NSYSU International Programs Celebrates “Strength in Diversity” Through Culture Sharing Event

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NSYSU boasts one of the most diverse university environments in Taiwan. GHRM MBA and IBMBA programs maintain a full English teaching faculty and attract accomplished students from all across the globe. The 'Culture Sharing Event' is held annually to celebrate this diversity, and this year, the event was held on the 23rd of October 2020 at NSYSU. The event started with the President of the Student Association, international programs, Hkawn San (Joy) greeting the crowd. Afterward, three students from the United States, India, and Germany shared their culture at the event.

Blake Nipper from the United States started the presentation with a question, “What makes America 美 (Beautiful)?" He started the presentation by talking about big American corporations such as "Amazon, Netflix, Apple, Tesla," etc. At the same time, Blake touched upon certain stereotypes that people associate with America, such as celebrities, athletes, parties, political movements, etc. As the presentation continued, Blake mentioned that there is another side of America that people don't recognize; Blake himself comes from a small state in the southern state of the US where everybody is considered as a friend, where the simplicity of life is highly valued, life is full of enjoyable activities such as fishing, sports, and good food. Blake also emphasized that the current political situation does not define America; media news stories do not represent America; instead, what makes America beautiful is its diversity. Blake remarked that as a foreigner, it’s better not to approach an American with preconceptions and assumptions but rather to approach with an open mind, which could lead to friendship and business partnership.

The event continued with the second presenter, Limaonen Longkumer, from Nagaland, situated in the North-Eastern of India. Lima mentioned that being unknown to many people, Nagaland is almost like a hidden treasure. Lima said that the unique history of Nagaland is that the tribes there had a reputation of being fierce warriors who took great pride in taking the heads of their enemies as trophies. However, Lima mentioned social change started when Christianity was introduced to the Naga people; Christianity brought an end to the practice of headhunting in Nagaland and now more than 90% of Naga’s are Christians. Nagaland also has the biggest church in Asia. Moreover, Lima noted that Naga people share similarities with the Karen and Wa tribe from Myanmar and ethnic minorities in the Yunan province of China. He said that the state has16 tribes and 14 languages, with English being the official state language; the state also has huge Western influences. Lima also shed light on Nagaland's interesting facts that despite being the smallest state in India, it is represented at the UNOP. It's a land of festivals and is known as the safest place in India for women. Lima ended the presentation by mentioning that Nagaland is currently on the quest to find a solution to its political problem.

Lastly, Paul Klebert from Germany introduced the audience to his country's name in the German language saying "Deutschland" and illustrated a map of his country. He continued the presentation by introducing the country's leader, Chancellor Angela Merkel, delicious German bread, German beer festival "Oktoberfest," and German car brands such as Mercedes, Porches, and BMW. Paul also touched upon the dark side of German history such as the second world war and the Nazi party. Paul also talked about Germany's outstanding achievements, such as in 2019, when the country ranked as one of the top 20 countries with the largest GDP and one of the top 20 export countries. Furthermore, Paul talked about Germany's 4 largest industries, including automobile, mechanical engineering, chemical industry, and the electrical industry. In addition, Paul also talked about famous German brands such as Nivea, Volkswagen, Audi, Adidas, Puma, DHL, and many more. Lastly, he shared an interesting fact about German grammar that the compound words add up together to make single words stretched across a page. Paul concluded the presentation by introducing the audience with the longest German word :

“Donaudampfschifffahrtselektrizitätenhaupt-Betriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft”.

Attendees participated actively with questions and discussions in the Q&A session. Elsa, 2nd – year GHRM MBA student, remarked that she enjoyed the culture sharing event because she learned about foreign cultures from the natives' perspectives. She said it was also an opportunity for her to meet some new friends who also attended the event. Culture sharing event like this strengthens the culture exchanges between students from different countries and allow students to connect more deeply.