2005 August Newsletter

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August 2005

Columbia Pacific News Letter

HOST FAMILY-FINDING --AN ON-GOING, NEVER-ENDING PROCESSFor this AFS hosting year, 2005-2006, Columbia Pacific has 21boys and 31 girls from 23 different countries, attending 36different schools. Three of these students were our winter arrivalsemester students from Malaysia, who have returned home. In

addition we are most happy and proud to have four AFS VisitingTeachers from Thailand and China.

We could not have accomplished this task without each andevery one of you host family recruiters, lead followers,application reviewers, host family interviewers, schoolrelationship cultivators, orientation leaders, student supporters,gateway and welcome families and of course, primarily, our dearhost families who have opened their homes and hearts tochanging the world person by person. The staff and volunteersworking together make this happen, but it is the families and the

students who make it possible at all.THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAVE HELPED IN ANY WAY!

Best Wishes to all for a life-changing, wonderful year!

23 Countries: AUSTRIA; BRAZIL; CHILE; CHINA; COLOMBIA;ECUADOR; FRANCE; FRENCH BELGIUM; GERMANY;ICELAND; INDIA; INDONESIA; ITALY; JAPAN; MALAYSIA;

MEXICO; NEW ZEALAND; NORWAY; PERU; PHILIPPINES;THAILAND; TURKEY; TURKMENISTAN.

36 High Schools: ALOHA; BATTLEGROUND; BEAVERTON;CAMAS; CANBY ; ESTACADA; GLENCOE ; HAWKINSON;KALAMA; KELSO; LAKE OSWEGO; LAKERIDGE; LIBERTY;LINCOLN; MADISON; MOUNTAIN VIEW; NEAKANI; PACIFICCREST; PARKROSE; R. E. LONG; REX PUTNAM; REYNOLDS; SAM BARLOW; SANDY; SKYVIEW; SUNSET; THE DALLES;TILLAMOOK; TRILLIUM; VANCOUVER ARTS; WASHOUGAL;WILSON; WILSONVILLE; WOODLAND; WOODSTOCK;

YAMHILL-CARLTON. As always, I'd like to encourage everyone to "speak AFS" atevery opportunity. We want hosting to be a privilege and joy andwe'd like to get our kids placed earlier in the year, so they can becorresponding with their families before they ever arrive. Thatwill only happen if each of us takes the responsibility to shareour experience and plant the seed for others to share the joy andchallenge.


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Student News Hi you guys! I am so sorry if i send thissame email to everyone. It's not becauseyou're not special, or I'm lazy, butbecause I have no time to tell everysingle one of you in a different email. Iam still in Washington D.C right now,in fact I'm in American Universitylibrary, escaping myself from the superbusy schedule just to tell you guys whatI have been experienced in the past fewdays. So, on midnight the 28th I arrivedin D.C. after i missed my flight fromSeattle :), took some rest for the busyday ahead. The next day on the 29th, wewent to the State Department (all 76German students, 17 Turkish Students,40 Malaysian students, 40 Pilipinostudents, and of course 38 IndonesianStudents) and there we met some StateDepartment's Staffs and Mrs.Condoleeza Rice herself. She was withus for like an hour and I was so luckybecause I got to talk to her and askedher a couple of questions. The first thingthat I said to her was about myexperience in Mt. View HS and I alsotold her about Building Tolerance inAmerica (a class that I took 1st sem.)and how it would be very great if itcould be a "mandatory" class or offeredin highs schools all over U.S.. She wasvery interested and she explained howthat class would help Americansunderstand and being tolerant to oneanother since America is a very diverse

country with a diverse culture, she'svery supportive of the idea and that she'sdoing the best she can to provide thatclass in American schools. The secondone, I told her that in Indonesia peoplestill not very acceptable to the fact thewomen can be as good as men inleadership, and women aren't seen andtreated as equal as men in politics, evendo we have the rights. Even though wehad a woman as president, it wasn'tbecause she was elected, but becauseshe was the vice president for Indonesia

at the time our former president "gotfired". So, I asked her for advice onwhat characteristics / personalities / skills that are needed to be possessed inorder to be a leader in a (predominantly)Muslim like Indonesia. And sheanswered that question with a very longbut really good advice, simply to say shesaid that I have to have it in myself. Ihave to decide for myself what rights doI deserve, will I fight for it, is it what Ibelieve in, will I stand for it, I have tohave faith in myself, because it allcomes from within myself and not from

anyone else. After that we went to theCapitol to meet Senator Kennedy andSenator Lugar . Senator Kennedy wasvery nice and down to earth, heexplained to us what's going on thesenate floor, the "debating / lobbying"process, and he also told us how muchhe's so proud of us being here in the U.Sand helped Americans expand theirhorizon about the world. We took pictures in front of the capitol and thenwe had an assignment to lobby ourcongressmen to support the interculturalexchange bill.I went to see Congressman Baird fromVancouver and we had a nice little chatabout exchange program. It turned outthat he hosted an exchange student fromMexico and Bosnia and he's supportedthe programs that we have. That day wealso met the Turkish Ambassador andhe lectured about leadership & exchangeprogram and we had a Q&A sessionabout leadership. The rest of the day weprepared for our talent show. The talentshow was really fun because instead of showing each other country's culture, weexchange it and involve one another ineach other's show so we all now knowphilipino/indonesian/turkish/german/malaysian/egyptians songs and dances.Today was super busy too. We had tonsof sessions about leadership esp.leadership skills & attitudes, we also haddiscussions with Imam Arafat about

world religions and relationship betweenIslam and the world. The day wrappedup with our graduation ceremony.Robert Persiko from the StateDepartment conducted the ceremony,and yeah, I graduated!!! Again!!!Tomorrow, we'll be visiting all theembassies, meet with ambassadors, andhad some formal appointments andmeetings to attend.So, yeah I am busy and tomorrow at 6pm I'll fly home. ..:(:(:(:(:(I'm missing all of you already and please

reply to me!Keep in touch, okay!!!Much love, (seriously for real),Shanna WalundaruFrom IndonesiaExchange Student from 2004/2005

ENTERTAINMENT BOOKSEntertainment 2006 books are nowon sale for $30. They are packedwith 50%-off and 2-for-1 offers atthe best places in town as well asdiscount offers from local andnational restaurants, hotels andresorts, entertainment venues andmuch more.

If we sell 10 books or more, we willearn $6.00 per book. The more bookswe sell, the more we make per book.Books will arrive the week of August23, 2004. Funds earned on thisfundraiser will help us keep down thecosts on some of our optionalactivities.CONTACT: Bernice Schuchardt,503 775-4161 [email protected] . You may orderand pre-pay by sending a check toBernice at 4806 SE Long, Portland,OR 97206. Checks should be madeout to AFS.

GRAPEFRUIT SALEIn late October/November AFS sellsgrapefruit. The grapefruit costsbetween $13-15 per box. Delivery isusually the first week in December;deadline for ordering will be in mid-November. Watch for moreinformation in the October issue. If anyone is willing to help with thissale; i.e. take orders, etc., contactSally Ann Wells at 503 452-1868 ore-mail [email protected].

DO YOU HAVE AN IDEA FOR AFUNDRAISER??We need your help. If you have anidea and wish to coordinate thefundraiser, please contact Ron

Combs 503 777-8117. Some of theoptional activities that will benefitfrom these fundraisers are PendletonRoundup, Jagow Ski Trip, andAshland Trip.


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The harsh results of Katrina

Please take a moment to reflect on the many blessingswe have and keep the survivors of Katrina in your

hearts and prayers.

J.L.


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Student Departure Pics


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Student Arrival Pics


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VOLUNTEERREGISTRATION FORMSVolunteer Registration formscan now be submitted either onthe website or via email.Individuals do not have to signthe Volunteer RegistrationForm and send it in regularmail. The form can becompleted and sent via thepublic web page(www.afs.org/usa/volreg), orthe form can be downloadedfrom the site, completed, andemailed to [email protected]. Of course, we will still acceptforms via regular mail or fax

(1-503-248-4076).

DO YOU HAVE ACONTRIBUTION FOR THENEWSLETTER??Do you have a story or bit of information for the newsletter?Do you have a student, hostfamily, or volunteer you wouldlike to recognize or anupcoming event. Please submit

to Jeff Larson @ larson_jeff @msn.com by September15 foran issue coming out in end of September to be before campAddams.

Change

People change two ways, with slow persistent pressure, or with a singleand sudden traumatic

experience...maybe people dont change completely overnight, but I dobelieve they can change directionovernight. Facing us in a newdirection is the first step of any new

journey. Taken from Touching Spirit Bear by

Ben Mikaelsen

Our exchange students have all beenpulled away from everything familiarin their lives, family, friends,language, food, and the basic rules by

which everyone operates; all are gone.The student's world changedimmediately, when he or she firststepped on the plane. When we firstmet them, they were bursting withexcitement and the nervous tension of facing the unknown world ahead.

The family's world changed slowly,through the persistent pressure of adjusting to the new family member.Sometimes the change came slowlyand painlessly. Sometimes, with a joltthat hit 10 on the Richter scale.

About this time of year, when theexcitement wears off and the stress of entering school hits hard, your studentwill experience what we call cultureshock. As always, some studentssuffer more than others.

Symptoms of culture shock

Everything is an effort Homesickness coupled with

criticism of their host country andcommunity.

Physical symptoms of stress suchas headache, stomach ache, lossof appetite, difficulty sleeping.

Feeling isolated

Handling Culture shock

Recognize the symptoms aslegitimate conditions that youhave not caused and are notresponsible for making goaway. Provide relief andminimize any additional stress.

Discuss culture shock with yourstudent and assure her that itdoesn't last forever.

Encourage "reaching out"behavior (e.g. establishing morecontacts with people outside of

the family) Encourage the student to pursue

something new; a talent, sport,club, interest or activity.

Ways to help ease distress fromculture shock

Expect periodic withdrawal.Encourage them to interact whenthey are down.

Expect disagreements between

host siblings and the student andassist them in working out theirproblems rather than imposing asolution of your own.

Be prepared for judgmentalremarks.

Stress that things are verydifferent , not right or wrong.

Encourage extra rest. Anticipate some tears and accept

them without feeling guilty. Avoid ultimatums. If you feel

frustrated, call your liaison. Theyare here for families, as well asstudents.

2005 Fall Sending ConferenceThe 2005 sending conferencewill be held September 9-11 atthe Lloyd Center Doubletree.This is a great opportunity forvolunteers to learn more aboutour sending programs and tonetwork with other sendingcoordinators and volunteersfrom the Northwest andSouthwest regions. Conferencesessions start on Saturday,September 10 th at 9:00 AM andends on Sunday, September 11 th

at 1:00 PM. If you areinterested in attending pleasecontact Christine Stevens [email protected] or byphone at 503-682-3638.

Hosting and Student Info.


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PENDLETON ROUNDUP Thursday, Sept. 15, and Friday,Sept. 16

The Pendleton Roundup is an optionalactivity that will take place on

Thursday and Friday (Sept. 15 and16). Although this is an activity thattakes our students out of schoolshortly after school starts, it is a verypopular activity that introduces ourstudents to another part of ourculturereal live Indians andcowboys. Students will depart fromLents Park in S.E. Portland very earlyin the morning on Thursday, Sept. 15and return later afternoon on Friday,Sept. 16. An excuse should be writtenfor them to miss these two days.

Students will receive complimentarytickets to the rodeo on Thursdayafternoon and to Happy CanyonPageant Thursday evening. This willbe a first for many students to meetthe cowboys and Indians they haveheard about or seen on TV or movies.Friday morning after an earlyCowboy Breakfast, they will havethe morning free to explore downtownPendleton.

Information on this activity will beincluded in your arrival packet and thePendleton Roundup Registration formshould be submitted beforeSeptember 6 to Greg Kott, 402 SE44 th Ave., Portland, OR 97215.Phone: 503 771-7977. Cost will be$50. Students will be responsible forpaying, since this is an optionalactivity. Check with your chapter, asthey may be able to help with the cost.We will have a limited number of tickets available, and registrations willbe taken on a first-come, first-servebasis.

COME JOIN US FORBOWLING

For the past few years, theIndependent Order of Foresters (IOF)has invited our AFS students, hostsibs, families, and volunteers to jointhem for bowling each month. You donot have to bowl every month; comewhen you can. League bowling will

start on Sunday, November 13th timeand place to be announced. Cost$7.50

RSVP by email toRon Combs [email protected] or call503-777-8117By August 20, 2004.

POST ARIVAL ORIENTATIONAT CAMP ADAMS OCT. 1-2

This is an orientation that all AFSers,FLEX , and YES students are requiredto attend. A registration form andinformation, including a map, wasincluded in the folder host familiesreceived at Arrival. Deadline forsubmitting your registration is:Monday, September 19.

Who is invited: Host sibs (12 andover), families, and liaisons.Location: Camp Adams, Colton,OregonWhen: Sat. and Sun. (Oct. 1-2)Time: Registration begins at 9 a.m.Fee: A voluntary contributionfrom families who wish to spend thenight will be appreciated to helpdefray costs.

An orientation session will be held forhost families on both Saturday andSunday mornings. There will also bea training session for liaisons.

For more information, contact BerniceSchuchardt, 503 775-4161 or [email protected] .

Scream at the Beach to Host AFS Students at 4th Annual Halloween Extravaganza

This year Scream at the Beach is onceagain opening its doors to AFSstudents and their host families onFriday, October 21th for a fun night of thrills. All AFS students will receivefree admission to featured attractionsand their host families will get twotickets for the price of one.

This year Scream at the Beachis once again opening itsdoors to AFS students and

their host families on Friday,October 21th for a fun night of thrills. All AFS students willreceive free admission tofeatured attractions and theirhost families will get two

tickets for the price of one.

The folks at Scream at theBeach are also interested insharing the spotlight withstudents over 16 years oldwho wish to get some hands-on experience with thisuniquely American holiday bytaking them in as members of the cast. Cast members arethoroughly trained in weekendrehearsals in September, theymay pick the nights they willperform, and all costumes andmakeup are provided. Seewebsite for details on being amonster at Scream at theBeach.

The featured scary attractionsare not recommended forimpressionable children. Foradditional information, pleasevisit

www.screamatthebeach.com.

Let the screams beginagain!

Congratulations to LolaAminova, from Uzbekistan, forearning a full boat scholarship.

Upcoming Events


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AFSCOLUMBIA

PACIFIC

Bernice Schuchardt4806 SE LongPortland, OR 97206

Thur., Sept. 15th Pendleton Roundup . Contact: Ron CombsSat.-Sun., Oct. 1-2 Camp Adams . Contact: Dana Anderson 503-925-8841Oct. 21 (Fri.)Optional

SCREAM AT THE BEACH (Contact: Jeff Larson 503-658-8121)

Nov. 13 AFS/Foresters bowling begins. Call Ron Combs 503-777-8117 Nov. 15 Deadline for ordering grapefruit .Dec. 3 (Sat.) Christmas Party (Eastside) (Contact: Ron Combs 503 777-8117)

Dec. 3 Grapefruit Pickup . Helpers needed. (Contact: Sally Ann Wells)Jan. 28 (Sat)*Required

Mid-Year Orientation

Jan. 28-29Optional

Ski Trip Early sign-up required. (Complete registration form in packet atorientation) Registration required. (Contact: Greg Kott, 503 771-7977)

* See next newsletter in Oct. for more info.

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

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2005 August Newsletter