At The Crossroads is a monthly publication podcast series that captures the experiences of internationals and locals who moved countries, far away from family and friends. Many of us may have different ideas of what it is like to uproot oneself, so it is time to hear their rich and unique stories from them.
Moving Abroad for Cross-Cultural Love – At The Crossroads Ep 12
Do you know that 1 in 10 expats (10%) moved abroad for love or to live in their partner’s home country? This is based on a recent survey by InterNations with over 12,000 expats.
But what about in the 1990s? When the internet was just starting and the idea of moving abroad in pursuit of love – for cross-cultural love, is even more of a rarity. Today, we’ll delve into one such story.
Our guest for today is Dr Leslie Powell Ahmadi, a trainer, author, speaker in Languages and Cross-Cultural Interactions and also, the author of the book Road Between Two Hearts: A Black American Bride Discovers Iran.
She is from the United States and we speak today about her years living there at a time when tensions were rife between the United States and Iran.
She shares with us on the early influences of her life such as her parents, of growing up in a multi-cultural community and of Harry Belafonte, a music icon and civil rights activist. With a heart of a flamenco dancer, she shared about her fears of moving to Iran in the 1990s to join her Iranian husband but ultimately, came away with an intimate knowledge of its people that defied stereotypes and misconceptions.
We also talked about the values required out of interfaith marriages and the dangers of a single story in the media that can impact the perception of a group of people. Finally, she shares her advice for those of us who are moving abroad for our cross-cultural loves and, like a true writer that she is, we end it off with poetry.
An interview that delighted my literary senses and I hope it does the same for you too.
If you are about to move abroad for love or have a loved one who is doing so, this is for you.
You can find and contact Dr Leslie Powell Ahmadi at leslieahmadi.com
I wish everyone happy holidays and see you next year!
خداحافظ
#intercultural #storytelling #crossculturallove #movingabroad #Iran #UnitedStates #internationals #expats
Life as an International University Student in the Netherlands – At The Crossroads Ep 11
Do you know that as of 31 December 2021, there are about 84,000 international fulltime students in the Netherlands?
This is according to the latest statistics by the Central Bureau Statistics (CBS).
Moving and studying abroad comes with its unique set of challenges. And today, I’ll like to highlight one of their many stories.
In this episode, our guest is Mara Horghidan, a current international student at InHolland University of Applied Sciences, an intern at the RAI Amsterdam and a budding entrepreneur, I met at SUCH, who just started her own line of bracelets this summer at @y2k_beaded_bracelet on insta
Mara is from Romania and has been here in the Netherlands for the last 2.5 years – the last years have been an illuminating journey for her.
She shares with us on what life is like as an international student in the Netherlands and stresses the importance of not romanticising the idea of living abroad. We delve into the differences between her Romanian culture and the Dutch culture she experiences, the impact of Brexit and her reasons on coming to the Netherlands to study, a raw perspective into the current housing crisis and who are her source of support in times of difficulty when living away from Romania.
She also frankly talks about learning to be by yourself and losing friendships with her move to the Netherlands. Yet, despite the challenges she faces, she holds onto her hopes and dreams and gives tips and advice for incoming international students.
An interview that I thoroughly enjoy and I hope you will too.
If you are an educator or staff that deals with international students or even, a new international student here in the Netherlands, this is for you!
You can find and contact Mara at @mara_horghidan on insta
Mulțumesc and pa!
#intercultural #storytelling #internationalstudents #universitystudents #netherlands #abroad #internationals #expats
Life Abroad as a Diplomatic Spouse – At The Crossroads Ep 10
Do you know about Diplomatic Spouses?
They are the spouses to career diplomats and ambassadors. While abroad, diplomatic spouses carry the responsibilities for supporting the diplomatic mission of their countries, nurturing diplomatic relations and adapting their family to new ways of life in every new country they live in. And at the same time, they also have to carve out their own unique paths. The world of global mobility is filled with layers and complexities and this also includes the stories of diplomatic spouses.
In this episode of At The Crossroads, my guest is Gera Klijnsma, a former diplomat spouse who spent 35 years living abroad in Belgium, Bangladesh, South Africa, Yemen, Abu Dhabi, Jamaica, Indonesia, United Kingdom and back permanently now in the Netherlands.
Gera candidly shares the wonderful yet challenging life that she led as a diplomatic spouse from the pre-internet days of 1980s to the digital age of 2010s where experiencing culture shocks are part and parcel of that portable life, of having to carve her own identity as building her own career was not an option then, of becoming a mother away from home and family and where her personal philosophy of how helping others is also a means of helping yourself. And so much more in this episode.
With all those years under her belt, she now works as a high school counselling assistant and a Safe Harbour Coordinator at the American School of the Hague where she builds bridges for and with the international students, teachers and parents who come her way so that they can feel at home in the Netherlands.
An inspiring story that was decades in the making – I hope you’ll enjoy this episode!
You can find Gera at gklijnsma@ash.nl or at geraklijnsma@gmail.com
Dankuwel en tot ziens!
#intercultural #inspiring #storytelling #diplomaticspouse #dutchforeignservice #netherlands #abroad #internationals #expats
Do you know about TCKs – Third Culture Kids?
It is a term to describe children who spend their formative years in places and countries that are not their parents’ homeland. Globalisation has made the presence of TCKs more common but awareness about them are still not as mainstream.
In this episode of At The Crossroads, my guest is Maritta Ivanov, an architect, mentor and mediator for the globally mobile and she shares with us about her life as a TCK.
Beyond Survival Mode as a Third Culture Kid TCK – At The Crossroads Ep 9
Maritta was born in Germany and from a very young age, had lived in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Canada, India, China and now, back again in Germany. The constant moving is what many TCKs experience.
Despite the wonders of living and studying abroad in these beautiful places, there were many instances of struggles as she openly shares on the shock of adjusting to the big schools in Germany, of trying to go beyond survival mode in everyday situations, the grief and loss when the family unit broke down and for many of us who had moved abroad – that unique and indescribable feeling of being more at home; when abroad.
If you are an educator, parents with TCKs or someone who deals with internationals and their families, this one is for you.
For all viewers, I hope you enjoy this video and Schönen Tag!
You can find Maritta at @opinpointcoaching on instagram and at www.opinpoint.com
#intercultural #storytelling #thirdculturekid #TCK #Germany #abroad #internationals #expats #SriLanka
Did you know that 10% of expats moved abroad for love or to live in their partner’s home country?
This is according to the survey conducted by InterNations in 2023 with 12,065 expats from 171 nationalities and living in 172 countries/territories. The other top 2 reasons of expats moving abroad are: found a job on my own (15%) and recruited internationally (10%)
Moving abroad for love is a story I relate well as it is a recurring theme among expats and internationals. And so today, I bring you the wonderful story of Heenah Pokun
At The Crossroads – Episode 8 – With Love, From London to Leiden
Heenah is an illustrator and graphic designer from London who started her own business in the Netherlands.
After experiencing a long-distance relationship between the UK and the Netherlands, she made the plunge and moved to be with her Dutch husband and her adventures began!
From small-town living in Schagen, to becoming a university student in Amsterdam, to moving to the city of Leiden and registering her business at the KVK (Dutch Chamber of Commerce) – all these in the last 5 years of living in the Netherlands.
She also shared about the difficulty as a non-drinker in joining borrel (an informal gathering of colleagues after work in the Netherlands!), overcoming social anxiety when living abroad and as a Muslim, of being able to practise Eid and Ramadan in the Netherlands.
For all viewers, I hope you enjoy this video and bon zurné (have a good day)!
You can find Heenah and her works at @heenahpokun on instagram and at www.heenahpokun.com
According to the Central Bureau Statistics (CBS) in the Netherlands, there are more than 2.1 million businesses in the country at the start of 2023, a jump of 79 thousand more than the previous year and double the amount in the year 2008.
So, it is safe to conclude that the population of entrepreneurs in the country is growing rapidly!
And with that in mind, here’s the new episode:
At The Crossroads – Episode 7 – From a suitcase to a container: Singapore to the Netherlands
Our guest is Amy Picanço, the managing director of Aym Design, an interior architectural firm. She hailed from Brighton UK, moved to Singapore and set up her thriving business and now, she is expanding into the Netherlands!
With a refreshing approach, she shares on her run-ins with the work culture in Singapore and having to quickly adapt to Singlish (Singapore-English), how COVID impacted her choice to move, and now, understanding the Dutch perspective behind designing spaces in the Netherlands.
And with the birth of her newborn in the Netherlands, she also shared her experiences of watching her Dutch neighbours’ put up home outdoor decorations or geboorte versiering at her doorstep and eating special treats beschuit met muisjes – surprising but lovely gestures!
For all viewers, I hope you enjoy this video!
You can find Amy and her works at @aymdesign on instagram and at www.aymdesign.com
For more information om the CBS figures, read the Dutch stats at https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/nieuws/2023/06/aantal-bedrijven-blijft-toenemen
Despite being part of the Netherlands’ history for so long, there is a general lack of understanding about Curaçao and Suriname here as this recent Dutch newspaper reporting https://www.nu.nl/algemeen/6249220/te-weinig-kennis-over-caribisch-nederland-suriname-en-curacao-niet-hetzelfde.html
So with that said, here is the new episode of At The Crossroads!
At The Crossroads – Episode 6 – The love language of Curacao and Suriname
Our guest is Arlette Chatlein, who is Dutch with Curaçao and Suriname background.
She shares with us about growing up in Curaçao where both the cultures of Curacao and Suriname played important roles in her childhood, of moving to the Netherlands for school and the challenges that she had to overcome in living abroad. We discussed our love for food, the many languages spoken in Curaçao and the important cultural events of Seú and Day of Tula.
Enjoy!
Now, where can we go to eat some jambo and BB met rijst?
In this episode of At The Crossroads, our guest is Dutchman, Kawin Wu, a videographer, video strategist and owner to the production house, Kawin Wu Studio’s, in the Netherlands.
In this fun and eye-opening interview, he shares about his Chinese heritage and how this aspect influences his life as a Dutchman, the stories behind his work-travels around the world and his time studying in Japan.
And since he is Dutch, I also got him to enlighten us internationals on what are some Dutch activities like ‘afspraak maken’ (appointment-making) and ‘koopavond’ (purchase-evening), the drinking culture in the Netherlands and the important Dutch festivity ‘oud en nieuw’ (new year’s eve) that he loves which he and his family cleverly adapts with their Chinese culture.
And of course, with Mothers’ Day being tomorrow (14 May), I got him to share on how it is celebrated here in the Netherlands and spill the beans on what actually happens to Dutch fathers’ on that day. Enjoy!
In this light-hearted and frank interview, our Dutch guest, Michael Hoppe. a senior policy advisor for national security at the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science in the Netherlands delightfully shares about King’s Day and the royal families, the challenging and wonderful parts of growing up in different countries and especially in Thailand where the Dutch embassy played a key role in the overseas Dutch community, his feelings of being a foreigner and funny memories of repatriating back to the Netherlands for college.
An alumni of the International School of Bangkok, he does a quick assessment on the differences between the international and Dutch school systems.
Not wanting to miss out on this golden opportunity, I ask him hard questions like “Are the Dutch really rude?”, “Are the Dutch hard to make friends with?” and all sorts of other general ideas and misconceptions of the Dutch and the Netherlands. I hope you enjoy the episode!
In this episode, we have Sangeetha Kirsnan who from being a teacher from Singapore has gone on to live, work and create her own businesses in Australia and the United States in the last 7 years. A heartfelt conversation over the anxieties of living abroad and building lasting friendships, the misperceptions of being a teacher, a person of colour and being of someone from Singapore, and finally about advocating for yourself as not only a means to survive but also to thrive in foreign lands!
In this episode, we have Anuar Shafiei from Malaysia, an events manager who followed his dreams of studying abroad and has been in the Netherlands for 15 years now. Already well-established as a professional back in his home country, Anuar found himself having to reinvent and adapt to get ahead in his new, cultural environment. A story of overcoming language, job market barriers and managing expectations – of never giving up!
Welcome to the first episode of At The Crossroads! In this episode, we have Fran L, a medical professional from Singapore who packed her bags 5 years ago to The Netherlands to reunite with her Dutch partner. A story of overcoming challenges, language and food barriers, AND working at the frontlines of the Covid-19 pandemic. Enjoy!
Prokompas Coaching & Training 