podcast – absolutely intercultural!

Hello dear listeners and welcome to show 305 of our podcast “Absolutely Intercultural”.  Today's topic is “culture wars” and more specifically “fights between different food cultures”! There are those who decide to not eat a specific category of food perhaps because of health reasons or for ethical reasons, and things can escalate pretty quickly when … Continue reading "Culture Wars +++ Food Cultures +++ Vegetarianism +++ Food Choices +++ Absolutely Intercultural 305"

We're going to be talking about responsible technology. That may sound a bit vague, so I'll share a few more hints about where we ‘re going. This is about an initiative by, and for, young people. We'll be talking to the president of Fidutam ,  a small but global civil society organisation which started by … Continue reading "AI +++ Fidutam +++ Influencing lawmakers +++ Absolutely Intercultural 304"

Hello dear listeners and welcome to show 303 of our podcast “Absolutely Intercultural”. Today, we are going to talk about the cultural aspects of “national borders”, human-made geographical lines separating two countries or regions. Some see borders as the ugly scars on the face of the earth – when others say “Where there is a … Continue reading "National Borders +++ Immigration +++ Travel +++ Security +++ Absolutely Intercultural 303"

Picture the scene: You and your companion have stopped at a cafe, chosen a table and drawn up your chairs. Why did you do this? In this show Lisa La Valle will explain cafe culture as part of her culture hacks for Americans.Welcome to 2025 and show 302 of Absolutely Intercultural which takes a closer … Continue reading "101 Culture Hacks +++ Americans +++ Lisa La Valle +++ Absolutely Intercultural 302 +++"

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 … Continue reading "Dynamics of Religion +++ Passion +++ Guidance +++ Religious Freedom +++ Absolutely Intercultural 301"

Welcome to show 300 of Absolutely Intercultural. My name's Anne Fox and this show is coming to you from Denmark. In this show I find out more about a very interesting EU-supported collaboration between a group of universities, intercultural practitioners recruited from SIETAR, the Society for Intercultural Education and Research and the culture game diversophy, … Continue reading "IncluKIT+++ Opole +++ diversophy +++ SIETAR +++ Absolutely Intercultural 300"

Hello dear listeners and welcome to show 299 of our podcast “Absolutely Intercultural”. Today, we are going to talk aboutcultural aspects of “Sexual Harassment”, which,is a subject that touches on deeply personal beliefs, cultural values, and societal norms. It’s a topic that holds strong feelings and diverse perspectives, depending onpersonal experiences, cultural backgrounds, and even … Continue reading "Sexual Harassment +++ Consent Culture +++ Prevention +++ Accusation +++ Absolutely Intercultural 299"

I think we all know by now that we have to live more sustainably to avoid the worst effects of climate change and biodiversity loss. We probably know of several changes that we ought to be making, laws that should be passed and businesses that ought to behave better. If we know all this then … Continue reading "Sustainable mindset +++ Sys Mind +++ spirituality +++ Absolutely Intercultural 298 +++"

Hello dear listeners, and welcome to episode 297 of our podcast “Absolutely Intercultural.” Today, let’s dive into another cultural topic that many of you might have strong feelings about: the legalization of cannabis. Germany has partly decriminalised marijuana use as of 1 April 2024. So, have we experienced a cultural change as a result? Does … Continue reading "Legal Cannabis: Triumph or Tragedy? +++ Decriminalisation +++ Intoxication +++ Passive Smoking +++ Absolutely Intercultural 297"

How do you travel? Intentionally? In today's show we are going to once again be hearing about how the need to belong can lead to people migrating to another country. In this case it will be about African Americans who had very strong reasons for feeling that only by moving to another country could they … Continue reading "Intentional travel +++ Beyond the shores +++ Tamara Walker +++ absolutely intercultural 296 +++"

Hello dear listeners and welcome to show 295 of our podcast “Absolutely Intercultural”. Today, we are going to talk about “Abortion”, which is a subject that touches deeply personal beliefs, cultural values, and societal norms. It is a topic that produces strong feelings and controversies, informed by very diverse factors from personal experiences to religious … Continue reading "Abortion +++ Freedom of Choice +++ Ethical Dilemma +++ Absolutely Intercultural 295 +++"

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 … Continue reading "Belonging +++ work-life balance +++ Denmark +++ Hungary +++ absolutely intercultural 294 +++"

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 … Continue reading "Paradox of Freedom +++ Freedom vs. Safety +++ Artistic Freedom +++ Absolutely Intercultural 293 +++"

  Welcome to Absolutely Intercultural show number 292 on World Futures Day. My name's Anne Fox and this show is coming to you from Denmark, but when you're online, does it matter where I am? In this show we'll be looking at some of the issues that can happen in online courses. Yes, believe it … Continue reading "Online learning+++ NILE +++Absolutely Intercultural 292+++"

  Imagine the future. What do you see? I think I could safely bet a lot of money that what you're seeing now in your mind involves high tech, humanoid robots, and metallic high-rise cities! Can we be more imaginative about the future? And how do you see your personal future? Welcome to show 291 … Continue reading "Futures Studies +++ Georgia +++ India +++ Absolutely Intercultural 291 +++"

Hello dear listenersand welcome to show 290 of our podcast“Absolutely Intercultural”. Today’s topic is all about the impact of our media consumption. I am Laurent Borgmann, your host, and as I am over sixty years old, I feel obliged to start with a bit of media nostalgia. Back in the good old times, yes, in … Continue reading "Media Consumption +++ Infotainment +++ Fake News +++ Absolutely Intercultural 290 +++"

Welcome to show 289 of Absolutely Intercultural. Did you know that the richest man who ever lived was an African from Mali in the fourteenth century whose wealth exceeded that of Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates put together? Did you know that the first university in the world was not in Milan, Italy but in … Continue reading "Hidden history +++ Our Story +++ Absolutely Intercultural 289 +++"

Hello dear listeners and welcome to show 288 of our podcast “Absolutely Intercultural”. Today’s topic is all about traffic. I’m Laurent Borgmann, and my wife and I, both in our early sixties, made a significant decision when we hit 40 – we decided to get rid of both our cars. Now, this might come as … Continue reading "Traffic Culture +++ Driving Habits +++ Cultural Prejudice +++ Absolutely Intercultural 288 +++"

Welcome to Show 287 of Absolutely Intercultural coming to you from Denmark. My name's Anne Fox and Denmark is where I have lived for almost thirty years. It is a small country of nearly 6 million people which has 8 universities. Compared to Germany's 380, or the USA's seemingly too many to count, but let's … Continue reading "Why Denmark? +++ Iceland +++ South Africa +++ Masters +++ PhD +++ Absolutely Intercultural 287 +++"

Hello dear listeners and welcome to show 286 of our podcast “Absolutely Intercultural”. Today, we are going to talk about “Privilege”, about having different starting points in life, about having unearned advantages because of different aspects of our identity. It is worth looking at how people perceive this controversial topic in their everyday lives. From … Continue reading "Privilege +++ Being aware of privileges +++ Artificial privileges +++ Absolutely Intercultural 286 +++"

Hello, dear listeners, and welcome to episode 285 of our podcast, “Absolutely Intercultural.” Today, we are going to discuss a very sensitive topic: discrimination. Have you ever wondered why people discriminate against each other? Whether it’s occasional or regular, intentional or unintentional, spoken aloud or merely in our thoughts, people from different cultures have a … Continue reading "Discussing discrimination+++ Why We Discriminate +++ Learning From Discrimination +++ Absolutely Intercultural 285 +++"

http://www.absolutely-intercultural.com/podcast/absolutely_intercultural_show_284.mp3 Hello dear listeners and welcome to show 284 of our podcast “Absolutely Intercultural”. Today we explore the cultural dynamics between generations and their impact on our environment. What is the difference between the sustainability practices of our elders and the younger generations. Two different cultures “woke” vs. “wise”? This cultural distinction raises the question – can we connect the different cultures between the old and the young and combine the collective knowledge and experience to combat climate change? In this episode, we explore (and promote) the role of intergenerational knowledge exchange in creating a sustainable future. Join us as we dive into Grandparents’ sustainability lessons for their eco-activist grandchildren. absolutely inspiredIn our first category, “absolutely inspired”, we will listen to Mariam from Georgia who admires her grandma.  Mariam is not so proud of her own carbon footprint but she thinks that grandma is “the best environmentalist ever”! absolutely vegetarian In our second category “absolutely vegetarian”, we will hear from Nils in Germany whose grandparents are rather worried that their grandson is a vegetarian and they are convinced that he is not nourished well without meat.  absolutely awareFinally, in our last category “absolutely aware”, we listen to Anjana from India, where thinking or talking about sustainability has not been a high priority as it is for example in Germany. Paradoxically, her grandparents might not be aware of “sustainability” itself, but they do know how to ration and be mindful of natural resources in their home. What about YOU? What did your grandparents teach you? Or what can you teach them? Maybe you have had an eye-opening experience on your own which raised your awareness for sustainability? Get in touch, and feel free to share your unique story with us here on this podcast. 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 July! Until then – learn from your grandma and make her learn from you as well!   – and Bleiben Sie absolut interkulturell!  The host of this show is: Dr. Laurent Borgmann Chief Editor: Natalia Obikhod Assistant Editors: Teona Tepnadze, Sonam Tashi   Download

http://www.absolutely-intercultural.com/podcast/absolutely_intercultural_show_283.mp3 Hello and welcome to show 283 of our podcast “Absolutely Intercultural”. Today, we are going to talk about the different cultures men and women live in – we are looking at different Gender Roles. No matter how progressive our parents think they are, all of us are confronted with gender roles from a very young age. As kids, in our still binary world we learn the concepts of “girls” and “boys” from our parents, grandparents, kindergarden and school teachers, etc. Later, these assumptions develop into a set of gender roles of “men” and “women” that we bring to our adulthood, our relationships, our workplace, and again pass on to our own kids. Our international guests, today, grew up in the United States, the Czech Republic and in Germany and share their own personal experiences and views regarding gender roles. What worries young men and women nowadays? What kind of new challenges do they face? How do they deal with it?  absolutely manlyIn our first category, “absolutely manly”, we will listen to Jacob from the United States. Jacob tells us that the attitude “A real man does not cry” is still very present in everyday American male culture and even school boys will do anything not to be seen crying in front of other school children. absolutely divided In our second category “absolutely divided”, we will hear from Teresa. She believes that everyone, man or a woman, should be free to make their life choices independently of cultural gender expectations. However, Teresa also shares her worries, that more and more difficult choices between mother and career can put women under even more pressure. absolutely unfairFinally, in our last category “absolutely unfair”, we listen to Sebastian from Germany. Even though we have managed to achieve more gender equality in the 21 century, Sebastian noticed that some women still look for traditional men as a partner and some men, prefer to to be in a relationship with a traditional woman. And why shouldn't they? However, Sebastian observes that, quite unfairly, it still seems acceptable for a woman to expect a man to pay for her dinner but it will be considered sexist of a man to expect a woman to cook for him. What about you? What is your opinion about male and female cultures? Do you perhaps find this binary thinking hopelessly “old school” and 1980ies? Do you have examples where gender roles are determined by the culture of the family, the community or the country you grew up in? Have you personally ever been stereotyped because of your gender? How did you feel about that? 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 also leave comments. And if you enjoyed this show, please like us on Facebook too.  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 5th of May. Until then – embrace gender equality by appreciating each other's work – and Bleiben Sie absolut interkulturell!  The host of this show is: Dr. Laurent Borgmann Chief Editor: Natalia Obikhod Assistant Editors: Sonam Tashi, Teona Tepnadze   Download Podcast-Feed

Hello dear listeners and welcome to show 282 of our podcast “Absolutely Intercultural”. Today, we are going to talk about the culture of self-improvement. One way or another, most of us strive to be better than we really are. We would love to look better, be more successful and feel better than we really are. … Continue reading "Self-Imrpovement Culture +++ Personal Goals +++ Social Expectations +++ Absolutely Intercultural 282 +++"

Hello and welcome to show 281 of our podcast “Absolutely Intercultural”. Today, we are going to shed some light on the “Sports Culture” which is a non geographically determined culture that people from all over the world can be part of . From our international guests, we will hear what can motivate or inspire people … Continue reading "Sports Culture +++ Why we do sports +++ Influence of sports +++ Absolutely Intercultural 281 +++"

Hello and welcome to show 280 of our podcast “Absolutely Intercultural”. Today, we are going to talk about the culture of “Political Correctness”. Since the 1980s many people in public life have used politically correct language either to avoid discrimination and to treat others respectfully or because they are worried about being judged by more … Continue reading "Political Correctness +++ Woke Culture +++ Being PC +++ Absolutely Intercultural 280 +++"

Hello dear listeners and welcome to show 279 of our podcast “Absolutely Intercultural”. Today, we are going to talk about the “Green Culture”, about being eco-friendly, about the culture of environmental sustainability – or whatever words you use to describe this phenomenon. Today, we are shedding some light on the Green Culture that is getting … Continue reading "Green Culture +++ Second-hand Shopping +++ Being eco-friendly +++ Absolutely Intercultural 279 +++"

http://www.absolutely-intercultural.com/podcast/absolutely_intercultural_show_278.mp3 Hello and welcome to show 278 of our podcast “Absolutely Intercultural”. Our topic today is “Multicultural Individuals”. Have you ever asked yourself if you are multicultural? And if so, what makes you a multicultural individual? Is it because you were raised in a multicultural context? Or because you learned foreign languages and now are multilingual? Perhaps you travelled around the world and visited 5, 10, or 20 different countries? Multiculturalism seems to be very complex, and to be a multicultural individual can be quite challenging, but also quite fascinating.From our guests, we learn that for some individuals the path to multiculturalism starts in early in childhood if you are exposed to different languages, traditions, and religions. absolutely adaptable In our first story, “absolutely adaptable”, we will listen to Esjona from Albania who is currently living and working in Germany. Esjona shares with us that she feels like a chameleon that walks between the Albanian and the German cultures and changes her skin color according to her surroundings. absolutely natural In our second story, “absolutely natural”, we will hear from Agnes, who is half German and half Brazilian. She was born and raised in Germany, where she has lived for her whole life. Nevertheless, Agnes feels more than just German and has a deep connection with the Brazilian culture. absolutely challenged In our last story “absolutely challenged”, we will listen to Vitor from Brazil who has recently come to Germany to pursue his international career. Vitor shares with us that on his path to multiculturalism, he had to deal with many challenges – such as homesickness. What about you? Do you think it is worth going through this trouble to become multicultural. Or, do you think we shoud spend our energy getting to know our own culture better? Feel free to share your unique story with us. 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 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 October. Until then – make up your mind about multiculturalism – Bleiben Sie absolut interkulturell!  The host of this show is: Dr. Laurent Borgmann Chief Editor: Natalia Obikhod   Download Podcast-Feed

Hello and welcome to show 277 of our podcast “Absolutely Intercultural”. In the middle of our travel season in Germany we are going to talk about “Cultural Expectations concerning travel”. In this show, we will hear about different types of travellers or maybe even different cultures of travelling. Whichever type of traveller you are, holidays often … Continue reading "Cultural Expectations concerning travel +++ Expectations Vs. Reality +++ Slow Travel +++ Absolutely Intercultural 277 +++"

http://www.absolutely-intercultural.com/podcast/absolutely_intercultural_show_276.mp3 Hello and welcome to show 276 of our podcast “Absolutely Intercultural”. Today we are going to talk about “Job Applications” in different cultures. Most countries have their own work cultures, you can sometimes tell from the layout of office spaces, behaviour in the workplace and even the application processes may differ. How can the application process for jobs be different in different cultures when the final aim to get the best person for the job seems to be the same? Let’s hear from the experiences of our guests. absolutely honestIn our first story, “absolutely honest”, Meaghan from Canada talks about why in the past she kept some things about her personal life hidden during job interviews and how she has just had her first experience of mentioning her daughter in this situation. absolutely prepared In our second story, “absolutely prepared”, we hear from Yarub, a student from Jordan, who explains how his university helped prepare him specifically for the German job market. absolutely curiousIn our last story “absolutely curious”, Ashlin shares with us that at some job interviews in India you should be ready for some very personal questions, even about your religion or caste. What about you? Have you ever applied for a job or been an interviewee for a job interview? Or, maybe, you have even applied for a job in a different country? Feel free to share your story with us. 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 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 5 August. Until then –prepare yourself well for job applications 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    Download Podcast-Feed

Hello and welcome to show 275 of our podcast “Absolutely Intercultural”. Today we are going to talk about “Adulthood”. Is adulthood about our age and the national law in the country we live in, or is it about our maturity – our social or financial status? Is it just a number on your passport or … Continue reading "Adulthood +++ Independence +++ Responsibilities +++ Absolutely Intercultural 275 +++"

http://www.absolutely-intercultural.com/podcast/absolutely_intercultural_show_274.mp3 Hello and welcome to show 274 of our podcast “Absolutely Intercultural”. Our topic for today is “Culture change”. Cultures and people who live in them are interconnected and influence each other. For some people, it is easy to adapt to a new environment and accept the challenges of culture change. They see new experiences as an opportunity to learn and grow personally. Some people, however, are rather careful about exposing themselves to new cultures and as a result are less likely to be influenced or changed. In this show, we try to figure out how cultures influence us, what impact they have on us, and how we can create better versions of ourselves by adapting to cultural changes. absolutely direct In our first category, “absolutely direct”, Carlos speaks to Sandie, a guest lecturer from Australia who came to Germany to exchange teaching practices and learn new teaching approaches, which however may not be suitable for her own students back home. absolutely influenced In our second category, “absolutely influenced”, Natalia talks to Shelbi, an Exchange Student from the United States who let herself dive completely into the new German culture and is soaking up new cultural influences. absolutely alien In our last category, “absolutely alien”, Jan from Germany shares with Lars the story of how he moved from the countryside to the big city of Bonn, former capital of West Germany, and how he noticed that his own culture was different from the people around him in the street – and he felt like an outsider. What about you? Have you ever experienced culture change? How did you deal with it and what impact did it have on you and your life? Maybe you are in the middle of adapting to the new environment right now? I am sure you are not alone, so please, feel free to share your story with us. 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, 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 3rd June. Until then – allow yourself to dive into another culture 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 Download

http://www.absolutely-intercultural.com/podcast/absolutely_intercultural_show_273.mp3 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. 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, 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 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   Download Podcast-Feed

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 … Continue reading "Apology Culture +++ Making mistakes +++ Forgiveness +++ Absolutely Intercultural 272 +++"

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 … Continue reading "Uncertainty +++ Decision-making +++ Semester abroad +++ Absolutely Intercultural 271 +++"

Hello and welcome to show 270 of our podcast “Absolutely Intercultural”. Today we will talk about the biggest intercultural event of Sprachen/Internationales during the Winter Semester which is called the Managing Cultural Diversity Seminar. Every year – for the last 20 years we have invited guest lecturers from our partner Universities from literally all around … Continue reading "Managing Cultural Diversity +++ Sprachen/Internationales +++ Sustainable Innovation+++ Absolutely Intercutural 270 +++"

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 … Continue reading "Internalization +++ Erasmus Experience +++ Life In a Cultural Exchange +++ Absolutely Intercutural 269 +++"