A Mother’s Love- shared with the Nations
Each winter and summer, students from China come to the USA as part of our Passages’ program. Without count, approximately 100 American Moms (and Dads, of course:)) have opened their home to these guests, inviting foreign, young adults into their homes and treating them as their own. Students generally come on the program for the.. read more →
“It Smells Terrible, but it Tastes Really Good!”
In a Chinese market I have remarked to my indigenous friends, “what is THAT smell?” Inevitably, I have heard one of two foods mentioned (Stinky tofu or Durian), along with the chorus of, “it smells terrible, but it tastes really good.” Call me simple, call me uncultured, but I have never been able to overcome.. read more →
Looking ahead to December 31, 2016. How did you achieve change this year??
You woke up this morning. 2016 doesn’t feel any different than 2015, does it? But, you want 2015 to be different, don’t you? How can it be different? How can you turn good intentions into true change in 2016? Theories abound on how to find lasting change in your personal life. The five following principles.. read more →
怀揣梦想，扬帆起航
怀揣梦想，扬帆起航 我经常会遇到一些想要环游世界的学生，我很理解这样的想法因为我也是这样，我喜欢去探索世界，去发现美食，去结交各地的朋友。 但是现实是我们要么时间有限要么金钱有限，都迟迟不能环游世界。所以我们也变得对旅行小心翼翼，那么我们如何能使时间和资源得到最大化利用来实现环球旅行呢？ 2015年6月，赫芬顿邮报的Mark Horoszowski提出了一些关于旅行的好的想法，我这里摘录了一些也加入了我自己的理解。 明确目标，制定计划。这也涵盖了我们公司的宗旨：带着梦想去旅行。游览各地，尽兴而归当然是最好不过的了，但是想想，除了这些你还能从旅行中获得更多的东西吗？有一些针对中国学生去美国的项目就是单纯的旅行（就是从一个景点到另一个景点），另一些就是纯学术的访问（白天坐在教室上课，晚上就待在美国大学的宿舍里），还有一些自称是“实习”项目，其实就是为美国一些度假区找一些暑期廉价劳动力。对我来说，带着目标去旅行应该包含下面这些： 未来职业发展 文化意识发展 未来个人必要技能发展 找到导师，或者和你所去国家的人建立有意义的关系 把额外的教育内容补充到旅行里面。对于未来的领导者和未来职业有思想的人，想想可以通过怎样的机会学习一些对人生成功必要的技能。很多学生在他们自己的国家，都是花大量的时间在教室学习，但是教育不一定要在教室内才能获得。同时在工作和生活中，和现在的领导者一起相处，是一个很好的学习生活原则的方式，也能使你向成功更近一步。如果你正在考虑参加一个带你走向国际化的项目，你要问他：“我可以从这个项目中学到什么，对于我的生活和工作有什么帮助？”当我成为别人的另一半，孩子的父母，公司的员工，下属的老板，或者作为邻居、朋友、国际友人等，什么样的项目可以让我能为将来作准备。 增长你的阅历，为你的简历增添一些工作经历。很多已经参加过领升Passages项目的学生在这些方面都做得很好。他们很认真地体会着旅行中的日常，在项目结束的时候制作幻灯片展示成果，也为回国后要交给老师的报告作准备。令人惊讶的是，许多参加过领升寒假或者暑假项目的学生告诉我，在他们实际生活中的参加过的一些工作面试中，甚至毕业招聘时，用人单位都会问起他们在美国寒暑假的所获所得！ 如果你是带着梦想旅行，你收获的不仅仅是几张漂亮的照片和可以分享的在国外的故事，不管将来如何，你还能收获学习经历、技能和人际关系，为将来作好准备。 Many thanks to Zhang Bentengzi for the translation of this document read more →
Travel with Purpose
I often meet students who want to “travel the world.” I understand that. I love seeing new places, experiencing new foods, making new friends. The reality is most of us have limited time and limited money to travel the world. Therefore, all of us should be very intentional in our travel. How can we maximize our.. read more →
Kids Do the Darndest Things- Life Lessons Learned While Placing a Purse on a Highway
Kids do the darndest things……. When I was in middle school my friends and I needed some entertainment. So, here is what we did. We found old purses that no one wanted any longer. We filled them with my dog’s poop (that is the technical term) and stuck them on the highway at night. We.. read more →
The Coach of the NBA Champions asks, “What is your ZFL (Zest for Life)?”
I would venture to say my hometown high school had the greatest fan in the history of sports. His name was Scott. He was my classmate and friend. He had cerebral palsy. He had unbridled passion for a team he loved, in spite of their poor performances and underdog status (Scott and I pictured here)… read more →
What Does it Take to be Likable in the USA?
It is not surprising to any of us that people from different areas of your country or even the world, can communicate in the same language, but still miss appropriate cultural means of communicating. When I was very little, my parents taught me that when I needed to go to the bathroom, rather than say.. read more →
Twenty Seven Americans Went to China in November. Why?
Twenty seven Americans participated in a “voluntourism” trip with Ascend International and her partners (TBL Leadership Partners, Chrysalis Asia) during the month of November. AI refers to these trips as “l2L” trips. We are serving emerging leaders in China to help them transform from “small l” leaders to “big L leaders.” How did they serve.. read more →
No One Likes a Parasite. So, Why Be One?
Growing up in the mountains of Montana exposed me to many things. Most were good, some were bad. One insect all disdained is called a “tick.” A tick is a small parasite that gets it life from the life of another. Usually, in early spring, the ticks come out in abundance. They find places where.. read more →