2009
Incoming Journeys
Blue Mountains, Australia
June 15-22, 2008
On Sunday, June 15, 2008, fourteen members of the Blue Mountain Australia FF Club arrived at O’Hare Airport. We greeted them with welcome signs and open arms. After previous exchanges in Wichita KS and Birmingham, AL, our guests were ready for a day to get acquainted and relax in their new surroundings.
On Monday, we assembled the group and toured the Chicago Botanic Garden in Highland Park. Our guests were delighted with the beautiful landscapes, flowers and fountains. The Rose Garden, English Garden and miniature railroad garden were photographed over and over.
Lunch was provided in the Garden Café and then on to the Baha’i Temple in Wilmette. Our docent conducted a tour of the temple and pointed out many of the architectural highlights to our guests. Before heading home for a rest, a brief stop was made at Gillson Park, directly across from the Temple. Our Australian guests were impressed with the beauty and size of Lake Michigan. Several walked along the shore and marveled at the panoramic views of the city.
Later that evening, Ludwina and Bill Homer hosted a welcome dinner at their home in Waukegan. We all got better acquainted over food and drinks and shared many tales of our FF experiences.
Tuesday and Thursday were free days to be spent with host families. Several club members provided tours of their local communities, accommodated guests with special interest events, such as quilting shows, antique shops and live theatre. Others hosted dinner parties with members unable to home host, but anxious to meet our Australian Ambassadors.
Of course, an exchange to FFNI would not be complete without a visit to downtown Chicago. We had a beautiful day to tour the Cultural Center, stroll through Millennium Park to view Cloud Gate, Crown Fountain and listen to the Chicago Symphony rehearsal.
Cloud Gate Sculpture, fondly called the “Bean”
The Crown Fountain portrays faces of Chicagoans. Children play in cooling fountain.
Lunch was served on the 95th floor of the John Hancock building. We were blessed with clear skies and the city and lake views were magnificent.
Looking north from the 95th floor of the John Hancock Building
Each Ambassador chose how to spend their afternoon in Chicago. Some strolled along Navy Pier; some experienced the art and sculptures of the Chicago Art Institute and others, shopped for unique remembrances and souvenirs for family and friends. It was a perfect way to spend the day in Chicago.
Geoff and Harry enjoying beautiful Navy Pier
On Friday, we traveled to Oak Park, a western suburb of Chicago, to tour the Frank Lloyd Wright House & Studio. After lunch at La Majada restaurant, we strolled with our Australian friends through the neighborhood to identify and admire more of Wright’s homes.
Frank Lloyd Wright Architecture
The week passed quickly and on Saturday, it was time for our Farewell lunch at Bertucci’s Restaurant in Highwood. Italian food was enjoyed by all.
Our guests entertained us with a humorous Australian song and dance.
A few words of appreciation were expressed by both ED’s, Geoff Whitwell, Mary Lou Balazs as well as Pat Meyer, our FFNI President. Many friendships began this week and invitations to visit again were made by both clubs. Our new friends departed early Sunday. We will miss them and hope to renew our friendships on a future outgoing exchange.
Arts and Architecture
August 13-18, 2014
Marcia Weissman, ED
The Arts and Architecture exchange was a great success, due in part to perfect weather throughout the five days. The twenty ambassadors consisted of Americans from four states, Canadians from four cities, and a Brazilian couple. Several of the Canadians were from clubs we had visited last year, so we were able to renew former acquaintances as we also established new ones.
Many thanks to the home hosts: John and Mary Lou Balazs, Pam Bridges, Dean and Marlene DiBrito, Brian and Joan Harrington, Bill and Ludwina Homer, Dave and Pat Meyer, Jeanne Minorini, Marilyn Parsons, Dora Turula, Jean Wilson, and Kat York. Also thanks to the day hosts: Scott and Christine Oliver, Barb Dillard, Lorrie Gasewind, Karen Li, and Paula Addington, and to Bob Weissman for his photographs.
We began with a Welcome dinner at the beautiful Lake Forest beach. Hosts contributed salads and desserts, and the exchange supplied delicious fried and roasted chicken. Each ambassador had an opportunity to give a brief introduction and tell about his or her own personal interests in the arts.
Our first full day was a very eventful one. We arrived in Chicago by train and assembled at the dock for our Architecture River Cruise. Everyone agreed that the docent was excellent, and the account of the buildings along the river was very interesting. After the cruise, we walked to an El station to travel to the River North art gallery area. We visited two galleries that specialize in contemporary glass and ceramic works; both gallery owners graciously gave explanations about the artwork that was displayed. Another walk took us to a bus stop for our ride to the Ignite Glass Studio, where we ate our lunches and the ambassadors were able to participate in hands-on glassblowing under the direction of skilled artists. We then rode both a bus and another El train to the Logan Square apartment of a lady who collects Outsider art – a very interesting and unusual collection. She generously provided us with wine, appetizers, and dinner – a wonderful end to a very busy day.
The next day was spent in Oak Park and Elmhurst. We had a docent-led tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright home and studio, as well as a self-guided walking tour of the surrounding area. We then proceeded to Ernest Hemingway’s birthplace to see an example of a typical home of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, as well as some insights into the life and upbringing of a great American writer. Following lunch at a local deli, we drove to the Lizzadro Lapidary Museum in Elmhurst to see beautiful examples of carved stonework, mostly from the Orient.
The third full day brought us back into downtown Chicago for a two-hour walking tour of the architecture and outdoor art of the Loop area. We then went to the Art Institute for a docent-led tour of the Impressionist collection, with time available to wander in other areas of the museum as well. We reconvened at the Weber Grill Restaurant for a wonderful dinner. Afterwards, some ambassadors and guests attended the concert of classical music at Millennium Park.
Our final day was unscheduled in the morning and afternoon. Many ambassadors visited the Botanic Garden, while others attended an opera performance at Ravinia, or a musical at the Lincolnshire Theater. We met for the final time for the Farewell party at the Weissman’s home in Wildwood, with a catered dinner and a view of the hosts’ art and photography collection. Our Brazilian ambassador provided a delicious tropical punch as well. The glass creations that the ambassadors had made at Ignite Studio were brought to the party so everyone could take their artwork home with them.
The next day consisted of a leisurely morning, after which the ambassadors boarded an Amtrak train to Milwaukee to continue their Arts and Architecture adventure.
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio Exchange completed in July
We had a 5 ½ day incoming exchange with the San Antonio Friendship Force club. They were a delightful 11 participants who arrived either through O’Hare airport or by way of Amtrak through Union Station. We had blazing heat and torrential rains which they took in stride. They are certainly used to heat and hoped we could send some of our rain to Texas. We were sweltering (especially me) in the heat, but they all were great sports. Chicago was very cooperative in that after this heavy downpour and clouds hiding all the tall buildings, the skies magically opened up to a clear view from the 95th Restaurant at the top of the Hancock building. Diana Sanders, ED
San Antonio exchange – comments received and shared by FFNI Home hosts:
• Laura Wilson was amazed at the greenery in our area. She repeatedly commented on the many trees, shrubs, green lawns etc. She said that Texas was dry and brown, so she appreciated all the lovely GREEN. She loved the Botanic Garden and the beautiful parks in Libertyville– very happy with all our visits. Jean Wilson
• Steve Hallford asked me why many of our fire hydrants have an “antenna” sticking up from them. I chuckled and told him the appendage was not an antenna, it was an indicator of their location when buried under 3 feet of snow for the firemen and snow plowers! Jeanne Minorini
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Adeus Rio de Janeiro Ambassadors!
After an exciting week of sightseeing, dining and shopping, we bid a fond farewell to eight Ambassadors from Friendship Force of Rio de Janeiro on October 18th. They arrived from their first week in Dubuque, Iowa in a shiny white limousine. At their request, two days were spent in Chicago touring Millennium Park, The Art Institute, and Navy Pier, viewing the city from a double-decker trolley bus and lunching at the Signature Room Restaurant on the 95th floor of the John Hancock building. We also planned a day to stroll through the Chicago Botanic Garden and the architectural beauty of the Baha’i Temple. Several free days also gave their hosts ample time to show off their local communities and to strengthen their new friendships.
A group of 33, including 6 members of FF Chicago Club, met for a farewell dinner at Bertucci’s Restaurant in Highwood. After good food, drinks and farewell hugs, the Ambassadors ended their exchange with smiles on their faces. Thank you to all who participated in this exchange and helped to make it a successful event.
Matsuyama, Japan
It’s All About Friendships!
FFNI Welcomed Friendship Force Ehime, Japan
Friday, June 14 – Monday, June 17, 2013
Ten years ago Northern Illinois had a wonderful exchange with Matsuyama/Ehime, Japan. Our hosts dressed us, even the men, in kimonos, taught us the fine points of their traditional Japanese tea ceremony, took us to the Dogo Hot Spring Bath, and we slept on tatami mats. At the 2012 Friendship Force International Conference, many of us reconnected. In addition, Tom and Sally Coyle stayed with their 2003 Matsuyama hosts for several additional days. To our delight, the Matsuyama club decided to visit Northern Illinois after their Connecticut exchange.
Word spread and soon Sharon Spear who lives in Spokane joined the exchange. Why? Mitsuko Kawabata, the Ehime exchange director, and Sharon had each home hosted the other plus Sharon joined FFNI on our exchange to Turkey in 2009. Sharon was standing in line to pay for her hot air balloon ride and what an unbelievable surprise—Mitsuko was in line behind her!
Carolyn Olson enjoyed her home hosts, Akiko and Isao Murakami, in Ehime so much that she invited them to visit her in Arizona after the Northern Illinois exchange. When that was not possible, Carolyn asked to join our exchange so she could spend time with her friends. Dear friends reunited that is the force of Friendship Force.
The Matsuyama ambassadors arrived a day late due to a cancelled flight. The welcome party was postponed to Saturday lunch and highlighted by a Japanese fan dance and delicious German food. Four of the Matsuyama ambassadors shared their local prefecture dance traditions with us. A few hours later a picnic under the stars was moved indoors. The weather held and the group enjoyed the beautiful music of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at Ravinia, outdoor summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Our Japanese fathers celebrated Father’s Day for the first time. The Sunday morning two-hour private trolley car tour included the Art Institute of Chicago, museum campus with its glorious view of the Chicago skyline, Navy Pier, Magnificent Mile, Water Tower, River North, Sears/Willis Tower, and more. After lunch, hosts gave a personal tour of Chicago’s Millennium Park to their ambassadors. It included the Pritzker Pavillion, Lurie Gardens, Crown Fountain and the Cloud Gate better known as “the bean.” Ambassadors loved window shopping as they walked along Michigan Avenue. A ninety minute boat cruise on the Chicago River and Lake Michigan gave everyone a chance to relax, soak up the perfect weather and learn about Chicago’s architecture and history. New friendships were formed. It seemed like no one ever stopped talking and laughing and snapping photos.
Small club dinner parties highlighted Sunday evening. Monday morning our Japanese friends departed for Tokyo after a four hour weather delay. We hope they will come again and stay longer.
Most important of course was sharing our lives and culture and also learning more about Japan. There is talk of hosts and ambassadors meeting in Las Vegas and Alaska next year. As home host Dean DiBrito said, “ We loved our ambassadors.” Dean, I’m sure, speaks for all home and dinner hosts for the Matsuyama/Northern Illinois exchange.
A world of friends is a world of peace.
Sally Coyle, Exchange Director
Fun Adventures with Food
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.