Educate me please

Femi is an expat. Originally from Nigeria, his Mom convinced him to study in China. Wonderful idea, 11 years and so on he is still there. Femi he is a real go getter.  He dances, improvises and speaks wisely. 

This interview has two parts:

1.  Pandemic

He's been in Beijing since the beginning of the pandemic and therefore has another perspective on the situation. He saw it all. When the cases were rising everyday (big time) in China, when the situation got better (now) and how things are well organized. 

We discussed on discussed on April 1st about it, a few days after the government decided to close it's borders.

2.  Femi's journey

How did Femi end un in Tianjin? What are the tips he'd give to someone who wants to move to China?

Listen and learn from this curions and inspirant man!  

I've met  Hikaru Hie at a mini-conference of Applied Improvisation Network in Manila in the Philippines during the Manila Improv Festival in 2019.  Right away, I was struck by her positivity and how she could connect with everyone so easily.  Truth is, Hikaru is genuine in her interactions with people and that makes people want to gather around her and listen to her wisdom drinking tea discussing about existential questions with a good dose of respect and fun.  The day we met I've visited the school where she works as a Associate Professor and Freshmen Program Director of Tohoku University of Art and Design. I'm forever thankful I've had the chance to interview this inspiring woman who improves the world of Education by saying yes. 

You curious? : 

To learn more about her work as a practitioner with the AIN follow this link : SAYING YES!

To learn about the Kyoto University of The Arts. 

To learn about the concept of Yes and in Improvisation: 

Second city Improv (Base in Chicago, provide training and other wonderful delicacies)

ImproWiki (Bank of exercises, games and activities for anyone who's interested in Improv)

Well, isn't it nice to discuss of cultural shock and first impressions when moving to a new country. Isn't better when it is with the wonderful company of Mario Lopez, a great friend of mine.  Mr. Lopez is a writer a teacher and a world traveler.  Let's dig into the cultural shocks and Mario's stories. 

There are great metaphors today.  Among them relationships are LIKE living abroad. It might sound wacky, but it's ''real time location'' true.

Please note this interview was recorded last December. ;)

If you are curious (curious people are clever people) Among his published works, he collaborated with Chicagoliterati.com, The Midwestern Gothic Magazine and Adelaide Magazine (no. 23).

There are no words to express how much I enjoy listening to Tim Perry's stories. Incredibly funny, bright and curious, he is has been an expats abroad for a few years already. He will talk about his experience in Ecuador (Quito) and will provide some very interesting information if you are interested in moving there.  Tim is passionate in matter of education, even if he describes himself more like a coach.  He's all about about positive reinforcement and having students participate actively in the class. He is the one and the only Tim Perry and I hope you'll learn something from his openness and generosity.

Cheers! 

Today, we will go over some key details to take in consideration before leaving your country in order to safe abroad. This is a short intro of things to consider when deciding to move somewhere else. You will need more than just a toothbrush to make your journey a success.

Here are some interesting sites you can check if you do need to travel.

To travel abroad (experience life with locals)

Servas: It's a Federation where people can connect and exchange in order to create world peace. A bit like the concept of Couch surfing, but you need to pass the interview before being part of the group. Double check if you do have to pay an annual membership fee. You can either be a traveler or a host. 

Couch Surfing: It's a way to travel and meet locals from all around the world. Yes, it's free. You can connect with a bunch of people. You can either be a traveler or a host. Once you traveled and met someone on couch surfing, you can rate them and comment on their page (to tell everyone a positive opinion of that person) if you feel like it. There are others ways to get ''verified'' on couch surfing to make sure it's safe, but in my experience, when living abroad, it's great to share your couch and meet new traveler who can help you rediscover your ''host city''. 

Woofing: This is more like a work abroad and live where you work style. Usually, WWOOF means World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. WWOOF is the connection between volunteers and organic farms. Conditions vary depending on farms. Look on their website for more information.

Good apps for safe Transportation:

Good thing is that when you use applications, you can rate your driver and a follow up of the driver. So far, all my experiences with Grab and Didi have been great. 

Grab:  Use them for transport, food delivery and payment solutions. (Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand)

Didi: Use them for transport. (The link is the link for their application) (China) You can use it sometimes in other

Uber: For Americas

Also, I'm not including bike applications, but I would vividly recommend them.  Many many major cities have shared bikes applications. Mobile, Jumpbike, Ofo, Velib, Bixi... 

Enjoy! 

How did Tarsila Borges arrive to China? How did she find a job in one of the most prestigious Universities of China? Listen to her thoughts, her story and her tips about life abroad.  Tarsila is passionate of education, open minded and caring teacher, she always know how to make me laugh and how to connect with her students.  After 10 years in China, she can easily distinguish similarities and differences between Chinese and Brazilian students.  She will tell you why her best teacher covered her essay of red ink and will tell you Chinese know how to cook eggplants. Obrigada!

What I know from David Waker.  

What I've learned from our great convo in the summer 2019. 

He has guts.

Guts to say yes to the adversity and challenges of living abroad. When he decided to move to Asia, he had no plans, but a whole bunch of determination and skills. This episode is about David's life in Bangkok and answers some basic questions such as: what does it take to find a job in Thailand as an English teacher? What does a job look like ? What are the biggest challenges living there? Who should live there? and more. 

We will go over the main key elements of these answers while following David's journey and listen carefully to his tips. 

Ps: We recorded this episode in a coffeeshop (yay coffee!), so you might hear some background music, and other schmuff, get ready for the complete immersion of Thailand mainstream American music. 

You are not alone as Mickael Jackson would preach, but when living abroad far from home, you sometimes feel alone. Don't worry everyone does at some point. Thanks to Gretchen Rubin, she identified 7 different types of loneliness and why it matters. We will go over these today with our ''foreigners'' eyes and ears with my guest of honour Jay Wang a passionate improviser (Beijing Improv), improv facilitator from the Applied Improvisation network. He currently lives in Beijing. 

Last week's theme: short short episode on 2 Expats surveys (from 2018)

This week is about 2019 Expats surveys, extended version. We will go over the Expats Internations Survey and the HSBC Expats survey. Of course, I will add some spices with stories and different perspectives and a few Bobs on the way. We will answer the questions: What are the most common countries expats live in? Who moves the most? Why would you move abroad? What are your major concerns when moving abroad? What are the 3 best and 3 worst countries to live in? 

With the HSBC Survey, we will go over the key points. What are the interesting elements in the website, and why is it relevant to have a look at it.