Exchange Me

• How was it to be an exchange student before and after the fall of the Berlin Wall?
• How was it to come to Moscow during the transition of the USSR to a market economy?
• How was it to meet Gorbachov in person at Stanford and witness the dissolution of the Soviet Union?

Denys, the co-host of this show, spoke with Jeff Gospe* about these and many other stories to feed your curiosity and listen to four decades of exchanges and wisdom. There was so much information that the ExchangeMe team decided to split it into two episodes, the second fitting into a Global Response series.

What's inside this episode:

1:00 – meet Jeff!

5:30 – why taking tourism tours in 2-3 different languages;

09:30 – on national stereotypes before going to another country;

12:00 –  the US/USSR: on political systems comparison;

17:45 – Hoover Institute, meeting Gorbachov in Stanford and being interviewed by Ernst & Young (EY); going to Moscow eventually;

36:20 – youth exchange is even better education than Stanford because... 

*Jeff holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Stanford University. Since November 2005, he has been working as a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley. He is also an active member of the Rotary Club of Santa Rosa, California, and a person with vast experience in exchange programs, including the Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE).

Denys Andrushchenko is a FLEX 🇺🇸 alumnus, Future Leaders Connect 🇬🇧 member, EaP 🇪🇺 Civic Digital Fellow, past-president of the Rotary Club Cherkasy-Centre 🕊, and co-founder of the SUN Leaders Program 🇺🇦.

In another episode of the Global Response (GR) series, we travel to Auckland, New Zealand, to talk with Leo, a South Korean by descent and with Ukraine in his heart.

He was in Ukraine one time but for 3 months while on AIESEC program. Since then, he well in love with Ukrainian culture and made lots of friends. And as we know well, friends are known in trouble.

What's inside:

• Fertile soil!
• Orange Revolution, sparking the first interest
• Euromaidan creating more sympathy
• Resisting the Russian full-scale invasion as the final step in escaping Russian imperialism
• on AIESEC voice (its absence) during the war
• on (winter) experience in Ukraine (between -15 and -30 Celsius)
• not (only) Ukrainian issue
  

Hi, Listener. This is Denys from Ukraine, your co-host of the Exchange Me Podcast.

My guest for the third episode of the Global Response series has a background in literature and visual culture and is based in Pakistan🇵🇰, where she's working as freelance development writer and researcher for local and international grassroots organizations.

Saadia's previous work has put her at the intersection of teaching, creative practice and interaction–where she has witnessed the benefits of a people-first and co-creative approach towards community engagement and education.

Saadia believes that respect, communication and an understanding that every person has the capacity to create change will lead us to a better and kinder world and is working towards a career in education that engenders this.

What's inside:

00:01 – Meet Saadia! And why this episode;

06:40 – “I want big cars and easy money!” – meeting a 12-year-old boy in a village and why he wanted to become a politician;

08:55 – Pakistani perspective on the war in Ukraine;

12:00 – on 3 Pakistans;

23:30 – powerless/powerful?

29:30 – “Why are you still here? Get out of Pakistan!”;

35:00 – on responsibility to stay.

Recorded on 08.01.2023 (it was also a death anniversary of her grandfather – a figure she admires a lot).

We recorded this episode over a year ago! The full-scale invasion in Ukraine switched our priorities. 

But more than ever, English is vital to millions of Ukrainians who were forced to flee abroad, including many children and teenagers.

In #XME15, you will learn from Anna how she encountered #FLEXprogram, became a FLEX alumna, and got inspired to plant a seed of learning into other minds. Our guest also shares a difference she noticed between Ukraine in 2013 when she left for the US and in 2014 after her return.

Merry Christmas, the world!

Wow, we recorded this episode a year ago... But it is still war in Ukraine. Please see the ways to help Ukraine today: 

https://supportukrainenow.org/

Especially, we encourage you to donate to the SUN Leaders Program which provides scholarship to young leaders of Ukraine who address specific social issues helping this fearless country to win in the mid- to long-term.

What's inside this episode:

- one family, different arrival stories; one context, different perception;

- good relationships with family vs. good relationships with friends theory;

- when Tetyana went to the US, her host family's daughter was only 10; instead, Anastasia had to deal with a teenager as her sibling during the exchange year;

- Anastasia: a hilarious story of cooking mushrooms for her host family;

- Tetyana: on meeting Arnold Schwarzenegger.

After FLEX, Anastasia Prokhorenko🇺🇦 took place in the Ukraine Got Talent show (https://youtu.be/ESZtHR3JVtE). She also had to deal with her real mom's expectations. Currently, she lives in the US🇺🇸 covering her life on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClP647HvI5vezA_IsvmbTYA

After her year abroad, Tetyana Kondrya🇺🇦 found FLEX across all her life activities; it helped her to:

- obtain the first job;

- get an apartment in Kyiv via a trusted contact; 

- become a teacher assistant;

- join an IT company (now for 8 years!);

- and eventually move to the UK🇬🇧.

Your other co-host Denys Andrushchenko🇺🇦 is also a FLEX program alumnus of 2012, member of a Rotary Club Cherkasy-Centre, and a founder of the Leaders Fund. He stayed in Cherkasy, Ukraine, throughout the war.

Send us a screen of donation to exchangemepodcast@gmail.com to receive access to the full episode.

Also, don't forget to leave your feedback about our show on the platform where you are listening. Or send it to us directly via email!

Tom Giuretis 🇦🇺 is a self-made data journalist from Melbourne, Australia, who has been reporting on the war since 2014. He's in favor of heavy arms for Ukraine. Simone Pote 🇮🇹 is a youth worker from Turin, Italy, who's taking a more neutral position and has lots of friends who were in favor of peaceful negotiations since the beginning of the war. In this conversation, my friends and I are finding common ground and discovering unconventional viewpoints.

Global Response (GR) series is a spin-off of ExchangeMe Podcast that provides a local context on the war in Ukraine🇺🇦 started by the Russian Federation🇷🇺.

This episode was recorded on August 25th, 2022, marking 6 months and 1 day of the invasion.

What's inside:

- intro & reflections on the war: the first days;

- an argument to arm Ukraine as the only way to end the war with least casualties;

- some of the observations.

It was your host, Denys Andrushchenko: a FLEX program alumnus of 2012, member of a Rotary Club Cherkasy-Centre, and a founder of the Leaders Fund.

Andres from Ecuador and I met online 8 years ago to do a startup together. We aimed to “share the chance” of participating in exchange programs and scholarships easier. He is a Fulbright scholar and resides in the US now.

We’ve recorded this episode half a year ago talking about Florida, Ecuador, applying to Fulbright, metaverse, simulations, equality, and more. I postponed it for obvious reason.

"I would rather mark it as Invasion of Humanity by Russia in Ukraine."

In the first episode of the Global Response (GR) series, we talked with two Ukrainians (Yaroslava and Vira) and two Bangladeshis (Hasan and Ratul) to unpack the war in Ukraine in a global context. We especially thank the latter for contributing a more holistic view on this tragedy in the midst of Europe in 2022.

Global Response is a limited series under the ExchangeMe podcast umbrella to understand the perception of Ukraine in the world. 

How do you react when one of the host family relatives dies on the day of your arrival? How to overcome bullying and turn your deepest fears into career opportunities? This and other contradictory topics we covered in our new episode of Exchange Me show with co-host Tetyana Kondrya.

 Valeriia Rudnichenko is originally from Zhytomyr, Ukraine. She is now studying in Poland to become a nutritionist. She was one of the lucky ones who got to live in California during her exchange year, but her most important journey was not geographical – but to self-love, confidence, and self-esteem.

00:01 Preview

00:23 – Intro

01:53 – Pre-FLEX state of mind

03:32 – on shared FLEX quality and dream come true

06:55 – Tanya’s “finding out” video

10:38 – on the unknown of the temporary placement

12:40 – Visalia, CA

15:25 – on the adventure flight

20:10 – on dealing with death in the host family

24:14 – “Nothing is more permanent than a temporary solution family”

27:32 – on school experience

29:08 – demanding sports in USA

31:40 – culture shock of school dances

36:53 – volunteering and UNICEF

38:04 – the nicest memory

39:27 – Self-esteem, self-love and lessons learnt

41:22 – on the weight journey

43:23 – the hardest year moving to Poland

46:50 – advice to yourself

Electronic music (remixes) of popular songs in the US that our community of alumni shared with us.

Meet our co-host Tetyana Kondrya, FLEX'10!

Our new episode is with FLEX alumna of 2003 Olga Shyshman (Lebedyna). She had to change 4 families with the patience and understanding of a Tibetan monk and continues to spread positivity wherever life takes her.

Currently, she works as a Partner Account Manager at Dell Technologies after previously spending 8 years at SAP. Listen to our conversation as we unpack her FLEX experience.

From the Ukrainian city of Kherson to the US state of Kansas: the story of Nadia who “got hungry for impressions.” Curious fact: six years before she applied for FLEX, her father participated in the agricultural program in the same state.

Currently, Nadia lives in Germany after “literally falling in love with this country.”

00:01 intro

00:56 a brave trip to Kansas City and embarrassing moments at high school

05:12 how Nadia first heard about FLEX program and how her teacher convinced her to participate, the smart way

07:56 the interview: 3rd round of FLEX

09:50 FLEX is about flexibility

10:31 the Finalist Call moment

11:54 expectations about the US and how Nadia’s father went on exchange for agriculture specialists for 6 years prior

13:53 fighting for her dream (the boarding ticket, in fact)

17:11 the high school

20:20 literary hobby/passion

24:08 there is more to world

25:55 falling in love with Germany 🇩🇪

28:32 an unlimited residence permit

32:41 host family and going to a church… for food :)

35:35 babysitting in States and volunteering in Kherson

40:18 tips to FLEX finalist

After traveling to 35 countries, teaching mindfulness in 14 of them, Katia moved to a small village of Zavallia in Ukraine to organize her yoga and meditation retreats: https://katiakulyk.com/

00:01 Preview

00:15 Intro

06:16 Studying English with American Peace Corps Volunteers

10:54 Religion in the US and community service at church

15:05 Gamification in reading books and writing own books

19:59 On meditation, organizing your thoughts, and emotional breakthrough after an unexpected death of the partner

24:36 The benefits of FLEX 

27:35 The Finalist call

31:19 On AP (advanced placement) classes

36:37 Homesickness and on easiness to disconnect with home country in 2005 vs. today

38:56 Outro

What’s inside:

• Studying at a charter School in Colorado, USA.
• Learning to play a violin and embracing failures.
• Trying herself in the court club (mock trial).
• Joining community service at a local fire department, which brought her “down to earth”.
• How FLEX gives an opportunity to see a situation from different points of view and makes you FLEXible.
• Going to Barcelona on Erasmus program.
• Working in a tech industry as a woman, and startup attempts.

“Wealth = income - ego.”

00:01 Intro

02:17 Three exchange programs

04:44 Learning about FLEX — traveling across the border

06:53 On Leadership skills

09:44 Going to California

13:35 Host family issues

17:58 High school and breaking rules

21:29 Improving your accent

23:26 Tips for prospective finalists

30:39 Soft power

37:16 How to take advantage

43:44 Outro

00:01 Intro

00:45 Vitaliy’s background

01:58 What is FLEX Program?

02:51 How did you get on the Program?

08:08 Reaction to the Finalist call

10:37 On American education

17:12 Alumni opportunities

19:00 Orange revolution in the eyes of FLEX alumnus

21:49 Migration to Canada

25:00 Life in Canada: finding a job

27:02 FLEX as fraternity

28:00 the best moment from the exchange year, and challenges

31:05 Some tips to future FLEXers: the Fundamental Principles

Vitaliy's Telegram Group on life in Canada: https://t.me/cherkasy_ottawa