Posted by Olga at Going Global on February 10, 2011
Guest blogger - Brooks Rosenquist
Brooks Rosenquist is a doctoral student in Education Policy at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennesee. He has lived in Taiwan and Spain, and is looking forward to his next international adventure.
“Some of the houses in this neighborhood are FIFTY years old!” That’s how I remember a quote from Steve Martin’s character in LA Story. Growing up in California, my sense of history of place didn’t go back too far. I was surrounded by relatively new buildings and the car and commuter culture they were built around. Although on our fourth grade field trips, we did visit some of the few oldest local historic sites, such as those associated with the Gold Rush of 1849. When it came time to go to college, this young man headed east, to Washington DC, and my sense of history of place was forced back a few centuries. Then, junior year, I headed even further east, for a semester abroad in Salamanca, Spain. For me, this required a quantum leap in my sense of history of place: in Salamanca, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, they have two cathedrals, and the one they call “the new cathedral” dates back to the 1500s.
When I am lucky enough to travel abroad for any period of time, I’ve learned I have to try to do at least a little background on the place, the language, the customs, the cuisine, the geography, and the history. I remember living in Taipei, seeking out books on Chinese history in one of the few small bookstores that specialized in English language books, hoping to teach myself something about the sequence and characteristics of the more than twenty dynasties and five thousand years of history in order to put in context some of the ancient treasures I saw on display at the National Palace Museum,. Then again, instead of just reading about the raw facts of history from one era, country, or culture, you sometimes need a book that really puts it into perspective for you, providing the big picture and showing you how its patterns and lessons are applied in our world today.
A few years ago, I was lucky enough to read Parag Khanna’s book “The Second World”, where he describes his travels though the world while presenting the argument that, after the Cold War, there is substantial shift of power to the middle-income countries and emerging economies, as the powers of Europe, China, and the US court these countries for access to markets and natural resources. While others have expounded variations on this theme, Khanna does so particularly coherently and convincingly; the book reads like a travelogue, so that you can read it straight through or skip around to the sections on the countries that interest you most, enjoying the author’s mix of political analysis and entertaining details and observations. I was in college with Khanna, and after this book was published, he really started to get some of the acclaim that, when I met him, was just limited to the college campus. It was really cool to see my old classmate on TV doing interviews with Charlie Rose and on CNN with Farheed Zakaria.
Khanna is coming out with his second book later this month, and this time, he is really taking a broad, sweeping, historical approach to his analysis. With a decline of influence of the world’s superpowers, political, economic, and even military power is devolving not only to emerging market governments, but also to corporations, armed resistance groups, and non-profit, philanthropic, and other international organizations. In this book, called “How to Run the World: Charting a Course for the Next Renaissance,” Khanna draws upon history to construct a comparison with another time in global history when power was also widely dispersed in this way: the Middle Ages.
For example, while Europe struggled to find it’s way and even lost some of the technological know-how developed by the Romans, empires in China, India, and the Arab world flourished. The Byzantine Empire, based in modern day Turkey, served as a stable link between the East and West. Khanna sees a reflection of many elements of the Middle Ages in our own times, with the US playing the role this time of the multicultural Byzantine Empire, linking East and West. While those with a Euro-centric vision of history think of these centuries as a time of stagnation, it was in many ways a high point for much of the rest of the world. When the knowledge retained and developed in the East was reintroduced to a stabilized Europe, the continent experienced a cultural Renaissance.
From his title, it seems like that is a vision of the world which Khanna would like to encourage: a world with stable and widely distributed economic and political power, which is so interconnected on multiple levels that it avoids war and instead allows for the development of art, commerce, dialog, and travel. Hopefully, those that are in the position to make a difference on a global scale will read Khanna’s book and start to make this vision a reality. For those of us who intend to go or continue to “go global,” this dynamic and interconnected vision of the world is an enticing one, indeed.
Posted by Olga at Going Global on December 16, 2010
Photo courtesy of Lucas Franchi
How do you capture your first thoughts while taking an international experience? Your senses are on an all time high as you experience something new every moment. That excitement is addicting to travelers and expats alike. For many people, that feeling is what keeps them looking for their next international adventure. Today’s guest post by Lucas Frachi takes us into the mind of someone who just step foot to the country that he would call home for a year.
Follow Lucas and his adventures on his blog “My Self-Imposed Exile“.
I’m currently flying over Southern China on a flight from Hong Kong to Guilin. In the past 36 hours I’ve traveled 8000 miles to the other side of the planet. I’ve been stuffed into 3 consecutive airlines seats, all of which were made to fit an anorexic 12-year old girl. I spent 14 hours inside the Hong Kong airport, where I got lost twice. When I finally found a quiet spot to get a little sleep a security guard yelled at me in Cantonese and made me get up. I’m tired, I’m dirty, and judging by the looks I am getting from the flight attendant I probably smell really bad too. And all of it was worth it just for this light show.
I’m looking out of my window at a huge thunderstorm that is laying waste to whatever part of China I’m flying over. I’ve always loved watching thunderstorms off my front porch, but this is different. The clouds are lighting up with huge explosions and each time they do I can make out every little detail of the plane and the clouds themselves. The effect is hauntingly beautiful.
I look down at my watch and see that it is 12:07 AM China Time. A new day has just begun, my very first day in China.
Town of Guilen - courtesy of Lucas
These were the words I wrote into my journal when I officially started my first year abroad in the People’s Republic of China. The effect of the lightning storm inspired me to make the very first entry into a journal that I was afraid would go unused. It turns out that I would need to buy a second journal before my year was complete.
The year I spent in China was the greatest experience of my entire life. I shaped me in ways that I can’t even describe and definitely don’t understand. The very first day I spent in China turned into one of the greatest days in my life. Here is the story.
Upon arriving in Guilin a representative from my school met me at the airport. When I heard “representative” I figured an old man in a suit; turns out it was a 17 year old kid with acne and zero English other then “Hello.” He was going to drive me down to Yangshuo for my orientation. Yangshuo is about 90 minutes away and the drive was anything but ordinary.
Roads in China are notorious health hazards. There is no such thing as streetlights in Guilin or Yangshuo and the only lights that night were headlamps and flashlights from pedestrians. At least 4 different times I knew we were going to hit someone only to miss them at the last minute. I was very impressed with my rep’s driving skills.
Courtesy of Lucas
The next morning I received my first of many shocks. When I arrived in Yangshuo it was completely pitch black outside, no lights anywhere, not even the moon. When I woke up and looked out the window I was staring at a 300 meter, vertical cliff face with pagodas built right into the side. The entire area around Yangshuo is filled with Karsts, small hills with completely vertical faces on all sides. The mountains stuck up straight into the sky like they were poked up by a giant finger. It was like walking into Dr. Seuss’s craziest dream.
After a morning exploring the city I embarked on the highlight of my day, a boat trip down the Li River. Yangshuo gets a lot of rainfall every year and it all drains into the Li River. Because of that the area surrounding the river itself has some of the most breathtaking Karst scenery in the entire province. Poets and artists have been coming to the area for 3 millennia to search for inspiration. After spending 5 minutes there I understood why.
The day was hot and hazy but I could see for miles around. From a mountaintop we could see the entire basin laid out like a picnic table. From the riverside I could see just how huge some of the karsts were. On the river though was the real show. The karsts flowed up and down like an artist had drawn them himself. Even the vegetation on the hills succeeded in painting me a picture that I can still visualize to this day. I sat in stunned silence as my bamboo boat motored up and down the river. The river itself is so famous in China that it is featured on the 20 Yuan bill. Other bills have images of Hua Shan Mountain, the Great Hall of the People, The Great Wall, and even Tibet’s Potala Palace.
Courtesy of Lucas
That night, as a terrific ending to a remarkable day, I was taken to a hostel called Monkey Jane’s Rooftop Bar and Hostel. After toasting this new chapter in my life I spent the evening looking out on Yangshuo before the city turned in for the night.
Soon enough we were joined by fellow teachers and backpackers. One thing I have always loved about backpacking is the ability to meet others with similar desires and pursuits but totally different backgrounds. This night was the first time I experienced that. I spent the evening teaching a Kyrgyzstani about American politics and learning about the culture and history of Kyrgyzstan in return.
Thus ended one of the greatest days of my life and the perfect starter to one of the greatest years in my life. My short bio here has not done it justice, but nothing I say could possibly do it justice.
If you’re ever in Yangshuo, take a trip on the river you will know precisely what I mean.
Posted by Olga at Going Global on October 5, 2010
Courtesy of Jim Key
Today’s guest post is brought to you by Jim Key, Director of Global Marketing at Intrax Internships Abroad. Learn about his suggestions to land an international job.
Over the past two years, I’ve met with companies in London, Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, and Berlin – finding internships for American and Canadian university students. Other than spending time with our students during or after their summer internships overseas, the best part of my job is meeting with a variety of companies around Europe. From speaking with those host companies and from working abroad during grad school, allow me to share a few ideas to help students and recent graduates turn an internship or short-term job overseas into a full time position. The first step is to frame your actions in terms of what the employer wants instead of what you want, so that’s how I’ll frame these tips:
1. Willingness to Speak the Local Language: If you can’t communicate with your co-workers, you will be of limited use to most companies regardless of how smart or skilled you are. While learning a language is the essential starting point, the operative phrase here is Willingness to Speak. Many people who get A’s in their classes get in-country and become more motivated by their fear of “looking stupid” than their desire to communicate. You can’t engage with your colleagues if you are waiting to get the wording exactly right – the conversation will move on and you will be that quiet intern who doesn’t talk to anyone. We had this one finance intern in Madrid, I’ll call him “Mike”. His Spanish was good (not great), but he was fearless. He might trip over an inexact verb or not know a word, but he was more committed to communicating than being perfect and his colleagues appreciated him for it.
2. Be Professional and Adaptable: When hiring, employers ask, “Who would I want as a colleague/ employee?” Being professional means bringing your best self to work. This does not mean being vanilla, it means being the most engaged, most upbeat version of you. Whether you want to or not, you represent your brand (and your country). Focusing on your brand for a moment, a co-worker’s estimation of what you can do is based on what you actually do at work (even if your job is not a perfect match with your full range of talents). Sometimes it is easier to identify personality traits that employers clearly do not want: unreliable, rude, high maintenance, negative… You can add your own to that list and the list does vary a little by culture – not just national culture, but also industry and company culture. The culture of a small Barcelona advertising agency is more like a small Berlin ad agency than a Barcelona pharmaceutical company. Notice and respond to your work environment – being on time may mean be available and prepared “on time”, even if the office culture considers meeting times to be a suggested best-case scenario for starting time. Adaptability means rolling with the way this country/industry/ office culture is. It also means a willingness to give a little more at times. This adds up to acting like a coworker rather than a student who happens to be in an office this summer.
3. Show Initiative: Warning – cliché alert. Employers look for people who bring solutions, not problems. While it can be helpful for interns to point out that systems, products, and services could be improved, it is far more helpful for interns to identify a problem, suggest a few ways to improve it, and volunteer to lead the effort. In our own office, we had an intern who said, “We should do a PR campaign.” If it stopped there, it would not be helpful because like almost every organization, we do not have the resources to do everything we would like to do. She continued with, “So I have identified 30 potential contacts along with a message to use. If it is OK with you, I’ll contact them with this message.” In a related story, she works for us full time now. We hear stories like this from our host companies around the world. Those students interning through our program who get job offers often tell me stories like this. Final note: Initiative includes letting your supervisor and colleagues know that you want to work full time at that company or in that country.
4. Competence in your Job: It should go without saying, but interns really do run the gamut from exceptional to abysmal. Companies that do not want interns reach that conclusion because they have had experience with interns who created far more work to manage than they accomplished. Even if your internship is not your dream job, doing what you do well will open doors – both within that company and among the professional contacts of your supervisor and colleagues. While the tips above will elevate your profile, it all starts with doing your job well.
Courtesy of Jim Key
Thinking about your strategy to turn an internship into a job, remember that employers hire people to improve their team. How can you compete? To start with, as a student from abroad, you have built in advantages and drawbacks. On the up side, you will offer fresh perspectives – adding to the diversity and breadth of experience in most offices. On the down side, as an entry-level employee you will have less industry knowledge, (usually) less than native language skills, and less familiarity with the local culture. Let’s be clear, it is still a challenging economy so getting a job overseas is not easy. By thinking about your value from the employer’s perspective and performing at a high level, you can give yourself your best chance to turn an international internship experience into a full time position overseas.
Posted by Olga at Going Global on September 20, 2010
Photo attribution to albertopveiga
Imagine working abroad for the first time, armed with all the information you need to successfully acclimate yourself to the work environment, social scene and overall cultural customs? That is where Goinglobal steps in. Goinglobal is committed to providing you with an arsenal of career information and resources to ease the transition abroad and help you be prepared before you leave. We have career country guides for over 30 countries, written by in-country researchers, that help you as a professional regardless of whether you are a novice or seasoned expat.
Every week, we will feature an insight from one of our career guides to help you achieve your dream of working internationally.
Photo attribution to Prefeitura de Olinda
Today’s tip: Understanding physical contact in Brazil
Physical contact is an important element of communication in Brazil and visitors should not be alarmed or intimidated by this. As in most Latin cultures, a firm and enthusiastic handshake is customary among men, often followed by a slap on the shoulder or squeeze of the upper arm. When women meet, they will normally kiss each other on the cheek (one kiss on the left cheek) and/or give a light hug. Men are also expected to greet women with a kiss, although Brazilians may forgo this with foreigners so as not to make the visitor feel uncomfortable.
Physical contact is not confined solely to greetings, but is a normal and constant element of interaction, albeit in slightly different forms. For example, if a Brazilian has something important to tell someone or wishes to abruptly change the subject, he/she will frequently reach out and lightly touch the interlocutor’s hand. A Brazilian may also touch or take someone’s hand in the middle of a conversation when laughing or expressing shock. Brazilians also use their hands a lot when talking, so the visitor can expect constant gesticulation.
Are you interested in learning more about living and working in Brazil ? Check out the Brazilian Country Guide and many more at www.goinglobal.com.
Posted by Olga at Going Global on September 14, 2010
What's your 'secret sauce'? Photo attribution to urtica.
Is there a ‘secret sauce’ for getting an internship abroad? Why does it seem so easy for some people? There are a variety of reasons, but one of the main one’s is that they have someone, like a mentor, guiding them through the process.
We realize that finding a mentor takes time. That’s why we decided to host, Jim Key, the Director of Global Marketing at Intrax Internships Abroad. Every other Tuesday he will be a resident mentor, guest blogging and sharing insights about interning and working abroad.
Through his job, he has the privilege to meet and discuss international internships with companies that host American students in London, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, and Berlin. He has first hand knowledge of what these companies are looking for in their international interns.
Jim Key - Director of Global Marketing
Jim joined Intrax after 15 years of sales & marketing in the world of advertising, publishing, and consumer insights. He studied abroad in Cologne, Germany and did a six-month internship with Opel near Frankfurt, Germany in grad school while getting his Master’s of International Business Studies. His wife is Bulgarian and he even did a two-month tour of Australia – just him and his toddler! He speaks German, Spanish, and Bulgarian and embodies much of what we do here at Goinglobal Blog – bringing his passion for all things international into his working life.
Posted by Olga at Going Global on September 3, 2010
Kate Cunningham
How to do you make the most out of your study abroad experience? When you are new to the study abroad experience, you don’t have the hindsight to know how to make the most of your international opportunity. That is why it is so important to speak to ‘seasoned’ people who have studied abroad or professionals who have incorporated living abroad into their lives or professions. In today’s guest post, we learn that at the core of a healthy and fun study abroad experience is you attitude. There is an adage that says that life is 90% attitude. The same holds true for study abroad, it’s all about your attitude.
This guest post is contributed by Kate Cunningham, who writes on the topics of online university rankings. Feel free to send your questions and comments to her email: cn.kate1@gmail.com.
Maximizing Your Study Abroad Experience: It’s All About Attitude
When I was an undergraduate, I studied abroad for a semester in Russia, a country that was as different from my where I attended university as I could possibly think of. While I tried my best to prepare myself for the trip, and even though I had traveled substantially overseas before, nothing was able to fully prepare me for the differences that I encountered. Looking back on the experience, however, I will say that it gave me a much better sense of how to effectively deal with the trials and travails that inevitably come with being in an unfamiliar place. The key to making the most of studying abroad is all contained in how you moderate your own attitude. Here are 4 tips to keep in mind on your first or next study abroad experience.
1. Never compare your home country with the visiting country.
Of course, it’s only natural to base your conceptions of a foreign country on what you’ve experienced before, whether it’s your home or another country you’ve visited. This instinctive mental exercise, however, will severely limit your enjoyment of the host country. I cannot count the times my American friends and I would say, “Isn’t this ridiculous? In America, this would never happen.” Try your best to forget your previous experiences in order to have a more pure, untainted sense of what the culture is really like.
2. Don’t attribute an unpleasant occurrence to the country’s culture.
Just as in your home country, when you study abroad, you’ll invariably run into a frustrating situation, made all the more frustrating by the fact that you are a foreigner. You may have encounters with a few rude people, and it’s typical to make the logical leap that your host country’s people are just “like that”. Nothing could be further from the truth. While of course, some social customs are different (for example, it’s less common for Russians to smile openly in public), rudeness is not a defined cultural trait in any country. Rudeness can be encountered anywhere, and if it happens more often in the country you’re visiting, it probably arises from a web of misconceptions or misunderstandings.
WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
Posted by Olga at Going Global on August 12, 2010
Whether you aspire to live, work or study in another country or if you are already doing that, then the word “expat” is part of your everyday language. In the most general sense, an “expat” is anyone who is temporarily or permanently living in a country other than the one where they claim citizenship. If that is you, then you are in the right place.
Every time you become an expat, you go through the learning curve of planning, moving and acclimating to that new culture. At first the learning curve is steep, but once you get a hang of it, it becomes easier and easier.
That is what the Expatacular tips are all about. Making your first or next expat move easier. If you have any to suggest, leave them in the comments or send us a message.
Today’s tip: Calculate your cost of living
One of the largest adjustments when to moving to a new country is how much things cost relative to what you are used to. Prepare yourself before you go. Know how much money you will need to have an equivalent lifestyle of what you have today. This will help you to negotiate your salary better (if you are moving for a job), gauge a better price point for housing, and give you a sense of what general living expenses are like.
Cost of living calculators tend to be rather nebulous. Expatistan gives clarity to the ambiguous space of cost of living calculators. This free application does a cost comparison any two given cities based on Food, Housing, Clothes, Transportation, Health and Entertainment. It gives an overall picture of how much more or less you will be spending in cities around the world.
While cost of living calculators in general are a smart move, do not rely on them as your only source of information. Do some digging on local websites to get a better picture of how much money you will be spending.
