James Ecklund

Flathead Valley Exchange

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Kalispell, Montana

What’s a better way to learn about an exchange than from some of the participants?

Before me were children in cowboy hats waving flags and catching candy in the air, veterans hearing deserved applause and smiling, fire engines blinking, a bi-plane dipping to say hello and cowboys and cowgirls carrying our flag proudly on their mounts. Such a sense of patriotism swept through me that I fought tears while grinning like a kid. I felt so proud to be an American. The time and place was magical.

DEAN AND MARLENE DI BRITO

What a wonderful time – hooking 5 big trout on Flathead Lake, the family-focused 4th of July parade, an alpine experience in Whitefish, the spectacular symphony performance in Bigfoot and lunch at Norm’s News.

ED AND NANCY EKIS

Our exchange to the Flathead Valley FF club scored 2 firsts for me: my first exchange and my first time in Montana! By far my favorite memory will be the experience of Glacier National Park. Those mountains are massive! I thought about the power that formed them, and it filled me with awe.

LORRIE GASEWIND

One morning looking out the window into the Jenne’s backyard we saw a doe and on closer inspection we saw she was nursing her fawn! Friends of JoLynn and Jerry invited us to their home on Flathead Lake for desert and a terrific fireworks display.

BOB AND ANDREA KAROWSKI

I visited my hosts’ animal reserve which contained bear, lion, elk and a myriad of other wild animals through an immense wilderness, approximately 1,000 acres, which is legally guaranteed never to be used for housing. My host subsidized water and food throughout the bush as one would see in a world-class setting.

BERNICE KRIPPNER

The Flathead exchange shown me the great beauty of America; it is not a high building or busy street. It shows the traditional value of people, how they live as a real hard working American who farm our land, protect our resources and the depth of natural beauty

SHEILA LAIO

Carol Beaudion humored me in our two hikes in Glacier National Park. I knew I was in trouble the first time we went out as she strapped on her gear and grabbed her hiking boots and poles. She was the seasoned Girl Scout leader and I was a mere Brownie scout. I learned a lot about life during those hikes-the importance of being in good physical shape, focusing on the path ahead, getting good footing, being prepared for anything, responding courteously to fellow hikers and having the right equipment.

JEANNE MINORINI

Montana is an amazingly beautiful part of the country. The marvel of Glacier National Park is breathtaking. One couldn’t ask for more warm and welcoming hosts.

BEVERLY NELSON

Three years ago I had the good fortune to host Patty Sevier from Flathead Valley for an enjoyable week here in the “burbs”. Three years later and guess who is hosting me? Patty Sevier. What luck! In spite of the busy schedule, we tucked in time here and there to “just chat” and I’ll leave it up to you readers to guess what we did in spades! I returned with hundreds of photos of gorgeous mountain scenery and the most endearing people ever.

JEAN WILSON

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Incoming Exchanges – 2017

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We are looking forward to two exciting incoming exchanges in 2017!  Check here for more information as plans progress.


Tokyo, Japan
June 8-14
Diana Sanders, ED
We will be very happy to welcome visitors from Tokyo.  We hope to be able to show them our city and region, and discuss how our customs and institutions are similar and different from those in another major world-class city.

Global Exchange: Film Festival
October 15-21, 2017
Dean DiBrito and Scott Oliver, ED’s

Chicago has a rich history in film, beginning with the early studios and silent films, as a setting for films and television shows, and in its celebration of contemporary film with its film festivals. Friendship Force of Northern Illinois and the Friendship Force of Chicago will offer a themed exchange in October 2017. For four days we will explore the history of film and film production, followed by three days of afternoon attendance at the 2017 Chicago International Film Festival with possible dinner discussions.
The pre-festival activities may include the following:
a bus tour of Chicago sites used in film
a visit to a Chicago movie studio
a visit to the Chicago Film Office with a multi-media presentation on the                     history  of film-making in America
a visit to the Museum of Broadcasting with possible speaker
a visit to Chicago History Museum
a visit to a surviving early movie house
a film viewing which showcases the Chicago area
If participants wish to stay longer to continue attendance at International Film Festival, local hotel info will be provided.
This exchange will be hosted by FFNI in conjunction with FF Chicago.

Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Mystery Exchange

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Our “Mystery Exchange” was a great trip to Iowa, where we were guests of Friendship Force of Cedar Rapids/Iowa City. None of the travelers knew where they were going until shortly before the trip, so there was great suspense and excitement. Sharing rides, the Northern Illinois ambassadors drove to central Iowa in two cars.

This was a Domestic exchange – within the United States. But for Taiwan-born Sheila Liao, it proved to be an encounter with a different aspect of American life. Read her blog, describing her impressions of her first exchange.
Exchange Director Bob Weissman provided this report and photos:

Seven members of the Northern Illinois Friendship Force traveled in two cars about 250 miles to visit the members of the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Friendship Force Club. We left our area at about 9:30 am and arrived at about 3:00 pm at Coe College in Cedar Rapids where we met our hosts and other members of the hosting club.
After becoming acquainted with our “mystery” hosts, we proceeded to the Coe College Library where we were given a tour of the art collection housed in that building. We saw many photos by George T. Henry and the art of Marvin Cone along with some paintings by the famous Grant Wood.
Having had our introductions to our hosts’ homes, we were taken to the Ellis Park Overlook Pavillion on the Cedar River where many members of our host club treated us to a sumptuous pot luck dinner. Our club president, Joan Harrington, introduced herself and thanked the hosting members for having us. Yours truly, Bob Weissman, the ED for this exchange, was asked to say a few words, which I did.

Saturday was a very interesting and busy day! We traveled to a nearby town called Anamosa where we visited the Anamosa Penitentiary. In the penitentiary museum, we were given to “low down” on the history of the prison and its workings. We also got to try on prison garb and get an idea of what a cell felt like.

We made a brief photo stop at a very old restaurant called The General Store in Stone City before going into downtown Anamosa to see the Grant Wood Museum where we were given a very informative talk about the artist and his art. Grant Wood is best known for his painting called, American Gothic. The woman was his sister and the man was a town dentist. We went past the Stone City quarry, but did not stop there.

From there, we traveled the back roads to West Branch, the birthplace of Herbert Hoover. Before viewing the grounds, buildings, museum and cemetery of this area, we stopped in West Branch for lunch at a small restaurant called Reid’s Beans.
The Herbert Hoover Museum is a great place to find out about all of the good and useful things which Herbert Hoover accomplished. We should not blame him for the Depression, although he didn’t do much to alleviate the suffering of American citizens during his presidency.

Having left West Branch, our hosts had complete control of where we went. My hosts took me to Stringtown Grocery, a busy but small supermarket run by the Amish of the town of Kalona. There were all kinds of fruits, vegetables and handmade and hand packaged items. I got a photo of a fellow in his buggy!
After Kalona, we went back to Cedar Rapids where we were due to go on a trolley tour of that city. Being somewhat early, we went to a pub in Czechtown called “The Red Frog” where we had a drink and hung out until it was time to find the trolley.

Our trolley tour of Cedar Rapids lasted two hours. Mostly we were told about various buildings in the area which had been saved, raised, or rebuilt due to the flood of the Cedar River in 2008. That was some flood!!
With the trolley ride behind us, we went with our hosts for dinner. I had chosen to go to a restaurant called, “The Longbranch” since I was hungry for a steak. Dinner was very good as was the company of Jerry and Phillis Seidl. Phillis was the incoming ED.
When the Seidls and I first met, I was told that there was a fellow club member who had been disappointed that he didn’t have an ambassador to host. I was asked if I would mind spending Sunday and Sunday night with John Geigerich. I agreed to do that. As it turned out, I was hosted by both John and his friend Trish who is also a member of the club.
On Sunday morning, the Seidls took me to their son and daughter-in law’s house for breakfast. The bagels and omelets were delicious!! After breakfast, Phil, the Seidl’s son, took me to see a Frank Lloyd Wright house called the Douglas-Grant House. It was secluded in the woods, so we didn’t get to see much of it. However, it was very nice of Phil to show it to us.
John and Trish had planned a busy day for me! They wanted me to see Dubuque!! We went to an area called, “Mines of Spain” which is a large park with a few educational stations. We then went to Eagle Point where we had a great view of the Mississippi River, a dam and lock. Also, Julien Dubuque, the first European trader to visit the area is buried there.

Having spent some time at Eagle Point, we went back into downtown Dubuque where I became acquainted with various sights, buildings and the walk along the Mississippi. We took a ride on the Fendon Trolley which traverses a fairly tall hill and goes down to the riverfront.
For dinner, we went to an Italian restaurant called Vinny Vanucci’s. Dinner was great! Following dinner, we took in the Dubuque Arboretum with its beautiful gardens and the band which played oldies for several hours.
The last thing we tried to do was to see the site of the movie, “Field of Dreams.” We finally found it when it was almost dark. It had been closed since six! Oh well.
In the morning, Monday, Trish took me for a walk around the track. It was difficult to keep up with her although she was only going one third her normal speed! At 9:30, the Ambassadors and their hosts met at Huntington’s Restaurant for our Farewell Breakfast. So much food!! One could not finish all the food!! Just before having our pictures taken, I presented a check made out to the FFI Legacy Fund to Phillis Seidl on behalf of our FFNI. She in turn gave me a check made out for the same purpose.

We arrived home in the late afternoon. It was a wonderful experience all around!

 

Brasov, Romania

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What a welcome!  After two days’ travel from the States and meeting up with another of our group from Britain in Istanbul, this was our intro to Brasov, Romania:

And the well-fed “happy campers” after our ample lunch, as we began our week together with Friendship force of Brasov:

We, Friendship force Northern Illinois, had hosted the Romanian club in 2009. We liked them and apparently they liked us because they invited us to visit them in their homes in May, 2011.
And what a beautiful country they have! they had so much to show us…

Romania has a very rich historical heritage. They showed us one of Count Vlad the Impaler’s castles (above). Of course he is better known as Dracula.
And we visited the magnificent Peles Castle of the Romanian kings, most recently occupied by King Michael of the House of Hohenzollern until his abdication in 1947. Breathtaking!

And there were the museums: the outdoor bicycle museum on the Brasov city walls, and the Peasants’ Museum in Bucharest.

And fortresses:

We also visited our host Azota Popescu’s School for the Visually Deficient. We so admired their wonderful work to benefit the visually handicapped that we made a donation to that organization.

Our Joyce Schmitz of Friendship force Northern Illinois had hosted Azota Popescu when the Romanians came to visit us in 2009. they became fast friends. So when the exchange traveled to Romania, Joyce (pictured below on the left) brought 350 pairs of glasses that she had personally solicited from american Lions’ Clubs to present to Azota (right). That duffle bag full of glasses was awfully heavy to schlep from america to Brasov, but you should have seen the look on Azota’s face! That’s what good friends do…

We were awestruck by the beautiful churches and their histories:

And how well we ate! the Romanians know how to cook… MMMMmmmmmmmm (We really fought the Battle of the Bulge – and probably lost…)

High Tech Fire Hydrants?

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A Friendship Force guest from San Antonio was commenting on the high tech fire hydrants he observed in Lake Bluff and Lake Forest. He was very tech savvy, having helped solve several of our members’ computer problems. But we were very surprised to learn that he thought our fire hydrants had any special technology.  On asking for an explanation, he said, “They all have radio antennas.”

You can imagine his disappointment when he learned that the rods sticking up were not radio antennas but were useful to work crews in finding the hydrants in snow drifts!

 

 

Two Teachers

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Jean Wilson and Maria Inez C. Dias
(São Carlos, Brazil)

Maria surprised me with her ability to speak excellent English—until I discovered that she had been an English professor in Rio de Janeiro and São
Carlos, Brazil.

We quickly found other traits in common, including the fact that we had both been language teachers (though different languages.) Her computer skills
were impressive, and she was at ease with the latest technology. She accessed and answered her email, and sent e-letters to friends in Brazil, describing her host (me) and her home for this week.

Maria surprised me in many ways. She had traveled extensively throughout the world and this was her third visit to the Chicago area. I wondered what we might do that would be a new experience for her. Well, she said she would like to see this town (Libertyville, IL). I took her on a local tour of the village—schools, churches, hospital, parks, the small boutiques which dot our main street, and even a local gym. During our drive we compared our town/city, our lives, work, family, interests—all the things that make The Friendship Force a wonderful part of our lives.

Maria and I exchanged cards and email at Christmas, and we will surely continue to keep in touch through our future years. Thank you to The Friendship Force for a delightful new friend.

Living Life Fully

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When FFNI visited Rotorua, New Zealand, there was a shortage of home hosts. So our hosts Kathy and Ralph Dixon graciously agreed to host 4 ambassadors instead of the usual two. Their very comfortable ranch is located in a beautiful setting at the bend in a river. Their home has 3 small bedrooms and 1 and ½ baths and a large dining room and family room overlooking the river where kayakers and canoeists could be seen early in the morning trolling for trout. Kathy gave us a tour of her lovely garden and many beautiful potted orchids that she tends.  She cooked breakfast for her 4 guests each morning and helped to rounded up all the papers and maps that we needed for our tour of Rotorua. I thought it was amusing that she and Ralph had several friendly discussions as to exactly where the sugar bowl was to be placed in the kitchen cupboard.

It was only when I saw her reading a message on her computer with letters an inch high that I realized she was legally blind. This lovely kind woman refused to be handicapped by her diminished vision. In addition to home hosting she is also the president of the Friendship Force of Rotorua Club and took an active part in all the activities of the exchange. I am grateful for her friendship and for her beautiful example of living her life fully.

Photo left to right: Joan Harrington, Pres FFNI; Monica Larson, FFNI; Andrew Buffery, FFRotorua; Kathy Dixon, Pres. FF Rotorua; Gigi Long, FFSeattle-Tacoma and Ralph Dixon, FF Rotorua.

We were all in costume, supplied by our hosts, to celebrate The Melbourne Cup Race. It is like the Kentucky Derby here in America. We went to a party at a local hotel where we had appetizers, dinner, the race on TV and  entertainment. What fun!

Submitted by Joan Harrington

 

Of Christmas and Kookaburras

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I just received my first Christmas card from abroad.  It was from treasured friends, Allan and Jeanie Cupitt, from the Blue Mountains, Australia.

I first met them when their club, Friendship Force Blue Mountains, came to visit us at Friendship Force Northern Illinois in 2008.  It was love at first sight–they liked us and we liked them–instantaneously!

After their stay as our hosts, their club invited ours to live with them for a week in the beautiful Blue Mountains of Australia in 2010.

Allan and Jeanie were fabulous hosts–he, a suave, cultured and refined Crocodile Dundee; and the term “Sheila” just doesn’t do Jeanie justice–she’s far too accomplished. She is an excellent administrator with consummate people skills–why haven’t the Aussies elected her prime minister?

I digress.  One very special moment occurred during our stay with them when they planned a picnic supper for all of us in a national park.  It was raining, so we hunkered down into a man-made cave-like structure for shelter.

After dinner, without the catalyst of a campfire, someone started singing.  It was spontaneous and quite contagious.  My favorite memory was of the groups singing the round, “Kookaburra Sits on the Old Gum Tree.”  It was magical with the acoustics of the cave and the resonance of the rain–we sang it in round several times.

And to top it all off, one of the Aussie club members, Faye Post, punctuated it with her impression of the piercing, cacophonous Kookaburra call, which again echoed around the cave.

The Girl/Boy Scouts couldn’t beat this!

….Oh, the fond reminiscences of good friends and fellowship that flash through your mind when you receive a Christmas card from Australia!

Submitted by Jeanne Minorini, Friendship Force Northern Illinois

Allan and Jeanie Cupitt from Friendship Force Blue Mountains (on ends), with Karen Li and Jeanne Minorini (the author) of Friendship Force Northern Illinois, in the center.

John and Faye Post of Friendship Force Blue Mountains. She does a mean imitation of a kookaburra call.

Laughing Kookaburra in Tasmania, Australia. Photo from Wikipedia.

 

A Trip Well Enjoyed

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What an adventure we had on a trip with Friendship Force Northern Illinois in 2009–to New Zealand and Australia! After many hours of flying, we landed on the north island of New Zealand, boarded a smaller plane to the beautiful south island, and started our first leg of this adventure. We took a week to view mountains, glaciers, rain forests, sheep and deer farms, waterfalls and lakes. More

True Friendship

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In 1992 my wife Marilyn and I were visiting friends in Ottawa, Canada where we attended a crafts show.  At this show Marilyn bought an interesting brooch made from a postage stamp mounted on a polished piece of thin copper plate and then protected by a coating of polyurethane.

When we got back home to Lake Forest, Illinois, Marilyn challenged me to make an even better brooch.  My first ones were made from a stamp commemorating the Chinese new year which I made ten of to give to our guests at a New Year’s party we held. I continued to make them to give to relatives, friends and acquaintances.

In 2001 our club, FF of Northern Illinois hosted guests from The Friendship Force of Moscow.  It was my pleasure to give each of the ladies from Moscow at least one of my brooches as a remembrance.

In 2003 our club visited The Friendship Force of Tokyo and The Friendship Force of Ehime of Japan. Again I brought about 30 of the pins as gifts or tokens of thanks.  Our hosts in Ehime, Hiroyuki and Ayako Otsubo found the pins so interesting that they insisted I show them how I made them so they could do the same. I did and soon they were on their way to being Master Pin Makers.  They gave me many attractive stamps for me to take home and when I got home I returned the favor by sending them many US postage stamps as well as colorful foreign ones.

In July and August they did home stays with The Friendship Force of St. Petersburg and Moscow.  Upon their return to Japan, I received the following information in an E-mail: “We have a big news to you.  One day we took a bus trip from Moscow to suburb.  A member of Moscow club lead us.  She was very kind, so we gave her a brooch with our thanks.  Hiroyuki made it by your teaching. She surprise very much and said she had same one.  Her name is Irina Daragan.  She went your state last year (or 2 years ago) and took a drive by your car.  It was wonderful meeting for us.  She said “this was the true Friendship.”  Do you think so?”

Irina Daragan was the Exchange Director on the Moscow visit to Northern Illinois and I had day hosted her and some of the others for three days.  Friendship Force really makes the Big World Smaller.

Submitted by Alan Melkerson