Crossing the Divide

A critical measure caught in the current congressional spending battle: funds for strategic Pacific allies. My latest for Voice of America

Micronesia's Former President Seeks Renewal of US Aid Agreement He says the measure would help counter China’s political and economic pressure across the region

Happy Independent Bookstore Day! These bookstores are anchors for our community! It's where we meet new authors and find new reading opportunities! Please make sure to support them today and pick up a copy of Crossing the Divide while you're at it. Heck, if by some miracle, they don't carry it - you can request it! Happy reading!!!

Birdie, you're my first fur baby all my own. We bought you for the kids; you stayed for me. Happy National Puppy Day! You're no longer a puppy...3 year old!

To my Persian and Afghan friends, I wish you a happy and healthy Nowruz.

It's , and yet the women and girls in this picture have lost all rights in the past 18 months. (I took this in 2009 in Wardak Province while embedded with the 10th Mt. Division; U.S. Army.)
Watching the House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing today investigating the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from in August 2021 is painful to me personally.
I'm thinking and praying today for all the who served in . This is a painful recounting of missteps and mistakes over 4 presidential administrations. (Many veterans feel betrayed by the manner of withdrawal.) To them, I want to say: "Thank you for serving your country. The people of America are with you. Don't lose hope."

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ALL reasons to build diverse teams & work towards cross-cultural competency. In a recently published study, Georgia Tech researchers found that .
https://news.gatech.edu/news/2023/02/02/researchers-find-understanding-and-embracing-intercultural-tensions-and-differences
To start your journey towards this skillset, pick up a copy of
Here: https://www.amazon.com/Crossing-Divide-Lessons-Cross-Cultural-Environments-ebook/dp/B09NFJP68M

To my ride or die travel BFF and love of my life.
Happy Valentine's Day!

Black History Month activities in DC:
* Duke Ellington's Shaw Neighborhood
* Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Lincoln Memorial)
* Black Lives Matter Plaza (Near the White House)
* African American History Museum
* O Street Museum (Rosa Parks)

https://washington.org/visit-dc/celebrate-black-history-month

Columbia Business School: Intercultural relationships enhance creativity, innovation. So, how are you going to acquire those if you don't already have them? This tech industry worker says....take a gap year!

What do you think? Would you follow her advice? Drop your comments below.
https://tech.mn/news/the-value-of-a-sabbatical?hsLang=en

Checklist as we say goodbye to January's National Book Blitz Month.
Have I....
Compiled a reading list? (All those rec's from coworkers since I got back?)
Sorted through my books? (Either read it or gift/donate it)
Celebrated with family and friends? (Don't worry if you haven't...we can always make February a book blitz! I'm planning a reading competition at home. What's YOUR idea?)

To my friends in Asia -- Happy Year of the Rabbit!
Wishing you good health and prosperity in the new year!
and in Vietnam -- Happy Year of the Cat!

I'm seeking a QUEEN box spring to donate to an Afghan family resettling here. If you or anyone in your network has one - please let me know. I'd like to pick it up this weekend.
PROBABLY BEST TO TEXT ME AT THE NUMBER BELOW.
Jessica Evans
202-420-0078

On this please consider supporting these tremendous organizations that I've worked with to evacuate and resettle Afghan friends to safer nations, including my own. Journalists for Human Rights has been particularly instrumental in assisting my dear friend and former fixer, Reza (pictured here. Here are the links:
https://jhr.ca/donate
https://oneheartdc.org/ (helps resettle Afghans in the Northern Virginia)
https://www.restorationimmigration.org/ (legal aid for refugees and asylum seekers)

Love the wisdom here from the U.S. Air Force - in my experience, they're some of the most thorough practioners of cross-cultural competency you'll meet.
"Mentoring and being mentored by others who have different viewpoints and values only strengthens and diversifies the organization."

Learning about other cultures is the key to trust The Air Force Materiel Command hosted a Native American Heritage Month Cross-Cultural Mentoring Event Nov. 15. The event was part of an AFMC effort to highlight barriers faced by members of different

On this I remember my dear friend, Veronique Soutenet, pictured here in Dijon. We met when I was 16 and she 14 on a short exchange between our French classes in high school. She came to Quebec to study and we hung out, and then when I lived in Strasbourg on foreign exchange, we spent a few weekends together. Now, so many years later, she's met my children, I've been to her amazing French chateau wedding, and we're still hoping to go on a ski vacation in the Alps with all of our kids! We've had one rule our entire friendship: you speak the language of the country you're in. It's been our secret to success in learning each other's languages, cultures and more. Here's to you cherie! Merci mille fois!

I was recently interviewed on Taiwan Today about and how my book, Crossing the Divide shares the lessons I learned working around the world in many cultures contexts.
Please listen here: https://lnkd.in/er_ua6pr

this is a critical skill. I'd love to help you pick up these tools as you read along with - and learn from my life adventures. Best of all, when you get to your own -- you'll be prepared!

Check out my online course, or pick up Crossing the Divide online or at your local bookstore.
https://lnkd.in/dk4TaqFv

My thoughts on the intersection of cross-cultural competency &

DEI and Cross-Cultural Communication with Jessica Stone | Checkr Blog Checkr chats with author and journalist Jessica Stone on the importance of cross-cultural communication and DEI.

We met outside Kabul's airport in 2009, and his kindness and curiosity were compelling. We forged a friendship in adventure and danger. 10 years later, on a visit with the International Red Cross, Abbas Ali held my newborn baby in Washington, D.C. Here's to you on

“After the terror attacks, we were so united.”

“I’ve never seen us more divided than we are now.”

I spent time at the 9/11 memorial site this weekend and met these two original docents: Denise and Michael.

Michael Wolfensohn was supposed to be working in the trade centers on the day they fell, but he wanted to vote in the primary election so he went in late. That decision saved his life, but not that if his neighbor. He spent weeks looking for his neighbor; first hoping to find him alive then looking for his death certificate so his family could have closure.

Michael is a reminder of what America can be. What we have been. I pray we can come together again without something terrible as the catalyst.

"To be an effective cross-cultural , you must be a life-long learner."

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Persistence & curiosity about the world and the people around you - pays off.

Whether you're at university, in an apprenticeship, or already on-the-job, it pays $$$ to invest in this toolbox!

My online course offers a great starting point to pick up these skills. Start today!

https://jessica-stone.com/crossing-the-divide-online-course/

In we can all celebrate the triumph of light over darkness. As I've traveled the world, I've become convinced that the pursuit of will always outshine and -- never let your light go out s!

Follow along on the adventures of journalist Jessica Stone and pick up some valuable lessons to expand your horizons and your opportunities.
Give the gift of a brighter future today or pick one up for yourself!
Order: https://amzn.to/3GaRYxv