The Adventurer AFS Interculture Canada’s newsletter - Summer 2011 edition
A word of welcome Hello everybody, This sunny summer is a very busy tim with AFS! First of all the Canadians going on a summer program left. After that, students hosted for the 2010-2011 year have returned home. This was followed by the arrival of foreign students of the intensive English program. The Canadians abroad for the summer will already be back soon, as well as the ones abroad for the school year 2010-2011. Our new website as just been launched! New look, new content, new images and a lot of testimonies. Come and see it at www.afscanada.org The whole AFS team is very pleased to welcome back Katie Broad, Volunteer Development Director, who is back after a year of maternity leave. We are more than happy to see her again! Have a nice summer! For the 10th anniversary of the Trois-Rivières chapter, a special evening was organized on Saturday, June 11th, gathering a lot of people who have been involved with the chapter over the past 10 years; volunteers, staff, hosted students, returnees and host families. It was a great evening!
Honourable mentions The Micheal Smith challenge is a national exam for science high school students. It was named to honor Dr. Michael Smith, Nobel Prize Winner. This contest is presented every year by the Science Faculty of UBC and by NSERC PromoScience.The winners of the contest are the students with highest results in every provinces (and their teachers). Mathias Adil Koller, a student from Switzerland hosted in the Deux-Monts chapter, was in the top 25% of students with the best results. Bravo! Lise Bye Damsdarg, a student from Norway hosted in Deux-Monts, was part of the National Cheerleading Championship 2011, which was held in May. Her team, the Jacques-Rousseau Sphinx, won the gold medal. Lise went back home a few weeks ago as a Canadian Cheerleading Champion! On Friday June 3rd of June, Johanna Schmidt, a student from Austria hosted in La Lanaudière, bravely participated in the Shaved Head Challenge organized by Polyvalente Thérèse-Martin. It was to show her support that the student decided to participate in the 2nd edition of the challenge at the Polyvalente. The AFS team is very proud of her act of kindness ! “We don’t have this type of acts of solidarity in Austria, this challenge doesn’t even exist ! I wanted to take the opportunity I had to do this and I feel great without my hair !” Viktoria Katharina Cassel, a German student hosted in the Toronto area this year inished her semester in a remarkable manner. She received a certificate with honours and excellence for her grades during her stay. Proof that AFS students are talented, passionate and determinated. Her host family, the local volunteers, the National office are very happy for her success! AFS Germany is probably very proud of her. If we had an AFS Awards, Nicolay Blix Werner, a Norwegian student hosted in the chapter of Saguenay Lac St-Jean would receive the prize for the most involved student. He won too many competitions to name all of them, but among them Cheerleading, hockey and dance, let’s mention he was the winner at the Regional finale of the provincial inter High Schools arts competition!
Images of camps End of year camp, Deux-Monts
End of year camp, Trois-Riviﾃｨres
Pre-departure camp, ﾃ四e Perrot
End of year camp, Sherbrooke ‘‘ Greetings to all of you, The Sherbrooke chapter held its departure camp last Saturday June 10th in cold and rainy weather in spite of being in a enchanting place and close to nature. Our four girls who are back in their respective countries (Australia, Austria, Finland and Hong Kong) had the opportunity to tell us about the year they spent in Quebec. A large group was formed with the host families, the counsellors and the host sisters and everyone took turns to share their experiences. The Sherbrooke chapter gave to each of the girls (Yin Yee, Maria, Ella and Johanna) a Quebec flag as a souvenir for their exchange and the AFS Sherbrooke volunteers wrote some kind words on it and encouraged the girls to have their friends from school sign their flag as well. We wish them an excellent trip back home and we hope that this past year with us has been pleasant and rewarding to their personal projects. ‘‘ Nancy Drouin, Activities Coordinator for Sherbrooke Chapter
End of year camp, pre-departure camp and volunteers training, Yellowknife The Yellowknife AFS Chapter had its Departure Camp from July 17th - 19th 2011. There were six students participating. Dunja, Lilas, Angela and Flavie spent the year in Yellowknife and would soon return to their home countries (Switzerland, Brazil, Italy and France). Hannah and Kathleen were set to depart on their own adventure this summer, to Ghana and Italy. They were lucky enough to have Jennifer Hille from the AFS office in MontrĂŠal attending our camp and conducting our training workshops. The camp took place at a cabin on Prosperous Lake about 20 minutes from Yellowknife. The students participated in four workshops as well as a canoeing and hiking trip.
For the 2011 hosting campaign, some members of the Laval-Basses Laurentides chapter organized an information kiosk at a big shopping center on the week end of July 22nd to July 24th.
Some volunteers of the Sorel chapter also held a host families recrutment booth at a local shopping mall on Sunday, August 14th. Congratulations to the Laval and Sorel chapters for these great initiatives! In May, four volunteers in Vancouver held an information kiosk about AFS programs. It was for the first edition of the HEY Day event, which gathered different international student exchange organizations. Thanks to JĂŠrĂŠmy, Ray, Suzanne (not pictured) and Vivian!
Fiesta latina to benefit AFS A latin party was held on July 16th in Rouyn-Noranda. This evening was organized by the Latina Association and Pablo Rojas, an AFS participant who will go study in New Zealand Winter 2012. EVENING PROGRAM o Presentation of AFS and testimony from Christophe Baron-Morasse, former participant who just came back from a year in the Netherlands o Dance performance by the Latina Association -Flamenco, mapalĂŠ, samba, shakira mix -Rap/reggaeton : Pablo o Mexican meal -Tostadas de salpicon (beef ) -Burritos de tinga (chicken) -Guacamole - Strawberries from Quebec -Agua de jamaica ( aromatized water with hibiscus flower ) o Dance night , DJ Greg Madou About 60 people attended this evening. All had great things to say about the show, the food tasting and the evening. A big thank you to the sponsors and to the public. Congratulations to Pablo and the Association Latina for this great fundraising idea!
One last group activity before the girls go home... ‘‘ The AFS Sherbrooke president Lise and her husband and right hand man André suggested the four girls an outing to go whale watching at Escoumins, near Tadoussac. It took place on the 28, 29 and 30th of June 2011 and I had the opportunity to go with them since one of the girls had already something planned and couldn’t go. It was a pleasant trip, in spite of the fall-like weather and the rain... Andre was an excellent tour guide and then it was Lise who became HIS right hand woman! On Wednesday June 29th, we went on a zodiac trip to whale watch but we ended up watching mostly seals, one duck and lots of waves instead! What a fun time and great food! ‘‘ Nancy Drouin, Activities Coordinator for Sherbrooke Chapter
Host families dinner ‘‘ Hi! Here are a few pictures of the Trois-Rivières Chapter’s host families dinner, which took place on Friday, July 15. It was with a lot of emotion and their hearts filled with memories that host parents shared their favorite moments of the year. ‘‘ Hélène Bourassa, Representation Coordinator for Trois-Rivières Chapter
Testimony from the FortierPouliot family, Nils’ (Germany) host family
‘‘ When we think of AFS we first think about the students arriving from all over the world who will have a year filled with new experiences and new friends. But the host families and the volunteers also benefit enormously from this experience. Three years ago we moved from a city where we had spent 30 years and knew almost everyone and arrived in a city where we knew no one. Continuing our involvement with AFS as volunteers and this year as a host family has given us the chance to meet and create friendships with other host families and volunteers because of the monthly activities in our local chapter. ‘‘ Paula Fortier and Clément Pouliot, Otterburn Park, Quebec
This picture was taken during a farewell supper organized for Nils (Germany), Augusto (Brazil) and Adil (Switzerland) and their host families.
Intercultural Certificate, Kristelle Paradis (Bolivia) ‘‘ I have been back in Québec for just over a month now. I have to admit that it seems like so much longer than that since I was with my Bolivian friends. So, how has my return been? A few days before my departure from Bolivia, I knew that it was the beginning of the end. The last time going to the movies, the last day of school, the last lunch, the last… However, it never really sunk in. My last evening there, after coming home from visiting a friend, I looked at the empty suitcase on my bed and saw that I had four hours to fill it! (…) It was only on my way to the airport, leaving the city that I realized I was actually leaving. That’s when I started to cry! (…) I didn’t want to get on my flight to Montreal, but I knew that I had to. I was afraid to go home! After a few hours of travelling and a few hours of tears, I found myself back in the arms of my parents, back in my old world. I would have to confront my fears. Back at home in Québec: nothing has changed! I told my parents that it feels as if life here was on “pause” while I was gone. (…) One day I realized that my head and my heart were still in Bolivia. Before leaving for our year with AFS they told us: “Be careful, you can’t continue to live in Canada while you are abroad”. I was prepared not to do it while I was away, but not upon my return. (…) From this moment on, I started to tell myself: “You had a good year, but now it’s time to come home. Move on with your life, get yourself ready, you’re starting CEGEP soon”. I think that I’m getting there, but I still have more work to do in order to start thinking like a Quebecer again and to talk about Bolivia in the past tense, not the present .(…) During my year away, I learned not only about myself, but about other people and other ways of living. Not only did I learn how to speak Spanish, but also how to speak up for myself. I am no longer scared of being laughed at; I’m comfortable going out shopping by myself, to eat alone at a table. If I feel like doing something, I go out and I do it! These days I have had many people tell me that they see me as someone who works hard and pushes herself until she reaches her goal. This has confirmed for me, if I want to, I can! I don’t think that I had realized that until now. I would tell other students who are preparing to go abroad that it is important to stop and take a deep breath when things are tough. Go out and take a walk, think about what is going on, your worries, the things that are making you happy. Think about what you can do to make things better, even if it is going to be hard. Remember that things will get better, for you and those around you. ‘‘
Testimony of Irene Golchert, Yellowknife Chapter ‘‘ I hosted a male exchange student, Martin Jacquel, in the 2009/10 school year, and our experience as a host family was fabulous. My 10 year old son loved having him around as much as I did, and when he left after the school year, we cried for 2 days. He fit into our family unit so well, even my husband (who is a bit of an introvert at times and who really didn’t want a student, or anyone invading our home) came out of the experience with very fond memories. Martin’s parents came to visit us in February for 10 days, and we are going to visit him in August. I think we never knew how much we could grow to love someone who was with us for a relatively short time. We consider him family, and his parents also an extension of ours! We inherited an exchange student, Angela Bianchi, in April, 2011 when things didn’t work out for her and her host family. We have also had a wonderful experience with her, and she has been a very welcome addition in our home. She is a big help in the kitchen, and a wonderful mentor to my 11 year old (he has also grown very attached to her, and her boyfriend and various friends). And, she helps my husband with odd jobs outside as well. I now serve on the AFS chapter as the Hosting Coordinator, and really enjoy it. I served as a counselor to 2 of the girls this past year, and that was a lot of fun for me as well. Getting to know all of the kids for the past 2 years has been super! So far, a nice bunch of kids. ‘‘
Testimony of Watchareeya (Thailand) hosted in Saguenay Lac St-Jean ‘‘ Hi my dear AFS friends! How are you doing? We are at the season when birds are back home and flowers are blooming beside the road. But do you remember that we spent the winter in Canada and it was minus 40 degrees outside? Brrrrrrr.… It is crazy that we were strong enough to survive! Here are some pictures that I took of wintertime at the Lac St-Jean Festival.
The first snowman I built, thanks to my host mom :D
The Ski doos : ) Someone told me during winter, students would go to school by Ski Doo. Indeed, I believed it for 2 months!
This is the village where people had cabins on the frozen St-Jean lake. If you want to visit, you better go in January or February, otherwise you will end up floating or swimming in the cold water!
Well, I hope that you will never forget the cold of Quebec during wintertime and will remember all the good moments that you had! ‘‘
Hannah (Ghana), Cultural and community service program ‘‘ I am writing this from the Toronto airport on my way to Accra, Ghana. It’s hard to believe I’ll be on a different continent in a matter of in flight snacks and satellite television shows. All I can say is I’m scared and nervous and whole wackload of other emotions but thankfully the departure camp gave me an idea of what to expect and how to deal. This is going to be one crazy adventure! Thank you AFS! ’’ Hannah
Jonathan (Brazil), Intensive soccer program Jonathan left Val-d’Or for Rio de Janeiro about a month ago and obviously, he is having a great experience in Brazil! Between practices, games and cultural activities, he is enjoying his program. He scored 3 goals during his first game so let’s hope his Brazilian team will accept to send him back home at the end of the summer! ‘‘ I’m in my element! Futebol (soccer) is a religion for them, as for me! ‘‘
To 90 years of history and counting! ‘‘ AFS history begins in WWI when Abram Piatt Andrew Jr., an economist from Indiana who worked with the American Red Cross as Treasurer, created in France the American Ambulance Field Service (AAFS) a group of American volunteers that served as ambulance drivers to transport wounded soldiers to the hospitals. By the end of the war, more than 2,500 men had worked with the organization, which changed its name to American Field Service (AFS). After Abram Piatt Andrew Jr’s death, Stephen Galatti, his right-hand ma, became the Director of AFS and in WWII it was re-organized, this time working not only in France but also in Italy, the Middle East, North Africa, India and Burma. During the two wars, with the funds left by the first directors, AFS granted scholarships between French and American universities offering to graduated students the opportunity to study abroad, for the first time in the organization history. The AFS Fellowship for French Universities program lasted from 1919 to 1952 with 222 students awarded. By the end of WWII, after having worked with people from different countries, Stephen had a completly new vision for AFS; he had a new cause: International Understanding. That is how during the school year of 1947-1948 the first high school students went to the U.S. from ten countries: Czechoslovakia, Estonia, France, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Syria. At the time of Stephen Galatti’s death in 1964, AFS International Scholarships included 60 countries and by 1971 the multinationalization of the program was realized, introducing the exchanges between nations other than the U.S. 20 years later AFS started the Community Service Programs, sending volunteers abroad in more than 50 countries. Today it is called AFS Intercultural Programs, serving in over 80 countries, with 400,000 participants and host families and at least 100,000 volunteers that have taken part promoting intercultural learning; it’s the leader in cultural exchange, helping people develop knowledge, skills and understanding to create a more just and peaceful world. ‘‘ Ana Paula Castillo. AFS Hungary 2008-2009
10 differences Can you spot the 10 differences between the 2 pictures below?
Marilie Dulude, Panama 2009
Crossword puzzle; languages 1
2
3
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9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Horizontal: Horizontal: 1- Language spoken in Indonesia Languagespoken spoken Indonesia 11- Language inin the Netherlands Language spoken in the 13- Language spoken in Brazil Netherlands Languagespoken spoken Brazil 5- 3- Language inin Tunisia Languagespoken spoken Tunisia 5- 5- Language inin Spain 7- 5- Language inin Denmark Languagespoken spoken Spain 7- 7- Language inin Malaysia Languagespoken spoken Denmark 9- 7- Language spoken in Hong Kong Language spoken in Malaysia 13- 9- Language inin the Philippines Languagespoken spoken Hong Kong 13- Language spoken in France 13- Language spoken in the Philippines 15- Language spoken in Sweden Language spoken in France 17- 13-Language spoken in Costa Rica Languagespoken spoken Sweden 19- 15-Language inin Hungary
17- Language spoken in Costa Rica 19- Language spoken in Hungary
Vertical:
Vertical: 1- Language spoken in Iceland spoken in Iceland 1-1- Language Language spoken in Finland spoken in Finland 1-3- Language Language spoken in Latvia spoken in Latvia 3-5- Language Language spoken in China Language spoken in Austria spoken in China 5-7- Language Language spoken in Russia spoken in Austria 7-7- Language Language spoken in Japan spoken in Russia 7-9- Language Language spoken in Norway spoken in Japan 9-11- Language 15- Language spoken in Italy 11- Language spoken in Norway 19- Language spoken in the Czech Language spoken in Italy 15 Republic 19- Language spoken in the Czech Republic
Flags
Belgium, China, Dominican Republic, Ghana, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and Turkey
Solutions
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1 I C E L A N D I C
F I N N I S H
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 N D O N E S I A N D U T C H I Z P O R T U G U E S E J A C R A B I C B A S Q U E L H P I A N I S H M A L A Y S I A N G N N A N T O N E S E R S M E N A O I L I P I N O F R E N C H A W T M R S W E D I S H V A U G I N S P A N I S H A D S A U N G A R I A N N R A I N N
Solutions (continuation)
Spain
China
Dominican Republic
Belgium
South Africa
Portugal
Turkey
Sweden
Ghana
Mexico