5 lessons from trekking with camels
Posted by Lee-Anne Ragan | Filed under Communication, Travel
A blast of pungent, loamy, putrid smell wafted by my nose. Next came an odd, indescribable sounds of protest – a whine, guttural groan & deep, back of the throat rumbling wrapped into one. Turning around I saw our beasts of burden for the first time – 3 camels that would accompany us on a trekking safari […]
Tags: collaboration, fit, pacing, perspective, reflection, second look
Home is a pregnant pause & expat ‘um’
Posted by Lee-Anne Ragan | Filed under Diversity & culture, Travel
Kenya is my new home. I’ve moved here after living my entire life in Canada. I find myself asking people, on a regular basis, where’s home? If you’ve lived overseas for any length of time you’ll understand the pregnant pause that happens when you ask someone where’s home? A few ums are thrown in for […]
The HUMANitarians project; Juozas & Anita make me proud to be a Canadian
Posted by Lee-Anne Ragan | Filed under Social Responsibility, Travel
Sometimes, if you’re lucky, your path merges with individuals who make you think, bring a smile to your face, a warmth to your heart & inspire you to action. Juozas Cernius & Anita Vizsy are two such folks. They’re in East Africa to document Canadians doing good work. It’s part of a photographic documentary project […]
Tags: juozas cernius
A forgotten bookmark & the 7 chapters of life
Posted by Lee-Anne Ragan | Filed under Change management & wellness, Training & development, Travel
A forgotten bookmark in a dusty, old book, takes a chance, & well, magic happens. Like rediscovering an old friend, colleague or first love. Like rediscovering a love for learning, an appetite for adventure, a yearning for travel. Like thriving in the fast paced, complex, changing environment that surrounds us. Check out the captivating video […]
Tags: learning, motivation, salon alpin
What is culture? 5 ways people from different countries learn differently (& 5 ways we all learn the same)
Posted by Lee-Anne Ragan | Filed under Diversity & culture, Travel
There will always misinterpretations of culture (like the photo above). I’ve done training & development work in Canada, the U.S., India, the Philippines, the Arctic, Japan, Mexico, Kenya, Saskatchewan, Uganda, Tanzania, Brazil, Spain, France, China and soon, Egypt with workshop participants from more than 80 countries. Currently I’m living & working in Kenya. As a […]
Tags: authority, cross culture communication, culture, environment, gender, informal learning, power, transfer of learning
Learning curve: how do you know when you’ve ‘got it’? When your participants have got it?
Posted by Lee-Anne Ragan | Filed under Change management & wellness, Training & development, Travel
Lessons in learning curves from Kenyan soap. If you’re a regular reader you’ll know that I’ve recently moved from Vancouver to Nairobi, Kenya. The learning curve is sometimes fun and fluid, and sometimes crazy and chaotic. It’s got me thinking about how we, as trainers, know when we’ve ‘got it’? When our participants have ‘got […]
Tags: indicator, learning curve
Perspective on public peeing – are public toilets a gift? (& other issues of access & inclusion)
Posted by Lee-Anne Ragan | Filed under Social Responsibility, Training & development, Travel
Skip to the loo – why public toilets matter is a fascinating article by Michael Harris in the Walrus magazine. Have you ever been caught needing to use a public toilet and yet not being able to find one? Ever talked your way into a restaurant bathroom, in a restaurant that you weren’t eating in, […]
Tags: access and inclusion
My Kenyan deep dive into delight- part 3 of 3 Learning Kenyan style
Posted by Lee-Anne Ragan | Filed under Diversity & culture, Training & development, Travel
I wholeheartedly identify with the little goldfish above. It was time for adventure, for embracing something bigger. So what did I do? I moved to Kenya naturally, to continue and expand on my training and development work. This is the third in series of posts, with four more things I’ve been learning since I touched […]
Tags: international development, kenya, learning, literacy
I’ve unlocked a universal truth … shoes take up as much space as you allow them (4 more learnings about life in Kenya)
Posted by Lee-Anne Ragan | Filed under Diversity & culture, Training & development, Travel
At home in Canada, what with our narrow entrance way, I was always after my kids and their friends to keep their shoes to the sides. But no, inevitably the shoes would end up smack in the middle of the entrance way. I lost count of how many times I tripped over them. Now in […]
Tags: aiesec, difference, transfer of learning, universal
There’s a 6 foot long green snake living in my banana tree
Posted by Lee-Anne Ragan | Filed under Diversity & culture, Training & development, Travel
There’s a 6 foot long green snake living in the banana tree in my yard. So said my ‘friend’ Roman the other day while we were out walking the dogs. Trying not to faint, with eyebrows askance, I said ‘Really?’ ‘Sure,’ he says, ‘but don’t worry it’s utterly harmless.’ I was pretty sure he was […]
Tags: humour, international development, kenya, privilege, self-awareness, united nations, wes darou