Lifelong Learning: How Living and Studying Abroad while Young Can Shape Your Life

A Year in China: Embracing Cultural Immersion and Unexpected Friendships

In 1992, I arrived in Hong Kong - then still a British Dependent Territory, before making my way to Kunming, a city in southwest China, to commence my Chinese language studies at Yunnan University. Choosing Kunming as my study destination was an unconventional decision for a young German at that time. If it hadn't been mandatory to spend a year in China as part of the newly created Marketing East Asia course at the University of Applied Science in Ludwigshafen, Germany, I would have never considered living there. My parents outright told me that they saw no benefit or reason for a year of study in China and only reluctantly let me go. Between you and me, I was a bit of a rebel back then, and the more they tried to convince me to stay in Germany, the more I believed living in China for a year was the right thing to do.

Communication between Kunming and Germany was limited to handwritten letters, which took around eight to ten days to reach their destination. Consequently, staying connected with friends and family back home meant waiting for up to three weeks for news. Being far away from home, I had no choice but to immerse myself in Chinese culture and leave my loved ones ‘at home’.

To integrate into the new environment, I had to forge relationships with my Chinese co-students. Although foreign students were an exotic rarity, there was a genuine curiosity among the locals to get to know us. Overcoming our initial reservations, we bonded through shared experiences such as excursions, evenings spent together, and friendly basketball and football matches. Through these interactions, I formed lifelong friendships, one of whom became a friend for life. Additionally, as foreigners, we were humbled to discover that there were Chinese students taller than two meters (6'7") who excelled at basketball, and the Yunnan University soccer team easily outperformed us, hailing from Germany and England.

By embracing cultural immersion and building connections with fellow students, my year in China provided me with an enriching experience that surpassed expectations.

India: The Next Exciting Stop in My Journey

After a year of studying in China, I took a six-month break and used my savings from previous jobs to travel, by public buses and railways, from Kunming to New Delhi in India. This trip, which lasted the entire six months, allowed me to experience the unique opportunity of exploring another fascinating country. As a student, I had the freedom and time to immerse myself in different cultures, unlike later in life when responsibilities limit both time and financial resources for travel.

India presented me with a completely unfamiliar and captivating culture. In contrast to my experiences in China, India felt vastly different in every aspect - from street life, spiritualism, colors, scents, and sounds to the very essence of the air. Although both countries had similar GDP per capita in the early nineties, they existed in entirely different worlds.

A Comparative Study of Chinese and Indian Cultures

During my time in China, I learned about the significance of maintaining "face" and indirect communication to uphold social dignity and harmony. However, upon arriving in India, I had to adapt to a different cultural norm that emphasized direct communication, argumentative speech, and being “affirmative. This shift in communication styles was a valuable lesson for me.

In the early days of my journey, I discovered the profound role of spirituality in India. This realization came when I had the incredible opportunity to spend three nights in the Golden Temple in Amritsar (picture above), shortly after crossing the border from Punjab in Pakistan.

Despite their differences, China and India have many things in common. As two of the world's oldest civilizations, they have always been connected through trade, religion, and settlement. I noticed that both Indian and Chinese cultures hold similar values, such as the importance of family, strong societal bonds, and hospitality towards guests. Throughout my travels in China, I was graciously invited into countless Chinese student hostels and family homes, and I encountered the same warm hospitality in India.

Lessons Learned from Living and Working Abroad

After my experiences in China and India, it took nearly a decade for me to be appointed to my first management role in Bengaluru, India, where I built SAP's inaugural R&D lab. Another decade later, I relocated to Shanghai, China, where I still live today. Having spent over two decades in both countries, I attribute my progress and sense of belonging to those early experiences, and to feel really “at home” among my many Indian friends in Bengaluru and my Chinese friends in Shanghai.

Reflecting on my time as a student in China and India, I realize that I gained three invaluable insights that continue to enhance my work and personal life:

1. Learning: Living far from home, facing new challenges, and witnessing others' struggles in different parts of the world broadened my perspective. For instance, my Chinese peers shared their intense study routines and financial hardships to secure a university education. In contrast, in Germany, only a few subjects had entry requirements, and education was accessible and free for all high school graduates. My time in China was even funded by a German Government stipend. This realization made me aware of how privileged my life seemed to others. I continue to value this perspective, allowing me to view things globally and avoid judging everything based on my own limited experiences.
2. ?Understanding: Learning foreign languages and embracing diverse cultures is crucial in today's globalized world. Although English is the most widely spoken language globally, Mandarin Chinese and Hindi closely follow as both first and second languages. Even a few words in a different language can create connections, spark moments of understanding, create “aha!” moments, and facilitate basic communication. It's remarkable how much can be achieved with a simple "hello," a smile, and gestures. I fondly remember "language lessons" during long train rides in China and India, where local passengers patiently helped me improve my Chinese, Hindi, or Marathi skills. The entire train car would cheer when I managed to pronounce a word correctly. Understanding others also means understanding their cultures. For instance, I learned valuable lessons about proper etiquette when visiting homes, what to say, what to bring, and when to leave – the unwritten rules that vary greatly from my upbringing in Germany. Even today, these lessons prevent me from making cultural faux pas when interacting with Asian clients.
3. Personal development: Unlike corporate life, where planners handle every detail and high-end hotels provide excellent services, being a student in a foreign country is full of unexpected experiences. I learned a lot about patience when I went every morning to a bus stop in a remote village in the mountains of Sichuan, China, trying in vain to get on a bus to the next city. I learned about placing trust in a different health system when I entered a hospital in Peshawar alone in the middle of the night with an emergency. I came to understand my own limits and to hope for miracles when I got very sick while trekking in the Himalayas, unable to walk a single step even while two days of walking away from the next village. I also learned about the value of life, joy, and the diversity of ideas during the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of encounters I had with so many people that I could never have hoped for if I had stayed at home. Today, this helps me to look for cultural cues if conversations escalate, to better prepare for meetings, and to run a global team of individuals from many cultures and countries just a little bit more smoothly.

Summary

Today, many young people rush through education, seeking early job placement and work-life balance. There is nothing wrong with the idea to study diligently and have education and jobs streamlined close to home. Nevertheless, when I have those precious opportunities to teach students at universities in China, Singapore, or elsewhere, I always advise them to pause for a moment and seek opportunities abroad. The world is becoming more diverse and unpredictable, requiring greater understanding, flexibility, and an open mindset. Even later in one's career, it's never too late to pursue assignments or jobs in different countries. It may not always be a guaranteed career booster for every person, but it will, without any doubt, open a new horizon and lead to a richer life.

(Disclaimer: The ideas, views, and opinions expressed in my LinkedIn posts, articles, videos, and profiles represent my own views and not those of my current or previous employers or any organizations with which I am associated. Additionally, any and all comments on my posts from respondents/commenters to my postings belong to, and only to, the responder posting the comment.)