"World Without Borders"

To know other worlds is to better know your own. To walk among strangers is to open yourself to friendship.

The stories of these eight alumni and alumnae — who have lived, worked, or otherwise immersed themselves in the cultures of foreign lands — remind us that life abroad can be an education.

Featured in this article are:

• Lisa Errion '86
• Elizabeth (Betsy) Ruggles Spang '90 and Tom Spang '92
• Laurel Peterson '77
• Jeff Jokl '81
• Chris Wild '94
• Dan Connell '66
• Carol Mayeda Yanagihara '46

Lisa Errion '86

"Culturally, the World is Bigger"

A career at State has taught Lisa Errion that the world is both larger and smaller than it seems.

"When I think of the world in economic terms, it's definitely getting smaller," says Lisa Errion '86 (pictured at right). "But culturally, the world is bigger. As I live in more places I see deeply embedded differences and realize that there is so very much to understand, much more than I expected."

Errion's practical and philosophic observations stem from both professional and personal experiences. A seven-year veteran of the U.S. State Department, she now serves as economic officer at the U.S. embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia. Before going to Southeast Asia, she spent time in Mexico and in Washington, D.C.

Responsible for facilitating business and trade relations and keeping tabs on economic trends, the alumna sees daily how economies within the region are intertwined. A recent currency depreciation in Thailand set off a world-wide wave of speculation that had all of Asia in turmoil. In turn, the U.S., which invests and trades heavily in the Asia-Pacific area, was concerned about the region's stability and how that would affect American jobs.

For less material issues, Errion draws from personal experiences among several cultures. Although "road warriors" in gridlocked Jakarta and Mexico City follow no rules of the road — there aren't any — road rage doesn't exist either. People are polite to one another. Nobody gets mad.

Americans in Jakarta are fascinated by the mystical Javanese culture, and those who venture beyond the traditional tourist places in Mexico are captivated by the richness of that society.

"What has also surprised me is how interested people are in one another," says Errion, "how accepting they are of different points of view, and how quickly they fall into one another's cultures."

Although state department employees are briefed on cultural and political customs of the countries where they will be stationed, "real" learning occurs on site. "You have to get out into the countryside," says Errion. "Embassies are in capital cities, which are the least representative of the culture as a whole."

While Errion caught a touch of wanderlust during childhood travels with her parents to then exotic destinations like Romania and Czechoslovakia, an HWS term abroad fostered self-reliance. In retrospect, London seems tame, but for a 19-year-old, the city was foreign enough to be more than challenging and exciting.

Freedom to explore was the value-added aspect of the program. Errion and several classmates spent hours "knocking about" various neighborhoods. "We'd take the Tube to the end of the line, and then figure out a different way to get back," she says. "We organized a trip to Crete, where we didn't know the language, and managed to get ourselves around."

"Plus, I learned how to depend on myself, and how to function in different surroundings."

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Elizabeth (Betsy) Ruggles Spang '90 and Tom Spang '92

"I Thought Everyone Had the Same Problems"

As executives helping to develop and manage large energy-production facilities in Europe, the Spangs conclude that environmental concerns still ultimately land in your own backyard.

For Elizabeth (Betsy) Ruggles Spang '90 (pictured at left) and husband Tom '92 , "all problems are local" is more than a slogan. It's a professional reality.

The couple works for International Generating Company (InterGen), a subsidiary of Bechtel Enterprises, building electric power and related energy facilities in the United Kingdom.

"It's a waste of time to try for global regulations. Most likely they can't be agreed upon or enforced," says Betsy, senior associate responsible for purchase negotiation and arranging for building permits (including environmental documentation). Her most recent project is an electric power plant near Liverpool, where the great crested newt is a protected species.

"Solutions need to begin at the grassroots level," she says, "and then, where possible, move up to a regional basis."

"If people are not affected personally, they really don't get involved," adds Tom, manager of development and project manager for a proposed facility in Sparlding, Lincolnshire.

Differing environmental attitudes also make global solutions impractical, continues Betsy. "In some ways, the English are not as 'green' as Americans. They don't recycle at all," she says. "Yet they are very aware of their environment. Back yards, for example, are important, so they pay great attention to those outdoor spaces."

"They also set out geographical limits to new towns," adds the alumna. "Because each one must be surrounded by a band of greenery, you don't have suburbs butted up against suburbs as we have in the States."

Tom admits that thinking locally for environmental solutions came as a surprise. "I thought that everyone had the same problems, but countries are all at different stages," he says. "Pollution can be the stuff going down the street or the dust from coal-fire powered systems settling on cities."

Even when specific problems are similar, such as dirty air, causes vary. Diesel fumes choke Londoners, while burning cow dung makes New Delhi air unhealthy. Given these realities, he argues, the best solutions originate locally.

The London-based couple takes a similar "think local" attitude about living and working abroad. Betsy, who cannon-balled into the Old World on a "temporary" assignment three years ago when her Boston employer was taken over by Bechtel, didn't anticipate an adjustment period. "I thought that because England was an English-speaking country, language would not be a problem," she said. "But that isn't true."

Tom felt more aware of cultural differences because he had traveled when young and participated in a high school-level education-abroad program. But he, too, had to focus locally.

"Although I had a lot of English slang — my mother was born here — in negotiations I've still found that meanings and emphases make for completely different connotations," he says. "But the biggest difference is at meetings. You talk about life before jumping into work. Americans are considered aggressive because they don't talk about things of interest beyond the job."

Potential social pitfalls aside, the Spangs see international living as a way to understand the best and worst aspects of their own society while learning about the world. "Stay at least two years because that's when you really begin to understand another culture," urges Betsy. "In one year, you only reach topsoil."

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Laurel Peterson '77

"Education Transposes from One Environment to Another"

Serving students who have traveled every corner of the Earth, educator Laurel Peterson has to appreciate the peculiarities of national curricula while, in some sense, bridging them as well.

According to Laurel Peterson '77(pictured at right), the best education for children is one that helps them recognize both differences and similarities among all the nations of the world. "Every country has a national curriculum in social studies, but I now realize how limiting they are in terms of world views," says Peterson, director of Antofagasta International School in Chile.

The three-year-old school, which has a student body of 80 in kindergarten through high school, is supported by two mining companies and open to the children of foreign employees.

Meeting various national academic needs among the school's diverse student population is a professional challenge; at least four different countries, including Australia, Canada, Finland, and the U.S., are represented. "With so many different nationalities, it's difficult trying to balance individual needs while meeting various curricular needs of those countries," says the alumna, who held a similar position in Italy in 1994. "Parents are especially concerned that children will fit into the educational system once they are back home."

Teaching in other countries is personally challenging, too. The alumna says, "I now see how education transposes from one environment to another."

Her students, already world travelers who have lived away from home for several years, see global cause and effect first-hand. Many of the youngsters were in New Guinea during the draught caused by El Niño, and came to Chile because the copper mines in New Guinea closed. The jungles of New Guinea contrast dramatically with the absence of vegetation in Antofagasta, the world's driest desert, where the only known recorded rainfall in recent history was in 1991.

Students also learn language from each other, even though English is the common language of instruction. An American eraser becomes an English rubber or Australian gum.

"It's good for them, because it makes them think about what they say in everyday life," says Peterson.

The better news, says the New Hampshire native, is that education is a continuum. Kids and adults keep on learning. The lucky ones — and she includes herself — get an early start.

"I spent a term in London and I traveled throughout Europe and Africa," she says. "That didn't prepare me for everyday work, but it helped me to be open to new experiences. Looking back, I know that one of the greatest gifts parents can give students is the opportunity to experience another culture or to learn another language."

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Jeff Jokl '81

"We're Catching Up Just Fine"

Jeff Jokl says that business, by its nature, is an international endeavor. Producing and selling on your own shores only is a luxury that few businesses outside of America recognize.

For Jeff Jokl, the world gets smaller every day.

"That's a cliché, but it's true," says the director of sales and development for PPG, a Fortune 100 company specializing in glass, chemicals, and industrial coating products. The alumnus personally furthered globalization over the past four years by opening several new joint venture companies in the Asia/Pacific region.

While internationalism is assumed in Europe and Asia, Jokl feels that the pace of American entry onto the world business scene was slowed by success — at home. "First of all, some businesses are completely regional and have no need for offshore expansion. Plus, our markets in North America are so extensive that businesses can stay there and prosper," he says. "European and Asian companies do not have that richness — smaller markets, fewer people, and fewer businesses needing products and services. So they had to reach out."

Despite the lag, the newcomers are making inroads. Jokl argues that the late start is, in the long-term, inconsequential. "Worldwide, Americans are well received in most markets because our products, services, and technology are world-competitive. Even now we find that we're catching up just fine."

"But because every market has unique characteristics, companies must approach each market differently," he adds.

Fierce competition is the norm in free-wheeling Hong Kong. In contrast, China has high import tariffs and imported products are sold only through state controlled distributors. In other Asian countries, businesses face such a myriad of informal trade barriers, including local customs and already entrenched European firms, that the best product doesn't always win.

"People who succeed in international businesses are able to create new approaches — you get beyond purchasing barriers, for example, by manufacturing domestically," says Jokl. "They are also culturally sensitive, adaptable, and they have supportive families."

An overseas veteran with experience on both sides of the familial factor, Jokl was introduced to international life as a pre-teen in India where his father, Robert Jokl '51, spent five years working for U.S. Steel. Young Jeff was hooked immediately.

"I always knew that being overseas in some capacity was going to be my career path," says the Pittsburgh native, who was also in China for a year in the late 1980s.

"I'm disappointed that more people aren't interested in international assignments," says Jokl. "It's very exciting and the people you meet are so impressive. It costs three to four times more to send someone out of the country, so companies tend to be very selective in choosing people for expatriate assignments. I have met presidents and CEOs who, back in the States, would most likely not have seen me."

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Chris Wild '94

"Go With an Open Mind"

A sequence of different jobs in Russia has taught Chris Wild a thing or two about how to make the most of an international experience.

Travel is broadening, and certainly going to Europe to study or to intern is always eye-opening. But, according to Chris Wild '94 — a three-year veteran of business life in Russia — attitude is the difference between a good experience and a great one.

Currently with the private equity investment firm Baring Vastok Capital Partners Limited in Moscow, the alumnus co-manages an investment fund with London-based Baring Asset Management. Before turning to finance, he worked in commercial real estate and was an assignment editor/field producer for NBC news — but more on that later.

"Most people leave the U.S. with preconceived notions about another culture, based on rumor and other people's observations," says Wild.

"But," he continues, "if you can shelve those ideas and go with an open mind, you will be surprised at how much you will grow and how much you will be able to accomplish."

Wild first realized how big the world is during an HWS-sponsored semester in Australia. "Despite the similarities between American and Australian cultures, it made me feel very small, but I wanted to experience more." He admits that his own misconceptions initially made Russia somewhat intimidating. But they were dispelled quickly after a four-month home-stay that was part of a post-graduate language-immersion program.

Moscow is as expensive as New York and London. Crime rates — despite constant stories about the Russian Mafia — equal those in Washington, D.C., and winter is comparable to those around Seneca Lake. And yes, you can buy toilet paper.

"We don't have access to goods and services on demand, and everything from work to hobbies takes a lot longer to accomplish," adds Wild. "It's almost shocking to come home and find how easy it is to do things."

Letting assumptions go has practical benefits, too, especially in emerging economies like Russia. The one-time English major started professional life as an intern leasing commercial space in a market where the term "landlord" was brand new and "selling" land was unthinkable. Armed with polished people and marketing skills, he accepted an offer from NBC News; they were interested because of his language skills and on-the-ground experience. Wild now applies his knowledge about the Russian political system, which he learned at the network, to finance.

"Career progress happens faster here," says the 25-year-old, "and in Russia many young people have a lot of responsibility." Opportunities for people such as himself are drying up. The expatriate packages used to encourage foreigners to fill economic gaps are being wiped out as more natives enter the marketplace. "But willingness to work and a long-term commitment still go a long way."

"Culturally and politically, it's exciting here, and how else could I have done so much traveling?" says Wild. "And it's challenging to do business in another language; you're always on the edge. Right now it's so exciting that I can't walk away."

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Dan Connell '66

"Building Democracy from the Bottom Up"

Journalist and activist Dan Connell '66 studies how social movements spread from country to country, and not always to the immediate good.

Globalization is more than the integration of various economies. "It takes place at the level of social movements, too," says Dan Connell '66 (pictured at left). "For example, women in third-world economies who cannot read or write are well aware of what goes on within the women's movement worldwide."

"Furthermore, the rise of social movements plays an increasingly active role within political systems, where people are trying to change their own societies and are reconstructing themselves from the inside out," adds the alumnus.

Connell is writing a book on how various political movements have changed since the end of the Cold War. The one-time on-campus social-justice activist is also researching the effects of arms trading on human rights issues in the Sudan for the New York-based Human Rights Watch.

Because social change is more accelerated than in previous decades, the impact on political systems occurs more rapidly. Yet solutions to problems do not necessarily move at the same speed. "In Africa, where most societies are non-literate, the big challenge is how to draw those in remote rural areas into the political process," says Connell. "People need to learn basic literacy and civic education. It's really building democracy from the bottom up."

While working as a journalist in the mid-'70s, Connell witnessed such struggles in Eritrea, a one-time Italian colony in Africa since claimed by Ethiopia. Although guerrillas of the Eritrean People's Liberation Forces were successful in gaining their freedom, they faced an equally difficult task of building a country.

Twenty years later, other countries are fighting the same battles but they are further hampered by a political event few Americans ever envisioned — the end of the Cold War, which unfortunately did not come with universal peace. Connell cites the ethnic extremism and tribalism of Bosnia as evidence that the world is less stable and amid a time of great tragedy. "The world hasn't seen such levels of intolerance since the 1930s and 1940s," he says.

Moreover, the Massachusetts resident sees little change in the immediate future, which he describes as "more bleak than hopeful," though he is "upbeat" about developments in East Africa. Despite economic links to the rest of the world, U.S. influence is marginal and will most likely remain that way. "Americans are beginning to pull down the blinds," says Connell, "and we still operate with a lot of stereotypes."

"I once met an old man in Cairo who said that Americans have a tremendous amount of knowledge, but not a lot of wisdom. He was right," adds Connell, "but that's only part of our reality. I think we are filled with information, but we don't have a lot of perspective. We need to learn from those we hope to influence."

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Carol Mayeda Yanagihara '46

"People Expected Me to Act as They Did"

Carol Mayeda Yanagihara didn't intend to relocate to Japan, but then spent 37 years there. Two years ago she returned to America. She's not sure which adjustment was tougher.

"Culture shock" is a given for first-timers in a new country — a reality Carol Mayeda Yanagihara '46 (pictured at right) expected, experienced, and survived when she married a Japanese citizen and moved to his country 37 years ago.

What the alumna didn't realize was how well she had adjusted to her adopted country, until she came "home" in 1995, following her husband's death, to live permanently. "I was confident and optimistic about my return. Now I would know how to act, how to talk, how to dress. I would be able to do anything and everything right," says Yanagihara. "I was wrong."

Whether it was having children and hairdressers use her first name — "In the 20 years that we lived in Tokyo only a few relatives used my first name. Outside I was always addressed as the wife of Dr. Yanagihara or with the most formal honorific after the word for Mrs." — or seeing shod feet on chairs and tables, Yanagihara, was face-to-face with the same adjustment problems she had met decades earlier.

Yet Yanagihara, who labels the experience "reverse culture shock," did more than become "very" Japanese. While becoming acculturated in Japan, the retired ESL teacher discovered subtleties of her own country.

Land mass, for example, has a unique effect. "America is geographically huge, and people reflect that bigness in many ways: bigness of heart and being openly friendly," says the native New Yorker. "Japan is small and crowded; everything is done with modesty and restraint and within certain boundaries."

The limits of this vertical society, comparable to a ladder on which members have "assigned" positions, are expressed in many ways. "Language changes, depending on to whom you are speaking — whether the person is above or below you, a peer or a family member," she says. "Even in families, younger siblings say 'older' brother or sister. Older siblings use the names of younger brothers and sisters."

American emphasis on individuality is out of sync with a group-conscious, homogeneous society, adds Yanagihara.

In fact, when she first moved to Japan her problems were exacerbated because she looked Japanese. "People expected me to speak and to act as they did - something that wouldn't have happened if I had blonde hair and blue eyes," she says. "When I didn't do that, it was harder for people to accept me."

While adjusting to a new culture was far from easy, Yanagihara sees the absence of such experiences as a loss. "If I talk about things like this to people who have never experienced another culture, they just don't understand," she says.

And despite reentry surprises, Yanagihara anticipates few major problems. "After all, this is home, and I have a sense of belonging here."

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Barb Forster, a free-lance journalist in Boston, is a frequent contributor to The Pulteney St. Survey.

This article originally appeared in the Winter ‘98 issue of The Pulteney St. Survey. To request a copy, e-mail Dana Cooke at cooke@hws.edu.

Also of Interest

Far Afield
In the accompanying article from the Survey, learn about Hobart and William Smith’s efforts to foster internationalism through the Office of Off-Campus Programs.

Off-Campus Programs
The office’s own website describes its ambitious array of domestic and international programs