A Chicago Invasion of Greenheart Proportion
By Annie Reifsnyder, Academic Year Program, Area Coordinator for Southeastern Wisconsin
Annie center, with CCI & Greenheart staff
When I was a junior in college I went into the study abroad office and picked up a brochure about spending four months in Kenya. My advisor chuckled and said – that program is amazing – but you will spend the rest of your life searching out experiences that top your time there. I hesitated and began to put the brochure away, but in the end I grabbed it and jumped on a plane to Africa completely changing my life and the direction it headed.
I came to CCI in search of international experiences while in Milwaukee. I wanted to help shape the American lives of students much like my younger self who had chosen something different; a unique opportunity to impact the course their future would chart. My time with CCI has been short, but my experiences vast and memorable. I literally have three teenagers who I confide in, serve with, and look forward to seeing on a regular basis. They have turned me into a better person. I also have made lifelong friendships with other local coordinators and our amazing CCI staff.
During Presidents’ weekend, I got to see a perfect snapshot that summaries my time with CCI and how much I truly love my job. Erica Rohrs and I hosted a group of 15 exchange students. They renovated a center devoted to helping teen parents, explored Navy Pier, danced at Ed Debevics, expanded their knowledge at the Museum of Science and Industry, and soared to new heights in the Willis Tower.
Throughout the weekend we had help from amazing CCI staff members who gave up their time to help us volunteer and organize. We also met amazing host families who are the real rock of this organization and inspire me daily for all the countless acts of kindness they do for our students. However, the real treat was seeing the students interact with each other.
They swapped stories, compared experiences, and laughed a lot. For some of them it was a time to unleash and speak their native languages – to feel a bit of home so far away. Andrea from Venezuela so eloquently stated that her favorite thing about the trip was the people, it did not matter what they did. The fact is that even as a well-traveled local coordinator I can never fully relate to their experiences here only they can to each other’s.
I knew CCI existed to help social transformation and cross cultural understanding, but to see such bonds form this weekend for our students was incredibly humbling. To live Greenheart and see it embodied transformed me. So, thanks to the amazing people within CCI, my students, and all those we hosted this weekend – I can safely say another life experience has surpassed the incredibly high standard I was hesitant I would be able to recreate.
The group after volunteering.
Watch a video with highlights from the trip: Chicago Invasion of Greenheart Proportion
My American Christmas: An Experience that Stays Year-round
CCI high school exchange students have crossed their midway point of their school year and a majority of them had Christmas to celebrate at that benchmark. Mariana, an exchange student living in Wetumpka, Alabama, introduced herself to you via this blog in December and wants to continue to share her exchange experience with you. While Christmas is already a distant memory for most of us, it is still a wonderful, magical experience that will stay with her always. Here is her account of her “American Christmas.”
By Mariana, a CCI exchange student
My first American Christmas! It was almost Christmas when my host family and I started putting up the Christmas tree. It was so fun to decorate the entire house with Christmas lights, multiple Santa figures, Christmas stockings and all of the Christmas decorations. We went to “Christmas on the Coosa,” which is a Christmas Parade downtown and at night we went back downtown to see the fireworks. It was amazing!
One of the things I was so excited about was the famous “Elf on the Shelf” (hahaha). In Brazil, we don’t have the tradition of telling kids that the elf is working for Santa and that the elf will tell Santa everything the kids do. It was so much fun at my house because we had to move the elf everyday so my little host brother could find him. 
On Christmas day, my host family and I woke up early to open the presents. There were a lot of presents under the tree! My host family gave me a jacket, a bracelet, a Bible, nail polishes, pajamas, lotions, and gift cards and my friends gave me a lot of presents too! We went to Church and it was so good! After that we had a Christmas lunch at my host mom’s friend’s house.
In my home country, we have a Christmas Supper on December 24th and we open presents right after midnight on December 25th. In Alabama, we had Christmas Lunch and open presents in the morning of the 25th.
I had a great Christmas and I hope every exchange student had the opportunity to have an amazing Christmas like I did!
Volunteering is Like a Sport
By Mariya Pavlova, a FLEX student and Greenheart Club member
Mariya is a CCI exchange student who has logged 118 volunteer hours for the Greenheart Club! Mariya, who is from Russia, shares her experience being a volunteer in Texas below.
Mariya Volunteering
It was always interesting for me to know what volunteering exactly was. I heard about it, I saw it on TV, but had never done it myself, because volunteer work is not that popular in Russia. But I got a chance to try it as soon as I came to the USA. So my first volunteer experience was at a Food Bank. I thought it was a really great idea to create such an organization. It helps people to overcome their life difficulties by decreasing expenses for food. That’s why I spent a lot of time working there. One of my favorite volunteering experiences was working with special education kids. I am in on the Dance Team in my high school and my dance teacher is also a special education teacher. So when my dance teacher asked me if I would like to be a cheerleader coach for Special Olympics, I didn’t hesitate to join. We had so much fun with those girls! I’ll never forget their happy faces when they got the movement and they could repeat it. That just meant a lot for them, to get their minute of fame, to be the center of attention.
A big part of the volunteer hours I’ve earned have been through my participation in the Key Club at my high school. We had so many interesting volunteer projects: Ronald McDonald’s, March of Dimes, Haunted House, and one that I liked the most was Trick or Treating for UNICEF. At the Halloween night we dressed up in different costumes and went to knock to the houses and ask for no, not for candies (though most of the people gave us candies as well), but for donations. And we got a lot of donations that day. We were proud of what we had done. We sent all the money to the UNICEF-our small part to help kids in Africa to get clothes, food, and education. Also it was fun to wrap the Christmas presents at Walgreen’s and help at Down Syndrome Partnership event in Arlington with our CCI local coordinator.
Now it’s getting harder and harder to find time for volunteer work. There are so many activities at school: track and field, tennis, theater, dance…Almost every day I come back home late in the evening. But I am not going to give up, I do like to volunteer and will always find some time for that. I guess volunteering is like a sport: once you’ve tried it, you can’t really stop doing it, and you can’t live without regular practice.
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Brazilian Work & Travel Participant Observes Environmental Practices
By Fabio Rezende, Winter Work & Travel Participant and Greenheart Club member
Fabio is a Work & Travel participant from Brazil who works as a lifeguard for Winkler Pool Management in the Washington DC area. Below Fabio reflects on similarities and differences of environmental practices in his home country in comparison to Washington DC for the Greenheart Club.
Fabio in front of the White House
The amount of trash that a single person generates each day, each time increases more. Although it is a quick and easy task to throw our garbage at the disposal places, sometimes, we don’t actually see, where this trash (and the entire amount that we produce outside our houses) goes to, and how much we actually generate.
Last July, I had a great experience through the north of Brazil with my classmates. I visited a small poor city in the amazon forest called Pracuuba. I could see that the city, one of the last cities in the rainforest of Brazil had all kinds of problems. One of their biggest ones was the trash and no way to dispose of it. From a city that is separated from a river one side, and the great Amazon Forest at the other side, where could they of dispose it? Before our arrival, we noticed that all the trash was being thrown at open areas camps. The trash would stay there before being buried or burnt. Our action group was formed by students of biology, nutrition, theater, law, and my major civil engineering. As we received the community’s issues, we divide it among us and each one was responsible for solving one problem. I got the trash one. After spending some days at the city, we could see how deep the problem was, trash bags all over the forest area, on the riverside, and even in the houses’ backyards. Also there was no understanding of the danger to their health. As the days were passing, the city was teaching us a lot of things, and we had to do something to help them. Our solution had to be flexible, not only we should get a solution for the trash, but also make a change of their habits. So the key for the problem was right there, the kids, the small ones, we should start with them.
Our strategy was very simple; we asked the kids to retrieve all aluminum cans, and plastic bottles. Also they were told to save the used cooking oil for a “secret recipe”. So at the schools, the students were told to bring their plastic bottles and aluminum cans. After a period of time, we were able not only to transform the trash into toys, but also to teach them how to make the toys and to share with their friends. With the used oil, it was time to teach something to the parents. Using some ingredients such as caustic soda and some perfumes we were able to transform the oil into soap. That was a major accomplishment. Many of the people used to spend their money on soap, and were also throwing away a lot of oil. Additionally, around the town we created “eco-points” were the citizens could dispose their garbage properly and separate recycling. With these small things, we were able to reduce a HUGE amount of trash that was being produced, and also we were able to create toys and soap for them. It was a great experience.
After this project in my home country Brazil, I received an even bigger challenge of working in the USA. Thanks to CCI, my experience in the USA is happening in the best way possible. A few weeks after my arrival, making the inevitable comparisons among every single thing here to my country, I was able to produce this report. This report contains some observations and suggestions for improvements among our community. First of all, after I got to the USA, there was a huge change of lifestyle from our homes, cooking, cleaning, and buying food. Washing clothes was something that although I knew how to do I wasn’t used to do back in Brazil. The reason I didn’t wash clothes back in Brazil is that hand-labor is not so valued as it is here in the USA.
I am living in the Washington DC area that is covered by a Metro Rail System, so you can easily make your way through the tracks and the buses around the area. The Metro can completely substitute the use of a car. Also, there are even Hybrid Taxi car’s so you can even have a green ride even if you take a car. Also, there are spots all over Washington DC called, “Capital Bike Share” where you can rent bikes for a cheap price 365 days a year. The best part is these bikes can be returned at ANY “bike share” spot.
Bikes from the Bike Share in DC
The water and the wastewater from the area of DC, parts of Maryland and Virginia is managed by the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority. One of the top goals of this organization is to protect the water quality of the Potomac river. The Sewer Authority additionally works towards this goal with frequent Environmental Education sessions among the community.
Potomac River
On the garbage separation issue, I could see good, and bad points. On one hand, every place that holds a large amount of people usually has special places for bottles. On the other hand, the separation of recyclables from plastic, aluminum, paper and metal, is not so common among the DC community. But there are a few points where those items can be dropped for recycling, usually grocery stores and markets.
The Fashion Centre in Pentagon City has recharge stations for electrical cars in their parking lots. Another governmental initiative is the HOV lanes for people who carpool. These lanes provide a significant gain of time, and reduction of pollution and traffic.
Electric Car recharge stations
Although in my country, Brazil, we are one if not the champion among recycling aluminum cans, we still have much to learn from other countries. As our public transportation is mostly based on buses that could be improved to use less pollutant fuel, also the wastewater treatment and collection is something that is not avaible for everyone the country. Due to high taxes, unfortunely hybrid cars today are not a reality in Brazil. As a students being able to see, live, and learn about green solutions in another country is a great experience. We as students must improve and implement those good ideas. Thanks to Greenheart I was able to look through another point of view of this country. Now is the time to work some more! Coming back to my experience in the North of Brazil, I know exactly where to start my following projects, with the children of my country!
Important Work & Travel Employer Reminder: U.S. Department of State’s Kentucky Consular Center Verification Calls
By Lilly Leyh
Reminder: The U.S. Department of State’s Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) has started making routine calls to verify Summer 2012 job offers. Do not be alarmed if they call to check in. The purpose of these calls is to confirm participant job offers so that we can all have a successful season!
Important things to remember:
1.) Identify the caller. Only release information to the Department of State and the Kentucky Consular Center. (Participant information is private, so do not release their personal information to research or interest groups without their consent.)
2.) Ask the caller to send you an email describing the information they are requesting. This email should come from a state.gov email address (not gmail, hotmail, yahoo, etc).
3.) Reply to the State Department email. Usually the KCC is verifying pay, number of participants hired and their names. Please follow up with them, as employers who did not respond to these calls in the past received participant visa denials. In other words, if they don’t hear back from you they think you didn’t really offer the jobs!
4.) Inform your CCI contact that you were contacted and have followed up with the Department of State and Kentucky Consular Center.
As always, we ask that you log into your CCI ONLINE account regularly (at least weekly) to familiarize yourself with participant names and program dates. Please let us know if you have any questions about these check-in calls.
Here’s to a successful upcoming summer!
Intern in America: My experience as a Kosovan in small town Iowa
By Arbnora, Career Advancement Program Intern from Kosovo
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Hi everyone, my name is Arbnora, and I’m from Kosovo.
I lived In Kosovo and right now I live in Muscatine, Iowa, USA.
I graduated from the university “ILIRIA” in Pristine, Kosovo with a bank accounting and finance degree, and right now I intern at Central State Bank, my host organization, here in Muscatine.
Everyone must be so confused how I made this happen, right? I will tell you now…
It was all about knowing people and contacting them. This is how it started: my host father contacted people here in banking and they told him that an internship would be a really nice opportunity for both me and the bank; they felt I had really nice skills for this type of work so they accepted me to do the internship here. But it was really impossible just to come without a J-1 sponsor, so my host father looked for an exchange program and they told him that the nicest organization was CCI. He contacted CCI and they helped us with papers and different documents needed to prepare before you apply for your visa. So everything was as good as we wanted to be and I got a visa, I came here, and I started interning.
The bank here is so different from Kosovo. The biggest difference you can see is that here you have a chance to work and advance your skills by yourself. I work by myself I have my own bank system that bank trusted me with. I have my own office so that I can be able to concentrate during my work hours, and I have my personal assistant who I can go and ask them for every single detail that I want to know. My boss, the employees, and bank staff are so nice and friendly we share lunch break together and we hang out sometimes together too.
Besides working, I was able to see again lots of people that I have met on my first trip to the U.S. Those people are important part of my life, and I’m so thankful all to them for everything. With some of them I shared the holidays so I was able to see and visit a lots of different places like Arizona, Las Vegas, Minnesota, Grand Canyon, and Petrified Forest.
So far everything is going just perfect and I cannot ask for better… so take your chances try and come and visit United States of America. Nothing can stop you from making your dreams come true. Do it through CCI- they can help you!
Istanbul, The City of Minarets
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By Travis Roy, Work and Travel Administrative AssistantThere’s a lot of chatter around the office of upcoming summer job fairs taking place in a variety of interesting and exotic locations around the world, but I only seem to find my mind drifting at the mention of one, Istanbul.
Few cities possess the awe inspiring essence of that of Istanbul. Spanning two continents, boasting a population of over 13 million, and a history that dates well back beyond 500 BC, you would be hard-pressed to find someone who’s heart didn’t skip a beat at the first sight of this metropolis.
I was fortunate enough to find myself in Istanbul during the tail end of a summer in 2007 while traveling up from the Greek islands to Ukraine. Using the last bit of my Lira on a taxi from the bus depot to the charming borough of the city know as Sultanahmet, I was able to secure a hostel room using a passport as collateral in the wee hours of the morning. I had planned on wandering the city for 3 or 4 days but as I awoke at dawn’s first light to the adhān, the islamic call to prayer, I briefly considered shortening my stay. Fortunately the feeling passed at the first sun-drenched sight of my surroundings. I didn’t have to walk more than a few cobblestoned blocks before stumbling on the world famous Hagia Sofya. A simple about-face resulted in breathtaking views across the perfectly manicured gardens leading up to the Sultan Ahmed, or Blue Mosque. As I continued to make my way through the vast and lively city, I found I was just as impressed by its subtleties as by its grandiose attractions. Music and wonderful smells followed me wherever I went. The subtly rolling hills on which the city is built afforded the occasional glimpse of an elegant skyline strewn with lofty minarets.
I didn’t even mind the street vendors who seemed more interested in chatting than selling their colorful rugs and aromatic spices. The only drawback of that first day was my attempt to withdraw some much needed Lira from the ATM. My bank, as a “safety measure”, had put a block on any transactions made in the country of Turkey. It being the beginning of a long weekend in the US, I didn’t hold out much luck for accessing my account anytime soon. After a slight bout of panic, I remembered the small amount of American currency I was carrying for situations specifically in tune with this one. The modest bit of cash I was left with ended up being enough to sample more than a few different examples of wonderful Turkish cuisine.
As I continued to explore the seemingly infinite sights, I started to realize my original allotment of 3 or 4 days just wasn’t going to cut it. I still had to see the Grand Bazaar, take in the Bosphorus Strait and stroll through Gulhane Park to the Topkapi Palace. When I was finally obligated to leave in order to keep in the good graces of several friends, 14 wondrous days had passed under the numerous towering minarets of Istanbul.
So for all you employers headed to Turkey next month, or anyone else headed there in the near future, I am eternally jealous of the experience that awaits you…just remember to call your bank before you go. Happy travels!
Greenheart Grant Goes to Children in Rural China
By Lijuan Zheng, a Greenheart Club grant recipient, and former Work & Travel participant.
Lijuan spent last summer working in Wisconsin on our Work & Travel program and she additionally participated in the Greenheart Club! As an active club member Lijuan earned a grant to do a Greenheart project in her home country of China. Below she shares how she used her grant to help impoverished children of migrant workers in rural China.
Lijuan hugging students
In the rural area of China, there are some lovely kids who are left at home. Where are their parents? In order to support the family, their parents have to leave the hometown and work in big cities as migrants. The kids are left with their grandparents or other relatives.
They are always very lonely, though their parents love them so much. Due to great distances, they can’t feel the deep love from their parents. Children are the future of the motherland and are the nation’s hope. They need love, the love from friends, the love from teachers, and the love from the society. Encouraged by this, some of my schoolmates and I reached an agreement and organized an activity called, “Compassion, dreams interpreted.” We sent our love and best wishes to these kids. We wanted them to know there are still many people who love them, care for them, and want them to have a good growing environment in this world. We want to help them build up the right philosophy so that they can become productive members of society.
At the at the beginning of our activity, we chose a special school where almost all the students are children of migrant workers. We visited their school and taught them some useful knowledge. We also played with them and told them stories, sung to them and so on. The most important thing we did was we let the kids write down their wishes. Encouraging them to study hard, we also chose some kids visit our school. Lastly, we brought the kids some small gifts. I will never forget the happiness on the faces of these lovely boys and girls during our visit.
The day of the visit was a very warm sunny day when my schoolmates and I took the gifts to the school. It happened to be the celebration of the new year. The kids were enjoying a new year special performance. My classmates and watched their wonderful show. The performance was moving.
After the wonderful performance, we started to distribute the gifts. When the kids got a gift they reacted with smiles and some jumped with joy. At that moment I knew all of our work and effort was worthwhile!
Finally, I appreciate the help of Greenheart. I appreciate their contribution to the environment and people. I encourage more people to get involved in Greenheart’s meaningful activities.
Here are some more pictures of Lijuan’s visit to the school in rural China:
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Summer Work and Travel: A Win-Win Situation for All
By Laura Rose, CEO, Center for Cultural Interchange
The preamble of the U.S. government’s Fulbright-Hays Act of 1961 states that its purpose is to “increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and… other countries by means of educational and cultural exchange; to strengthen the ties which unite us… to promote international cooperation for educational and cultural advancement; and thus to assist in the development of friendly, sympathetic, and peaceful relations between the United States and the other countries of the world.”
Since its inception, the U.S. Department of State has instituted a variety of cultural exchange programs to promote the objectives of the Fulbright-Hays Act, but there are none that offer a larger number of young people the opportunity to benefit more from these venerable ideals than the Summer Work & Travel (SWT) Program.
Requiring neither the support of government scholarships nor significant investments on the part of the participants, the SWT is an affordable cultural exchange program that enables some 100,000 internationally enrolled university students, many of modest means, to visit the U.S. each year on a short-term J-1 visa during their summer break. With the low program costs offset by the pay they earn in a variety of industries as seasonal support staff across the nation, these young people report having substantive experiences that permit them to return to their home countries with an invariably improved view of the U.S.
Because the jobs these exchange students perform are seasonal and primarily related to the tourist industry, the Summer Work and Travel participants satisfy a tremendous need by American employers to fill jobs in areas with comparatively low populations apart from the tourist season. Many companies attest to the fact that once they have visited their local high schools, colleges and job fairs in order to hire qualified American workers, they turn to the international SWT program to fill their remaining needs, enabling them to successfully operate their businesses each year.
Additionally, SWT program employers testify to the tremendous benefit enjoyed by their customers, American employees and their communities through the opportunity to interact positively with these international exchange students, thereby improving their own perspectives of the world.
As a means to capture the positive spirit of the students, employers and American co-workers who have the opportunity to work side-by-side, the Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange, in cooperation with CCI and the contribution of several program sponsors, has created a short video to share some of their heart-warming views.
As we reflect on the laudable ideals of the Fulbright-Hays Act, we can be assured that the Summer Work & Travel program is one of its most accessible and significant contributors to its goals, providing a win-win situation for all.
Exchange Student Brightens Future by Volunteering Now
By Serhiy Rokachov, a FLEX student and Greenheart Club member
Serhiy in New York City
When I came to America, I didn’t really want to volunteer and deemed it boring. But because it’s the requirement of CCI for grant students and because my local coordinator nagged me about it in every single email she sent me, I originally decided to do just 40 hours of community service as CCI required. The first organization I volunteered for was Youth Court of Jefferson County in New York. I was astonished at how interesting it was: I participated in a real court session and had training about the U.S. justice system in America thereby scrutinizing the US criminal laws. Through participation in the Youth Court I’ve acquired an immense experience which definitely will help me in my future profession. Apart from the valuable professional experience, I’ve received such important skills as public speaking and analytic thinking that help me so much at school. After Youth Court I understand that community service is actually very interesting. Moreover it gives a lot of advantages to me as a prospective college student because most universities consider volunteerism in making admission decisions. So, I’ve decided to do as many community service hours as possible to make a difference. I’ve been working for various organizations in my host community helping them to prepare for different events. One of my most memorable volunteer work experiences I had was wrapping Christmas presents. I could never believe that it takes so much time to wrap gifts (in total before the New Year I worked for about 30 hours just wrapping presents for events in different organizations). So, volunteer work as a Greenheart member became an integral part of my cultural experience in America as I’ve comprehended important features of the US culture and made a lot of friends.
Serhiy and his host family in Times Square
