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1
HOLIDAYS AROUND THE WORLD
MEXICO
by Mariana Vargas (AFSer from Mexico)“For
Christmas,
Nacimiento
,
we put different little statues representing each characterof Jesus’ birthday (Virgin Mary, Jose, the 3 magic kings, the cow, the donkey, and babyJesus). We go to church in this time of the year for thanks to God.
Posadas
is a Mexican party when we sing songs about when the Virgin Mary waspregnant and trying to find a place to spend the night. We break a
piñata
which is filledwith candies. The piñata is raised above the children who have sticks and they hit it tobreak it and get the candy. But, it is not easy because we cover the kids’ eyes because itwill be very easy if we don’t do that. Also we drink punch, eat tamales, and turn on“
luces de vengolla
.” It is like a stick and when you put fire on it, it makes it look like amagic want or a star.For Christmas dinner, we spend the night at my grandmother’s house, and we bring giftsfor each member of the family. Sometimes we make an exchange of gifts, I mean,someone has to give a gift to a person, but in top secret (sometimes this is not topsecret), just one person and this person another one…or we make two gifts and one is a joke and the other one is real. You can give gum or underwear for a joke and whateveryou want to make them laugh. We eat
baccollcio
, ham, salad, drink wine with thewhole family, then the kids go to sleep while the adults are dancing. “Santa Claus” putsgifts under the tree and the next day kids wake up very early for opening the gifts.”
New Year’s Traditions
"For New Year's, all the family gets together again. It is a tradition that each one has toeat 12 grapes at noon (12 p.m.). Each grape represents a month of the New Year andwhile you're eating, you have to make 12 wishes or 12 goals for the New Year.We also give red underwear that represents good luck and you have to wear it if youwant. Also we put sheep [don’t think she means live ones] on the door for good luck."
JAPAN
by Mao Ogihara (Mariana’s host sister)“We do not really celebrate
Christmas
(not like here), but on the 25
th
in the night myparents give us presents that night (when we are sleeping). They wake up at midnightand then come to my room, put the present in my room, and then I open the present thenext morning. We will decorate the Christmas tree between December 20 to 24,usually, decorate in our house."
New Year’s in Japan
On New Year’s Eve we go to the shrine and then after we goback home. At midnight we eat buckwheat [noodles] with the family and for children,we will get money from the family, cousins, grandparents…etc.).”
*Continued in Student news*
Columbia Pacific News Letter
December 2004
2
Misc. News
HOSTING
Do you know a family who would makea good AFS family? AFSers ask yourfriends if they are interested, give theirnames, addresses and phone numbers toSally Ann Wells.…sawells@teleport.com. There couldbe a nice reward for you if they decide tohost.
Helping In The Community
.
In November, Mariana (Mexico), Mao(Japan, host sister of Mariana), andLara (Iceland) volunteered at anauction put on by the IOF for theGales Creek Diabetic Camp. Theyworked as servers and kitchenhelpers.We had a colorful
pinata
at theEastside Christmas party. It wasmade by Mariana Vargas, Mexico.She spent 4 hours at Bernice's homeworking on it. So, the next time yousee her, give her a hug and thankher. She was unable to attend theparty.
AFS-USA News
Vancouver-Battle GroundChapter CommemoratesVeterans' Day with WWIIAmbulance Driver
Author :JannaSherman/UNY/USA/AFSIP
Date :11/08/2004
On November 6, 2004, six AFSExchange Students, a Global Educator,and one host sister, marched with WorldWar II Veteran ambulance driver,Robert Dodds, in the annual VeteransDay Parade in Vancouver, WA. Mr.Dodds served in Burma and India from1943-45. The students and teacher arepart of the Vancouver-Battle GroundChapter of the Columbia Pacific AreaTeam. They were to have beenaccompanied by an original ambulancebut at the last minute it becameunavailable. Qing Huang, educator fromChina, was joined by students ShannaWulandaru, Indonesia; NorodinPangilan, Philippines; Matthias Brunner,Switzerland; Simge Zilif, Turkey; EliisaAlatalo, Finland; and Paola Merellofrom Chile, with her host sister, CaitlinVeitenheimer.
T-SHIRT CONTEST
We are looking for entries for the T-shirt contest. All you artists, get to thedrawing board and start working onyour entry. We will determine at thenext Area Team meeting what yourprize will be….It will be a good one! Inthe past, we have had designs whichwere submitted by a couple studentsworking together. Designs couldinclude the country flags of all the kidswho are here this year…2004-2005…orany creative idea you may have. CallRon Combs at 503 777-8117 for moreinfo.
NEWSLETTER CONTRIBUTIONS
Do you have some newsworthy items forthe newsletter? How about hearing fromsome of our families, liaisons, andcluster leaders about what your kids aredoing in school, participation in sports,plays, travels, etc. Send to BerniceSchuchardt atbmschuch@aol.com. Thedeadline for the next issue will beFebruary 1.
HELP CHANGE MONTHLY TAXDEDUCTION FOR HOSTFAMILIES
AFS’s Marketing & Communicationswould like to encourage host families,volunteers, and staff to supportgovernment legislation crucial toincreasing the monthly tax deduction forfamilies hosting foreign exchangestudents from $50 to $200. In responseto concerns from a host family in hisdistrict, Rep. Robert Andrews (D-NJ)introduced the Youth Exchange SupportAct, H.R. 869, during the 108thCongress, to raise the deduction. Thismodest increase would encourage morefamilies to host students, and would be atangible signal that our governmentvalues their very important contribution. As the 108th Congress comes to a close,we ask you take less than 5 minutes tocontact your Representative and Senatorsto urge them to sponsor and supportsimilar legislation during the upcoming109th Congress which begins in January.
A letter has been prepared for your use(or modification) and is posted on theAlliance for International Educationaland Cultural Exchange Website athttp://capwiz.com/alliance-change/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=6544896.Type your name and address in the form(to correctly identify your Congresspeople) and hit Send. That's it!
3
Student News
HOLIDAYS AROUNDTHE WORLD
(Continued from front page.)
ITALY
by Lucrezia Scattu andNoemi Serdino (AFSers)“
Christmas in Italy
…first of all, westart to decorate the house just a week before Christmas. We decorate theChristmas tree, or the crib, or both(depends on personal taste).Everybody starts running to the storesto buy the food for the “big”Christmas lunch. We say big lunchand not dinner, because we start to eatat about 12 o’clock and we finish afterabout 5-6 hours. The typical lunch isroasted lamb (Gnare), lasagna, roastedpork, salami, prosciutto, olives,roasted potatoes (cooked in thefireplace), roasted chestnuts, pandoro,panettone, ice cream. During the mealwe drink different kinds of red wine,and we also drink a rose wine with thedessert (everybody drinks it!).The night of Christmas Eve, weusually go to a midnight function withthe new clothes. But before we gothere, we wait for Santa Claus toarrive. Yes, we have a group of youngguys (18-40 yrs.) who dressthemselves with Santa Claus clothesand they go to every house, givingpresents to every child.For
New Year’s Eve
, we usually startto cook the “big dinner” (another hugemeal, oh, my gosh!) hours before weeat. This dinner is pretty much likethe Christmas dinner, but we also cook the fish and seafood and a typical dish“
zampone/cotechino
and
lenticchie
”(the pork leg and lentil soup), that weeat only at midnight, because thelentils are the symbol of the moneythat you’re going to have next year if you eat those, and we also eat the pork just because it is good with the lentils.We usually drink spamonte (asparkling white wine) at exactlymidnight and we do the fireworks. Atypical tradition is to wear redunderwear. We put a coin inside ourshoes to call the fortune. In fact, webelieve that if we do something thisnight and the day after, we’re going todo this for all the rest of the year. Thecelebration lasts all night…nobodygoes to sleep.We are really glad to share thesetraditions with the other AFSmembers, hoping that everyone likesthem, and finally we would like towish you a
Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo
! (Happy Christmas and HappyNew Year). ”Lucrezia (Lu) and Noemi (Namy)
CURFEW IN PORTLAND
At Camp Adams this year we had acouple Clackamas County policeofficers talk about various lawspertaining to teenagers. Here are thecurfew laws for Portland. They differfor each city. For all you AFSerswho do not like Portland’s curfewlaws, just this past week in the
Oregonian
it was announced that inPendleton beginning on January 3,students will not allowed be allowedto leave the school grounds during thehours school is in session. This samelaw also applies in McMinnville andSalem.
14A.80.010 Curfew.
A. It is unlawfulfor any minor to be in or upon anypublic property or public right of waybetween the hours specified in thisSection, unless such minor isaccompanied by a parent, guardian orother person 21 years of age or overand authorized by the parent or by thelaw to have care and custody of theminor, or unless such minor is thenengaged in a school activity or lawfulemployment that makes it necessary tobe in or upon any city property orpublic right of way during the hoursspecified in this Section. For minorsunder the age of 14 years who havenot begun high school, curfew isbetween 9:15 p.m. and 6 a.m. of thefollowing morning, except that on anyday immediately preceding a day forwhich no public school is scheduled inthe City, the curfew is between 10:15p.m. and 6 a.m. of the followingmorning. For children 14 years of ageor older who have begun high school,curfew is between 10:15 p.m. and 6a.m. of the following morning, exceptthat on any day immediately precedinga day for which no public school isscheduled in the City, curfew isbetween 12 midnight and 6 a.m. of thefollowing morning.
THE HOST FAMILY CORNER…..
Q. My student wants to travel toLos Angeles with anotherorganization. Is this possible?
A. All requests for independenttravel must be made to the AreaTeam Support Coordinator ordesignated volunteer at least twoweeks prior to the student’sproposed travel date. Here are thesteps that must be followed. Yourstudent should not make anydefinite travel plans until thesesteps are completed:
•
Get permission from host family,Area Team Support Coordinator(Bernie Gerhardt), or designatedvolunteer (your clustercoordinator) and AFS staff.
•
Provide name and phone numberof organization, andcontact/chaperone person.
•
Provide dates and destinations of the proposed travel to host familyand volunteer or staff person, andpurpose of trip. (Include travelplans, itinerary, accommodations,and how student can be contactedin case of an emergency).
•
Volunteers must confirm planswith AFS-USA.
•
Student should contact naturalfamily and seek permission.
•
Natural family must then make aformal request to the AFS officein the student’s home country fora Travel Waiver.
•
AFS office in student’s homecountry will then forward asigned copy of the travel Waiverto AFS-USA. Students may nottravel until the signed waiver hasarrived in the appropriateRegional Service Center.
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2004 December Newsletter
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