2004 december newsletter

8/14/2019 2004 December Newsletter

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HOLIDAYS AROUND THE WORLD

MEXICO by Mariana Vargas (AFSer from Mexico)

“For Christmas, Nacimiento, we put different little statues representing each characterof Jesus’ birthday (Virgin Mary, Jose, the 3 magic kings, the cow, the donkey, and babyJesus). We go to church in this time of the year for thanks to God.

Posadas is a Mexican party when we sing songs about when the Virgin Mary waspregnant and trying to find a place to spend the night. We break a piñata which is filledwith candies. The piñata is raised above the children who have sticks and they hit it tobreak it and get the candy. But, it is not easy because we cover the kids’ eyes because iwill be very easy if we don’t do that. Also we drink punch, eat tamales, and turn on“luces de vengolla.” It is like a stick and when you put fire on it, it makes it look like amagic want or a star.

For Christmas dinner, we spend the night at my grandmother’s house, and we bring giftfor each member of the family. Sometimes we make an exchange of gifts, I mean,someone has to give a gift to a person, but in top secret (sometimes this is not topsecret), just one person and this person another one…or we make two gifts and one is a

joke and the other one is real. You can give gum or underwear for a joke and whateveryou want to make them laugh. We eat baccollcio, ham, salad, drink wine with thewhole family, then the kids go to sleep while the adults are dancing. “Santa Claus” putgifts under the tree and the next day kids wake up very early for opening the gifts.”

New Year’s Traditions"For New Year's, all the family gets together again. It is a tradition that each one has toeat 12 grapes at noon (12 p.m.). Each grape represents a month of the New Year andwhile you're eating, you have to make 12 wishes or 12 goals for the New Year.

We also give red underwear that represents good luck and you have to wear it if youwant. Also we put sheep [don’t think she means live ones] on the door for good luck."

JAPAN by Mao Ogihara (Mariana’s host sister)

“We do not really celebrate Christmas (not like here), but on the 25th in the night myparents give us presents that night (when we are sleeping). They wake up at midnightand then come to my room, put the present in my room, and then I open the present thenext morning. We will decorate the Christmas tree between December 20 to 24,usually, decorate in our house."

New Year’s in Japan On New Year’s Eve we go to the shrine and then after we goback home. At midnight we eat buckwheat [noodles] with the family and for children,we will get money from the family, cousins, grandparents…etc.).”*Continued in Student news*

Columbia Pacific News Letter

December 2004



Misc. News

HOSTING

Do you know a family who would makea good AFS family? AFSers ask yourfriends if they are interested, give theirnames, addresses and phone numbers toSally Ann Wells.…[email protected]. There couldbe a nice reward for you if they decide tohost.

Helping In The Community.

In November, Mariana (Mexico), Mao(Japan, host sister of Mariana), andLara (Iceland) volunteered at anauction put on by the IOF for theGales Creek Diabetic Camp. Theyworked as servers and kitchenhelpers.

We had a colorful pinata at theEastside Christmas party. It wasmade by Mariana Vargas, Mexico.She spent 4 hours at Bernice's homeworking on it. So, the next time yousee her, give her a hug and thankher. She was unable to attend theparty.

AFS-USA News Vancouver-Battle Ground

Chapter Commemorates

Veterans' Day with WWII

Ambulance Driver Author : JannaSherman/UNY/USA/AFSIP

Date : 11/08/2004

On November 6, 2004, six AFSExchange Students, a Global Educator,and one host sister, marched with WorldWar II Veteran ambulance driver,Robert Dodds, in the annual VeteransDay Parade in Vancouver, WA. Mr.Dodds served in Burma and India from1943-45. The students and teacher arepart of the Vancouver-Battle GroundChapter of the Columbia Pacific AreaTeam. They were to have been

accompanied by an original ambulancebut at the last minute it becameunavailable. Qing Huang, educator fromChina, was joined by students ShannaWulandaru, Indonesia; NorodinPangilan, Philippines; Matthias Brunner,Switzerland; Simge Zilif, Turkey; EliisaAlatalo, Finland; and Paola Merellofrom Chile, with her host sister, CaitlinVeitenheimer.

T-SHIRT CONTEST

We are looking for entries for the T-shirt contest. All you artists, get to the

drawing board and start working onyour entry. We will determine at thenext Area Team meeting what yourprize will be….It will be a good one! Inthe past, we have had designs whichwere submitted by a couple studentsworking together. Designs couldinclude the country flags of all the kidswho are here this year…2004-2005…orany creative idea you may have. CallRon Combs at 503 777-8117 for moreinfo.

NEWSLETTER CONTRIBUTIONS

Do you have some newsworthy items forthe newsletter? How about hearing fromsome of our families, liaisons, andcluster leaders about what your kids aredoing in school, participation in sports,plays, travels, etc. Send to BerniceSchuchardt at [email protected]. Thedeadline for the next issue will beFebruary 1.

HELP CHANGE MONTHLY TAX

DEDUCTION FOR HOST

FAMILIES

AFS’s Marketing & Communicationswould like to encourage host families,volunteers, and staff to supportgovernment legislation crucial toincreasing the monthly tax deduction forfamilies hosting foreign exchangestudents from $50 to $200. In responseto concerns from a host family in his

district, Rep. Robert Andrews (D-NJ)introduced the Youth Exchange SupportAct, H.R. 869, during the 108thCongress, to raise the deduction. Thismodest increase would encourage morefamilies to host students, and would be atangible signal that our governmentvalues their very important contribution. As the 108th Congress comes to a close,we ask you take less than 5 minutes tocontact your Representative and Senatorsto urge them to sponsor and support

similar legislation during the upcoming109th Congress which begins in January.

A letter has been prepared for your use(or modification) and is posted on theAlliance for International Educationaland Cultural Exchange Website athttp://capwiz.com/alliance-change/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=6544896.

Type your name and address in the form(to correctly identify your Congresspeople) and hit Send. That's it!

mailto:[email protected]




Student News

HOLIDAYS AROUND

THE WORLD(Continued from front page.)

ITALY by Lucrezia Scattu andNoemi Serdino (AFSers)

“Christmas in Italy …first of all, we

start to decorate the house just a week before Christmas. We decorate theChristmas tree, or the crib, or both(depends on personal taste).Everybody starts running to the storesto buy the food for the “big”Christmas lunch. We say big lunchand not dinner, because we start to eatat about 12 o’clock and we finish afterabout 5-6 hours. The typical lunch isroasted lamb (Gnare), lasagna, roastedpork, salami, prosciutto, olives,roasted potatoes (cooked in the

fireplace), roasted chestnuts, pandoro,panettone, ice cream. During the mealwe drink different kinds of red wine,and we also drink a rose wine with thedessert (everybody drinks it!).The night of Christmas Eve, weusually go to a midnight function withthe new clothes. But before we gothere, we wait for Santa Claus toarrive. Yes, we have a group of youngguys (18-40 yrs.) who dressthemselves with Santa Claus clothesand they go to every house, giving

presents to every child.

For New Year’s Eve, we usually startto cook the “big dinner” (another hugemeal, oh, my gosh!) hours before weeat. This dinner is pretty much likethe Christmas dinner, but we also cook the fish and seafood and a typical dish“ zampone/cotechino and lenticchie”(the pork leg and lentil soup), that weeat only at midnight, because thelentils are the symbol of the moneythat you’re going to have next year if you eat those, and we also eat the pork

just because it is good with the lentils.We usually drink spamonte (asparkling white wine) at exactlymidnight and we do the fireworks. Atypical tradition is to wear redunderwear. We put a coin inside ourshoes to call the fortune. In fact, webelieve that if we do something thisnight and the day after, we’re going todo this for all the rest of the year. Thecelebration lasts all night…nobodygoes to sleep.

We are really glad to share thesetraditions with the other AFSmembers, hoping that everyone likesthem, and finally we would like towish you a Buon Natale e Felice Anno

Nuovo! (Happy Christmas and HappyNew Year). ”

Lucrezia (Lu) and Noemi (Namy)

CURFEW IN PORTLAND

At Camp Adams this year we had acouple Clackamas County policeofficers talk about various lawspertaining to teenagers. Here are thecurfew laws for Portland. They differfor each city. For all you AFSerswho do not like Portland’s curfewlaws, just this past week in theOregonian it was announced that inPendleton beginning on January 3,

students will not allowed be allowedto leave the school grounds during thehours school is in session. This samelaw also applies in McMinnville andSalem.

14A.80.010 Curfew. A. It is unlawfulfor any minor to be in or upon anypublic property or public right of waybetween the hours specified in thisSection, unless such minor isaccompanied by a parent, guardian orother person 21 years of age or over

and authorized by the parent or by thelaw to have care and custody of theminor, or unless such minor is thenengaged in a school activity or lawfulemployment that makes it necessary tobe in or upon any city property orpublic right of way during the hoursspecified in this Section. For minorsunder the age of 14 years who havenot begun high school, curfew isbetween 9:15 p.m. and 6 a.m. of thefollowing morning, except that on anyday immediately preceding a day for

which no public school is scheduled inthe City, the curfew is between 10:15p.m. and 6 a.m. of the followingmorning. For children 14 years of ageor older who have begun high school,curfew is between 10:15 p.m. and 6a.m. of the following morning, exceptthat on any day immediately precedinga day for which no public school isscheduled in the City, curfew isbetween 12 midnight and 6 a.m. of thefollowing morning.

THE HOST FAMILY CORNER…..

Q. My student wants to travel to

Los Angeles with another

organization. Is this possible?

A. All requests for independent

travel must be made to the AreaTeam Support Coordinator ordesignated volunteer at least twoweeks prior to the student’sproposed travel date. Here are thesteps that must be followed. Yourstudent should not make anydefinite travel plans until thesesteps are completed:

• Get permission from host family,Area Team Support Coordinator(Bernie Gerhardt), or designatedvolunteer (your clustercoordinator) and AFS staff.

• Provide name and phone numberof organization, andcontact/chaperone person.

• Provide dates and destinations of the proposed travel to host familyand volunteer or staff person, andpurpose of trip. (Include travelplans, itinerary, accommodations,and how student can be contactedin case of an emergency).

• Volunteers must confirm planswith AFS-USA.

• Student should contact naturalfamily and seek permission.

• Natural family must then make aformal request to the AFS officein the student’s home country fora Travel Waiver.

• AFS office in student’s homecountry will then forward asigned copy of the travel Waiverto AFS-USA. Students may nottravel until the signed waiver hasarrived in the appropriateRegional Service Center.


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Student Pic’s

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Upcoming Events

NICE TURN-OUT FOR

EASTSIDE CHRISTMAS PARTY

We had a nice turn-out for theEastside Christmas Party held onDecember 4. As guests were arriving,Chris Cradler and Sue Riggs had their

table set up for creating Christmasornaments. Host families, as well asstudents, made ornaments from wireand beads, paper basket ornaments,and tin ornaments made from juicelids. The potluck was tasty andincluded cheese (we think from Italy),German stollen, and a good selectionof salads and desserts. The eveningproceeded with Christmas Bingo,singing, and then the “white elephant”gift exchange with Mark Gardner asMC. Each guest was given a number

and as Mark called out the number agift was selected. If you didn’t likethe gift, it could be exchanged threetimes. “Are you sure you don’t wantthis nice ornament?” or “…the cow,with the pig on it, with a bird on thepig?” “What about the antler horns? ““Maybe you would prefer the bodyoil?” Gifts changed hands severaltimes, but no one was brave enough totry to take Sally Ann’sgranddaughter’s antler horns, whichshe tried to hide behind her back. The

evening ended with everyone taking ahit at the piñata which was filled withcandy. Mariana Vargas (Mexico)spent Saturday afternoon creating thispiece of art which ended up in manypieces…some wore the broken off cones as hats as they left the party.

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AFS 2004 SKI TRIP at

TIMBERLINE!!!

(OPTIONAL ACTIVITY, BUT

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) Myke and Ron Jagow have invited AFSstudents to spend Saturday night at theirhome on Mt. Hood (the Jagow’s are aformer host family). Bring all of yourgear to the orientation on Saturday,

January 29. Host families will transportstudents to the Jagow home immediatelyfollowing the orientation. You need toarrive at the Jagow’s by 6 p.m. for a dinnerof Myke and Ron’s “special” spaghetti.Spend the rest of the evening hanging outwith other AFS students.

Sunday morning the Jagow’s will serve ahearty pancake breakfast. Before youleave for Timberline, you will pack a lunch(we’ll have sandwich makings and fruitavailable). Once at Timberline, you canski, snowboard, or just spend the dayplaying in the snow and at the lodge. Bestof all, transportation, supper, breakfast,and a sack lunch are ALL FREE. The onlycost is for those who choose to ski orsnowboard at Timberline. AFS studentsare not required to spend Saturday night atthe Jagow home. They may ride up withtheir families on Sunday.

AFS students, their families, host siblings,AFS liaisons, other volunteers andreturnees are invited to join us on Sundayon the mountain for a day of fun in thesnow. You can rent skis and snowboardsat Timberline. Due to space limitations,we must know IN ADVANCE if you willbe transporting skis or snowboards to theJagows. All skiers and snowboarders mustpre-register by Friday, January 15 in orderto receive the special group rates. A SkiTrip flyer and registration form will bemailed to you later this month

Attention Fam ilies: We needdrivers! If we do not have

enough drivers, we w ill have to

rent a van (or vans), which

means an ad ditional cost. Call

Greg at 503 771-7977 if you are

ab le to d rive TO the Jagow’s

home on Saturday; FROM

Jagow’s to Timberline on Sunda y

morning; or have spac e to

transport extra students DOWN

to Portland from Mt. Hood on

Sunday afternoon. Thanks!! Directions to the Jagow’s home: 27644 E.John Lake Rd, Rhododendron: (503) 622-5558. Make sure you know how you aregetting home on Sunday. If your family isgoing to pick you up at the Jagow’s it isimportant that you let Greg Kott know. Aflyer along with registration forms will bemailed to you soon.

Go to Rhododendron (Hwy 26/Mt. HoodHwy going East). Look for the DairyQueen on the left hand side of the

highway. Make a left hand turn at the 2ndlane past the Dairy Queen (John Lake Rd),drive straight to the end of the road andyou are there. In case you get lost, go tothe store in Rhododendron and call.Someone will come out and meet you.

See you at the mountain! Contact GregKott at 503 771-7977 if you have anyquestions.

MID YEAR ORIENTATION –

REQUIRED – SATURDAY,

JANUARY 29

Mid-Year Orientation will take placeSaturday, January 29. A location has notbeen determined at this time, but it will besomeplace in east Portland. A specialmailing will go out soon with location.This is a required orientation, so it’s

important that you mark this date on yourcalendars.

If you plan to go on the ski trip, you mustbring your personal belongings, sleepingbag/pillow, and ski clothes to orientationas you will go directly from orientation tothe Jagow’s.

BOWLING – THE IOF

TRAVELING LEAGUE

On Sunday, November 14, seven AFSbowlers traveled to Eugene for the firstbowling this season. They were Mariana

Vargas (Mexico), Mao Ogihara (Mariana’shost sister), Lucrezia Scattu (Italy), NoemiSerdino (Italy), Evan Tam and BerniceSchuchardt (volunteers), and Ron Combsour driver. Mao was the star bowler withseveral games over 100. Everyone had agood time.

Mark your calendars for Sunday,

December 12. We will be bowling inPortland at Hollywood Bowl at 12 noon.You can take the MAX directly to thebowling alley. Cost will be about $7.50per person for three games and cash prizeswill be given out during the session. Webowl for fun—no ABC or WIBC card isrequired. Bring your friends!

Call Pam Bartel, 360 892-6178; RonCombs, 503 777-8117; or BerniceSchuchardt, 503 775-4161 for moreinformation or if you need a ride.

Schedule for this season is as follows:

Dec. 12 Hollywood Bowl, PortlandJan. 9 Hazel Dell, VancouverFeb. 13 The Firs, EugeneMar. 13 Four Seasons, Hillsboro



Featured Upcoming Event

Apr. 12 Century Lanes, Portland

THE OREGON SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL – MAY 7. 8, AND 9

We have tentatively set the dates--May 7, 8, and 9. We will not have ticket confirmation for a while as tickets aren't for sale to the

public yet. We will leave on Saturday, May 7, and return on Monday, May 9. As of press time, we have room for only 6 more people.A non-refundable deposit of $25 is required to hold a spot for you. To register, contact Marilyn Hays at 503 665-2830 or e-mail her [email protected] to make certain trip is not filled. Then, mail her a check made payable to AFS. Marilyn’s address is: 1122SE Barnes Road, Gresham, OR 97080.

Costs are as follows:

• Tickets for 2 plays $45.00

• Transportation $15.00

• Saturday dinner $10.00

• Sunday pizza $6.00

• Bring approximately $14 for lunch on Sunday and Monday (you are on your own)

• Hotel for 2 nights $50.00

Costs will be much less if you help with the fundraisers. Last year we were able to raise enough money to cut the costs to about $70per person. We will be selling See’s Candy both at Christmas and Valentine’s Day. For example, if you sell 25 boxes of candy, thiswill pay for your hotel. We’ll keep track of the candy you sell …the more you sell, the less your cost will be. Candy will be availablethe day after Thanksgiving. Call Ron Combs for availability and pickup. His number is 503 777-8117.

We will be staying at the Plaza Inn and Suites at Ashland Creek, which is only three blocks from the theater, which has wonderful freecontinental breakfasts and snacks after the show. We will see both of the following plays in the Agnes Bowmer Theatre.

The plays we will be seeing are as follows:

Richard III, by William Shakespeare

Meet the most charismatic villain ever to command a stage. He's Shakespeare's Richard III—the man audiences have loved to hate for 400 years. Deformed in body and spirit, thisengaging monster is obsessed with power. Driven by bloody ambition, cursed by nightmares and a chorus of queens, Richardgrinds his adversaries beneath his lurching feet until he bestrides beleaguered England like a malevolent colossus. Does hefall? Of course, but not before he has taken us all on a wild and wickedly entertaining ride.Directed by Libby Appel.

AND

ROOM SERVICE by Allen Boretz and John Murray

A screwball homage to theatre, made famously funny by the Marx Brothers. In 1938, this classic American farce had'em rolling in the aisles. Aspiring theatrical impresario Gordon Miller has what might be ''The Great American Play.'' Hedoesn't have the dough to produce it, and he's teetering on the brink of eviction from the White Way Hotel. Can he hoodwink the hotel management long enough to scrape together the money? And how many starving theatre artists can you jam intoone room? This tribute to the high-wire enterprise of putting on a new play revels in eccentric characters and wicked one-liners worthy of Groucho himself.

Backstage Tour…for anyone wanting to go on a backstage tour of the theatres, cost will be $8.00. The tour will be on Sunday at 10a.m. You must make your own reservations….call 541-488-5406. You should call soon, as tickets go fast.

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Fundraising and More Pix

AFs-USA Presents New Merchandise Catalogue By: Janna Sherman/UNY/USA/AFSIP Posted: 11/18/2004

Marketing & Communications is pleased to present the new AFS-USA Winter Merchandise Catalogue. This season’s cataloguefeatures new items like a black canvas travel wallet – perfect for carrying all your travel documents; an attachable blue carabiner keychain promoting studying abroad with AFS; and a 14 oz. stainless steel travel mug to keep your drinks warm as the winter weathersets in. Please see the attachment below or click on http://www.usa.afs.org/documents/catalog.pdf to view the full catalogue.

AFS has several fundraisers taking place. The money from these fundraisers helps subsidize activities such as the PendletonRoundup, bus passes, the Christmas parties, the upcoming Ashland trip, athletic and school fees for kids and families who cannotafford them, bowling, and many other activities.

We are selling Entertainment Books ....$30 each. Contact Bernice Schuchardt, 503 775-4161 and send check for $30 made out toAFS to Bernice at 4806 SE Long, Portland, OR 97206.

See's Candy Sales. We will have a table set up at Albertson's at Eastport Plaza on December 11 and 18 from 10 till 4 p.m. Candysells for $4 an attractively "Christmas" packaged box. We make $2 per box. Contact (me) Bernice Schuchardt at [email protected] 503 775-4161. How about committing to take 10-20 boxes to your workplace?

These funds will help support our AFS exchange students as they experience promoting peace one person at a time.

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http://www.afsonline.org/IntranetMessages.nsf/doc000000-Message?OpenForm&Janna+Sherman

http://www.usa.afs.org/documents/catalog.pdf

http://www.usa.afs.org/documents/catalog.pdf

http://www.afsonline.org/IntranetMessages.nsf/doc000000-Message?OpenForm&Janna+Sherman



AFSCOLUMBIA

PACIFIC

Bernice Schuchardt4806 SE LongPortland, OR 97206

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Want electronic newsletter?

E-Mail Bernice at [email protected]

Want souvenir/scrapbook hard copy snail mail?

E-Mail Ron Combs at [email protected] Check us out for more information and the newsletter on the

Columbia-Pacific website:Http://www.afscolpac.org

SAVE THE TREES AND POSTAGE

The Calendar

THE CALENDAR

Dec. 18 (Sat.) See’s candy sale at Albertson’s, Eastport Plaza, 10 – 4 pm. Students needed. Contact: BerniceSchuchardt, (503) 775-4161

Dec. 30 (Thu.)FLEX

TV Station, Court House & lunch at Pioneer Square FLEX, downtown (government/community)(Contact: Maggie Frieske (503) 659-7959) or Claire Floyd (503) 690-3090

Jan. 15 Deadline for registering for Ski Trip and Ashland Shakespeare Trip

Jan. 21-23 AFS-USA Regional Conference. Contact Jim Laden for more info. [email protected]

Jan. 29 (Sat)*Required

Mid-Year Orientation, location Franciscan Earth Montessori School 14750 SE

Clinton St Portland, oregon

Jan. 29-30Optional

Ski Trip – Registration required. Contact: Greg Kott, 503 771-7977. Watch for mailing.

Feb. 1 Newsletter deadline. Submit articles to Bernice Schuchardt, [email protected].





2004 december newsletter

Documents