The Cedar Rapids-Iowa City (CR-IC) Friendship Force Club was invited by the Ribeirao Preto and Salvador-Bahia Clubs to participate in a cultural exchange. It was the “winter” season in Brazil, with average daily temperatures below 80 degrees (F). It felt much like summer in Iowa. Ambassadors included Judy Miner, Geri Frascht, Barb Steggall and Jim Steggall from the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City Club along with...
On November 1, a warm, sunny day, our group of 21 ambassadors arrived in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Some came directly there and others stopped in Hong Kong for a short visit. We enjoyed visiting with our host families and their extended families; walking through their neighborhoods, cheering for the home team at a member’s week-end baseball game and experiencing Taiwan through our host’s eyes. We...
Journey Coordinator Marian Wetjen and eight Club members participated in a one-night Journey to the Quad Cities Club on Sept. 29 and 30. This was a reciprocal visit from a journey to Cedar Rapids in 2015. We toured Shady Knoll Farm (pumpkins, flowers, met the owner, animals, picture taking opportunity), Hampton Heritage Center to see the world’s largest Ginkgo tree carving, Campbell War of...
The Kosovo Open world delegation was exciting and filled with curious, knowledgeable young people. We learned of a close association between Kosovo and Iowa. There are two Kosovo Consulates in the US, one in New York and one in Des Moines, plus the Embassy in DC. The delegates learned a great deal about language development and immigration in Iowa. West Liberty was an eye-opener...
Lower Columbia Washington journey to Cedar Rapids-Iowa City Eleven members of the Lower Columbia, Wash., Friendship Force Club started their journey to Cedar Rapids-Iowa City with a welcome party on Sept. 5 at George and Stephanie Schulte’s home. On Wednesday, the group toured Cedar Rapids with Sandy Fowler, assistant city manager, followed by a tour of Turner Alley and the Grant Wood exhibit...
Our Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Journey FFI has introduced some changes. Did you know we no longer have Exchanges? A Journey is the word for our adventures now But we can still reach out and make new friends anyhow. We all arrived in wind and rain, But a warm Welcome Dinner soon eased our pain. In Kalona we were well fed...