This one is really off-topic…

As some of you might know, I am a Ph.D. Candidate at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA. Every year, the Iacocca Institute at Lehigh (Lee Iacocca, the former CEO of Chrysler is a Lehigh alumn) hosts the “Global Village for Future Leaders in Business and Industry” here. It is a six week intensive summer program with classes, a project for a real-world client, meetings with executives and lots of other things. I did the program back in 2002.

The most amazing part about the Global Village though is its people. This year, there are 88 people from 41 countries living together in the same dorm, spending basically every waking minute of their long days together. In six weeks, those 88 people will leave to go back home having made lifetime friends and maybe having had a life-changing experience. The average age this year is 25, with an almost 50:50 women:men balance.

If you are into football (soccer) at all, imagine watching the France vs. Spain World Cup game with people from France and Spain. Or imagine watching the 2002 World Cup final between Germany and Brazil with your new best friends from many different countries and someone from Brazil among them (everyone but me was cheering for the team that played nicer football, Brazil, though). Imagine me as a German national walking through the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. together with an Israeli and a Swedish Jew. Or, imagine Israelis crying their eyes out when their new Arab friend is leaving at the end of the six weeks (he cried too).

They had their Opening Ceremony last night and my legs still hurt from dancing (yes, I don’t get out of my chair in front of my computer very often…). The next six weeks will be a blast for them, and as an alumni of the Village, I get to hang out with them from time to time as well. I’m looking forward to that!