Crossing Cultures in a Global Community: Thriving in Cultural Mobility – Glenn Taylor and Maria Rosa Eguez

September 22, 2014

Glenn C. Taylor and Maria Rosa Eguez shared their cross-cultural learnings and experiences with diplomats and business leaders representing various nations. This insightful and interactive seminar provided an opportunity to gain understanding, not only of the transition process, but also of how to thrive in the midst of it.

CROSSING CULTURES IN A GLOBAL COMMUNITY:

Thriving in Cultural Mobility

Glenn C. Taylor

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” ~ Augustine

“Make your choice, adventurous stranger. Strike the bell and bide the danger.” ~ Lewis

“The gladdest moment in human life, me thinks, is departure into unknown lands.” ~ Sir Richard Burton

“Life is a journey, not a destination.” ~ Mark Twain

The Gifts and Adventure of Multicultural Experience

Change and Stress Go Together

The Transition Experience (Glenn C. Taylor)

The Tapestry of Your Culture

Exploring and Honouring Other Cultures

Personal and Family Impact of Living Among Cultures

Thriving in Cultural Mobility: Family and Spousal Impact

Ms. Maria Rosa Eguez

“A human being is a deciding being. Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms is the ability to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” (Victor Frankl, 1905-1997, Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist)

• Transitioning from an independent life to becoming “the spousal of” can create confusion of personal identity and low elf-esteem.
• You are responsible for your choices and decision.
• ATTITUDE is what really matters in building a new life.
• Setting new goals and expectations is necessary.
  • Challenge yourself to reach these goals.
• Adjust to changes, embrace the challenges of new responsibilities and view them as opportunities for personal enrichment.
  • Use your skills and develop new abilities.
• Move not only physically, but also mentally. Do not compare or miss what you have left behind, it is a waste of time and energy.
• Go out and meet people, discover your new city and engage in interesting activities.
• Validate your role as a spouse of a diplomat. We make a unique and valuable contribution to our spouse’s work and success.
• Be supportive to the family in the process of transition.
• Reassure your children: HOME is not a physical structure, but an emotional location.
• Expat children need to keep their roots.
  • The native language is a link between the child and their roots.
• Learning the hosting country’s language is important for integration and adjustment.
• Encourage interest in the setting by gathering and sharing information with your family prior to departure.
• Value your children’s opinion and participation when packing their possessions.
• Be aware that excessive internet communication with friends elsewhere can hinder children from building relationship in your new setting.

“For the meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day and from hour to hour. What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general, but rather the specific meaning of a person’s life at a given moment.” (Victor Frankl)

Resources: Exploring Cultural Mobility

Andrews (ed), The Family in Mission: Understanding and Caring for Those Who Serve, (CO: MTI, 2004)

Ang, Soon & Linn Van Dyne (eds) Handbook of Cultural Intelligence: Theory, Measurement, and Applications (NY: M.E. Sharpe, 2008)

Bridges, Wm., Managing Transitions: Making the most of Change, (2009) PDF summary

Collins, Jim, Good to Great, (NY: HarperCollins, 2001)

Covey, Stephen R., The Speed of Trust, (NY:Free Press, 2006)

Duncombe, Kristin Louise, Trailing: A Memoir, (Create Space, United Statates, 2012)

Earley, Ang, Tan, CQ: Developing Cultural Intelligence at Work, (CA: Stanford Business Books, 2006)

Elmer, Duane, Cross-cultural Servanthood, (IL: IVP, 2006)

Everley & Mitchell, Critical Incident Stress Management, (MD: Chevron Publishing, 1997)

Frankl, Victor, Man’s Search for Meaning, (Beacon Press, Boston, 2006) listen to the Audiobook

Jansen, Linda A., The Emotionally Resilient Expat, Engage, Adapt and Thrive Across Cultures, (Great Britain, 2013, Kindle Edition)

Livermore, David, Cultural Intelligence: Improving your CQ to Engage Our Multi-cultural World, (MI:Baker Academic Press, 2009) PDF

Livermore, David, The Cultural Intelligence Difference, (NY:American Management Association, 2011)

Owen, Jordon, Turner, Davis, Hook & Griffin, “Therapists’ Multicultural Orientation: Client Perceptions and Cultural Humility, Spiritual/Religious Commitment, and Therapy Outcomes”, (Journal of Psychology & Theology, spring 2014, Vol. 42, #1, CA: Biola University)

Pascoe, Robin, A Broad Abroad: The Expat Wife’s Guide to Successful Living Abroad, (Expatriate Press Limited, North Vancouver, BC, Canada)

Pollock & Van Reken, Third Culture Kids: The Experience Growing Up Among Worlds, (MN: Intercultural Press, 2001)

Salerno & Brock, The Change Cycle: How people can survive and thrive in Organizational Change, (2008)

Schaefer & Schaefer, Trauma and Resilience, (Condeo Press, 2012)

Taylor, Glenn C., Pastors in Transition: Navigating the Turbulence of Change, (MB: Word Alive Press, 2013)

Websites:

Expat Expert: http://www.expatexpert.com Resources and support from Canadian expatriate guru and culture shock author, Robin Pascoe