East Asia 24.08.2012 - 13.09.2012

Dominique Ursprung

Dominique is currently working in Geneva for Japan’s biggest newspaper and has extensive experience from studying (Sophia University) and working (National Parliament) in Japan.
He initiated the first IFIL trip to Asia in 2009 and deepened his knowledge of Japan in London at the School of Oriental and African Studies SOAS. Classes on Korean history and an internship in the Swiss embassy in Seoul combined with several visits to Shanghai motivated him to take the IFIL study trips beyond national borders. He was elected into the board of the Alumni Organisation of the Swiss-Japanese Chamber of Commerce in April 2011.

Tamara Isler

I was born in 1984 to a Swiss father and a Colombian mother and spent my childhood in France and the United States. Because of my upbringing, my political interests mostly focused on the European continent and the Americas. China and Asia was not really on my radar until my one year internship with the Swiss Government as a foreign affairs analyst. It was during that time that I really became aware of the strategic importance of China and of the East Asian region as a whole. After a 3 week long trip hiking through the beautiful landscape of Yunnan, I decided I wanted to learn Mandarin Chinese and spend some time living in China and getting to know the Chinese way of life. In 2011 I packed my bags and spent six months studying Chinese at Beijing Normal University and at That’s Mandarin Language School in Beijing.