Marcia Weissman

2015 Wayne Smith Award: Tom and Sally Coyle

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Our recipients for 2015 have been members for 17 years. They have held many board positions including each serving as President. They have served as Exchange Directors for six international exchanges; Ambassadors for 18 exchanges both incoming and outgoing international and domestic. They have day hosted, dinner hosted including Welcome dinners for Romania, Brazil and many others. They have driven, assisted, and actively supported every major project and have opened their home beyond the stated Exchanges to welcome personal guests they previously hosted as ambassadors.  All this reflects their conviction that the firm friendships they establish through this organization truly make a difference.  Congratulations TOM AND SALLY COYLE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunshine Coast, Australia

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Our Week With The Sunshine Coast of Australia

Marlene DiBrito, Exchange Director

The Aussies came, they saw, and we conquered!

Our week exchange with the Sunshine Coast was educational, engaging, and enjoyable. The weather cooperated ironically with an Indian summer as we visited the Native American Museum to learn about our original inhabitants.

The Discovery Museum video highlighted the birth of our Northern Lake County and displayed live exhibits and artifacts showing the outgrowth connecting Chicago. After we viewed the dazzling cars at the Volo Auto Museum where our 16 ambassadors dreamed about owning and driving one of those antique American beauties, we toured the Volo Bog with a naturalist who explained the thousands of years of glacial melting and its effects on the surrounding area.

The Chicago History Museum gave our guests a virtual ride on the “L”, traced the cause and route of the Chicago Fire and all of the Chicago events following the rebuilding of it. We enjoyed lunch at a wonderful Asian restaurant; drove up Sheridan Road and viewed Evanston’s Northwestern University, Baha’i Temple and Glencoe’s Botanic Garden.

We wound up the week competing in teams playing Bocce Ball after enjoying a sumptuous Sunday Brunch and then all 35 of us experienced the musical “Dream Girls”.

During this exchange we traded experiences and cultures with our Sunshine Coast guests and got to know each other’s lives one on one across the dinner tables. We realized that no matter where we live and who we meet, we share the same joys and sorrows in our everyday lives and that Friendship Force gives us the opportunity to experience that friendship with many different worlds and know that through it all we are all the same.

Ambassadors with hosts at bus station

 

 

 

 

Northern Illinois meets Sunshine Coast

 

Volo Bog and Auto Museum

Native American Museum and Chicago History Museum

Entertainment at the Farewell Dinner: “Christmas in Australia”

Host Comments:

John Balazs:
Sunshine Coast travelers visited the Botanic Garden by John Balazs
Our two visitors from the Sunshine Coast of Australia, Tony and Patricia, enjoyed viewing the flowers and trees of our area, especially the roses and the fruit trees. Both are rarely seen in Australia. It seemed like all of the Aussies enjoyed the Garden and had a great time there.

They were impressed by our rivers and ponds throughout Illinois and smiled at the Botanic Garden waterways. Tony and Patricia said that their country has mainly black swans, when they saw the white swans of the Garden.
I also was told that although our trees lose their leaves, their huge Gum Trees lose many limbs (branches) during their lifetime.

Joan Harrington:
The Native American museum in Evanston was one of the highlights of this exchange for both our ambassadors and the hosts. The museum is well lighted, well organized and artifacts are beautifully displayed. Our docent was superb. He became interested in Native American art when his junior high school teacher gave them a project to create a Native American mask and to present its history. He said that he was hooked on Native American and Indian art from that time on. In addition to an explanation of the artifacts and art work our docent gave us the background of the migration of Indians all over the world.

This was a first class tour and I highly recommend it.

Mary Lou Balazs:
Tony Barry was very interested in seeing the coal mine in Chicago that he had heard so much about from friends. So on our free day, we took Tony & Patricia to the Museum of Science & Industry to spend the day. Tony very much enjoyed the simulated coal mine experience and asked a lot of questions from our guide.

He was equally impressed with the great World War II exhibit, showcasing the captured German U2 Submarine. They could not believe that the entire sub was enclosed in the museum and they were able to board it for a tour. The wonderful explanatory pictures and stories of the war leading up to the captured sub were especially important to both Tony and Patricia. Both were born in England during the war and had heard many stories from family. After extensive bombing, Tony’s mother, a nurse, was trapped in a hospital for 3 days before being rescued. And Patricia was born in a bomb shelter. Both had family members serving in the war and they appreciated reading all the old news articles from the London papers.

Another surprise at the museum was the life-size replica of the Mars rover, Curiosity. A museum guide was there to point out the various aspects of the space vehicle and showed actual pictures currently being sent back to Earth from its camera. Of course, the farm, trains and body exhibits were a big hit too. It was a full day, but one which they truly enjoyed.

On our second free day, we took Tony, Patricia and our 3 year old grandson to the Apple Holler Orchard in Wisconsin. They enjoyed seeing the children feed the goats, play on the hay stacks, pick out pumpkins and walk through the corn maze. In addition, they got to experience the changing color of our trees.

 

Santiago and La Serena, Chile

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On November 15, nine Ambassadors from FF Northern Illinois along with five from Florida, North Carolina, New Jersey and Iowa returned from a 2-week exchange with FF clubs in Santiago and La Serena, Chile.  Ten Ambassadors also participated in an optional 7-night pre-exchange tour of Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls, Argentina.

Map of South America

Click here to see photos of the Argentina tour.

November is springtime in Chile and arrival day in Santiago was beautifully sunny and warm.  E.D. Maria Beatriz Bravo Ureta hosted a welcome party at the home of her mother “Kika” Bravo.  Well into her eighties, Kika is a 30+ year charter member of the Friendship Force of Santiago.  Arriving guests were greeted with empanadas, chilled pisco sours and creamy glasses of whipped cherimoya, made from the white flesh of a delicious Chilean fruit.  A lavish outdoor lunch combined with live entertainment followed.  The thoroughly charmed guests were reluctant to depart.

Ambassadors were treated to city tours of Santiago, Valparaiso and Viña del Mar.  Also included were visits to the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Ralli Art Museum, the Museum of Pablo Neruda (the Nobel Prize winning Chilean poet) and numerous other places of interest.  We climbed Cerro Santa Lucia and Cerro San Cristobal both built on hilltops with spectacular views of Santiago.  The ceremonial changing of the guard at La Moneda Palace was particularly memorable since it was enhanced for review by a visiting military delegation from Ecuador.  Shop ‘til you drop was the order of the day several times as was our introduction to several of the fine restaurants Santiago is known for.

In lieu of a gift to their club, FFNI offered to donate gift funds to a charity chosen by our hosts.  The Santiago club selected Hogar Mi Familia, a local orphanage.  This facility receives and temporarily cares for children from 0 to 3 years old placed there by the courts.  Ambassadors were brought to the orphanage for presentation of this gift.  Staffed mostly by volunteers, the obvious outpouring of love and affection for the children was emotionally overwhelming, turning the visit into a memorable highlight of the exchange.

Click here for photos of the Santiago exchange.

After 7-nights in Santiago, Ambassadors boarded an airplane for the one hour flight to La Serena.  Hosts greeted their Ambassadors at the airport and transported them to their temporary homes for lunch and unpacking.  Later that evening, Ambassadors were treated to a welcome party at a local seaside restaurant complete with musical entertainment and dancing.

La Serena and the adjoining city of Coquimbo are Pacific Ocean beach communities with a combined population of 430,000 people.  Visitors from Chile and western Argentina stream into the area during the December – March peak season.  High rise condominium buildings under construction along the shoreline are reminiscent of the Miami Beach of 40 years ago.

In addition to city tours of La Serena and Coquimbo, the program included a bus trip to Vicuña City, Bauer Tower and nighttime observation of the heavens at Mamalluca Observatory.   Another trip took Ambassadors by boat to the Damas Island reserve for viewing of protected sea lions, penguins and other species of sea birds.  One of the home hosts, Nancy Iriate, is a renowned artist and art educator with particular expertise in pre-Columbian indigenous art and petroglyphs.  Several lucky Ambassadors were treated to a private showing of her recent paintings, narrated by the artist herself.

As a gift to the host club and a memorial of the exchange, FFNI provided funds to purchase and plant a Friendship Tree in La Serena’s Japanese Park.  A photo and article about the ceremonial planting appeared the following day in the daily newspaper of La Serena.

Click here for photos of the La Serena exchange.

Brian Harrington, ED

Returning from San Antonio

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Returning from San Antonio on a very snowy and windy day, I am reminded of the bright Texas sun and the warm weather. It was perfect for all that we did. We started out with a Valentine dinner. We had games and enjoyed meeting our hosts. That was the day of our arrival.

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New Zealand & Australia

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A CUPPA FRIENDSHIP

Reflections on the 2010 New Zealand/Australian Exchange

Pat Meyer, Exchange Director

“Time for a cuppa!” “I’ve got the kettle on; let’s have a cuppa.” “A cuppa will revive us.” And so, invitations from our hosts to share a cup of tea, a flat white, or a long black (coffee with or without milk) were daily occurrences for each of us during the exchange. During these breaks, with the requisite “slices” of lemon or berry cake, stories began to unravel. Patricia and Andrew told how they met as young teachers in London, but returned to Rotorua to establish a home. Elizabeth enchanted us with her twenty years in India where she and her husband educated and provided health care to the poor. John shared his excitement and frustrations in rebuilding his 50-year-old Willys Jeep while Connie spoke of the years she and their son managed a successful café in Wentworth Falls. We all shared many stories, stories that made us laugh or perhaps cry, stories we carried home and will repeat as we tell our friends and family about our Kiwi and Aussie friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stories were also an integral part of each club’s program. In Rotorua, Aunty Bea, a Maori educator, activist, and entertainer, captivated us as she told or sang the history and accomplishments of her people. With her we not only visited a predominantly Maori school, but also a Marae (tribal community) with a Wharenui (meeting house), an Anglican Church and a cemetery with many burials of veterans from Maori regiments in World Wars I and II.

 

 

 

 

Our “Tribal Leaders” Pat & George

A light-hearted story emerged as we celebrated the Melbourne Cup at a local civic center in Rotorua. Friendship Force of Northern Illinois was the center of attention as many locals wanted to shake hands with “those folks from the Windy City.” We were required to wear flamboyant hats (provided by Patricia Buffery, Rotorua Exchange Director) to the party. Our own Tom Coyle won a prize for his stylish hat full of American currency! To top off the afternoon, Americain, a US bred horse, finished first in the race.

 

 

 

A highlight of our week with the Thames-Coromandel Club was an afternoon spent with local historian and raconteur, Russell Skeets, who wove together the history of the Maori, the gold miners, the early settlers, and the current residents. To illustrate his story, we literally moved from a Maori pa (hill fort), now a cemetery, to the Thames Museum of Technology, the Bowen Hotel, now a private home, ending at the Thames Treasury. Russell had an uncanny ability to show us that the past is alive in the present. His stories were enhanced by a group of local actors and singers who dramatized or sang of Thames and the Coromandel Peninsula.

Melbourne Cup Revelers

While in New Zealand, our exchange directors arranged for us to visit two predominately Maori schools so that we could present the children gifts of books we brought from the US. At both Glenholme and Kerepehi Schools we were welcomed (in Maori) by the students in formal ceremonies that included the haka, a Maori war dance still used to open matches by the All Blacks, the Kiwi Rugby team. George Nahill acted as our head chief and spoke on our behalf. After the formalities, the students either asked (in English) questions or showed us around the school. All expressed thanks for the books and assured us they love to read. Without a doubt, the youth won our hearts with their warm smiles, thoughtful questions, and eagerness to embrace Americans. However, one six year old stumped all the ambassadors when he asked, “What does salmon taste like?” None of us had a suitable answer, but we think he forgave our ineptness!

Our week opened in the Blue Mountains with a visit to the Bathurst Correctional Centre. At the center we heard the story of the prison’s unique program that teaches Aboriginal inmates traditional painting techniques so they can carry on their ancient art. The intent, of course, is to return prisoners to their communities with skills that will support them in positive ways. The work we saw was outstanding, and many of us purchased items that were for sale. By the way, the prisoners receive 84% of their sales.
We were treated to a tour of the Jenolan Caves, designed especially for us by Allan Cupitt, Blue Mountains co-exchange director and tour guide at the caves. Allan’s love of and knowledge about the caves made our time there especially memorable. He showed us spectacular stalagmites and stalactites in these impressive limestone caves. Mother Nature truly instills us with a sense of wonder and awe far beyond what we humans invent or build.

A special occasion during our week in Australia was a traditional Aussie barbie to celebrate John Exner’s 70th birthday. (Many of you remember John who exquisitely played the role of a sheep in a skit the Blue Mountains’ ambassadors performed for us at the farewell party in 2008.) Seeing John surrounded by his family and FF friends from the Blue Mountains and America, as well as hearing stories about John’s adventures and misadventures, cheered all of us. We especially loved the moment when John had to muster enough wind to blow out the candles on his cake.
Words are inadequate to capture the entirety of an exchange. However, when friends ask me to tell them about our trip, it is the stories that I share. Travel with Friendship Force is different from traditional tours, and it is the personal stories revealing our strengths and frailties that make this difference. An exchange reminds us not only how connected to one another we are but how often we forget this. It’s time for another cuppa!

An Aussie farewell serenade

I would be remiss if I didn’t add a post script to this reflection. Dave and I stayed an additional two weeks in Australia after most of the ambassadors returned to the states. Frank and Irene Bowen, our Mt. Barker hosts during the 2004 FFNI Exchange, hosted us during this time. The Bowens attended the farewell party in the Blue Mountains, and then drove us from Wentworth Falls to their home via a scenic route of over 1,500 miles! We were stunned by the beauty we saw along the Great Ocean Road and the Alpine Highway through the Snowy Mountains. On our way to Mt. Barker, several friends of Frank and Irene’s hosted us, including Bernie and Ken McEachern from the Casterton FF club. Once in Mt. Barker, we renewed friendships with members from their FF club. Their president, David Adams, invited us for a “pit picnic” and the chance to see koalas in the wild on his acreage near Mt. Barker. We were thrilled to see five of the cuddly creatures and to hear their unusual communication. Beware! Koalas are fiercely territorial, and they do growl at one another when their space is invaded. Frank and Irene were extraordinary hosts, showing us the Australia that doesn’t appear in guidebooks. The force of friendship continues.

FFNI Ambassadors in the Hand of Friendship

 

Fun Adventures with Food

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A food-themed Friendship Force Tri-Club 14 night global exchange
Report of Brian Harrington
Northern Illinois Exchange Director

On July 31, 2012 Friendship Force of Northern Illinois welcomed 21 Ambassadors from Japan, Canada, Australia and the USA for the first 5-nights of a 14-night food-themed exchange.  FF clubs in Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin joined with Northern Illinois to offer home hosting for this event.

FFNI hosts and their guests enjoyed a number of unique and exciting exchange activities beginning with a delicious welcome dinner at the home of Bob and Marcia Weissman.  At the dinner, aprons for use during the exchange and sewn by FFNI volunteers were presented to each ambassador on behalf of the three host clubs.  Booklets containing photos of ambassadors and hosts and the complete schedule of tri-club activities were prepared and distributed by Milwaukee E.D., Dave Kalan.

   

August 1, was spent in Chicago and began with a tour of the Chicago Board of Trade trading floor to introduce ambassadors to worldwide trading of food commodities futures contracts.  This was followed by a Loop walking tour past architectural landmarks with food sampling of Chicago treats such as deep dish pizza, Chicago style hot dogs, bratwurst at the Berghoff and brownies at The Palmer House.

The following day began with a vegetable and flower garden horticultural tour at the Chicago Botanic Garden.  Ambassadors were then transported to “inovasi” restaurant for a cooking demonstration by chef-owner John Des Rosiers and a gourmet lunch.  The day was concluded with a Chicago Symphony Orchestra concert and picnic supper on the lawn at Ravinia Park.

Perhaps our most unique activity was the visit to a Community Supported Agriculture Farm in Caledonia, Illinois.  Hands-on activities, enjoyed by Ambassadors and Hosts alike, included soil testing, harvesting and preparing fresh salad ingredients, goat milking and ice cream making.

A farewell dinner at OPA Greek restaurant in Vernon Hills concluded the Northern Illinois portion of the exchange.  The following morning Ambassadors boarded an AMTRAK train to Milwaukee to begin the second phase of their tri-club exchange.

FFNI President, Joan Harrington and I accepted an invitation to join the August 13, final farewell dinner in Madison, Wisconsin.  Here we were reunited with the Ambassadors we had welcomed almost 2 weeks before.  Ambassadors approached the microphone to comment on the most memorable events they had experienced during the exchange.  Commonly mentioned as particular exchange highlights were the Chicago Board of Trade tour and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra concert and picnic at Ravinia.

Host Annecdotes

From Sheila Liao:

Sue and Phil came from Australia who heard much about crime story of Chicago. They came with curiously and cautiously.

On the free day, I took them to Chinatown having lunch, University of Chicago’s atomic research memorial site, Green Mill jazz house and the city background photo spot from Planetarium location.  Chicago has a lot to offer them

The beauty of Lake Michigan stole their heart; they love what they had seen and experienced. It was a great surprise for them to get much more than what they were expected.

Our wonderful program, our friendly warm hearts and the Chicago’s multiple cultures/foods enriched their experiences.  They are very impressed and love to visit us again.

From Pat and Dave Meyer:

Those of us in Friendship Force live and breathe “faces not places.”  The program for this exchange was splendid, but the time sitting at our table with Seiichi and Mitsuyo will linger in our memories.  Their joy at tasting Western food and asking, “What’s this?”  Trying to explain fennel to someone who’d never seen it made us laugh.  Pictures on Google saved the day!  Mitsuyo’s Udon Soup with red peppers and peaches had us smiling and slurping.  The culture of food, American and Japanese eating habits, ingredient choices, and food preparation are the memories we will cherish from this fantastic Food Exchange.

From Mary Lou Balazs:

Tom and Yuki were delightful Ambassadors.  We fondly remember how they insisted on shopping for ingredients and cooked a delicious meal of shrimp, broccoli & mushroom omelets, chopped vegetable salad, chicken & vegetables with curry sauce, rice and cabbage.  My children and grandchildren were invited and every morsel was happily consumed.  After dinner, they played games with the children and friendships bonded together.

From Sally Coyle:

We had a very full house with three ambassadors (two Japanese, one American), our daughter and family living with us because of construction on their house addition and my husband and myself.  Masako and Wakako taught the grandkids (ages 7 and 5) how to make origami and eat with chop sticks.  Matthew and Lucy had baked cookies to share in anticipation of their visit.  Lucy would sit on a bed and smile and chat with Sara or Wakako or Masako.  Hanging out was wonderful for all and all ages.

From Bob Weissman:

Although Marcia and I have done a Welcoming dinner and other smaller parties for Exchanges of Friendship Force of Northern Illinois, “Fun Adventures with Food” was our first experience hosting and providing the Welcoming Dinner for 21 Ambassadors from Canada, Australia, Japan and the US. Gary and Irene Millington, two of the Canadians, made hosting so enjoyable.

I want to thank Dave Kalan, the ED for “Fun Adventures with Food” and Brian Harrington, the ED for the Friendship Force of Northern Illinois for planning and seeing to the success of this Exchange. Thanks also go to all of the Ambassadors, hosts and those who participated in any way!

From Joan Harrington:

Our guests Yukie and Nori really wanted to visit the Art Institute and take the Architectural boat tour but the only day we could do this was Saturday, the first day of the very popular Lollapalooza Music Festival.  The city of Chicago was expecting a crowd of several hundred thousand people that day.  We were worried about traffic, parking, crowds and the weather which was predicted to be 95 degrees.  It must have been the luck of the Japanese because we sailed into the city, toured the Art Institute just before the crowds gathered.  Our membership pass whisked us past the line which was down Michigan Avenue and around the corner at Monroe Street.  We met our son for a lovely lunch at the Garden Cafe just before it got busy and then hurried to the boat at Michigan and Wabash.  I was very worried that we would be late because the thick crowds were 5 abreast on both sides of the street.  I needn’t have been concerned.  Our very resourceful guest simply put up her parasol, put down her head and scurried down the avenue (on the left side a la Tokyo) parting the oncoming walkers like a pro.  We arrived at the boat with 10 minutes to spare.  When we looked back we could see the Chicago natives admiring her remarkable pedestrian techniques.  Thanks Yukie.  I will remember that trick for the future.  Just after we left the city we heard an announcement that Lollapalooza was cancelled because of a severe thunderstorm.  By that time we were safely in our home away from the thundering crowds.  Who knew that the Japanese were as lucky as the Irish?  I will put that in my book of things I learned about Japanese culture.

From Jean Minorini:

What happens when a couple of very creative, right-brained ambassadors from Canada…

Paul and Shoshanna Tyson of Canada.  He is a retired psychology professor; she is a retired art history teacher.

…spend a week in Chicago with a strongly left-brained, analytical host?

Can there be a meeting of the minds????

Well, of course!  What a wonderful day we three spent at the Art Institute of Chicago discussing the collection of Impressionists’ paintings.  Shoshanna and Paul happened to be serious students of art history.  I have a history undergraduate degree (precursor to a CPA certificate).  Together, we discussed how art reflected history and history influenced art.  What a satisfying conversation!

That was the day the left hemisphere of my brain finally reached across the aisle into my right hemisphere!

I know I will never enter another art museum without fond recollections of that day with my new friends, Paul and Shoshanna.