Publisher's Synopsis
A personal journey is a psychological quest through places and experiences, a quest that molds who we are. Kim Taylor shares her own personal life journey, which has taken her through a myriad of foreign places and experiences, and in the process her formula for successful relationships. The author reveals herself to be more than her resume and background, her languages and post graduate degrees. She does an honest job of self-analysis and teaches others to do the same. "I could say I've crossed many borders, not the least of which is psychological. Our personalities are the means we use to communicate our message. The more we know about ourselves, the better we can understand others and, presumably, be understood by them." Though the author was previously living in France, the focus of her travel in the book is her time spent while on a Fulbright Scholarship in Slovakia. To the far east of Slovakia, almost to the border with the Ukraine, towns and villages still displayed the sickle and hammer motifs in town squares. It was eerily strange to see old world charm clash with vestiges of more recent communist days. It was not surprising to see how outsiders were closely watched. Nonverbals speak louder than words. Suspicion, curiosity and perhaps even jealousy combined in those who were left behind what was literally a single border crossing away to the free west...Austria. "It made all kinds of sense to be watchful of strangers, as it was not uncommon to fall prey to spies and informants. Bugging was found to be taking place in the U.S. Consulate in Bratislava while she was living and working in Slovakia." The joke she heard often about herself was ... "she must be a spy because she acquired the language so quickly...but the pay was better before 1989." From impression management to communication styles, the language of relationships is what it's all about. Ethics or truth, if you prefer, underlies the message. The style is straight forward and honest. Interwoven with personal anecdotes, it's smart, funny and thought provoking. Cross-cultural references provide a springboard for learning and a blueprint for success for anyone considering careers that involve foreign languages and contexts. It takes the reader beyond the realm of the everyday.
