 This is State Tech Hawaii. Community Matters here. Two young leaders, I'm very excited for a conversation we're going to have about global learning across borders. Joining me today are my two guests. We have David, Chikanga, Chipeza, to my immediate left, and Ana Maria Oliva-Zele to my farther left. And welcome. Thank you both for coming and joining me. I'm very excited and looking forward to this conversation. Let me start by asking each of you very quickly. Just introduce yourselves, tell us where you're from, and we're coming to you live for all of our listeners at the moment in Cholula, Puebla, Mexico. So very excited to join all of our listeners. And here we are in Puebla with two young leaders. David, welcome to the show. Well, thank you, College. Tell me a little about yourself, but what brings you here, and where are you from? I'm on my fifth semester on my bachelor of anthropology. Very cool. I've been taking that work. Yeah. I've been studying in Northern Europe. Yeah. And studying anthropology is my third year. And basically, everyone gets to choose if they want to travel for this semester. I chose Mexico because I want to learn some Spanish. Yeah. So much more people you can talk to. Yeah. Big Spanish-speaking world. Yes. And then now I'm here also to make new friends and experience this beautiful country, basically. Excellent. The northern lands of Denmark. We're here in Mexico in basically the western hemisphere. We have listeners joining us from all over the world, from a little bit of Asia to Europe, to India. Annamani, welcome to the show. And thank you for joining us as well. Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from and what are you doing here? Well, thank you very much, Carlos, for the invitation. I am from Puebla, Mexico. And I am studying international relations at the University of the Americas in Cholula, Puebla. Excellent. And I am very thankful of being here. Well, I'm very excited. I mean, both of you, let me add a little secret to it. I'm a professor here at the University and I'm fortunate to have both of you in a class of mine. But aside from that, I mean, you're here obviously learning, and in your case, Annamani, you had the opportunity last year to spend an opportunity in France and want to hear a little bit about that in a moment. For the most part, what I perspective and share with our listeners is talking about global learning across borders. That's why I called it because we live in a time now where, unlike when I was a college student some 30-plus years ago, I used to study and look at my National Geographic Magazine. And I had, fortunately, the ability to travel some. But we live in an age now where mobility, especially of students, and especially students who are studying international affairs or studying anthropology as you are, coming in, you know, as you do from Copenhagen, Denmark, you have opportunities to literally go out and see the world. And as you started, David, you told us, you know, you had this opportunity and you looked at Mexico. Tell me a little bit about what your impressions have been. Here you are studying in Mexico. You've been here a few months now. What are your initial impressions, things that you have found exciting and fun and interesting, but also, these things can be sometimes frustrating or challenging. So tell me a little bit. Well, I think it's a very buzzing environment in the university. It's a bit smaller than a new suit now, which I think can be an advantage of all of these years of like, you know, recognized stages in my university. Yeah, so I think it's very interesting in the environment. So many people come together, especially a lot of international students are visiting in your university. So first of all, like, meeting so many different, very nice people in such a short time has been a great challenge. I think I've already improved my solar skills a little bit. And now I think the next step would be to figure out how to first this international bubble, because that could be a frustration during this semester. To get out of that bubble, because we are so many international students. And obviously, I'm still learning Spanish, and I think that is the first, like the main purpose of me is to break that bubble by learning Spanish and being able to sort of get more of that. Actually, I know this country now, I would say. And one of the important things about any of these study of product courses, you also have to get out of the classroom. You have to go and get to know the local community, travel some, balance that with obviously your responsibilities as a student because you're here, first and foremost, in that capacity. But you're a student of anthropology, which I have a quality of understanding very much, culture, different places. And so before you came to make sure you had some research, you thought about it. You've done some other travel in Latin America yourself? Yeah, some backpacking in Latin America. Brazil, Bolivia, Peru? Yes. Why? Probably why I came, coming through my life very quickly. Yeah. You sketched here. Yeah. So you had to look good. But again, very different travel as a backpacker. Suddenly you're here. This is life. This is your new reality. Even if it's a short term. Very different. Very different to backpacking. I mean, backpacking is beautiful. You get to see a lot of beautiful places. You need a lot of travel. It's hot, fun, basic. Yeah. But I think what I like more about this experience is that I don't have to move all the time. Yeah. I actually get to know the place that I am. Absolutely. So I like backpacking, but I prefer staying in and traveling. I think we've got more time. Yeah. More in depth. So what's about your experience? You grew up in this place. And here we are in this tribalized provincial city, just east of Mexico City. And yet you're part of already a global community here, the international university here. But you took this opportunity as a student of international relations. I was about that last fall semester. You took an experience in France. Where were you? And what was that like? Yes. I was studying at Tianzong. Excellent. Yeah. So it was the capital of the Shenzhen province. Oh. It was really nice. And it was even smaller than this university. So I can get what I'm saying about like getting to know more people. And it was really interesting to just know in more depth my peers. Because the classrooms were like about 10 people or 15 people. So it was very focused. Yeah. And also the part of the academics was really interesting and really enriching. But I can tell you that the cultural part and the environmental part was very important to me for my experience. Because for example, it seems like opening the bank account and solving problems. Basic tasks. You don't think about them. But these can often be frustrations or where do you go to figure this out? How to put a stamp on a postcard and where do you email it? But even a bank account, things are done very differently. And these are the kind of challenges that once you figure them out, you begin to develop these new skills of patience, of understanding. And you went there from Mexico. You're a Spanish speaker. In English, of course, you had to have some preparation of French language as well. And yet even if you study French, suddenly you arrive in this town and you're there, you face culture shock. You've got to confront somebody who has no English, no Spanish. And there you are. Do you have any, I guess, either anecdotes or experiences that were sort of a bit of a shock to you there? Oh, yeah. Actually it was very difficult for me at first to get to know my neighbors because I was staying like in a residential building where we were old students. But all my neighbors were mastering the French language. So I was there trying to get to know them and being friendly. But it was a little bit rough at first. I met people that was wonderful and very patient with me. So I think it was a lot more useful to just put me into that awkward situation. You're forced. You have no option. If you're hungry and you need to eat something, you're going to have to solve it somehow. Or if you need to get in public transportation, you find a way. Maybe it's body language. Maybe it's combining languages. And these are the challenges I think that sometimes if you're not prepared, they can be daunting. They can be very dangerous. And even the process that you've made, a decision to travel and study abroad, it's invaluable. And you learn skills that are life-changing. I often, you know, many years of experience working with students ago. I mean, I always explain it. It really is a life-changing experience. You're never quite the same person. And you may not realize the right way, or maybe you do. But the fact is it changes how you see the world. And one thing I wonder if you can relate to this, but you go there and you learn about the place. You're learning about Mexico. You learn about France. You also begin to think carefully about your home. You think things that you thought were important, maybe they were not, or things that you didn't realize were important. What can you share about that? I mean, things that you learned, not just about the place, but about your own values or your own home? Well, yeah. It doesn't really agree with this, that maybe you didn't even learn more about your home. I can tell you a little about this. I should go there. And, yeah, I don't know. I think one of the main things I definitely noticed, and comparing Denmark to pretty much everything like Africa, or even southern Europe or Mexico, is that it's a lot easier to talk to strangers here. And I think it's a very common thing, not that things don't want to talk to people. What is that? We're more percent. In many years I was in Hawaii, we hosted numerous students from Denmark and Sweden. And one of the things they always said, how they could get a bus stop, and people will just talk to them, where are you from? What do you expect? That we'll never have them back home, you know? You know? But you don't, everybody keeps it to themselves. And this is common in the number of European places. And I wonder how many from your experience, what kind of things did you realize about Mexico, or if you can reflect on from your experience? Yes. Actually, the first thing that you noticed is the things that you take from Grandes, for Grandes in your case. Like for example, what I can say about Grandes is that they close their shops, and like the supermarkets, supermarkets. If you want to go shopping at 9 p.m. and it's closed. So you're forced to be much more organized. And also I met a lot of very serious people, which made a lot of questions from Mexico. So it was really interesting to just take a moment to request and answer them. You were there as an ambassador of Mexico, having to explain in some way. Now, in a moment, we'll come back. We're going to take a short break right now. But as we come back for the second half of our show, I want to kind of, what are some takeaways? What are the kind of either, I don't know, lessons that you draw, or maybe qualities and skills that you develop, which you are going to help you as you continue your life? So stay tuned. We're going to be back in just a minute with our two guests here. I'm joined here with David Cicanga-Chipeta of the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Ana-Marie Oliva-Bellis from the University of America here in Puebla, Mexico. I'm your host, Carlos Juarez, and we'll be back in just a moment with more on global connection. This is Think Tech Hawaii, raising public awareness. When I was growing up, I was among the one in six American kids who struggled with hunger and hungry mornings make tired days. Grumpy days. That kind of days. But with the power of breakfast, the kids in your neighborhood can think big and be more. We're not hungry for breakfast. We're hungry for more. More ideas. More dreams. More fun. When kids aren't hungry for breakfast, they can be hungry for more. Go to hungeris.org and lend your time or your voice to make breakfast happen for kids in your neighborhood. Hello. Welcome back. I'm Carlos Juarez, your host here on Global Connection. And today we're having a great conversation with two of my guests. We're talking about global learning across borders and how particularly in this case these two young leaders really represent the kind of the new generation of college students today. Very mobile. They have opportunities to travel and to study in other places. And they develop skills that really are life changing that are going to help them solve a lot of these problems that we as adults are leaving them for the future or older though. I'm just kidding. But David and Anamati, thank you so much again for joining me. And you've described already some of your opportunities, the setting as you are in Mexico now and other travels you've had in different parts of the world. Anamati, you were there in France past fall semester. And I wanted to ask if you could, now that you've had opportunities to travel and what are some of the kind of skills or I don't know qualities that are important and that can help you maneuver these challenges of cultural shock or dealing with different ways of doing things. I mean, what are the kind of skills that you need? And sometimes we have them, sometimes we have to learn to do that. And these same skills are very valuable for us in many things, dealing with different people, solving some challenging problems. So can you reflect on any of that, David? What would you say are the kind of skills that you need? Well, I hope that I will spare myself a lot of conflict and that's what I think why the reason why make a lot of conflicts occurring in the world even in a micro scale but also in a macro scale is that well, people don't understand each other or they go through these frustrations of miscommunication or just someone expressing an opinion that it's so out of this, your own worldview that it feels frustrating. You're getting angry, you're getting angry. I think that I hope that my experience is traveling and I feel now and hopefully also in the future will spare me from these frustrations and miscommunication and all these things. So I'll hopefully be able to prevent conflicts in my own life, my personal life, my professional life, but hopefully also in your own goals. So kind of taking it from that micro level when you're dealing with real issues because the fact is how do you solve things, you have disagreements, maybe somebody says something that you're initially shocked by but you have to appreciate that people see the world differently and they have a different context, different values and I think what we do learn from these things are a certain degree of both empathy but also patience and to step back and understand that, you know, this is a different context and maybe what I thought was the way to see it you have to kind of rethink it. So tell me, Ana, what are the kind of takeaways and skills? I think it's very important what David is mentioning about flexibility because you also learn to see what you can contribute to the other people's point of view. So you can actually deal something together because you kind of realize that everyone has similar goals but very different ways of trying to achieve them. So it's very interesting to know yourself looking at others and at others point of view. But also what I do with me with this experience was the the proactiveness like to be proactive in trying to make your impact when you have an idea because you begin to see the world shrinking before your eyes. So you say, okay, so I have this idea I know these people that are interested in it so you just kind of look to put it out in the world and you know that you can reach more people and you can make something. Excellent. I like that idea that on one hand and yet here's the paradox because when you're in new places out of your comfort zone you need to be a good listener. You need to stop and kind of observe and sometimes just not saying anything is valuable. But as you're suggesting there you also have something to say and you've got to contribute and you have to do that. But you also touch on this interesting thing we live in a world of increasing global interdependence and we learn that many people in many places share certain ideas or values maybe it's even in popular culture and clothing or music and yet despite that we have some differences we see the world as only based on our context. Frankly that happens even at home you may have a sibling or a cousin or a relative to grow up in the same world who've never really left their little small comfort zone tend to be a little more closed minded and maybe scared of differences and change and we see that of course a lot of the tensions around the world today are uncomfortable with people from differences and yet when you have opportunities to go and see the world meet other people you develop skills that are going to help see the world as a place of many different views and there's not always this is the way and it has to be this way I believe that when you have these experiences like you've been doing you've come to appreciate that people can sometimes do the same thing differently and that's just how it is you have to accept it right I mean when you think about now you've had these experiences in some ways they give you hunger to want to do more I mean once you've left and seen the world you want to go back you want to you know obviously connect and you build connections that are going to allow that when you think about I guess your own you know fast forward five ten years and opportunities open up for you or you will open up what do you see as final take away things that you've learned that you are going to be able to use maybe it's understanding or patient communication what would you say are some of those take away emotional agility you might say I think it's one of the most important ones and by that it's kind of like being able to adjust a control by emotion you know situations of stress yeah more just in yeah situations of challenge thinking so not giving into anger yeah the first reaction of being able to control my emotions and approach challenges in a professional way and also hopefully in an inclusive way in the sense that I have an eye for the advantages and disadvantages of each single well individual might be able to bring to a table yeah and many international sets sure yeah anything you could add to that well yeah I think that also to be curious is really important yeah because you can be in another part of the world but you can also be like in your own world and out to yourself but if you you will find that everyone has some something to say something to say exactly and again I go back I said earlier this notion of a cultural ambassador we don't always realize that but when you're there you're representing your whole world view your country one of your Latin American et cetera here you are well you've got you know your data you're European you've got a whole range of things that you represent but you are also observing you have to look at things and ask and wonder it doesn't mean sometimes again you have to keep quiet and think about it by yourself you have to be sensitive to how it might be understood by others but you need I think the way you put it rather than being close in your world you need to be receptive open minded and those are the kind of skills that really as young leaders I mean they're going to help you get through life and David I think you touch many ways the fact is we're always going to have challenges and you have to solve some dilemma some issues people will confront you and so how you handle those what kind of approach whether it's listening whether it's communicating whether it's emphasizing those are the kind of things that are going to help you maneuver those challenges well I thank you both for this great opportunity to reflect on your experiences I remind you these are life changing you'll never be the same person you're going to be a better person I'm out of head and it has left you curious but think about what to do next and inspire and inspire absolutely because there's nothing like seeing the world you want more you want to go back you want the other parts and thank you for sharing all of this for our viewers we're delighted to welcome you for our show Global Connections where we try to understand how the world is on one hand coming together and connecting and building these here we are in Mexico with students from Global Connections we'll close on that and please join us for the next episode I'm your host Carlos Juarez joined today by David Chikanga-Chipeta University of Copenhagen Denmark and Anamari Oliva-Bellet University of the America's Puebla, Mexico Aloha