Language and Culture with Dr. J

An intimate chat with the woman who has paved the road for Third Culture Kid research and has influenced our views about multiculturalism and global mobility over the past 4 decades. It is with immense pleasure that I bring you this very personal interview that allows you to get to know the person behind the admired researcher and writer. cultureum.com      cultureumdrj Just a quick note – this is the last episode I am bringing out this year. I am taking a brief hiatus to gather creative energy, to write two books that I have been meaning to bring out, and to rethink and restructure the podcast a bit. But, I will be back with new episodes sometime in the spring or summer of 2025. Thank you for listening, Dr. J

Die Geigerin, Orchesterleiterin, Autorin und Pädagogin Gesine Mielitz spricht mit mir über die Zusammenhänge zwischen Sprache und Musik, über das Spektrum, in dem sich Musik und Sprache bewegen, über die interessante Übersetzung, die beim Wechsel zwischen verschiedenen Kunstformen stattfindet, über die Auswirkung der Nationalkultur auf den Stil von Autoren und Musikern, sowie über die Doppelrolle des kreativen Schöpfers und Pädagogen aller, die als Künstler sowohl in der Musik als auch in der Literatur tätig sind. Ein sehr interessantes Interview, das es wagt, schwierige Fragen zu stellen, dessen Antworten jedoch für die zukünftige Entwicklung von Sprache und Musik sehr wichtig sind. cultureum.com       @cultureumdrj

This is an interview with one of the leading experts on Shakespeare, Felicia Londré, who also happens to be a personal friend of Fernando Arrabal. In the interview, we tackle questions such as: Why do Shakespeare's plays still appeal to audiences today? Who actually wrote the plays? How has theater developed since Shakespeare? What are some of the problems with contemporary productions? What is the future of theater? At the end of the interview, Felicia tells us the story of how she met and got to know Fernando Arrabal, and how an initial regard for each other's work developed into a life-long friendship. cultureum.com @cultureumdrj To the listeners, a quick reminder, this is one of the last episodes that I will bring out before my break. After this episode, I will bring you one more episode in German, with a brilliant musician and teacher, and then one more in English with an expert on Third Culture Kids. Afterwards, I will take a brief hiatus to concentrate on a few other projects, but I will be back with new episodes in the spring or summer of 2025. As always, if you'd like to keep up with my activities, please visit my website: culturem.com or my instagram page @cultureumdrj.

In this episode, I let you in on some of my favorite language learning exercises and talk to you about the most important considerations you should make in your effort to learn or maintain a language. The advice I provide in this episode can also be applied to improving speaking skills in your mother tongue and to public speaking in general. cultureum.com       @cultureumdrj Just a quick note: In the weeks to come, I will bring you 4 more episodes and will then take a little break from podcasting to write two books that have been swirling around in my head for quite some time now. But I will be back with more episodes in the spring or at the latest in the summer of 2025.

Do you know what the difference is between Third Culture Kids (TCKs) and Cross Cultural Kids (CCKs)? How about the difference between flux culture and core culture, or ethnocentric and ethno-relevant views? Do you know where to draw the line between acting as a cultural ambassador and being guilty of cultural appropriation? Do you know what these terms refer to: passport culture, code switching, heart homes, shared identity, global citizenship, or cultural markers? Did you know that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives have of late added a B to the acronym DEIB – to also address issues of belonging? Well, all this is the topic of this episode, in which we “unpack belonging” and discuss the pressing cultural issues of today's world. Megan's book: Megan Norton. Belonging Beyond Borders: How Adult Third Culture Kids Can Cultivate a Sense of Belonging. cultureum.com       @cultureumdrj

Der deutsche Defensivspieler Thomas Ostendorf spricht mit mir über seine Fußballmannschaft und erzählt über die Initiativen des Vereins zur Förderung von Multikulturalität und Inklusion sowie über die Bemühungen des Vereins, für Gerechtigkeit und Gleichheit in der Welt zu kämpfen. hamburg-hurricanes.com     @hamburghurricanes cultureum.com     @cultureumdrj

Do you know these gentlemen in pink who play football every Sunday in Hamburg's Central Park? Would you like to meet them? In this episode, three Hurricane players, George Balakrishna, Thomas Ostendorf, and Oussama Bensat, talk to us about the international character of this awesome grassroots football club, about their own cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and about the teams' creative initiatives to make the world just a little better. hamburg-hurricanes.com     @hamburghurricanes cultureum.com     @cultureumdrj  

Juliette Blanquart, étudiante en journalisme et médias, partage avec nous son journal intime qu'elle a tenu pendant un an pour documenter la progression des travaux et des émotions autour des Jeux Olympiques 2024 à Paris. Une vue de derrière les coulisses des sportifs, des organisateurs, et du public !

Get an intimate impression of how the city of Paris changed and reacted to the Olympic Games. This is an honest and emotional account of the work and excitement that went into hosting the 2024 Olympics, as seen from the point of view of a student of journalism who served as a volunteer at the actual event. Juliette has also written 6 further articles about the various sport disciplines. Thank you, Juliette for your contributions to CULTUREM throughout this year! cultureum.com       @cultureumdrj

An episode that ends with Matteo Fusella declaring, “When it comes to culture, I am Italian and German. When it comes to patriotism, I am European,” this  episode takes you on Matteo's train journey from Italy to Germany and back, informing you along the way about the German - Italian connection that is everywhere to find. Matteo talks about his train rides and walks through various cities in order to inform us in an intimate and sometimes humorous way about his love-hate relationship with Italy and Germany. As with his previous article and episode, entitled “The Road to Self-Discovery and Peace – Matteo Fusella's Camino de Santiago,” he always accompanies his personal observations and experiences with historical facts and interesting anecdotes. His articles in English, German, and Italian can be found on the cultureum.com website. Within this episode, he reads first in English, then from minute 23:14 in German, and finally, from minute 40:40 in Italian.  And now, here is Matteo. cultureum.com @cultureumdrj

  These are the thoughts and perceptions of a multicultural student about art, architecture, and poetry, and her words about how she has managed to reconnect with her inner self by delving into her ancestral background. From minute 7:13, Khullat reads her article in German.

In this episode, the German - Italian student, Matteo Fusella, not only informs us about the Camino de Santiago, but also lets us in on his personal journey and experiences. An informative and intimate episode first in English, then from minute 15:47 in German, and finally, from minute 29:20 in Italian. Please have a look at the actual articles as well. They include many pictures from Matteo's travels. cultureum.com @cultureumdrj

Swarali Talele talks about her childhood in India, about the caste system, and about the literary, philosophical, and cultural details she finds most beautiful in her home country. cultureum.com       @cultureumdrj

Not for the faint of heart, this episode attempts to go through all of the verb tenses and to provide a brutal, intensive review (-:   If you have questions, please write me an Email at info@cultureum.com. To see all of Lia's tasks and assignments, please visit cultureum.com and download the free PDFs. cultureum.com     @cultureumdrj

In this episode, Juliette Blanquart goes into the origins and the cultural significance of combat sports and touches specifically on boxing, judo, wrestling, and taekwondo. She reads her article first in English, then from minute 17:37 in French, and finally, from minute 31:11 Louis Rienaud provides a German translation for us. cultureum.com        cultureumdrj

This episode focuses on telling you about fencing, gymnastics, weightlifting, and equestrian events. First in English, then from minute 19:30 in French, you will hear Juliette Blanquart's articles, and from minute 30:51 Louis Rienaud's German translation. cultureum.com        cultureumdrj

From Bollywood to Indian classical dance, Swarali Talele tells us about her experiences studying and practicing dance in India.  cultureum.com      @cultureumdrj

This episode focuses on informing and exciting you about swimming, artistic swimming and diving, rowing, canoing and kayaking, as well as surfing. First in English, then from minute 18:34 in French, and finally, from minute 34:33 in German this episode features Juliette Blanquart and Louis Rienaud. The articles can be found on the cultureum.com website. cultureum.com      @cultureumdrj

In this episode, Tobias Westermann, a rower from Ratzeburg in Germany, tells us about how rowing has opened doors for him in his career, about his rowing experiences around the world, and about how, on the one hand, the sport facilitates communication among people of all nationalities, and on the other hand, it requires knowledge of very specific rowing terminology that differs even among native speakers of English. The interview is first in English, up until minute 32:41, when we switch to German, and minute 39:18, when we switch to French. The German and the French parts serve to review what was said in the English part, respectively, in Tobias's native language and in the official language of the upcoming Paris Olympics. Even if you do not speak German and /or French, please listen in also to these parts and thus participate in the beauty of multilingualism. cultureum.com        @cultureumdrj  

In dieser Folge spricht Lia über die „SPASSIGEN“ Aufgaben, die sie letzten Monat erledigen musste und wir entdecken Lias größte Herausforderung: die Zeitformen! cultureum.com     @cultureumdrj

From having to act like a star, to interpreting poetry, observing work colleagues, and trying to speak like an American, Lia had four weeks of fun assignments this past month. cultureum.com      @cultureumdrj

In this episode, Juliette Blanquart explains the different disciplines associated with track and field events. Juliette first speaks in English and then from minute 20:04 in French. Finally, from minute 36:14, Louis Rienaud reads the German translation of Juliette's article. cultureum.com       @cultureumdrj

This episode features the Indian exchange student, Swarali Talele, who tell us about how and why she decided to study in Germany and about how her academic life has been influenced by her cultural background. cultureum.com      @cultureumdrj

Lia berichtet vom vergangenen Monat als Teilnehmerin unserer English Challenge und wir machen eine interessante Entdeckung, die mir bei der Planung zukünftiger Unterrichtsstunden helfen wird.

Last month, Lia had to sing, come up with rhymes and synonyms, complete some basic writing assignments, and make several recordings of her voice. Here is my language lesson and Lia's update after 3 months of studying with me.                     cultureum.com             @cultureumdrj

This episode welcomes the clarinetist Kymia Kermani, who is also the founder and artistic director of the Ensemble Sinn-Phonietta and a member of the Duo Kermani Gentili. Kymia takes us backstage and gives us a peak into the life of an ensemble – How do they communicate – with each other, with the music, with the audience? – What are the practical considerations that we no longer see when we attend one of their performances? And what messages do they wish to leave the audience with? cultureum.com      @cultureumdrj sinn-phonietta.com      @sinnphonietta     @duokermanigentili kymiakermani.com

From tennis, table tennis, badminton, racquetball, and squash, all the way to ice hockey and field hockey, this episode informs you about the rules of the game and the origins of the various disciplines. Up to minute 21:30 in English, then up to minute 37:56 in French, and finally from 37:58 in German. You can also download the articles from the cultureum.com website. Thank you, Juliette Blanquart and Louis Rienaud for all your hard work! cultureum.com   @cultureumdrj

Daniel Fehrens reflects on being nearly ¼ of a century old: what he has learned up until now, what he has learned to focus on, coping mechanism he has developed, and most importantly how he is setting out to approach the next phase of his life. Daniel shares his thoughts first in English, and then from minute 12:30 in Czech. cultureum.com     @cultureumdrj

This is Lia's language lesson after two months of working with me on a challenge to improve her English. In this lesson, we focus on improving Lia's grasp of vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation while attempting to correct mistakes she made in the past month.

Lia erzählt, wie sie mit dem Programm zurechtkommt, welche Fortschritte sie macht, welche großen Hürden ihr noch im Weg stehen und was ihr am meisten hilft und Spaß macht.

The young athletes Joselia John and Oscar Streich talk about how they communicate with fellow athletes, coaches and officials, and about how their inner monologue motivates them in sports and in life in general. cultureum.com  @cultureumdrj       sportgemeinschafthohenneundorf.de       @sghn17

  In this episode Pakistani-German student, Khullat Rehmann, tell us about how it was to grow up with her two cultures and how she managed to incorporate both into her cultural identity. Khullat reads her article first in English, and then from minute 10:56 in German.   cultureum.com     @cultureumdrj

This episode features the article of the young French journalism student, Juliette Blanquart, on soccer, football, rugby, basketball, handball, volleyball, and on the athlete, Victor Wembanyama! After my brief introduction, Juliette presents her thoughts first in English, and from minute 20:13 in French. At the end, from minute 33:18 Louis Rienau reads a German translation of Juliette's text. The English, French, and German versions of the article can be downloaded as a PDF from my website, cultureum.com.

Lia tell us how she is getting along with her assignments and book choices, and I give her tips and one or two lessons in grammar and pronunciation. cultureum.com         @cultureumdrj

Lia berichtet von ihren Abenteuern mit der englischen Sprache im letzten Monat – wie ihr Lernalltag aussieht, wie sie mit den Büchern zurechtkommt und welche Fortschritte sie bereits gemacht hat. cultureum.com         @cultureumdrj

In this episode, a young French student speaks about studying abroad and about her passion for sports. She first introduces herself in English and from minute 7:25 in French. Her articles can be found as a pdf on cultureum.com. Juliette will contribute further articles and readings in the weeks to come. cultureum.com         @cultureumdrj

An intimate chat with two brilliant musicians about the meaning and the development of contemporary music. Filled with personal anecdotes and examples, this episode brings you into the world of a composer and that of a conductor, and allows you to hear how they approach the art of communicating through music.  

This episode is a little bit different from previous ones. A young Czech student, Daniel Fehrens, reads you his article entitled, “Back to the Roots.” You can follow along by reading the PDF of the article on cultureum.com. Daniel's article offers you interesting insight into the life of a Czech-German student and into his views and discoveries about culture, specifically biculturality, languages, and the importance of getting back in touch with your family history. From minute 22, Daniel also reads to you his article in Czech. cultureum.com

This episode starts off a one-year challenge with Lia, who would like to improve her English. Lia is a 40-year-old German HR manager, and she feels held back in her career because of her deficiencies in English.  cultureum.com         @cultureumdrj

Lia, eine 40-jährige deutsche Personalmanagerin startet eine einjährige Challenge, um ihre Englischkenntnisse zu verbessern. cultureum.com         @cultureumdrj

An episode that started out with the initial title, “Caviar, Pasta, and Bratwurst,” this interview ended up focusing more on serious questions such as integration, political engagement, dual citizenship, and national identity. The interview was conducted in March 2023. cultureum.com

Magyar szülők egyetlen fia, Zoárd Dániában született, Spanyolországban járt iskolába, most pedig Ausztráliában nő fel. És Zoárd egy nagyon tehetséges úszó reménység. Ezek a nézetei a nyelvről, az utazásról és a kulturális identitásról.

These are the views of a 14-year-old Hungarian-Australian-Danish-Spanish young man, who happens to also be an Olympic hopeful in swimming.

This episode takes us to an ecumenical student dormitory, the Carl Malsch Haus in Hamburg, Germany. Sponsored by the Carl Malsch Foundation and the Protestant Church, this very special private dorm welcomes 89 Students from around the world – 50% German students and 50% international student – and promotes cultural understanding and mixing.   cultureum.com    @cultureumdrj

Associate Professor at Georgetown University, Myriam Vukovic, helps me recap the episode originally recorded in German with the French Consul General to Northern Germany, Valérie Lübken, the fashion influencer, Britta Ahrens (@mrsmoin_hamburg) and the chef and restaurant owner, Sebastian Junge from the restaurant Wolfs Junge. This episode connects fashion, cuisine and diplomacy historically and in modern times by looking at how Louis XIV approached fashion, cuisine, and diplomacy, or how Chanel is more than just a luxury fashion brand, or how the fashion atelier MadeaufVeddel and the restaurant Wolfs Junge work out of the same principles. cultureum.com         de.ambafrance.org/-Hambourg-Consulat- wolfs-junge.de          mrsmoin.de  

Wie ging Ludwig XIV. mit Mode, Küche und Diplomatie um? Inwiefern ist Chanel mehr als eine Luxusmodemarke? Was haben das Modeatelier MadeaufVeddel und das Restaurant Wolfs Junge gemeinsam? Findet heraus, wie die französische Generalkonsulin zu Norddeutschland, Valérie Lübken, diese und weitere Fragen beantwortet. Hört, wie sich die Diskussion entwickelt, wenn die Mode-Influencerin Britta Ahrens (@mrsmoin_hamburg) und Sebastian Junge, der Inhaber und Küchenchef des Restaurants Wolfs Junge, ihre Ansichten teilen. Diese Folge verbindet Mode, Küche und Diplomatie historisch und heute. cultureum.com         de.ambafrance.org/-Hambourg-Consulat- wolfs-junge.de          mrsmoin.de

The students from a private Catholic school in Hamburg, Germany speak about the role of culture in their every-day lives - from the food they eat to the languages they speak. Each stemming from a different cultural background, the students offer insight into what it means to be mono, bi, or multicultural. cultureum.com @cultureumdrj sophie-barat-schule.de  

This episode takes us to the Pony Bar, where we start out with a little quiz about Italy and Italian culture. Then, the students, Francesca Merletti, Maria Poltoratskaya, and Gaia Rupp fill us in on what connects them to Italy and explain the complexities of their national and cultural identities. At the end, the interview involves the audience and turns into a discussion of multiculturality and of some of the dilemmas faced by third culture or global individuals. cultureum.com      LinkedIn: Dr. Henriette J. Runte       @cultureumdrj  

Recorded before a live audience at the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, this episode kicks off Season 5 of the podcast and starts a discussion about the many sociocultural aspects of multiculturalism. In this episode, I speak with Kyle Akins, the son of a US-American diplomat and a Japanese mother. Kyle has already lived in 8 countries around the world, although he is only 19 years old. The interview looks at how Kyle views his international upbringing, hones in on his social and individual development in this multicultural context, and explores his personal experiences in the various countries.   cultureum.com          @cultureumdrj      Linkedin: Dr. Henriette J. Runte

Dr. Mario Navarro is an Argentinian linguist and rugby player, but he calls Hamburg, Germany home, which is where he lives with his wife and children, coaches rugby for FC St. Pauli, and works at the University of Hamburg. This episode wraps up my season on Latin America through Mario's observations about the Spanish language and how it is spoken in the different parts of the world, through personal stories about family and friendship that transcend cultural differences, and through reflections on Argentina's history and lifestyle from abroad.   cultureum.com        @cultureumdrj         LinkedIn: Dr. Henriette J. Runte

Reflecting back on her home country of Brazil, my guest this week, Veronica Ricansrud, tackles the questions of what divides and what unites Brazilian society. The conclusion she reaches is that politics, religion, and soccer tend to polarize, while music (especially samba), food and partying, or spending time together, unite. A fun and informative episode with an energetic and genuinely cheerful guest. cultureum.com        @cultureumdrj         LinkedIn: Dr. Henriette J. Runte