Few of my friends and fewer of my family understand what it is that I do for a living. They all know three things: I travel, I work at a university, and I have a global extension of friends.
But I enjoy my job because it matters.

Education matters. Just look at the infographic above.

This week I had the pleasure of attending the EducationUSA in Washington, D.C. where I was able to meet and brainstorm with advisors from 170 countries. There were education specialists from Argentina and Armenia to Cameroon and Colombia to Gabon and Georgia to Venezuela and Vietnam to Tunisia and Turkmenistan.
We were all here for the same purpose: to increase global peace and security through educational and cultural exchange.

While this was a professional conference, here are three personal takeways:

1. We Are Connected
-In Spain they say, "El mundo es un pañuelo." In the U.S., we say "It's a small world." In both languages, the sentiment is true.  We are more connected than we think. It never ceases to amaze me how large and diverse our world is. From bioecology to language and culture, there is always something new to learn and interesting to experience. But what fascinates me is how quickly a woman from a small town in New York can find common ground with a gentleman from Niger or a woman from Syria or a student from Kazakhstan.

2. A Little Bit Goes A Long Way
-This is true in more ways than one. Conferences as large as this one can be intimating for first-timers. I am always grateful to friendly people that welcome you to sit at their table or offer a handshake first. It's all the encouragement I need to initiate a conversation.
Even for students, something as small as waiving an application fee can inspire a great amount of hope that their path to higher education is possible.

3. Paying It Forward
-It was encouraging to hear success stories of students who completed their education in the U.S. and went back to their countries and made a huge impact. These are stories that move deans and donors to "do more" to bring hard-working and high performing students to the U.S.. Even though decision makers ask for statistics and numbers, these testimonies reveal the true return on investment.

The professional networks and social connections I made during this conference provided a mid-year push.

I enjoy talking.
But sometimes, I don't want to represent anyone.
Sometimes I just want to be myself, free of the burden of representation.

When first meeting new people, one can expect the standard questions: Where are you from? Do you like...? Have you tried...?
Apart from the getting to know you historically questions (facts, [dis]likes, etc.), there the getting to know you personally questions (thoughts, beliefs, convictions). Personal questions tend to require fuller thought, more reflection,  and perhaps, more diplomacy, especially if the questioner asks you to speak on behalf of a community of people.

Currently, the United States public image is on the rocks. Police brutality, racism, political upheaval does not make sense to many living in the U.S., much less people who are watching it from afar. On a trip to Canada in May, I met a few people who somewhat jokingly commented on the U.S. presidential election and the prospect of U.S. American's immigrating to their Northern neighbor. What perturbed me was not the awkward political icebreaker but rather the throwback question, "Why is there so much racism and hatred in America?"

I shared an example a few weeks back about a student asking me about Islamophobia and war in the United States. Traveller and Blogger Valentine Sergon offers her own approach to navigating these difficult questions in "On Being Black, American, Proud".


Have you faced "representation fatigue"? How do you handle it?

Below is an adapted a journal entry during my Fulbright grant to teach English in Malaysia. Fulbright was created for the "promotion of international good will through the exchange of students in the fields of education, culture, and science." Click here for more information on Fulbright.
--
A typical Tuesday begins at 12:30 PM for me; however, I chose to come in early on Tuesday to make photostats for my students.

The morning teachers were already done for the day, so I was the only teacher in the office. Three boys from a Form 5* class entered the room. I smiled and offered my favorite chocolates available in Malaysia, Cloud 9 double chocolate chews. The students’
responded with a simple question, “Is it halal?”

What happened next caught me completely off-guard and is, perhaps, the most startling experience in Malaysia to date. As one student scoured the label for a halal symbol, another boy walked over to the door and locked it.

“Strange,” I thought.

“Teacher,” he says, “tell me what you think about my religion?” I opened my mouth to answer his question but he continued to speak, “Do you think all Muslims are terrorists? What do you think about Islamophobia? Why do Americans kill so many Muslims?”

He’s aware of the 9/11 attacks and that I’m from New York. I know what he wants to hear. I know what he’s really asking. He wants to know if I think he’s a bad person. He’s really asking if I can respect him –his faith, his culture.

I told him war is a horrible and complicated thing and that there are good people and there are bad people all over the world and in every religion. I explained that if I was afraid of Muslims, I wouldn’t have come to a predominantly Muslim nation, Malaysia.

Then, I asked what he thinks of Christians and the United States of America. His response?

Sorry, I don’t know English.”

He and his friends grabbed a handful of my chocolate sweets, unlocked the door and walked outside to the bus station.

That experience made me believe this is what I’m here for. Yes, I’m here to encourage students to use English; help them to come out of their boxes and not be as shy. More importantly, I’m here to facilitate cultural exchange and to promote mutual understanding.

*Form 5 is Junior/Senior year of high school. Students are between 17-18 years old.

As interculturalists, it is imperative to assume positive intent in conflict situations where there is miscommunication,

Positive intent embraces the notion that people are making the best choices, with the best of hopes, with the best of their resources, to the best of their abilities. Essentially, instead of believing people are "out to get you," you give them the benefit of the doubt. 

This is not "letting people off easy" or being naive; it's recognizing our human inability to know other people's true motives. This is hard work but important work for three key reasons:

1. Assuming positive intent allows us to reframe the conflict. Bernard Mayer says reframing is the ability "to maintain the conflict in all its richness but to help people look at it in a more open-minded and hopeful way." It's deeper than looking at conflict from a different perspective. It separates the person from the problem and focuses on the miscommunication or misunderstanding that needs to be address.

2. Assuming positive intent puts us in a position to consider that maybe the person is not "stupid, spiteful, evil" but has limited information, resources, or preoccupations which validated the actions or inaction s/he has taken. When knowledge and information is incomplete, behaviors may seem questionable to those with a fuller understanding

3. Positive intent recognizes we are imperfect people and to quote the truism, "Interculturalist are never perfect; they are forgiving." Assuming positive intent in others allows us to extend the same grace to ourselves when we make a mistake.

Book Recommendations:
Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher and William L. Ury
Communication Highwire: Leveraging the Power of Diverse Communication Styles by Dianne Hofner Saphiere, Barbara Kappler Mikk, and Basma Ibrahim Devries