When the honeymoon is over too quickly

Last week we had our monthly cicollective webinar and looked at the early days in an overseas asignment. Often that's termed the honeymoon period with high levels of positivity and strong learning opportunities.  (If you are a member of cicollective you can view the saved webinar here) Usually at this point in an international assignment expats who have arrived in their new locations are increasing their cultural intellligence at a significant rate. Usually experiences at work and school are positive as the welcomes and support are high.

Sometimes, however, that may not be true.  For whatever reason the early days may not be a honeymoon where you eagerly hit the ground running.  Instead they may be challenging times.  

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Volunteering is good for you

Here in Australia we are coming to an end of our Australia Day holiday long weekend.  It’s always good to celebrate the country you live in - and to have a holiday!  But one of the things I love most about Australia Day is the Australia Day Awards; where people from different walks of life are appreciated for how they have contributed to Australian society.   I am always inspired by the stories, not just of the winner and finalists for the main category (Australian of the Year) but also for the other categories of Young Australian, Senior Australian, and Local Hero.  

This year the national winners have been involved with community activities ranging from publicizing and supporting Alzheimer’s research, mentoring youth in remote rural areas, caring for those in hospices and palliative care situations, and activism for indigenous rights, assisting with indigenous welfare and employment.  These Aussies have received awards for their volunteering and community involvement but chances are they have received other benefits as well. 

Recent research summarized in an article by Jenny Brennan at Positive Psychology News tells how volunteering can benefit people emotionally, psychologically and even physically. 

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New Year, New Skills, New Opportunities

Happy New Year!  May 2013 be full of new opportunities for you to grow and develop both personally and professionally.  May you travel to new places, build new relationships and develop new skills.

As the year finished and 2013 began I’ve been working with a number of people whose companies are sending them on global assignments.  For them, new places and new relationships will be a reality everyday as they hit the ground running in their new locations.

Critical to their success will be the cultural intelligence we focused on in training.

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A New Year and New Ideas

Christmas over we flew back to Sydney on New Year’s Eve. On the Air New Zealand flight I watched the BBC drama celebrating the life and achievements of Dr Ludwig Guttman.  There are many amazing aspects to this man’s life but the drama focuses on his work at Stoke Mandeville hospital in Britain from 1944.  Here he treated soldiers with spinal cord injury.  

At this time, treatment for such patients involved encasing them in plaster and sedating them.  There was limited chance of people with spinal cord injuries surviving due to the medical “care” they received and those that did were usually left to a life with little hope or purpose.

Ludwig Guttman saw things differently. 

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What makes Christmas for you?

Merry Christmas from New Zealand! This year it was hot and humid.  Definitely no snow except the white stuff visible high on the peaks of the alps as we flew in on Christmas eve.  No mistletoe, no chestnuts, no open fires, no sleighs or sleigh bells or snowmen.

There was a tree, lights, roast turkey, Christmas pudding and presents under the tree.  There were carols at a midnight church service with candles and a nativity scene.  And most memorable of all there was family; grandparents, uncles, aunties and cousins. 

Christmas with family is an uncommon pleasure for us.  Like many expats we have often been far from family at Christmas. 

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