, we hope to encourage a deeper understanding and promote a more thoughtful and respectful dialogue on this topic.

absolutely suppressed

In our first story, we will listen to Nicole, a nurse from Germany. Nicole talks about how she helped patients to move on and recover, and she saw that people with a goal in mind were recovering much faster.

absolutely passionate

In our second story,  we will listen to Serief, a practicing Muslim, who tells us about how much effect religion has on his life, even changing what he is willing to eat.

absolutely motivating

In our last story, we will listen to Matilda from Albania, who experienced her country as it went through a dictatorship and became an anti-religious nation. In her story, she tells us that people continued to practice their beliefs, even when they had to hide it.

What about you? Do you or someone you know have a strong passion about religion or something else, like a concept or a hobby? Do you feel there’s no need for humans to believe in something, or do you think there is something to say about beliefs that we did not touch here in this episode? Get in touch, feel free to share your unique story with us here on this podcast.

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, Apple Podcasts and Spotify? 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 3 January.

Until then –find out what would you do if you were sexually harassed at the university or in your business –and above all, BleibenSie absolutinterkulturell!

The team behind this episode are: Michele Varvara, Xavier Sutton, Iryna Krupa, and Abdual Serief Mehboob Bacha

Download

Podcast-Feed

Apple podcasts

 

Belonging +++ work-life balance +++ Denmark +++ Hungary +++ absolutely intercultural 294 +++

Dora Hegedus: Your Thinking Partner

In the last show we heard about different types of freedom and in this show, 294, we will continue this theme and find out how lack of freedom can drive someone to leave their country.

Also, in this show we’ll be looking beyond the Erasmus semester abroad, at what can happen when you aim to relocate to a new country permanently. Your head or your heart? Which will win?

We’ll end with a very important problem which Danish leaders often overlook. But is it just Danish leaders?

My name’s Anne Fox and this show is coming to you from Denmark, which is where today’s guest, Dora, decided to relocate to from Hungary. Dora is a coach and therapist and has noticed that, while the headline advantages of coming to Denmark to live are fairly well known globally, there is a downside, that Dora calls “killing me softly”.

But is this show all doom and gloom? No! We will finish with a very simple piece of advice that Dora has for Danish leaders, but which I think is very good advice for everyone.

Today I am talking with Dora Hegedus who runs a coaching company, called Your Thinking Partner, in Denmark. Dora will tell us why she felt that she and her family should leave Hungary, even though she was already in her fifties when they decided to make the move. 

absolutely killing me softly
But first we’ll find out why the famed work-life balance of working in Denmark is not enough and how Danish leaders are losing their new international employees through careless inattention to one critical factor. What Dora might call, absolutely killing me softly.

absolutely ready to leave
So a sense of belonging is critical to being able to take full advantage of the freedoms of Denmark and in our next segment we will hear how it was this sense of belonging that Dora felt slipping away in her native Hungary. Hear how Dora felt increasingly alienated as we go absolutely ready to leave.

absolutely helpful
Now we don’t want to leave you with the feeling that Denmark is a hopeless case for internationals. It is clearly working for Dora. So here is one last piece of advice that Dora has for Danish leaders on how to retain their foreign staff. Let’s go absolutely helpful.

So that’s it! Ask your foreign colleagues if they need help. Advice which I am sure would bear fruit everywhere, not just Denmark. What do you think? What’s the best way of helping people feel they belong in your country?

Share your story with us via comment or email, and you could feature in one of our upcoming shows. For more information and previous episodes, explore our website.

And if you enjoyed the show, please like us on Facebook too.

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

The next show will be coming to you from Germany with Laurent Borgmann on the 7th of June.

Until then – stay tuned to your international colleagues!

The host of this show is: Anne Fox

Download

Podcast-Feed

Apple podcasts

Paradox of Freedom +++ Freedom vs. Safety +++ Artistic Freedom +++ Absolutely Intercultural 293 +++

Hello, dear listeners, and welcome to episode 293 of our podcast “Absolutely Intercultural”. Today, we’re exploring the “Culture of Freedom.” We’re asking a big question: Is there such a thing as too much freedom in some cultures? We’ll look at how freedom affects our own cultures but also how our own cultures have an influence on the freedom we are granted. We will focus on aspects of safety, creativity and even romantic relationships. This is the Absolutely Intercultural Podcast –my name is Laurent Borgmann, and I’m here to guide you through this journey around different aspects of freedom.

Is true freedom about choosing whatever we want, or is it simply about creating a good life within agreed limits? What is the role of freedom during a war, an outbreak of repeated terrorism in a country or a world-wide pandemic? Will total freedom really spark our creativity, or is it the boundaries and limitations that actually fuel our most innovative ideas? Is choosing your own life partners the ultimate freedom, or do arranged marriages offer a kind of family safety net, deeply valued in many cultures?

absolutely safe

In our first story, we will listen to Xavier from Australia. He shares with us how he thought a lot about the paradox of Freedom vs. Safety during the Corona Crisis down-under where the freedom of movement was much more rigorously restricted than in most parts of Europe. When faced with extreme challenges, Xavier noticed in himself that he actually preferred lockdowns over predicted anarchy, no matter how strict and unprecedented the new Corona regulations were

absolutely independent

In our second story, we will listen to Raghavan from India. He talks about his niece in the United Kingdom who, like many young Indians abroad, is now enjoying an unexpected window of freedom to build a career and find a life partner by herself. These young expats often have the opportunity to choose someone they love, a freedom they would perhaps not have in their own country. However,if they can’t find someone quickly, their parents will jump in and help by arranging their marriage, even from a distance of 8.000 kms.

absolutely creative

In our last story, we will listen to Figo from Turkey who does not feel free to express his artistic freedom. He feels that social biases and narrow-mindedness discourage him from sharing his music, particularly on social media.

What are your thoughts on freedom? Do you think we have all gone too far with personal freedom? Or do you think more freedom would make your country a better place? We’re eager to hear your perspective.

Share your story with us via comment or email, and you can feature in one of our upcoming shows. For more information and previous episodes, visit our website at absolutely-intercultural.com. If you enjoyed the show, please give us a thumbs-up on Facebook.

And did you know we’re also on iTunes, Apple Podcasts and Spotify? You can subscribe for free, leave a rating, and drop a comment there. 

Our next show, hosted by Anne Fox in Denmark, will be out on 3rd May.

Until then – find out whether there can be TOO much freedom in a culture!  and

Bleiben Sie absolut interkulturell! 

The host of this show is: Dr. Laurent Borgmann

Chief Editor: Natalia Obikhod

Assistant Editors: Sebastian Berg

 

Download

Podcast-Feed

Apple podcasts