Dave King of IdeaJoy has been interviewing bloggers on his site--and

they generally answer questions on theirs. It's been fun to visit other

sites and get to know other bloggers, even if only in cyberspace.

Thanks Dave! Here are the questions he had for me and my attempt

to answer them:

Q: Is the Twins-Yankees series a big deal in your house?

A: I remember when the Twins were in the World Series in 1987 and

then again in 1991. Those were the days of Kent Hrbek and Kerby

Puckett. Lately, our interest in the Twins has been rekindled, and my

husband has been watching the games--either here or at his brother's

house. Our boys had some interest, but friends and band practice

took precedence over baseball viewing. I'm sure if we had gone on to

the World Series, we would have been glued to the TV--but as it was,

Tim watched the Vikings, then fell asleep during the Twins game that

followed.

Q: In hosting exchange students, what part of American culture has

been the hardest to explain?

A: This is a tough question to answer, since we've had students from

Asia, South America, and now Europe--and each has different areas

of difficulties to deal with here, but each has adapted amazingly well.

Maybe the one common element would be balance--balancing social

life with home life and school life. Some students have been home

quite a bit, others have ventured out and are not home much at all.

Most students are not used to school-centered activities like we have

here in the US--they go to clubs or other social settings for their fun.

There have also been isolated incidents of cultural quirkiness--our

Japanese girl had a hard time going to the passenger side of the car,

since in Japan they drive on the other side (something I thought was

unique to England!). She also was very annoyed when I put me feet

up on a desk near her books--very taboo in Japan! (Feet go on the

floor only, and not by personal items.) Other adjustments, but not

really cultural things, have been getting used to Minnesotan (our

Japanese student called it "American weather") seasonal changes.

Almost all of them have been sick during weather changes, especially

in the fall. The different food has been a challenge for some--again,

our Japanese girl said, "American candy is very sweet, but I'm

getting used to it!" Our Ecuadorian boy didn't care much for our

fruit--not nearly the quality of freshness he was used to. Inga, our

current student from Moldova, is gradually venturing beyond fruit

and yogurt to try bread and cereal. Our Thai boy liked noodles from

home, and Carla from Bolivia wouldn't eat cheese or drink skim

milk.

Q: Have you traveled internationally, if so where?

A: When I was a senior in high school, I went to Switzerland for a

week with Campus Life (Youth for Christ). It was over Christmas

break, and we did some skiing but mostly touring. I also spent a

summer in Ecuador working as a summer missionary at HCJB

Radio Station in Quito--I worked in the English language

department. In 1998, our church sent 11 of us to Ecuador, where we

taught Bible School and helped build a Christian school for Quechua

believers near Cayambe--way up in an isolated area of the Andes

mountains. I've also been across the border to Mexico (Nuevo

Laredo) for a day, and when I was a kid we drove through Canada

but weren't there long enough to buy more than one tank of gas.

Q: Where would you like to go and why?

A: I'd love to visit all of our exchange students--I'm hoping they'll

send plane tickets when they each get married. They live in La Paz,

Bolivia; Quito, Ecuador; Yokohama City, Japan; Bangkok,

Thailand, and Inga is from Chisnau, Moldova. I'd also like to visit

Romania--where our daughter Christina was born (she's adopted).

Her orphanage is only about 60 miles from Inga's home in Moldova.

I've always wanted to go to the UK--especially England, and since we

live so close to Canada, I'd like to head up north, eh, and at least

check out Winnipeg.

Q: What book would you recommend to help your exchange students

understand America?

A: Another tough question. Tim helped me out with this one--he

remembered looking at a book at an AFS meeting before Inga

arrived. It was put out by the US State Department, and written

especially for exchange students to help them get acquainted with

American culture. It is called "Introduction to the USA" published by:
FREEDOM Support Act Project Office
American Councils for International Education: ACTR/ACCELS
1776 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20036

Another helpful book is: "Culture Shock! USA" Published by Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company; Portland, Oregon.
This book is in most book stores or can be ordered from Amazon.com. I got this information from Nick, one of the AFS volunteers.


Also, English dictionaries are helpful, of course. We bought a

slang dictionary for our Japanese girl, but to our dismay she was

very interested in finding out swear words--so that book is now

hidden somewhere. (or maybe she took it back to Japan.)


Till next time,
Suzi