Pop Your Cultural Cherry

Looking for a new job is always tough, but it gets even tougher if you are looking for a new job abroad. If you're plotting  a life in a new country with  no network, no knowledge of the labor market, how do you actually begin your job hunt?

In this episode, we are joined by Chiara Cokieng, who is a fellow Filipino based in Germany. She is currently a Product Manager in Berlin. Simultaneously she also runs Gen Propel, which is an online cohort-based course that focuses on job hunting skills that could help people find work in a new country. 

You can learn more about Chiara through her website here https://www.chiaracokieng.com/ and if you're interested in participating in her course, you can check out https://genpropel.com/ 

If you want to stay updated with the latest regarding the show, don't forget to follow us on Instagram @popyourcutluralcherry or give us a like on Facebook Pop Your Cultural Cherry. 

This episode is a bit special. Instead of my typical interview with an expat or immigrant in Europe, I thought it would be nice to get insights on life on the other side. I stumbled upon Simon "Sim" Tschunko on YouTube.  He together with his wife Ruth have given up their comfortable lives in Germany to become development workers for the church. They have been living in the Philippines for almost 5 years now. Previously they were based in a very rural part of the Philippines called Samar, and  until recently moved to a small city called Tacloban, which is still to some extent recovering from a one of the strongest typhoons ever recorded. 

I wanted to understand why a young German couple would move half way around the world, to a place that to most people would consider very underdeveloped. The Philippines and Germany are worlds a part in a lot of ways - socially, culturally, economically, etc. It wanted to find out what type of challenges Sim faces and what important things he is learning from his experience there

Sim is also a YouTuber, where he shares experiences and learnings in his daily life in the Philippines. You can find the link to Sim's YouTube channel here  https://www.youtube.com/c/SimKosays/

If you want to stay updated with the latest regarding the show, don't forget to follow us on Instagram @popyourcutluralcherry or give us a like on Facebook Pop Your Cultural Cherry. 

The 2nd part of my interview with Christine Abrigana the UK based host of Lagim Podcast - A Filipino True Crime Podcast. Last episode, Christine spoke about her upbringing being German/Filipino. She also shed some light on the differences in educational systems she experienced in several European countries and in the Philippines.

In this episode we continue our interview with Christine, and she shares her motivation for starting her podcast and her thoughts on the growing podcast category of murder and crime.

You can find the link to Christine's podcast here https://instabio.cc/20820TsHy92 or you can also follow  her on Instagram @lagimpodcast

If you want to stay updated with the latest regarding the show, don't forget to follow us on Instagram @popyourcutluralcherry or give us a like on Facebook Pop Your Cultural Cherry. 

In this episode we are joined by Christine Abrigana, who is the host of Lagim - A  Filipino True Crime Podcast. This is a podcast that talks about popular murder cases that took place in the Philippines. Besides being behind this podcast, Christine is also half German and half Filipino, who grew up in both countries. To make her story even more interesting, she has studied basically in 4 different countries , including most of her childhood in a city in the Philippines called Davao. She is currently based in the UK.

This is a 2 part episode - so do join us next week for the 2nd part of my interview with Christine, where she talks about her podcast - Lagim and her motivations behind starting it. She also sheds some light on the crime/thriller podcast genre that is so popular these days. 

You can find the link to Christine's podcast here https://instabio.cc/20820TsHy92 or you can also follow  her on Instagram @lagimpodcast

If you want to stay updated with the latest regarding the show, don't forget to follow us on Facebook @popyourcutluralcherry or give us a like on facebook Pop Your Cultural Cherry. 

Carnival season (Karneval how it is spelled in German) just ended. The Corona pandemic put its breaks on one my of favorites festivals in Germany and the Netherlands (and yes it is technically celebrated during the same time the Carnival in Brazil). Typically February in Northern Europe is cold and miserable, but during Karneval season, different cities come together and celebrate on streets in cool costumes, with loud music and alcohol. 

In this episode  you will learn about the why, when, where and how Karneval is celebrated in this part of Europe. You will also learn a little bit about the Christian liturgical calendar and the Lenten season. 

Shout out to The Expat Cast - if I hadn't collaborated on a new episode, I probably would not have thought about this topic. If you're interested in more interesting stories from expats based in Germany, you can check them out here  https://www.theexpatcast.com/

In this episode we are joined by a German Job Coach - Lisa Janz. She is a seasoned HR development specialist (human resources) with tons of experience in recruiting, talent sourcing and people/leadership development. She currently supports  foreigners looking to further their career in Germany by improving their employability in this country. 

This episode is filled with practical advice for people looking for a job in Germany or who want to understand the job market here. We will learn just how unique the labor market here is, as well as industry trends and possible effects of the Corona pandemic. Get tips on "the little things" that will really make an impact on your next interview in Germany. 

Lisa actually interviewed me in the past for her YouTube channel, which you will notice is my 12th episode of the show, where she is actually interviewing me. If you're interested in getting in touch with her, you can visit her website https://www.lisajanz.com/

Globalization, with the help of technology has been bringing people, countries and continents closer together at an increasingly faster rate every year.  With the rise of companies such as Amazon,  it has been increasingly easier to "physically have your products available and sell them internationally". But making your products available and actually successfully developing your brand in a new market are 2 different things. 

In this episode we are joined by Kathryn Read, who is originally from the UK, but now resides in Austria. She is currently a marketing consultant, where she supports companies from Europe trying to enter Asia and vice versa. She has a lot of interesting stories and experiences, working with both cultures.
 

This episode is a little different. I was recently interviewed by Lisa Janz Job Coach Germany for a Facebook Live event. She is an experienced HR professional and now coaches job seekers and helps them adjust to the German labor market. 

This interview was about how I ended up in Germany, how it was like living and working here, the challenges I come across day to day and most importantly the things I like about this amazing country. 

This episode is a product of that interview - it is about 80% of the original interview, which you could find on Lisa Janz's Facebook Page or YouTube channel. 

My first interview happens to be with a good friend of mine, who is also from Asia (Japan) and lives in Aachen (Germany). Connected to my last episode, I met Haruki through one of these Couchsurfing or Meetup events and Aachen and since then we've been really good friends. 

In this episode, we explore the differences or similarities living in Germany and Japan. We also take a look at a few things that Japanese people could actually learn from living in a country like Germany.

I personally have not met a lot of Japanese people, who have decided to call either the Netherlands or Germany home. So I thought this would be an interesting first interview.

We continue the discussion from last week's episode of my impression of making friends in Germany.  Which again, is a difficult part of moving to a new a country. 

This episode, I share some ways I found very effective in making friends, while living in a new country or new city. Some of them are free applications or websites, while the others are paid, yet still inexpensive ways to meet new people.  A few of the examples I've given are even applicable during the Corona pandemic. 

Join me in this episode as I share some hacks in making friends abroad.  

If you've have some hacks in making new friends, while living abroad that I did not discuss in this episode, kindly share them on our Facebook page and Instagram  at Pop Your Cultural Cherry.