FEBRUARY

2010

VOLUNTEER
WITH AFS:

AFS, as a truly
volunteer-based
organization, has
always had a strong
commitment to its
volunteers in the U.S.
and volunteers
My FIRST Snow!...
worldwide. Become Here are some comments from the couch and my host mom had gone to like this experience. It was so much
part of an students who come from countries take the dogs out. When it snowed fun I liked playing with the snow, and I
international family that never receive snow… she got excited because I had told her liked the best the view of that
that is making a world I had never seen snow before and had everything is white. The green trees
kept asking when it will snow. So she look gray and the sky is prink it is
of difference by
volunteering with AFS
∼“On my first snow experience, I quickly came and woke me up to go really very pretty. :) While playing in
have to tell you that I had never seen see the snow. It was AMAZING!!! the snow it wasn’t cold but I fee very
in your community. snow before, so I almost
There are many It’s like white cold things falling form cold after playing. The bad part it
screamed~!!” - Milk, Thailand the sky, and I think it looks really was the next day when the snow
ways you can help
AFS with y ou r ∼“ H a h a h a h a a a a a . . . f i r s t beautiful after it snows, since its all melted and it wasn’t good at all it was
volunteer time: snowwwwwww...It was amazing! white. The only part that I don’t like slidy but I like it! :) - Farah, Egypt

•Help international
I was doing part of my
homework when suddenly my
∼“It is the first time of my life
seeing snow. I was in the
students feel at host sister said there's snow downtown Portland with my friend
home in America outside. I said ‘yeeehaaaa..finally and my host dad called me and told
•Build bridges of the snow comes…!!’ Then my me to look outside the window. I
understanding host dad, my sister and our dog saw snow!!! I told everyone inside
between people took a little walk in the snow. the store and I almost screamed.
•Assist with After that we came back home My friend and I texted everyone
community events and I could not move my eyes and told them that it’s snowing.
•Work with young from the window. It’s just weird Then we went outside to play with
Americans who want to see a ‘freezing rain’, even I the snow. I tried to eat it too.
to go abroad understand there formed First I was so excited, but then it
•Work with area high process. Soon after the long snowed harder. It is kind of wet…
schools, road, h ouse, trees and it’s not very cold if you wear the
organizations, and everything became a white field. right clothes...I really love snow. Too
Ester from Indonesia’s
families The sky looked dark, but everything bad there’s snow only 1 day… =( “ -
first day in the snow...
turned shinny. Then we played Supichaya, Thailand
snowball wars and built a silly
snowman with our neighbor. The is the fact that its cold, but anyways ∼“I liked it a lot! I would absolutely
INSIDE next morning the snow melted and its lovely!” - Naima, Kenya love it if it would snow some more
THIS ISSUE:
became wet, messy and water logged
everywhere. Ewwwwwww.”—Ester,
∼“The snowy day!!! It was my first and they would cancel the school! :)”
- Idil, Turkey
time seeing real snow falling from the
Indonesia
Returnee Laurel 2 sky. I was so excited and I took lots ∼“Of course, I really like it, its my
∼“I like the snow it’s so cool!!
Me of pictures. I was amazed by the first snow in ground level. I have
and my brother make a big pretty snow flakes that fell on the been to Vancouver, BC in 2006, that
Indonesia 3
snowman!!! For me it’s not that ground because I thought that it will is my first snow in my life. It is not
cold!” - Jake, Philippines be a chunk of ice bit it wasn’t. I love cold when it snows but it is cold
Bizarre Foods 4-5 snow!! - Aom, Thailand when it is melting.” - Kohung,
∼“The first time I snowed, I
Student 6-7 remember I was sleeping on the ∼“It was actually my first snow and I Thailand

Questions

Marleigh’s Blog

Host Parent
9

8-9
Seattle Trip...
Do you want to go to around noon, and return candy. Contact Bernice
Comments
Seattle? There are 4 open on the 5:30 p.m. train on Schuchardt immediately if
Liaison Info. 11 spots for the Seattle Trip Sunday. The cost of the you are interested in going
scheduled on Easter train is $77 round trip. on the trip. Email
Global Link
weekend, April 3rd and Anyone signing up now will bmschuch@aol.com or call
Calendar 11 4th. Four rooms that sleep be responsible for (503) 775-4161. Contact
four people have been purchasing their own train Ron Combs if you are able
reserved. We will take the tickets. Room fee will be to sell candy. Email
8:30 a.m. train from approximately $30. It r1p2combs3@aol.com or
Portland, arriving in Seattle could be less if you help sell call (503) 314-5243
 A Message From the Area Team Chair
PAGE 2
This past weekend, I was
fortunate enough to meet in New
Orleans with all of the other AFS
Area Team Chairs for annual
training and brainstorming. It was a
great trip, and I've come back
educated and energized. One of
the things we discussed was how
we, as Area Team Chairs, want our
respective Area Teams to be
different when our term is up
(Chairs are elected for two-year
terms, and I'm six months into my
term!) I shared that my goal was
for the Area Team to get more
done, but for individuals to not
have to work so hard. One way
for us to reach the goal is to have
more volunteers helping with
projects that are organized by
strong leaders with good
Our Mission
communication skills. I took on the
role of Chair knowing that there
AFS-USA works are countless volunteers here in
toward a more the Columbia Pacific Area Team
just and peaceful who have much more knowledge of
AFS and its functions than I do. I
world by
also knew that those volunteers
providing
would always provide the support
international and
intercultural
learning
experiences to
individuals,
families, schools,
My Trip to Chile—Laurel 08/09
It is easy for me to say that
and communities there are two places on earth I
through a global can call home. One of course is
volunteer my home in Portland, where I
partnership. was raised and have lived with
my family since I was small. The
second is a yellow house
surrounded by roses, palm trees,
and a big iron fence on a dirt
path off Avenida San Juan in
Rancagua, Chile. I went to Chile
as an exchange student for the
fall semester in 2008, not
knowing what to expect, not
knowing much of the language,
and completely ignorant of the
bonds that I would make with
my classmates and family in the
coming months.
I went to school with my
sister, a grade below her, at a
private school of about five
hundred students of all grades.
My first day was exhausting. I
Here is a picture of me struggled to understand my
with my host mom, classmates’ heavily accented
Spanish and was overwhelmed in
host sister and friend.
dealing with a multitude of
and guidance that I needed. And
AFS USA is embracing technology
like AFSWiki.org (a repository of
knowledge about AFS maintained
by volunteers, much like Wikipedia)
and AFS Global (the database
system that keeps track of all
students, host families, and
volunteers throughout the world)
to ensure that we can find answers
to the questions that we might
have. I feel like we're on the right
track, but we need a few more
leaders. We currently have the
following positions open:
•Area Team Chair-Elect (works
with the Chair to organize the
team; Chair-Elect becomes Chair at
end of current Chair's term and
serves as Chair for two years)
•Hosting Coordinator (works with
Area chapters to ensure that they
have the resources they need to
find host families and to place
students with host families),
•Sending Coordinator (to replace
existing Sending coordinator, who
people asking me my name,
where I came from, and who I
was. As the months passed and I
became less of a novelty, I
settled into school life and into a
routine with my classmates. We
agonized over tests and rejoiced
whenever a teacher called in
sick. I helped them with English
homework, and they in turn
helped me with my deplorable
Castellano (which eventually did
get better).
I eased into the routine of my
family quickly. I played soccer
with my brothers, and helped my
little sister with her homework.
The sister closest my age soon
became my closest friend. My
mother and father introduced
me to friends as their daughter,
which made me happy but
confused some people because
with my blue eyes and light hair I
looked nothing like either of my
Latino host parents. On the
weekends, we would all pile into
a car and head to a friend’s
is leaving for school later this year;
works with American students who
want to go abroad for the year.
•Web Site Coordinator (we have a
very functional site, but we would
like to see it more organized and
better-designed.
If you have another skill or
interest that would be a good fit for
the Team, we're open to forming a
new position. Some area teams
have Marketing Coordinators and
F u n d r a i s i n g
Coordinators. Whether you're
gainfully employed, retired,
attending school, or between jobs
during these tough economic times,
getting involved in a leadership
position with AFS will help you to
build skills that will come in handy
in the future and might just look
good on a resume. Please get with
me at tjspears@gmail.com if you
would like to talk about the
possibility of taking on a role with
the Area Team.
James Spears, Area Team Chair
house for barbeques or parties
with dancing, singing, and endless
plates of food.
At the end of my stay, I felt
like I was leaving half of my heart
behind. As I exchanged teary
goodbyes with my friends and
family, I made myself a promise
to come back. I kept in contact
with everyone, and this
November I was lucky enough to
be able to return for my class’s
graduation. It felt as if I had
never left. I spent one happy
week getting reacquainted with
all the people I had missed so
much, and then I had to leave
again. I was sad to go, but I know
that I am infinitely lucky to be
able to call a place at the other
end of the world my home.
Laurel, USA-Chile 08/09
 PAGE 3

Spotlight on Indonesia
Hi all.. my name
Ester.. I am an
exchange student
from Indonesia
I want to tell
you a little about
my country
Indonesia is the world’s largest
archipelago, with a large diversity. It
is located in southeast Asia, with
more than 17000 islands. This chain
of islands straddles 1,100 miles north
and south along the equator.
The big 5 Indonesia islands are
Sumatra, Kalimantan, Java, Sulawesi
and Papua or Irian Jaya. I come from
Java island, the same island where lies
the capital : Jakarta, and my city is
not far from Jakarta, it is name is
Bogor.
Because Indonesia is located right
in equator line, so the climate is
tropical with 2 seasons, rainy season
and dry season. Indonesia natural
ecosystem range from palm Fringe
beaches to vast jungles, and from
mangrove swamp land to mountain
peaks. Its also home for thousands of
animal and plant species. Its seas and
coral reefs are teeming with marine
life.
With a population of more than
230 million people, we have the
largest Moslem population in the
world, about 85% from that number,
10% Christian Protestant and Catholic
and 5% another religion such as
Buddh ism an d Hin duism and
KongHuCu. We have more than 500
ethnic groups and 700 tribal
languages, but we have one national
language that makes us able to
communicate with each tribe, we call
it Bahasa Indonesia. With 500 tribe,
Indonesia rich with divers tradition,
culture and custom.
The Indonesia national symbol named
Garuda Pancasila.
The Indonesia Flag has 2 colors.
Red symbolizes bravery and
white symbolized virtue.
At this bird’s chest, is a shield that
represents our 5 national Ideals,
ideology and principles that is called
Pancasila. Different
Pancasila more or less after translated Traditional
to English like this : Costumes from
Different Tribes
1. Belief in God
2. Justify and Civilized Humanity
3. The unity of Indonesia
4. Democracy guided by the inner
wisdom of deliberation of
representative
5. Social justice for all the
Indonesian people.
Also there present our national
motto : “ Bhinneka Tunggal
Ika” ( come from sansekerta
language , a very ancient language
Indonesian ever use. This motto have
almost the same meaning with “E
Pluribus Unum” : Unity in diversity

Teen Science Night—FREE

The Oregon Museum of Science and
Industry will be having a special free
evening at OMSI just for visitors ages 13—
18. Teens-only Night will be on March 6th
from 7 to 10 p.m.. Students can explore
the museum, rock out to a live DJ, ride the
Segway, play games, and more! Teen
Science Night is a quarterly event on
Saturdays form 7—10 p.m. Admission is
free; food and beverages are available for
purchase.
For more information about OMSI, visit
their website at www.omsi.edu.

Oregon Shakespeare Festival Trip

Would you like to go to Ashland Oregon
and see the world famous Oregon
Shakespeare Festival?
When: The trip will be May 1st, 2nd and
3rd
Cost: The cost is $120.
What Plays: The plays you will see are
HAMLET and SHE LOVES ME.
We are limited to 25 spaces. If you are
interested, please send in a $60 non-
refundable deposit. (balance due April 15th,
2010)
C o n t a c t : R o n C o m b s
r1p2combs3@aol.com or call (503) 314-
5243
 PAGE 4

Bizarre Foods from Thailand—Aom

A bugs life in Thailand isn’t worth
much and it doesn’t last particularly long
either. You see, if it crawls, fly’s, jumps,
or just stands still, it gets eaten. Thais
love bugs and other bizarre foods! I do
not like them or eat them but some of
my friends do. The rural Thai people
love them. They grew up eating bugs and
wherever you find rural Thais you’ll find
bug carts cooking and selling them.
You’ll see the bug carts if you go to
Thailand Thailand because rural Thais are
everywhere, especially in the tourist
Bug Cart
areas, living and working and eating bugs.
Some bug carts cater to the Thais who
REALLY enjoy bugs...others offer a real
wide variety of mouth watering critters.
In my towns, Chaing Mai and
Sukhothai, you would find the bug carts
at town fairs, the temple festival, at the
night market, and in the rural section of
the town. The cost of these types of
food is much cheaper than normal food.
Below are some
“bizarre” things you might
find at a bug cart.

Ant Eggs… ไข่มดแดง

Khai Mot - Ants eggs a highly prized delicacy in Thailand. Weaver ants
produce their eggs only once a year during the cooler months December
“Each country is to January, during this time, the time consuming, and sometimes painful
task, of collecting the eggs take place, they are then wrapped in banana
unique in that it has a leaves and sold on local markets. These eggs are huge! Some pieces are egg
-shaped; others are almost shaped like ants, they have a soft and jelly like
distinct culture and texture. The eggs have a creamy and nutty flavor and are commonly served in spicy salads; they can
also be served on toast and even taste great served on tortilla chips.
cuisine. What some

people would find Giant Water Bugs… แมงดาทอด

Mang Da Tod - These large and powerful bugs are nicknamed toe-biters and are
completely disgusting capable of inflicting a painful stab with their sharpened front beak. We eat them by
removing the exoskeleton and then eat everything except the head and legs. The
may turn out to be an
giant water bug has been described as having a very strong taste, similar to that of a
everyday food choice very ripe smelly cheese.

for others.” Deep Fried Silkworm… หนอนไหม

Non Mai - Silkworms are not only used to produce silk but are a delicacy in many
Asian countries. They are fried, boiled, seasoned and eaten. Silkworms are squishy,
bitter, and best left to those with strong or adventurous stomachs.

King Scorpion แมงป่ อง and Bamboo Worm...

Scorpions are not found at every bug cart. They are scary in life as well as
on your plate or being aimed at your mouth! They have a crunchy burnt
crablike taste to them. Crunchy is always good. The Bamboo Worm is
very expensive compared to other Mealworms and bugs but it is more
popular. It grows inside the bamboo so it is harder to find.

Fried Spiders… แมงมุมทอด

Tarantulas! Thai Zebra Tarantula or “Edible Spiders” are about the size of the
palm of your hand. The spiders are seasoned then fried in oil until the legs are
completely stuff. The taste has been described as something between chicken
and fish, with a crisp exterior to a soft center. The snack is about $0.08.
Giant Water Bug

WWW.AFSCP.COM
 PAGE 5

Other Bizarre Foods from Thailand...

Chicken Feet… ตีนไก่
People usually eat chicken feet in soup especially with noodles. They
taste just like the soup because the feet soak up the soups flavor. There
is meat, skin and fat on them which make it really tender. Because it is
boiled it gets kind of mushy. We do not eat the small bones.

Aom

Thousand-Year-Old Eggs...ไข่เยีย่ วม้า

Thais call this “Khay-Yiaw-Maa” and it translates to “Horse-Pee Eggs”. It tastes just like eggs but with
a little weird flavor and bad smell. These black eggs are rumored to taste a bit like
cheese…”thousand-year old cheese.” It is made by preserving a duck egg in a mixture of clay, ash,
salt, lime, and rice hulls for several weeks to several months. After the process is completed, the yolk
becomes a dark green, cream-like substance with a strong odor of sulphur and ammonia, while the
white becomes a dark brown, transparent jelly with little flavor.

Blood Soup ก๋ วยเตี๋ยวหมูน้ าํ ตก and Blood Jelly…

ต้มเลือดหมู
Blood Soup - Nam Tok or “Waterfall” in Thailand is a spicy soup
stock made with raw cow or pigs blood. It is often used to enhance
regular noodle dishes. Blood jelly looks like tofu, feels like tofu,
tastes like old socks. Lovely purple color brings to mind animal
parts you are not supposed to eat. Authorities say that blood is
one of the world’s healthiest foods, but that is only because they
are all vampires!

Durian - “Stinky Fruit” or “King of Fruit”… ทุเรี ยน

A travel & food writer describes the taste of the “King of Fruit” as “it can only be described
as...indescribable, something you will either love or despise..your breath will smell as if you have been
kissing your dead grandmother.”
It is one of my favorite fruits. The taste….it is indescribable. There is nothing that is similar to it. Some
people love it, some hate it. Durian has a very strong smell when it is ripe….very ripe. I can’t handle the
smell but some people like it. I usually eat the fruit before it is ripe.

Cockroaches แมลงสาบ and Grasshoppers… ตัก๊ แตน

Cockroaches...you know, like the Madagascar hissing LARGE cockroach! First you remove the legs then you grab it by the head and
bight down on the body. The taste is sweet, not in a good sweet way but a cockroach sweet way. Grasshoppers are fried and come
in two varieties...large and small. You must pull the legs and wings off first before eating...legs don’t go down well. The large
grasshoppers taste much like popcorn but not and the small ones taste a little like burnt popcorn. It you are only going to try one
bug...this is the one to try!
 PAGE 6
What the Exchange Students have to say...
What did the
Exchange Students
have to say when
they were asked the
following questions?
1. What was your
favorite part of your
holiday break?
• Christmas
dinner and snowball
fighting—Milk,
Thailand
• Seattle with the
Space Needle and
the NFL game,
Christmas with the
Serdar and presents and a NBA game
Gianmarco with in Portland, and the coast
their snowman! for the New Year. IT WAS
WONDERFUL—Charles,
France
• My favorite part was going
to my friends huge house in
Portland and having fun
there...we played Wii and
danced till 6 in the morning
it was New Year, we also
were playing Rockband so I
don't’ think neighbors were
Have you had happy—Iana, Moldova
• Christmas—Jake,
culture night at Philippines
• Well, one of the best part
home? Cook your of the break was when the
guy I really like invited me
favorite dish from to see Avatar, only him and
me—Laura, France
your natural • The whole break was nice,
not to have to wake up
country. Tell your early, and it was nice to be
able to call my parents on
host family all about Christmas—Katya,
Switzerland
your county. • My favorite part of the
winter break was Christmas
Remember, they when family got together
and talked, at a lot!!! I got
want to learn about so many wonderful
presents. - Naima, Kenya
a different culture • The snowy day!! It was my
first time seeing real snow
too. falling from the sky. I was
so excited and I took lots of
pictures. I was amazed by
the pretty snow flakes that
fell on the ground because I
thought that it will be a
chunk of ice but it wasn’t. I
love snow!! - Aom, Thailand
WWW.AFSCP.COM
• I went with my family to a
camp...you know was
pretty good. A lot of good
people with many funny
guys. My favorite part of
the break was in one of
these days in the
camp...with some friends I
organized at the last
minutes on show and we
played for all camp. Ha ha
it wasn’t a really good show
and I was so nervous but I
can’t explain how much is
important for me. I’ll
always remember that
moment - Mike, Italy
• My favorite part was that
me and my host family
went down to Utah after
Christmas! It was a lot of
fun to meet all the relatives
and to play in the snow! :) -
Anna, Germany
• I’ve been in Fort Worth
Texas for my holiday, and
had the chance to meet my
families cousin. I bought
some cowboy boots and
saw a cowboy town. I also
had the chance to see
Phoenix form the airplane
– Alex, Switzerland
• The Basketball Tournament
in Lakeridge with my High
School team—Alexander,
Germany
• My favorite part of holiday
break was Christmas Day
because it was my first
Christmas!!! It was amazing
especially all these gifts in
the morning! :) Thanks to
my host family for doing
that! - Jahan, Azerbaijan
• I did many fun things during
the past break. I went to a
college basketball game in
Seattle with my host sister
and went snowboarding
with Kris at Mt. Hood. I
had a lot of fun with both
of them! - Hippo, Belgium
• The Christmas was the best
part and it was my first
Christmas that I’ve ever
and because my country is
Islamic and we do not
celebrate Christmas. But I
really like it. Thank you to
m y h os t fa m i ly f o r
awesome Christmas! -
Serdar, Turkmenistan
• My favorite part of the
holiday break was just
relaxing and hanging and
doing things with friends—
Elina, Finland
• PARTY…=) There were a
lot of parties and I have a
lot of chances to eat a lot
of good food! - Britny,
Thailand
• My favorite part of my
holiday break was my trip
to Mexico with my host
family and my host cousins.
—Pauline, France
• Unwrapped the Christmas
presents—Kohung,
Thailand
• On my holiday break, I
went to several places,. We
went to Bellingham and
Seattle for Christmas, and
we went to our cabin in
cascade mountain forest
for new year. It was really
nice but my favorite place
ever is the cabin. Why?
Because I always love
forest, I can smell the
green, hear the forest
rhythm. It is peaceful and
comfortable. Seeing the
biggest resources for quality
of life, observing the
adm ira ble ecosys t ems
just...it just a perfect place.
—Ester, Indonesia
• My favorite day of my
whole vacation was
Christmas day. I went to
Mt. Hood with my host dad
and we were snowboarding.
It was my first time ever. I
was skiing before but never
snowboarding and I did
pretty well. It was sooo
much fun. The weather
was great and it was not
crowded. AWESOME—
Lucia, Germany
• My favorite part was the
Christmas time! Because
we spend a lot of time
t o g et h e r ! - B r i g i t t a ,
Hungary

What the Exchange Students have to say...
• Christmas Eve, because I spent
it with my host family. We
were sitting around the
Christmas Tree drinking hot
apple juice and unwrapping
presents. It was just nice—
Hendrik, Germany
• My “Sweet 16” party! :) - Idil,
Turkey
• My favorite part of the winter
break was the sleeping :) and
the Christmas I really liked my
first Christmas it was so much
fun—Farah, Egypt
• My favorite part was that I
could sleep in everyday till
noon.—Simon, Switzerland
• My favorite part was being
with the family and opening
presents.—Renzo, Colombia
• My favorite part was when I
went snowboarding with my
host brother and some
friends—Alberto, Chile
• Going snowboarding with my
host sister in Montana—
Annika, Austria
2. What was your funniest moment
during the break?
• I was going to scream when I
saw snow at Barnes and Noble
book store—Milk, Thailand
• I think that the funniest thing
during the holidays was
playing snow balls with my
friends and talking to them
with a weird voice...cause
helium changes it :) - Iana,
Moldova
• When my dad called our Xbox
360 a H-box and when he
named our garage the Man
Cave—Jake, Philippines
• The funniest moment might
have been during New Years
Eve party… it was a lot of fun
but also when I hang out with
some friends—Laura, France
• New Years Eve most definitely!
I went over to a friends’ house
and we celebrated New Years
playing games like twister and
taboo and drinking apple
cider, it was so much fun! The
snowing was nice too, Pauline
and I built a snowman
together—Katya, Switzerland
PAGE 7
• My first snow fight in my was pretty funny. Even
entire life with my host dad. I though my host sister Megan
wasn’t that good with didn’t agree with me. :) - Idil,
throwing snowballs and I got Turkey
hit a lot—Aom, Thailand • The funniest moment
• My funniest moment was was probably that
probably when my host sister New Year Eve party
opened one of my presents for with my youth
group—Simon,
“Oh my, you should
her. Hm maybe I better say:
tried to open it ;). I wrapped a Switzerland
have seen me in the
piece of gum about 30 times! • We went to Texas
It was fun to watch her trying during the break so
snow, I was really sad
to figure out what that the funniest part was
awesome present would be! - during the trip.— that there wasn’t snow
Anna, Germany Renzo, Colombia
• The funniest moment I had • When my host sister on Christmas, so when
was jumping into the ice pool and I went
at New Years… - Alex, snowboarding and it snowed I was like a
Switzerland crashed into each
• No big thing, just when my other! It was crazy little girl. I bet I
host family opened their hilarious :) - Annika,
presents from my parents from Austria was really funny to
Germany. They were happy • The funniest moment
and tried to say the German during the break was see” - Laura, France
words on the presents. Lol! - when I went ice
Alexander, Germany skating with Tipsuda
• The funniest moment was on and Kohung and we
Christmas Eve in the evening, almost fell down...ha ha—
when me, my host mom and Britny, Thailand
host brother were watching
TV.—Jahan, Azerbaijan
• I can’t choose funniest one
because there a lot of them,
whole my break passed funny!
- Serdar, Turkmenistan
• Funniest moment was
probably when we went
snowboarding on the last
Saturday with bunch of
friends. The guys took us four
girls to White Pass and for
three of us it was the first
time. It was so fun even
though I was on my butt most
of the time.—Elina, Finland
• I didn’t have a funniest
moment. All the moments
were very funny with them—
Pauline, France
• My funniest moment was
when we played a lot of game!
We played at Christmas time
and News Years Eve too! -
Brigitta, Hungary
• Party 3 days in a row—
Kohung, Thailand
• When Jett, the dog at house,
ate my birthday, I thought it
Farah from Egypt and host sister
Ana and their BIG snowman!
 PAGE 8

A Talk with Representative Wu and Tour of the Courthouse...

On December process are excited because design it for almost 6 months. We almost
30th, the YES/ of judge will change the further life saw that court with the jury but
FLEX students of those people. Even I was just time was up and our host parents
g a t h e r e d watching but I was excited. I mean were there, but nevertheless, it
downtown for a to listen stories of people and what was a wonderful day and I
v i s i t t o they have done. In general it was personally enjoyed it because I got
Congressman exciting for me it makes you think to learn so many things I never
Wu’s office and in about life. About good and bad. would have.
the afternoon
made a visit to the
Naima, Kenya Farah, Egypt
M u l t n o m a h First we went to the office of Okay, at the first of the day we
County Courthouse. Here are the Honorable David Wu, the go to visit the representative David
YES/FLEX Students Oregon State U.S. Representative. Wu’s office. We talked a lot about
some articles written by the
with their fantastic We did not get a chance to meet him, it was interesting to know
students:
coordinators Maggie him but we got to meet the about this man the people in
Frieske and Rustam
Serdar, Turkmenistan secretary who told us a lot about Oregon really like him. He was the
David Wu—I like David Wu’s job! what they do. It is amazing to learn first Asian representative to be
Kocher. I think it is interesting but busy! that they answer all calls they get elected. The office reply to all the
He always keep in touch with from people and listen to what they calls and emails that they receive.
society. He knows what people want and try to help them out. She Then we headed to go and visit
need and want. And people can also answered a lot of our the Multnomah County
call to his office and tell their questions and how the U.S. Courthouse and U.S. Federal
problems or give some suggestions government works. It was Courthouse. It was really my best
and the mail thing that David Wu is interesting to know that the U.S. part. There was many rooms and
thinking all that problems and government could not take over many cases with a lot of judges.
suggestions of the people. When I the press, because I remember in We visited about 3 cases. Actually
saw his office I liked it. All stuff my country the government almost they were interesting and it show
Here is our that in his office which people gave did! We were also able to share how the judge give the orders
funniest translation him as a gift it means he is going with her a little about how our honestly to the people. They care
good and people like him. And I government works and our school so much about people live and the
moment… Farah
liked a ball with name of ducks system. kids. I learned a very interesting
had been here for team. I wish him achieve all highs! My favorite part was being able thing that the courts and judges in
four months and Multnomah Court House—The to go to COURT!!! It was totally the U.S. say, “People are innocent
we’d been for many court house was really interesting. awesome to have that kind of until they are proven guilty.” This
drives in the It was my first time in real court opportunity. We got to see is exactly the opposite in most of
countryside when house and first time that I have different cases going on and got to the world.
she told us she had seen a real trial. And it was see the judges make their decisions. It was good to visit the
thought we kept interesting to see and listen to One of the judges even gave us Multnomah County Courthouse
telling her we were stories of people and watch the information about how it was being and U.S. Federal Courthouse. I had
process. I think people that in this judged and said she had being doing learned a lot about America’s law!
seeing bears and
she wondered why
we weren’t afraid.
“Deer” was not a
word or species she
knew, so she had What Host Parents have to say...
not been able to car next to us has food on their two looked at each other and
hear it! We still
R e n g e r —
roof.” We looked over, but all then switched bowls and finished
laugh about that Netherlands we saw was the lights on top of a them off.
Renger has police SUV. At first we didn’t We are calmly driving down
one ever time we made us laugh
see a deer. know what she was talking about. the road and Anna screams
more than a few
-Glenna, host mom In our minds we were thinking “that’s German, that’s German”
times. He is a wonderful cook and
like a fast food bag or a coffee and was so excited. She said you
of Farah from helps out in the kitchen. Once he
thought persimmons were cup, but she thought they were have a German restaurant here
Egypt like Tupperware containers— “Wienerschnitzel”. When we
tomatoes. Another time he had an
idea to toss a salad with dressing in which they did look like...kind of. repeated it back to her in our
the salad spinner. For dinner the other night, language she laughed at the way
-Ramune, Liaison of Renger from Tipsuda joined us. We had ham we pronounced it and we
the Netherlands and bean soup. When Anna and laughed at the way
Tipsuda got done eating, we she pronounced it.
Anna—Germany noticed that Anna ate everything -Rhonda Sherman,
We were stopped at a red but the ham and Tipsuda ate host mom of Anna
light and Anna said, “look, that everything but the beans. The from Germany

Marleigh—American in the Netherlands
Catching up...again -
Let's go back to the beginning of winter break…
On the last day before break, we only had two
classes (!) and then all of 4VWO gathered
together in this cafe by our school and we had
oliebollen (a Dutch New Year's tradition-more on
that later) and hot chocolate and other
scrumptious things. It was pretty low-key, just
celebrating the end of school, the snow, and the
holidays. Santa showed up too :)
On Monday morning, we (as in the family plus
Puck) piled all our stuff into the car and were on
the road heading north-east to Germany through
the snow by 6:30 am. Despite difficulties in the
beginning (the Dutch don't know how to handle
snow...), we drove safely to Groningen to drop
Kees off for work and made it to the harbor with
plenty of time to spare before catching the ferry to
the small German island- Juist.
Juist is one of the seven inhabited East Frisian
Islands located in the North Sea. It's only 10.5
miles long and -at it's biggest (when the tide's out)-
is a little wider than half a mile. That's a really
small island for those of you who aren't good at
picturing distances :) There are also no cars on
Juist, meaning that all the transportation is done by
bike or horse-drawn carriage (not that it matters
really, it doesn't take long to walk anywhere on
the island...). The first day Hans, Janny, and I went
on a walk down to the beach and it was amazing
to see the beach covered in about a foot of snow.
There were almost no footprints either so it was
almost like we were out in the Artic... Except then
there was the sea. It was gorgeous, snowy,
What Host Parents have to say...
Tipsuda—Thailand
We host Tipsuda from Thailand. We have
had a great time with her and really enjoy
watching her discover new things here that
one would not see in her area of the
world. This Christmas I took Tipsuda and
one of her host sisters up to the Christmas
tree farms in our local area. We live in
Washougal, Wa. She was so delighted to go
there. It was a very cold day but one of
those days with no clouds and the sun was
shining. There were quite a few people up
there getting their trees and the farm where
we went offers a large campfire with log
seating around it also a place to buy hot
chocolate or coffee. They had Christmas
music playing over the loud speakers and the
farm was decked out with a lot of Christmas
cheer. Tipsuda was very impressed with the
tree shaking machine and the tree wrapping
machine. We stood for a long time just
watching the guys shake and bundle the
trees. To us, just a normal routine. To
Tipsuda, a whole bunch of things going on
and everything so exciting to her. BTW,
Tipsuda is a Buddhist and as such does not
celebrate this holiday, so the whole concept
freezing, and I took many pictures on
that first adventure on Juist. We
wandered through the town on the
way back to the house and found lots
of little stores and finally a post office
(that's where I mailed my package to
you Americans haha). It was weird being a tourist
again and not being able to understand/read any of
the things in the stores (okay, some I was able to
guess at).
One of the other days we walked to the other
side of the island (back to the harbor) and walked
around the tip of the island, with the (dune) dike
on one side and red German houses on the other.
We were lucky that we got to see Juist in the
snow, as it rarely snows more than a few
centimeters there (if that). We went out to dinner
at this fish restaurant by the harbor one night- it
was definitely weird not being able to read the
menu but the food was delicious and we even
found a group of Dutch people there :) Another
highlight was when Janny, Nienke, and I went
swimming in this huge saltwater pool (inside of
course!). We had the pool almost to ourselves and
it was cool to look out one window and see the
North Sea and then look out the windows on the
other side and see the Wadden Sea and the
harbor.
We spent a lot of time walking the beach,
putting together a puzzle (1000 pieces!), watching
movies, and reading books. Quality relaxation
time :) We didn't really do anything for Christmas
Eve- except listen to Christmas music on the
computer. We took the ferry back to the mainland
on Friday (Christmas) and then drove 3 hours
of this holiday was very new
and also very confusing to
her. Her host sister and I took
her out into the field of trees
so she could see all of the
different types. She was so
excited and had to stop every few feet to
take a picture or to have me take a picture of
her and the trees. My daughter and I were
walking a few feet in front of her when we
noticed that she was no longer directly
behind us. When we turned around to find
her she was crouched over a small area of
ground frost. It was a fairly large crystal type
of frost. The kind that appears on loose dirt,
so the crystals were very large and also very
beautiful. We walk back to her and ask her
what she is doing. Tipsuda points her finger
an inch from the soil and asks with
wonderment what was this white (Crystal-
Powder?). She was afraid to touch it thinking
it was some sort of chemical. Mariah, (my
daughter) and I chuckled and told her it was
ice. The look on her face was
priceless. How could ice ever be on the
ground. Ice could only come from freezers
and in cold drinks. It was so cute. We
explained to her that a 0 degrees Centigrade,
PAGE 9
back home. We
stopped at this nice
Dutch restaurant for
dinner and though it
was a little weird to not
be home on Christmas,
it was certainly nice to be back in the country
where I could understand everything :)
While the Dutch do celebrate Christmas, it's
quite different from how Americans celebrate it.
For the Dutch, the holiday of Sinterklaas (Dec. 5)
is their Christmas- it's the holiday that little kids
wait all year for, the whole month of November is
spent preparing for it, and it's a time for family and
presents. Because Sinterklaas is the big Dutch
holiday, Christmas means to them a week off from
work (two weeks off from school) and another
reason to eat and drink too much and spend lots
and lots of time with family. Not that that's bad of
course, just different :)
On Saturday (the day after Christmas but the
second day of Christmas for the Dutch), we
started frantically preparing for Janny's family to
come over that night for Christmas dinner. I also
gave my family all the gifts from America that my
mom had sent and we had a little gift giving
celebration, which was really nice- It made it seem
more like Christmas to me :) I think we were 15
people altogether, so we had three tables pushed
together and of course a LOT of food :) Three
courses plus the mandatory coffee/tea and
chocolates afterwards. After everyone left, we all
went to bed exhausted and slept in late on Sunday.
Liefjes xx
as she is aware, that liquid water
turns to a solid. (she is really
good in chemistry). She looks
up at me and asks if it would be
okay to pick up a piece. Of
course I told her it would be just
fine. She reaches down and picks up a couple
of larger ice crystals and held them in her
hand, after removing her glove. She was so
shocked to see it melt in her hand and could
not figure out how it got on the ground in
the first place. She asked if somebody put it
there and we ended up telling her all about
how it forms and what-not.
It has been so cool to watch her see things
for the first time. Her amazement at some of
the things that we all take for granted is
simply wonderful. It makes us see things of
beauty that we have all seen, year in and year
out. Her discovery is also a re-discovery for
us. So to watch her learn is for us to learn as
well.
Tipsuda really got into the spirit of
Christmas and totally enjoyed the whole
holiday experience.
Keith & Amy Schenck, host parents of Tipsy
from Thailand
 AFS News...
PAGE 10
Hosting News: We are
approaching the new hosting
season with new software and a
steep learning curve. Hang on for
the ride! And please, everyone
“SPEAK AFS!” You volunteers,
host families, hosted students and
our AFS returnees are our very
best PR. The reason people host
Kim’s bowling
an exchange student is because
party
someone they know and respect
has asked them. So ask away! If
you need materials to distribute to
friends, family, doctor’s offices,
school counseling offices, be in
touch with your local
coordinator. AFS has produced a
number of good PR pamphlets and
leading interested parties to the
websites is always a good way to
give them a picture. Watch for
opportunities to send folks to our
“Culture is much websites for more information and
wonderful stories and blogs about
more than the life-transforming year students
and families have with AFS. Be
learning to run
watching for updates as the new
students begin to arrive.
the dishwasher,
Fond Farewell to
vacuum or use a
Kim! Westside had a Going Away
Bowling Party for departing
garbage disposal.
semester student, Kim, from
Austria. Alas, Kim will return to
Our student
adapted easily to
all these new
household
P.D.O...
On January 9th, the bi
conveniences. -annual Pre-Departure
Orientation (PDO) for
Culture is all AFS participants was held
in Vancouver,
about Washington. Eight
participants, along with
communication. “ their parents, attended
the orientation. In
addition to vital
information, attendees were
treated to plenty of croissants,
fruit, sweets, drinks, and foreign
snacks.
Part of what made this
particular orientation so
successful was the types of
activities we included and the
ways we went above and
beyond. Any time you expect
people to sit still for hours, you
run the risk of boring them. So
we made sure that our activities
Austria the same day Martina
arrives from Argentina for her
2010 semester abroad at Wilson
High School. A good group
gathered Sunday at the Valley
Bowling Alley to send Kim off with
warm good-byes. We’ll miss you
Kim! Bon Voyage! (See photo of
gathered AFS and school friends.)
Warm Welcome to
Martina! And in the same breath,
we will welcome Martina from
Argentina. Be sure to greet her
warmly at our orientation—
remember how you felt in August?
Pre-Departure Orientation for
Spring departing Americans
Abroad. All eight of our
Columbia Pacific AFS Candidates
who will be leaving for Japan,
Argentina, Portugal, China,
Australia, and Italy this spring,
attended the PDO to prepare for
the journey of a lifetime. We hope
some of these Americans will join
us on our ski trip and get to know
some of our local AFS Family.
The National Strategic
Language Initiative State
Department Scholarships
(NSLI) - this is the third year of
this expanding program and we
included opportunities for them
to stand up and move around
and talk to new people. We also
made things fun by playing
foreign music during lunchtime
and passing out foreign snacks to
those who guessed the correct
answers.
In order to prepare students
for the culture shock they would
soon be facing, we followed Sally
Ann's suggestion of mixing up
the students' sack lunches. While
have received nearly 2000
nationwide applicants for the
prestigious full ride
scholarships. 600 scholarships will
be awarded and we will be
organizing our Interview Events
before February 16th, in order to
complete these applications.
We are going to have a big
“Stadium Interview Event” for our
nearly 50 Columbia Pacific
students who have applied for the
NSLI scholarship. If you would be
interested in assisting with these
interview events, please let an AFS
volunteer know and we will get
you connected. We will be
sending out general information
about the webinar training
opportunity for the NSLI
interviewers and the dates and
times for the interview events,
when they are set..
This is really an amazing
opportunity for US kids. We
definitely need to get information
out to our schools and families for
next year. Nearly 2000 students
have applied for the 600
scholarships, nationwide.) http://
www.afswiki.org/index.php/
NSLI_for_Youth Check it out!
it did cause some minor
embarrassment, everyone
seemed to understand that
this was just the beginning of
stepping out of their
comfort zones.
Overall, we had a great
time and received very
positive feedback from
participants and parents.
We hope that other volunteers
try their hand at the next PDO
in May.
Finally, I would like to give a
shout out to Sally Ann, Tom &
Robin Hilleary, Ron Combs,
Ruth Ladage, Bernie Gerhardt,
Bernice Schuchart, and Kei Zushi
for their assistance.
Emily Zushi
AFS Columbia Pacific Sending
Coordinator
 Area Team
Chair PAGE 11
James Spears
Chair-Elect
OPEN
The Calendar 2009—2010
Treasurer
Tom Hilleary
FEB EASTER CANDY SALE BEGINS— Fundraiser—Contact Ron Combs (503) 314-
Hosting Coordinators 5243 or r1p2combs3@aol.com
OPEN
Sending Coordinator APRIL 3-4 SEATTLE TRIP—Contact Bernice Schuchardt (503) 775-4161 or email
Emily Leis bmschuch@aol.com
OPEN
Orientation Coordinator APRIL 16-17 THE COLUMBIA GORGE TRIP—OPTIONAL EVENT—$10 fee 25 maximum at-
Ron Combs tendees—Contact Ron Combs (503) 314-5243 or r1p2combs3@aol.com
Support Coordinators
Bernie Gerhardt MAY 1-3 ASHLAND SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL TRIP—OPTIONAL EVENT— Contact Ron
Andrea Rapp Combs (503) 314-5243 or r1p2combs3@aol.com
Volunteer Coordinator
Sally Ann Wells MAY 15 PRE-RETURN ORIENTATION—REQUIRED EVENT— Contact Ron Combs (503)
314-5243 or r1p2combs3@aol.com
Liaison Coordinator
OPEN
MAY 30 DAY AT THE ZOO—Contact Jeff Larson
Returnee Coordinator
Eric Sussman
JUNE END OF STAY PICNIC EVENT—Contact Ron Combs (503) 314-5243 or
Communications r1p2combs3@aol.com
Coordinator
Tami Spears
JUNE 12 GRAND FLORAL PARADE—Contact Ron Combs (503) 314-5243 or
Website r1p2combs3@aol.com
James Spears
CHAPTER/CLUSTER JUNE 27 DEPARTURE DAY
COORDINATORS
Columbia Gorge
Rymmel Lovell
Hillsboro/Forest Grove/Banks
Jim & Erin Linhares
Lake Oswego
Lorie James
North Clackamas
Global Link for Liaisons...
Maggie Frieske AFS has recently transitioned from with the Global Link website, please divided into categories (AFS and You,
North/Northeast Portland AFS Online to Global Link. We are no use the AFS Columbia Pacific Area cultural Adjustment, Goals and
Chris Cradler longer using AFS Online for Liaison Team Liaison link found here: http:// Expectations, etc.) They are listed
Portland West contact summaries. AFS sent out www.afscp.com/monthlyreporting.html month by month at the bottom of the
Sally Ann Wells usernames and passwords to Liaisons in page:
Family and Student Contact
the last few weeks. Please let Andrea http://www.afswiki.org/index.php/
Southeast/Gresham/Sandy Please be sure to file a separate
Rapp know if you did not receive a new liaison_monthly_discussion_guides
Bernice Schuchardt contact for student, and family. The
username and password for Global Link You can also refer to your liaison
Tigard/Tualatin same form is completed for both and
or if you are having difficulty logging in. handbook pages 40 and 42.
Andrea Johnson separate reports must be filed for your
You can email this address with
student and their host family each
Tillamook/Oregon Coast questions: GLHelp@afsusa.org Helpful Links:
month. Please remember to meet
Sue Cudd There are three Global Link self Global Link: https://
separately with your student and their
Wilsonville training modules that might help: An usa.afsglobal.org/AFSGlobal/
family.
Michelle Labrie-Ripple Overview, Structure, and Monthly Self Training Modules: http://
Contacts. School contacts afsusatraining.org/
Yamhill County
I’d like to encourage you to be in Reporting Questions: http://
Tami & James Spears Webinar - Global Link for Liaison
contact with your student’s school www.afswiki.org/index.php/
Camas/Washougal This webinar provides a basic
counselor soon. Liaisons are required global_link_webinars#global_link_f
Ruth Ladage introduction to Global Link designed
to contact the student’s school a or_liaisons
specifically for student-host family
Longview/Kelso/Toledo minimum of three times during the Email Help: GLHelp@afsusa.org
liaisons. It includes: The Structure of
Debbie Erickson year. You may contact your student’s
the System, Key Concepts and Terms,
Vancouver/Battle Ground counselor by phone. Please report this Finally, please let me know if I can
Navigation Tips, and Entering Monthly
Bernie Gerhardt contact just as you would for your do anything to help support you in
Contacts.
student and family. your role as liaison. Your efforts as
YES/FLEX Student
Coordinators
Reporting Reminders: liaisons are much appreciated.
Maggie Frieske AFS is requesting that we have a Liaison Discussion Guides
Rustam Kocher monthly contact reported for all There are discussion guides for Andrea Rapp
Rymmel Lovell students and families through the end students and for families divided into Columbia Pacific AFS Liaison
OPEN of 2009. Please be sure that you have monthly segments. Most of our Coordinator and Support
Visiting Teacher reported your contacts. Here’s a big students will be considered summer Coordinator for Portland Metro,
Coordinators THANK YOU to those of you who arrival to help you find the appropriate Washington County, Clackamas
Jerrie Nelson have filed contact reports monthly. link. These provide ideas and County, Yamhill County and the
Sally Ann Wells Your efforts are much appreciated! If suggestions about topics to cover with Coast.
you happen to experience difficulty your student and their family and are
AFS
COLUMBIA
PACIFIC
Tami Spears
1025 NE Irvine St.
McMinnville, OR 97128

Want Souvenir/Scrapbook? E-Mail: Ron Combs r1p2combs3@aol.com

For more information and for our newsletter archives, visit the Columbia-Pacific website at www.AFSCP.com