What Would Your Grandma Say?
Just what would my grandma say about my life today, I wondered. “That question is posed as a basis for making decisions by many Chinese,” said Christian Brutzer, president and general manager of Heraeus Kulzer Dental Lab, Ltd. in Shanghai last month. A fascinating man, Christian is German, married to an American, and overseeing a state/private-owned company in China. He was one of many presenters the Bradley University EMBA class would listen to on its recent trip to China.
I was invited to travel with the group to listen and learn, then share some of our experiences with friends in central Illinois. The 10-day trip certainly pushed me out of my comfort zone, as I struggled with unknown language and customs. I struggled with the decision to travel personally and professionally before, during, and after the trip, as most women would, embarking on a new adventure or challenge.
I lost my grandmothers many years ago but never would have known them as intimately as the Chinese know their extended families. Tradition holds that several generations still live in the same house and custom demands respect for elders’ ideas and decisions. More social, technology, and economic change has occurred in the past 50 years in the U.S. than ever imagined by my grandmother—with the majority of the world actually oblivious to this change due to their economic and geographic stations into which they were born.
I’ve seen the ration cards my grandmother used during the Great Depression and remember helping her rinse out plastic bread wrappers for reuse, making “glue” for craft projects out of flour and water, and taking the Pekin city bus to the grocery store. What would she think about my 10-day trip to the country of China, confidently leaving family and business to travel during world conflict, snipers, and suicide bombing attacks?
She would not have imagined traveling in a 400-plus maximum-filled 747 aircraft, following the sun through time zones, eventually landing more than 14 hours later, adjusting to the 13-hour time difference. She had never flown in an airplane, much less to a foreign country across the ocean. Being able to telephone home as if I were next door and e-mailing messages simultaneously to friends and family all over the world would have seemed impossible to her.
The Peoria Woman featured the six women enrolled in Bradley’s first EMBA program in the October issue. I became friends with these diverse women—different ages, stages, careers, and personalities—and was impressed with their drive and motivation to step out of their comfort zones to fulfill their educational dreams. I wondered how my grandma would have reacted to the opportunity first, then relate to the desire of today’s professional women to journey around the world as part of the program. Their participation depended heavily on support from family and friends to keep home and work running smoothly while they spent every other weekend in class for 15 months, then participated in the required 10-day trip to China. I especially admired the women with young children—and two of them actually gave birth during the program.
For me, the opportunity for international travel, not just as a tourist but as an observer of social, political, and business customs—of being a foreigner in a different culture—is essential to understanding the opportunities in our global society. It will become even more critical that our children and grandchildren learn new languages, experience other cultures, and be open to new ideas in their school, careers, and community. Through the Internet and unlimited opportunity to travel the world, communication is vital.
I will be sharing some of my experiences in future issues. Since my return trip to Peoria, I’ve thought many times of that first business meeting and discussion with Christian Brutzer and his Chinese partner, Zhao Hong An, who spoke through an interpreter. The first thing I learned in China was that it would be a supreme compliment for my children and grandchildren to ask themselves the question, “What would mom (grandma) say?” when faced with decisions. TPW
I was invited to travel with the group to listen and learn, then share some of our experiences with friends in central Illinois. The 10-day trip certainly pushed me out of my comfort zone, as I struggled with unknown language and customs. I struggled with the decision to travel personally and professionally before, during, and after the trip, as most women would, embarking on a new adventure or challenge.
I lost my grandmothers many years ago but never would have known them as intimately as the Chinese know their extended families. Tradition holds that several generations still live in the same house and custom demands respect for elders’ ideas and decisions. More social, technology, and economic change has occurred in the past 50 years in the U.S. than ever imagined by my grandmother—with the majority of the world actually oblivious to this change due to their economic and geographic stations into which they were born.
I’ve seen the ration cards my grandmother used during the Great Depression and remember helping her rinse out plastic bread wrappers for reuse, making “glue” for craft projects out of flour and water, and taking the Pekin city bus to the grocery store. What would she think about my 10-day trip to the country of China, confidently leaving family and business to travel during world conflict, snipers, and suicide bombing attacks?
She would not have imagined traveling in a 400-plus maximum-filled 747 aircraft, following the sun through time zones, eventually landing more than 14 hours later, adjusting to the 13-hour time difference. She had never flown in an airplane, much less to a foreign country across the ocean. Being able to telephone home as if I were next door and e-mailing messages simultaneously to friends and family all over the world would have seemed impossible to her.
The Peoria Woman featured the six women enrolled in Bradley’s first EMBA program in the October issue. I became friends with these diverse women—different ages, stages, careers, and personalities—and was impressed with their drive and motivation to step out of their comfort zones to fulfill their educational dreams. I wondered how my grandma would have reacted to the opportunity first, then relate to the desire of today’s professional women to journey around the world as part of the program. Their participation depended heavily on support from family and friends to keep home and work running smoothly while they spent every other weekend in class for 15 months, then participated in the required 10-day trip to China. I especially admired the women with young children—and two of them actually gave birth during the program.
For me, the opportunity for international travel, not just as a tourist but as an observer of social, political, and business customs—of being a foreigner in a different culture—is essential to understanding the opportunities in our global society. It will become even more critical that our children and grandchildren learn new languages, experience other cultures, and be open to new ideas in their school, careers, and community. Through the Internet and unlimited opportunity to travel the world, communication is vital.
I will be sharing some of my experiences in future issues. Since my return trip to Peoria, I’ve thought many times of that first business meeting and discussion with Christian Brutzer and his Chinese partner, Zhao Hong An, who spoke through an interpreter. The first thing I learned in China was that it would be a supreme compliment for my children and grandchildren to ask themselves the question, “What would mom (grandma) say?” when faced with decisions. TPW