Suzanne explained that cooking the turkey “was a bit of a challenge since we are vegetarians, but we purchased a cooked and seasoned bird from a local store, and then assigned our student, Toby from Germany, to be the official carver. He did a wonderful job. In fact, he was featured prominently on the news and in the newspaper when the story about our wonderful meal was shared. We also had a vegetarian gluten roast that even some of the meat eaters had to admit was rather tasty!”

Nabyl recalled the dinner saying, “It was perfect. I can’t compare it to anything else.” Later on, everyone gathered around the table to play several exciting rounds of the popular game Apples to Apples. “I must get this game!” declared Turkish graduate student, Fulden Ibrahimhakkloglu, at the end of the evening.

The holiday the Dassenkos shared with the students turned out to be a homey, delightful Thanksgiving with plenty of global spice!

The Millards became involved with the FFIS Homestay program when Mr. Millard’s  brother had heard about the program when he attended the University of Oregon. The Millards have always been involved with international students, both when they attended college and through their church fellowship groups.

The Millards most recently hosted two Korean students who had never met each other before coming to the U.S. The Millards and their children introduced the students to American culture by taking them to the Walterville Fair. At the fair the students and the Millard family enjoyed a barbeque chicken dinner, chatted about their trip, their families, what the schedule for the week might look like and anything of interest that came up during the conversation.  The Millards said that, “One of goals when they first arrived was to keep them busy and help them avoid that heavy feeling of jetlag and adjust to their new U.S. time zone.” Fortunately thier goal was successful and the students were able to sleep through the night and wake up the next morning.

The Millards did their best to try and make the students feel comfortable and let them understand how different everything is and encouraged them to tell them how things would be for them at home. This helped the students feel more comfortable getting to know each other and wanted to join in on the Millard’s family activities right away.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international exchange program designed to increase mutual understanding between international and American citizens. The Fulbright Program has provided more than 300,000 participants with the opportunity to study, teach, exchange ideas and contribute to shared international concerns.

West coast Fulbright Visiting Scholars made a trip to the University of Oregon and experienced its unique community October 17-19. Host families hosted approximately ten visiting scholars for two nights, giving them the opportunity to explore Eugene’s culture.

Fulbright Visiting Scholars will be visiting the University of Oregon every two months to continue to the enrichment program. Volunteer host families are needed to host the visiting scholars for each of the occasions. For more information, please contact Becky Megerssa in International Affairs at becky@uoregon.edu or (541) 346-1436.

The transition was simple because of the help provided by FFIS and host families.

Staffed volunteers met international students at the airport to assist with lodging and transportation and other concerns. Some FFIS volunteers acted as on-call drivers to help host families and students.

Chris McKee with KMTR News was there to cover one of the arrivals. Watch the story at KMTR.com

Sincere thank you to the following Welcome Table volunteers for donating their time and making these young adults feel welcome in their new home away from home:

• Welcome Table Coordinators – Chris Cunningham & Pete Peterson
• Welcome Table Volunteers – Isa Aviad, Craig Biersdorff, Carol Greig, Leeanne Kaden, Fred Obermann, Rick Obst, & Stephanie Wood
• Temporary Hosts – Craig Biersdorff and Stephanie Wood
• Airport On-Call Drivers – Steve Gilbreath, Becky Megerssa, Theodora Thompson & Stephanie Wood
• Snacks – Suzanne Obst for bringing bottled water, candy, licorice, and home baked cookies.

The FFIS Homestay program is a short term program, typically lasting just 4 or 5 days as students arrive in the US, but prior to campus housing opening for student move-in.

FFIS Fall Homestay dates: September 10 – 15, 2011.

FFIS will host an orientation August 27th for all new members. The orientation provides an overview of FFIS and information to help you assist your student and ensure they access the resources they need for a successful arrival.

Orientation: Saturday, August 27, 10 am – 11:30 am

We have students from all corners of the globe interested in having a host family: China, Japan, Korea, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Nepal, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan and the UK.

If you’re interested in being an host family for this fall, please contact us at: ffis@uoregon.edu

Autumn Intermingle will take place at the Many Nations Longhouse on Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011. The event will last from 4-6 p.m. No RSVP is necessary – just show up and bring friends and family! Children are warmly welcomed.

UO President Richard Lariviere will be attending the event, serving as a source for questions and information for students new to the Eugene area. Puddles the Duck will also be available for photo opportunities.

Friendship Foundation members and volunteers are asked to bring a donation, such as a plate of cookies or other small treats to share. FFIS will provide coffee for all attendees.

For further information about Autumn Intermingle or volunteer opportunities with FFIS, visit http://www.ffisoregon.org/

Many Nations Longhouse is located at 1630 Columbia St., Eugene, OR 97401.