nod voices - december 2013
DESCRIPTION
A quarterly newsletter for our Host Families and SchoolsTRANSCRIPT
Nacel Open Door Host Family and School Voices
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In This Issue:Advisors’ Angle: Cultural Adjustment. . . . . . . . . . 3
International Education Week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Introducing:Director of Administration Amber Zumski-Finke . . . . . . .4
Keeping Up with NODPrograms..........................2
CultureNote: China ...............................4
nod vOICESSTRONG START FOR YASAMEENY
asameen Mohammadi of Afghanistan finished the 2012-13 school year - her first at St. Paul Preparatory School (SPP) - on a strong note, winning multiple art awards.
As her junior year begins, she is taking that momentum even further as a student leader.
In her second year on Student Council, Yasameen recognizes what it takes to be a multicultural leader. She says that SPP has helped her become a culturally conscious leader. She notes how the broad background of SPP’s student population lends to diverse ways of thinking. “Ideas here are very different; you have to see openly from every aspect and culture to make decisions,” she says.
Over the summer, Yasameen worked with Film Annex, a New York-based internet media company, writing blogs and translating others’ blogs between the English and Persian language in her home country. The company is working on a film documentary of her experiences and life story.
Last year, Yasameen won an award from the Dream@50 Art competition honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for her drawing titled Freedom. She had artwork on display at the 2013 annual ARTwalk exhibition of student artwork in downtown St. Paul, MN, and her artwork was selected to be featured on a Clear Channel ARTwalk electronic billboard. Yasameen was awarded 2nd Place for “My Old House” in the 2013 Congressional Art Competition, which is now hanging in MN Congresswoman Betty McCollum’s Washington D.C. office.
SPP art teacher Kate Woolever Martinez sees Yasameen’s leadership expressed in her art: “In her artwork and in her everyday values, Yasameen is here to make a statement, to educate others, to stand up for what she believes and make a positive change in the world.”
Congresswoman Betty McCollum & Yasameen Mohammadi with her painting at the 2013 Congressional Art Competition
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Board of DirectorsDr. Frank Tarsitano, PhD – ChairmanMr. Steve Murphy – SecretaryMs. Alice Murphy – TreasurerMr. Gerard AvundoMr. Arnold Franco Mr. Francois Jean HucMs. Hilda Jaffe
Senior Management TeamDr. Frank Tarsitano, PhD – CEO & PresidentMr. Richard Banasikowski, MA – Vice President Mr. Jean Burdin – President, Nacel InternationalMr. Roy S. Nilsson – CFO
Advisory BoardMr. Jean Burdin – President, Nacel InternationalMr. Pierre Coudry – Interclass BrazilMs. Toni Cowles – Retired, Lauder Institute at the Wharton School, UPENNMr. Jaeho Eohm – International Language Forum, KoreaDr. Abraham Ho, DA – Nacel AsiaMs. Marie Jose Huc – CLC
NACEL OPEN DOOR EXECUTIVES
This newsletter is a publication of Nacel Open Door, Inc. For more information on NOD programs and opportunities, please call 800-622-3553, or visit our website at www.nacelopendoor.org.
Newsletter Production Staff: Director of Operations: Rae LenwayDirector of Marketing & Communications: Shannon RauschMarketing Communications Assistant: Karina Rajtar
Nacel Open Door, Inc. (NOD) offers multiple programs
in the United States and abroad to meet a variety of cultural and academic goals for all students.
These programs range in duration from one week to multiple years. The focus of some programs is a complete cultural immersion and exchange, while others are focused more on college preparation.
KEEPING UP WITh NOD PROGRAMSStudents on the Academic Year Program (AYP) and Private School Program (PSP) have settled in with Host Families, are active in school, and are looking forward to participating in the upcoming American holidays and traditions. Meanwhile, students arriving in January are attending pre-departure orientations and anxiously awaiting their turn to study in the U.S.
A group of PSP Regional Program Directors and Local Reps met at the National Office in early October to share information and discuss how to improve the program for students, Host Families, and schools. Topics discussed included student and Host Family support and cultural sensitivity. There were also presentations from Korean and Chinese Foreign Partners.
St. Paul Preparatory School celebrated International Education Week with student presentations about their home countries and an “International Food Court.” SPP continues efforts to prepare students for their future and recently administered a practice TOEFL test to international seniors. Students have had opportunities to attend local conferences, including the Robotics Alley Conference and the Model United Nations conference. Also, the Economics
class toured the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
SPP’s internship program continues to thrive, as many students are gaining real-world experience in their local internships. In November, Ms. Woolever’s art students volunteered for the day at Empty Bowls, an international grassroots effort dedicated to fighting hunger.
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Winter holidays are a special time of year for many American families. It is a wonderful time to introduce your student to your family traditions.
What holidays do you celebrate as a family and how do you do so? Invite your student to help you get things ready for the holidays by helping you bake cookies, decorate the house, or cook food. Some foods and traditions may be very new to students, so don’t be afraid to use this opportunity to explain your family’s special traditions.
Students may have questions about what is expected of them during the
holidays or school vacations, so clarify what your family’s plans are and what the student’s role will be in family chores or activities during that time. Talking openly about expectations before a big event can help prevent misunderstandings.
This is a good time of year to ask your student what winter holidays they celebrate in their home country. Do they have a favorite seasonal food or activity? You may be interested to find out what is different or similar! Trying a traditional winter or holiday dish from your student’s culture can be a fun experience for the entire family.
Students may be missing their families and friends during this time of year, so making a conscious effort to include your student and their culture in family plans can be very meaningful.
As always, the Advising Department welcomes any questions or concerns that students or host families have about their experiences. We wish you all a joyous holiday season!
ADvISORS’ ANGlE: ShARING ThE hOlIDAYS
Nadine of Germany submitted this photo from a trip to Washington D.C. She said she had a great time on the trip and only wishes the week had been longer.
Just as Nadine wanted to share this memorable moment from her stay in the U.S., we hope you have memories you’d like to share!
Whether you take a holiday trip with your student, experience an American tradition together, learn a tradition from your student’s culture, or simply enjoy
everyday life in the U.S. with each other, we would love to see and share your photos.
To send photos for the Academic Year Program blog or Facebook page, email them - along with a short description and the name and country of your student - to [email protected]. To contribute to the Private School Program blog, send photos to [email protected]. Photos from any program can be added to the Nacel Open Door Facebook page by sending them to [email protected].
ShARE YOUR TRAvEl MEMORIES!
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Nacel Open Door National Office 380 Jackson Street, Suite 200
St. Paul, MN 55101 USA
T: 651-686-0080800-622-3553
www.facebook.com/NacelOpenDoorInc
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CUlTURENOTES INTRODUCING...Amber Zumski-Finke: Director of Administration & Compliance
Amber oversees administration and compliance for the Academic Year Program and Private School Program. She works with NOD’s Foreign Partners to ensure student applications are complete and qualified and with the network of Local Reps and Coordinators to ensure students are safe and all U.S. Department of State and Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET) requirements are met. The way Amber likes to think of it is that she is involved in “anything that has a piece of paper that goes with it.”
Each day opens Amber’s eyes a little more about the world. “I really like working with people from so many different cultural backgrounds,” she says. “I get to learn new things all the time.”
Amber always had an interest in other cultures. In college, she studied abroad in
Cuba. “Getting to see another culture so intimately really changed how I see the world,” she says. She enjoys facilitating similar experiences for others.
One of Amber’s main responsibilities is to ensure all paperwork is flied properly to comply with U.S. Department of State regulations and CSIET auditted standards. She appreciates when Host Families cooperate with their Local Reps in completing all paperwork in the correct order.
Amber’s advice to students is to be open to trying the local cuisine. She would remind students that the new things they see and try in the U.S. are not weird, just different. Finally, she offers a fair warning: “Our chocolate’s not as good as yours is.”
Amber can be reached by email at [email protected] or at ext. 614.
ChINAChinese students come from a collective culture that values respect for elders, tradition, and humility. This differs from the American individualistic culture and could lead to mis-understandings.
One place this difference may be especially apparent is in the classroom. In China, students are taught to respect teachers and be quiet listeners. However, in the U.S., classes are more interactive and informal. As your student becomes more familiar with the format of classes and adjusts to using English all day, he/she will likely interact more.
Another cultural difference concerns the chain of command. In the U.S., when someone needs an authority figure to solve a problem, they fol-low the chain of command. In China, it is considered most efficient to go directly to the highest authority.
Initially, students may be “shy” speaking English for fear of embarrassing themselves if they make a mistake. The Chinese place great emphasis on saving face. Reputation is very important in their culture, and they will avoid any instance of public embarrassment or criticism.