By: Jean de Dieu Ndahiriwe on September 10, 2022
Looking at the presentation and different orientations as shared by Dr. Tremper, I can only imagine what a better world ours would be should every one of us dared to live in harmony with others! It brought to mind Change Your World, a program of Maxwell Leadership that I love to facilitate. In one of…
By: Jean de Dieu Ndahiriwe on September 9, 2022
The Kinyarwanda saying muzangaye gutinda refers to the challenge of time management in my Rwandan cultural upbringing, even after decades abroad it remains hard to break! That’s one of mine to break as I learn to apply these great tools and resources. “I only do what is easy” [1] How and where? Like on a…
By: Michael O'Neill on September 9, 2022
It is common knowledge that the world is extremely diverse and has evolved in many ways since its conception. There has been enormous growth in global populations and global cultures from the earliest records of antiquity. Nations have been built up and torn down. Cultures have dominated regions for centuries and have also been completely…
By: Jenny Steinbrenner Hale on September 8, 2022
I found the presentation on navigating diverse cultural contexts in the workplace and in our personal lives fascinating and relevant to my current ministry position. I direct a nonprofit program called Second Home in the Portland area and along the Oregon Coast. We provide long-term housing for unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness, so that they can…
By: Audrey Robinson on September 8, 2022
Fascinating. I am sure there has to be research work completed in this space before Erin Meyer. Why? Because it is incredibly pertinent to how global businesses should operate to be effective. The United States has participated in the worldwide realm of multicultural teams for decades. I can recall longing for a two-year assignment on…
By: Kristy Newport on September 8, 2022
My family is among those who have waited for the prequel to The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. Rings of Power premiered this past week on Amazon prime and we watched with eagerness and excitement. It was interesting to note how the characters, almost too many to keep track of, imbued good and…
By: Becca Hald on September 8, 2022
My first cultural experience was when I was five years old. My aunt was at a hospital in Tijuana and we went to visit her. What I remember from this trip was that my parents took a wrong turn, and we ended up driving through a bad part of town. This experience, coupled with racist…
By: Michael O'Neill on September 8, 2022
Starting a new activity of any significance generally produces excitement for me. It could be a new semester, a life or family event, an upcoming activity or project, or even a workout. I try to attack most things with all I can and for the most part, this strategy has worked in my favor. I…
By: Greg McMullen on September 6, 2022
Going Fast or Going Further? Years ago, while preaching one of my greatest sermons, I slammed my bible down on the pulpit in enthusiasm. As many Americans cheered and moved into worship, speaking in tongues, raising their hands, some Slavic patrons left and never came back to our church. Thankfully, one of the patrons who…
By: David Beavis on September 6, 2022
“But I didn’t make any mistakes. Only you played poorly.” The locker room filled with a chorus of “Oooo” at the remark made by the Dutch soccer player to his teammate. What could have been a locker room brawl was defused by this situation’s cultural interpreter. The Nigerian soccer player explained to his team “Jan…
By: Kristy Newport on September 4, 2022
Have I focused my love for learning, appreciating good books, and capturing thoughts in writing while in my doctoral program? This question is what I hope to answer. Research began last year, and I initiated a process of trial and error in connecting thoughts and putting them down on paper. The start of my research…
By: Greg McMullen on September 4, 2022
Deep Calls to Deep (Psalm 42:7) I never planned or expected to be in a doctoral program, let alone a pastor. Growing up as a deaf child my communication skills and writing developed very late in life. I often wondered, if perhaps, my dad might have been embarrassed with having a deaf child with…
By: Tonette Kellett on September 4, 2022
This week’s assignments on culture mapping with Erin Meyer and the Power Point video with Karen Tremper made me think of situations I have experienced living cross-culturally. Meyer’s material was enlightening. Learning which countries were high context and low context, and the differences in communication between the two helped me better understand why some situations…
By: Laura Fleetwood on September 3, 2022
That’s a question I’ve wrestled with as my career has crisscrossed from working in the corporate world to being a stay-at-home mom, college instructor, and now a church professional with a personal ministry involving writing, speaking, mentoring and creating. Over the decades, I’ve gone back and forth between believing in the idea of a muse…
By: Sara Taylor Lattimore on September 3, 2022
I have a half written book, I titled “Fighting to Learn”. I started writing it in high school as I struggled to fit in the system and to learn the way I was expected to. As a student with an IEP (Individual Education Plan) I was given accommodations that were meant to help me be…
By: Chad McSwain on September 2, 2022
“You should eat your vegetables.” I have been told that more times than I can count. At least 500 words worth, I’m sure. I can still hear the voices of my mom, grandma and aunt in my head, telling me to make better dietary choices. I knew I should eat my vegetables, but they were…
By: Audrey Robinson on September 2, 2022
I’ve always prided myself on being a reader. One pastor I was particularly fond of always said, “readers are leaders.” So, I invariably would secretly puff my chest out and think, that is me. Over the years, I’ve taught adults the basics of reading and writing, helping them to succeed in passing high school equivalency…
By: Alana Hayes on September 1, 2022
Am I even supposed to be here? I’m just a mom…. with four kids… you know? How can I become credible, and elevate my critical thinking? How can I do those two things as well as produce doctorate level writing that is not natural for me to create? How can I read a book without…
By: Becca Hald on September 1, 2022
I would define my academic career thus far with the word tenacity. I have always put in the time, effort, and dedication needed to succeed. Sonke Ahrens’ quoting Luhmann saying, “I only do what is easy…” came as a bit of a shock to me. That is contradictory to my own academic experience. My tenacity…
By: Daron George on September 1, 2022
When I first thought of writing this blog post, I didn’t know just how much I didn’t know around the area of reading and taking notes. I consider myself pretty educated and fortunate enough to have grown up in an environment where we were encouraged to pursue education. Before watching the video on taking smart…
