By Moon Seung Yeon, China Project Intern
On New Year’s Day of 2010, I landed in Indianapolis for the very first time. I vividly remember when I took my first step out of the airplane. That moment I was worried about how I was going to adapt to a new continent, one that was completely unfamiliar to me. Now more than 5 years later, I am getting ready to graduate from college in December. Just like all the other international students, I came to the U.S in order to get a college degree. I have faced many challenges such as homesickness, cultural differences and language barriers. In other words, I had various forms of culture shock. Nevertheless I could have never overcome these obstacles and successfully progressed through college if it wasn’t for the kindness and hospitality of the people in Indiana!
Getting the Most Out of a Cultural Exchange
By Mallory Noble, International Visitor Leadership Program Intern
Through traveling abroad and with my experiences interning with the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) department this summer, I have come to discover how important and valuable it is to connect and share ideas with different people from around the world. Recently, I returned from studying in Tours, France for a month, and the experiences I gained from simply getting to know the people I was living and going to school with everyday were ones that I will never forget.
Through traveling abroad and with my experiences interning with the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) department this summer, I have come to discover how important and valuable it is to connect and share ideas with different people from around the world. Recently, I returned from studying in Tours, France for a month, and the experiences I gained from simply getting to know the people I was living and going to school with everyday were ones that I will never forget.CITIZEN DIPLOMACY ALIVE AND WELL – AT HOME AND IN OUR NATION’S CAPITAL
By Billie Fouts, VP Marketing & Development
A year ago next month I boarded a plane bound for Washington, D.C. to rendezvous with a top International Center volunteer, Betty Bledsoe, along with 10 of her 11 adopted children. The occasion: They, not just SHE, were to be presented with the Lorinne Emery Volunteer of the Year award from Global Ties U.S. Global Ties U.S. is the organization under the purview of the U.S. Department of State that administers the nation’s premiere citizen diplomacy program for visits to the U.S. by delegations of emerging leaders from around the world.
A year ago next month I boarded a plane bound for Washington, D.C. to rendezvous with a top International Center volunteer, Betty Bledsoe, along with 10 of her 11 adopted children. The occasion: They, not just SHE, were to be presented with the Lorinne Emery Volunteer of the Year award from Global Ties U.S. Global Ties U.S. is the organization under the purview of the U.S. Department of State that administers the nation’s premiere citizen diplomacy program for visits to the U.S. by delegations of emerging leaders from around the world.