[Prologue to, Gone Global (@40!): a memoir, ©2023]

At the age of 40, I asked myself a dangerous question: What’s next? A psychologist and complementary medicine practitioner, with a newly minted PhD, private practice in New York, and hospital appointment, the logical answer was another 20-year addition to that career — in other words, more of the same, of this very nice life.

And yet—

Within 6 months of asking myself that question, I’d sold my clinic, resigned my hospital position, and moved to Boston to teach at university — knowing that this wasn’t a long-term move but a temporary adventure. Another 6 months, and I found myself on the other side of the world, living and working in Seoul, South Korea. Now, more than 18 years and 4 countries of residence later, with cultural research in 113 countries and territories across 6 continents and an identity transformation both personal and professional, I’m still living abroad – about to enter elderhood, with no intention of ending the adventure anytime soon.

This is my story.

**

Inspiration for this handmade life has come in many forms. One of the intrepid female travelers who most inspired my launch into nomadic life was Rita Golden Gelman, author of Tales of a Female Nomad: Living Large in the World (©2002). Reading her book proved to be pivotal for me; I’d turned 40 in November 2003 (with a seaside catered affair for 65 guests), finally finished my doctoral dissertation in April of the following year – 9 years in the making, and by May was wrestling with my ‘what’s next?’ inner turmoil when I discovered, and devoured, her book. Rita had a life-changing moment at age 47 when she asked herself that same question – and determined that she was going to live her dream, traveling and learning about the world and its peoples. She set out on her global adventure at age 48 and, until 2019 and age 81, remained nomadic with no fixed address. And while I didn’t set out to replicate her style, she’s remained an inspiration to me, and countless others, through the years.

Ultimately, I came to realize that the answer to my existential question was that, above all, I wanted to be free, at-large in the world.

For a successful migration, anthropologists tell us, there needs to be a ‘push’ and also a ‘pull’ – a reason to leave, and a reason to arrive. The push for me was both political and sociocultural. My home country was becoming increasingly politically divided; social causes I’d fought for throughout my adult life were more hotly debated than ever. The 911 terror attack in my city was a shock and a trauma, and in its aftermath, many red flags emerged as to the future steps of the government and direction of the nation.  By early 2003 we were engaged in the highly suspect war in Iraq – and a year later, the sitting president was reelected. While I’d already taken steps to leave the country, that telling – and chilling – moment was the final lock on my decision. (The election of Trump some years later would add several more locks to my resolve.) Socioculturally, though I’ll skip the details, it can be said that America and I had long been ill-suited to one another.

The pull was equally multi-layered. Like Rita, I too had longed to embrace a global lifestyle; New York had provided me with a powerful lesson in cultural diversity and the global community, while in my recently concluded doctoral program, the courses that had excited me the most were those such as cultural psychology and cross-cultural understanding. The traveling I’d undertaken to this point, some rather exotic and unique, had only given me the urge for much more. Now, more than anything I wanted to roam the world, meet its peoples, have an astonishing array of experiences, learn as much as possible, and discover a myriad of ways to be a global citizen.

I was always headed for Asia.

In New York I’d been surrounded by a host of cultures, including one of the world’s larger Chinatowns and substantial Korean and Indian communities; Asians in fact are one of the largest minorities in the city, representing 30 ethnic groups and more than 50 languages. I was certified and licensed in traditional Chinese medicine, along with several other Asian healing arts. My master’s degree in transpersonal psychology had included coursework in East Asian philosophy and psychology. And I held long-term interests in shamanism (with its origins in Eastern Siberia), Buddhism, and Daoism.

But first: sacrifice was required. (It always is.)

I wasn’t married or in a relationship at that time, nor had (nor wanted) children – so that part of my decision was easy. And while I sincerely loved my professional life and didn’t want to abandon it, it was also an anchor; the rigor of my clinical schedule and the uniqueness of my work meant that I could never be away for more than a few days at a time – so, a choice had to be made.

The process of letting go is also multi-layered. I knew that relationships with family members and friends were going to change, as we wouldn’t see one another often; too, as they wouldn’t relate to my newfound global life, a chasm would open between us. I didn’t yet know which parts of my professional life I could take with me, perhaps to apply in new ways – though many aspects, it was clear, were going to be left behind forever.

I was also divesting of my personal belongings; nothing was going into storage as I had no plan of return. I’ve always valued experience over material goods, yet I’d accumulated 20+ adult years of trappings to sell, rehome, donate: artwork, a classical music collection, hundreds of books, a car, furnishings. (The day that I, a passionate cook and dinner party host, sold the entire contents of my kitchen to a young woman newly moved into her first apartment, who hadn’t yet learned to cook, was painful indeed.)

Ultimately, these were just things, no matter what they symbolized or how much I valued them. Letting them go, layer by layer, was an increasingly cathartic process. And when I was done, and found myself at JFK International Airport with 2 pieces of luggage containing all my remaining possessions, I’d already achieved a fair measure of that freedom I sought. I was floating. I could have flown on my own, no aircraft required. (The 3am layover in Anchorage, however, during which, in a bit of a stupor from the sleeping pill I’d taken, I came face to face with a taxidermized polar bear standing on its hind legs, did sufficiently shock me back down to earth.)

Just 3 weeks before my scheduled departure, the 26 December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami disaster occurred, killing more than 200,000 people in 14 countries. Though this was far from Northeast Asia where I was heading, it did mean that Asia was very much in the world’s sights, and hearts, at that time.

I left the US for Seoul in mid-January 2005. It’s August 2023 as I write and I’ve had full-time residences in Korea, Hong Kong, UK, and (now) Türkiye, part-time (seasonal) in Thailand, Greece, and Italy (and also Türkiye, before the pandemic compelled me to full-time residency again), and extended stays in Brazil, Spain, Iceland, Ireland, Serbia, and South Africa.

There have been…

shamans and sacrifice in Siberia, orisha (and a remarkable nightclub) in Havana, a Muslim-Christian wedding in Cote d’Ivoire, a train crossing of the Gobi Desert, Tunisia’s delightful Sidi Bou Saïd, the discovery of Mennonites in Bolivia,  road crossing and fake phone chat in Cairo, that night at that fetish club in Paris, feminist art in Quito, Ramallah – and a challenging West Bank entry, Auschwitz, townships in Cape Town, my sweet little island of Antigoni, medina and nightclubs in Marrakech, live octopus consumption in Seoul, pagans and healers in Iceland, language immersion in Spain, street art in Sao Paulo, cycling through Bang Kachao, shamanist ritual on a boat in the Yellow Sea, ‘green ocean’ and ancient cultures in Mardin, white nights in St Petersburg (and Iceland – and aurora borealis at 40,000ft), sea goddess temples and dragon boat races in HK, haenyeo school and olle trekking on Jeju, genocide and gender equality in Rwanda, Korean border during a nuclear crisis – and so very many more.

Some of these I’ll tell you, and maybe more, though which ones, I haven’t decided yet.

And so, this book. Largely memoir with a great deal of storytelling, neither instruction manual nor quite travelogue, it is but a glimpse into nomadic, and handmade, life…and possibly, just a wee bit inspirational.

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” [Martin Buber]

Shall we begin?

[Introduction to, Developing a ‘Global Mind’, ©2023]

What does it mean to be a global citizen?

That phrase is freely used, its meaning less than clear. Does it mean that you’re aware of world news and global concerns? That you have empathy for the world’s people? That you’re not a fan of national borders? That you’re cross-culturally aware and have a deep appreciation for cultures beyond your own? That you find ways to contribute to the greater, the global, good?

Yes. All that, and more.

I am a global citizen. I say that with some confidence in this, my 60^th year of life, living abroad now for nearly 20 years in a series of countries – and hoping for (at least!) 20 years more, having traveled to more than 100 countries to meet their people and better understand their cultures. I’ve embraced a global mindset since childhood, the world as my home. But more on that later.

This ‘citizen of the world’ concept, of developing one’s global consciousness, is a lifelong endeavor. One doesn’t become a global citizen overnight; there’s no test (and no passport). Rather, as in any other area of personal development, we gain knowledge, experience, insight, and empathy that must be continually cultivated throughout our lifetime. And we engage, engage, engage.

United Planet, a program based in Boston which provides volunteer opportunities abroad as well as virtual, identifies 5 pillars of global citizenship: global understanding, relational diplomacy (“building relationships for a better world”), academic and professional competence, global leadership, and civic engagement.

The basic steps to your ‘global mind’ are this: we first gain deeper understanding of our own culture, so that we can better share it with others – and so we may learn to recognize our ethnocentrism and stereotyping as they arise. We learn to embrace cultures other than, and often very different from, our own, and to extend value to all cultures (though not always all cultural habits – as human rights can always be improved in any society), to increase our capacity for empathy and to deeply sense our interconnectedness with all of humanity.

And: we make an effort to develop a basic understanding of the world – its systems, its major events in history, its current challenges. We discover how we can get involved, not only caring for the world beyond our own national borders but taking responsibility and contributing to the greater good.

Most of all: being a citizen of the world begins as a mindset, but morphs into action. As a global citizen we understand our interconnectedness to all of humanity, the essential meaninglessness of borders, and our rights and responsibilities toward the global community of which we are a member.

A number of education programs for global citizenship now exist – which is very good news indeed for this complex world of ours. According to the UN, such education is based on the nurturing of respect for all as we develop our sense of belonging to the common human family, and to become increasingly responsible for and actively involved in that world community. IDEAS, an organization located in Scotland, identifies themes of global citizenship as “global interdependence, diversity of identities and cultures, sustainable development, peace and conflict and inequities of power, resources and respect.”

Back to my personal path to global citizenship, for a moment.

I spent the majority of my first 40 years of life in New York, one of the world’s most diverse cities – home to the UN, for 3 centuries the country’s primary immigration point, and with more than 800 languages. You might say I was surrounded by an organic global consciousness – even as the US has long been identified as one of the world’s more insular nations.

For 25 of those years, I was an activist for a range of concerns: gender equality, environmental protection, eradication of racism and homophobia, universal healthcare, ethical treatment of animals, and more. I read voraciously, consumed world news, paid careful attention to the actions of my government, worked in healthcare and education.

At the age of 40 I went global. As it were. I flung myself into the world, a semi-nomadic with periodic homes in successive countries – and for a few truly nomadic periods, no home at all but moving continually from place to place, specifically to develop my sense of the world and its cultures. Twenty years later and I’m still at it, having lived full-time in 4 countries and part-time in 4 more, with long stays in another six and cultural study in 113 countries to date.

My path to global citizenship has followed a breadth-depth-praxis framework. My first 20 years of adulthood were all about breadth: national engagement for a range of causes while educating myself to the world’s concerns. These past 2 decades have been about depth: living abroad and traveling widely, deepening my knowledge and engaging with the global community to the extent possible. Praxis will define my next 20 years (should I be so fortunate), as I continue my global life and engagement: practical application in sharing all that I’ve learned and experienced with global citizens around the world, through books and articles, online courses, and mentoring.

Being globally-minded doesn’t actually require travel or living abroad, though it helps; there are numerous ways to develop our understanding of the world and its cultural kaleidoscope. Getting to know people of other cultures is a crucial component, however, and we can also do this in highly diverse cities such as my New York, and of course, in a myriad of ways online. We’ll explore all of this together.

About this book: I was visiting professor for a year at a university on Korea’s largest island, Jeju. (I’d lived on the island for a few years previously, and a few more in Seoul, the nation’s capital.) There I designed several intercultural / multicultural courses, singularly popular as both Korean and international students were eager to know the world and develop their global citizenship. This book has been modified from one such course (its mate in the series, Intercultural Competency, from another).

Introductory in nature, this book serves as a guide especially for those who are still early in their development of global citizenship; it will provide the reader with a framework for self-education and development as a global citizen, with an overview of the world’s issues today. Naturally, this topic is ever-evolving, and a lifelong quest; Developing a ‘Global Mind’, therefore, is not a comprehensive textbook but rather a primer: a mentor to point you in the right direction. In the spirit of personal empowerment and responsibility…this task is ultimately your own.

Each chapter begins with a key question, explores that a bit, then brings in real-world applications and finally provides exercises by which you can integrate the concept into your own life. (There might even be a few stories along the way.) I recommend that you make use of both the exercises and link to further reading at the end of each chapter, in order to truly enhance your experience.

Remember, we’re evolving our ‘global mind’, and while this is in part a choice and a perspective that you can simply adopt, true personal development takes time, effort, and deep thinking. We can’t just read a book and visit another country then proclaim ourselves a ‘citizen of the world’, after all. It requires a lifetime to grow that consciousness well.

And what a lifetime of adventure that will be! Even if you never leave your own country, I can promise you: by finding as many ways as possible to embrace the world and its people, by thinking well outside of your own country’s borders and deeply about the world’s concerns, and by getting involved and applying your efforts in some form of contribution to the betterment of humanity and our shared community, you will have a most fascinating life indeed.

See you out there.

[Introduction to, Intercultural Competence, ©2023]

What a rich cultural tapestry is this complex, troubled, gorgeous world of ours.

And what sheer joy, and adventure, is a lifetime spent in learning about and engaging with the people and places represented by each brilliant thread.

Intercultural competence. (Is such a thing possible?)

A buzzword today, especially in the business arena, this worldview and its accompanying skill set nevertheless become increasingly necessary as we blithely cross borders, and encounter people rather different from ourselves.

The gates of those borders slammed down in the early days of 2020, as the world began to understand that a pandemic was upon us – and what a shock it was to find that we were suddenly very separate from, and more than a little frightened by, one another. This isn’t the kind of world I want to live in, nor as I imagine do you, dear reader, and now that our borders have begun to open again, we must ask ourselves: how can we better engage with one another?

A complex question.

In this digital age, we can easily learn a wealth of knowledge about any of the world’s cultures. We can access and practice the necessary skills for cross-communication, increase our sensitivity and reduce our stereotypes, become ever more aware of our natural ethnocentrism – and transform it, over time, into ethnorelativism instead. And in this era, as we study and do business increasingly online, we’re even more likely than before to encounter and negotiate or collaborate with people from other countries and customs.

Surely, we don’t want to offend. Even more, we want our encounter, for whatever purpose, to be successful. Perhaps being interculturally aware and competent is a desired part of our personal development, to be able to view ourselves as cosmopolitan, sophisticated, a citizen of the world who can interact easily with its people.

Lovely, isn’t that? And so, this competence is both a necessity and a desire for many.

When we begin to get beneath the surface of ‘culture’ – when we peel away a few of those obvious layers and find we knew and understood far less than we’d thought – it can feel very daunting. After all, the world has more cultures than we could possibly count. Not only does each nation have particular cultural features, but within the borders of each lies its own diversity; we can have multiple cultures within one people, not to mention all those who may have relocated there from elsewhere – and the intermarriages and kids who belong to two or more cultures equally, and a wealth of other complexities.

There are tools by which we can hope to understand, and frameworks that assist us. Skills such as critical thinking and reflection, active listening and a broad perspective that allows for multiple interpretations, can also help.

Above all, we must engage with the world’s people. While travel and meeting in person is very nice indeed, for most it isn’t a viable path; frequent travel may be too costly and time consuming, while for environmental concerns we want to reduce our carbon footprint and fly less. If the recent pandemic experience taught us anything, however, it’s the value of the online environment in real-time video transmission. We can easily meet and interact with people from a broad range of cultural backgrounds, and if we do so consciously and skillfully, we can learn and grow.

True competence, in any category, isn’t achieved quickly, and with such a vast cultural array, certainly this takes time. Initially, however, we can rely on those frameworks to help us better understand across cultural lines, as well as solid communication skills; when combined with a basic understanding of the world’s systems, major historical events, and current issues – see Developing a ‘Global Mind’, also in this series, for that – we can build a foundation.

Becoming truly interculturally savvy is a lifetime endeavor.

People change, after all. Countries, cultures, outlooks, values, circumstances – these continue to evolve over time. What we thought we knew about a country and a people, even our own, will never remain static – for humanity and its civilizations are dynamic instead.

Not only can what we once knew about a place, or even the world as a whole, be profoundly changed over time, with a continual need for updating of our knowledge base, but one human brain could never hope to hold all the cultural richness that this world has to offer. There’s always more to learn.

What’s more: culture is an enormous concept. That well-known model, the cultural iceberg, comes to mind – with behaviors and artifacts above the surface where we can readily identify them, while hidden beneath are intangible elements such as norms, values, beliefs, and assumptions.

We often don’t even know our own culture well. Or rather, as a product of it, we know it deeply and intimately, yet we don’t know what we know because we’ve never analyzed it. As the saying in anthropology goes, “If you want to know about the water – don’t ask the fish.”

How, then, can we ever hope to feel any measure of mastery?

I’ve spent a few decades in the pursuit of intercultural competence and engagement with the global community. Much of my earlier life was in New York City, one of the world’s most diverse with more than 800 languages; my formal education in psychology was undertaken at every level with one eye toward cross-cultural understanding, while along the way, I also studied traditional Chinese medicine, Japanese shiatsu, and several Asian philosophical systems.

For nearly 20 years now, I’ve lived abroad in a series of countries and traveled to more than 100 for cultural research. Having been a long-time activist for a range of causes in my home country, I now belong to an international advocacy organization and endeavor to contribute to a better world wherever I can. I’ve designed and taught university courses on topics of multicultural societies, global citizenship, and intercultural understanding, one of which was the basis for this book. I’m a ‘student’ at the ‘university of the world’ – now and for the rest of my days.

Perhaps by now I can credibly claim identity as a global citizen, and some measure of intercultural competence. And yet: there is so much more to learn.

It can feel like a Herculean task. Or, it can be a never-ending gift.

Sometimes it is, in fact, rather overwhelming. I maintain a daily practice of mindfulness meditation to keep me focused on the present moment. And weekly, I take a break from the world: in an Internet blackout, I immerse myself in nature, and I am home. Self-care is essential for the global citizen.

One might well ask: why bother? Isn’t it far easier to keep the focus narrowed on one’s home culture and community, with deep engagement to contribute to its improvement? ‘Think globally, act locally’, and all that?

Indeed it is, and if you haven’t a professional need for intercultural competence, you may well choose that path. Most do. For me, in this era of increasingly high interaction across borders and the metaverse in which boundaries hardly exist, I choose to engage with that wider community. And for many of the challenges that we face today, a global effort toward solutions is required. I want to be a part of that.

If you do too – and I assume that someone reading a book such as this is already quite internationally focused – let’s see what more we can do together.

Shall we begin?

Since that last post (was it really back in April? –I’ve been very busy!), a few more books have been published. You can see them all on the Books page of this site, but just in case….

Just Published: the Global Citizen series

And before that (in the interim since our previous post about the Positive Psychology series of 4), two other “9 Keys to…” series were published: Transpersonal Psychology (4 books) and Health Psychology (also 4), while my Jeju Island, Korea series (7+1) remains very much available.

And: a FREE Jeju photobook HERE, my GIFT to you!

Now, for a preview! COMING SOON:

September Release: Personal Growth series

and

October Release: Travel & Culture series

Meanwhile, as I’m in the process of scaling down and phasing out my psychotherapy / counseling practice, I’m morphing my skills in a new (not-new) direction.

ANNOUNCING: LIFE-ABROAD COACHING!

I’ll be working with women expats, immigrants, nomads, travelers, & hopefuls — in other words, those abroad (from wherever home may be), or who’d like to be. As well, I’ll be mentoring those looking to develop their global citizenship worldview and/or intercultural competence, with a myriad of applications whether home or abroad. In online video sessions, this is available to any woman, anywhere.

You can find all the details on our NEW homepage. And please — tell a friend!

Wishing you, dear reader, life’s simple joys.