I. Show us an activity you enjoy doing. Tell us how you think it contributes to your personal and professional development

1. IE Application
I. SHOW US AN ACTIVITY YOU ENJOY DOING. TELL US HOW
YOU THINK IT CONTRIBUTES TO YOUR PERSONAL AND
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
BY CHRISTINE UTENDORF OCT 2017

2. The activity I enjoy most is
Oct 2017 2

3. Countries I have been to
Mongolia: endless tundra
and crystal-clear nights
Argentina: parrillas and
hiking through Patagonia
Morocco: smell of spices
and people’s hospitality
Canada: craft beer and
laid back lifestyle
Visited Home
Oct 2017 3
Personal highlightsNot Visited

4. People I have met and what
they taught me
Kelsey (Victoria, Canada)
Randomly assigned university buddy became my best friend
 Friendship transcends distance
Moises (Santiago de Chile, Chile)
Friend of a friend that I never met before hosted me for a whole week
 Kindness and hospitality can found everywhere
Jenny (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Travel buddy I met while couchsurfing
 Leave your worries behind and always be open for new experiences
Oct 2017 4

5. Situations I have mastered
Finding a place to stay without planning (South America, 2016)
• Couchsurfing: Trust people’s hospitality and be thankful
• Hostels/Hotels: One place will always have a room – even if it is next to the
kitchen
Getting back without cabs or public transportation (Egypt, 2008)
• Bargained on Egyptian bazaar and got lost in time and place
• Vendor I had bargained with before drove me to my hotel in an old microbus
and made sure I got back safe
Working during a snowstorm (New York City, 2015)
• Keep cool and focus on what matters in this situation to deal with it
• Situations are always as bad as you let them become
Oct 2017 5

6. What I have learned
personally
Importance of networking
• Use your network to build your social circle around the world
• Do not be shy to break down social barriers
Being open and kind
• What you put out there is what you are going to get back
• Let go of preconceived stereotypes
Adapting to one’s surrounding
• View it as a challenge, not a problem
• Do not lose sight of the big picture
Oct 2017 6

7. How I developed
professionally
Dealing with intercultural differences
• Experiencing many different cultures, I became able to pay attention to
intercultural differences and react accordingly in private and professional
situations
Reading between the lines
• Interacting with and listening carefully to many different people, I learned to
challenge the techniques they employ when they try to diffuse a situation
Not being afraid to challenge myself
• Living up to the standards of Ivy League graduates at my internship at a
consultancy in New York seemed to be unreachable to me at the beginning –
it turned out to be a challenging and yet very rewarding experience
Oct 2017 7

8. That is why travelling will
always be my passion
Oct 2017 8