President's Message
By Wendy Whaley

Time flies when you are having fun! FFD celebrated World Friendship Day in March with special guests from the International Women’s Club and the Council for International Visitors. Thanks to Henny Houston, FFD member, for providing us with friendship trivia.

Our club got busy in April hosting eleven friendly ambassadors from FF San Francisco. This group arrived in Dallas after their visit to San Antonio. Dale Klosterman and his committee planned a great inbound domestic exchange – Dallas style. Rain did not stop the group from having a great time! Many of our members participated in the daily activities – either as day and/or home hosts. Our new friends from the Bay Area have invited FFD and FF San Antonio clubs for a reciprocal visit in 2010 – dates to be determined so stay tuned!

This year we were fortunate (despite our economic crisis) to make the outbound exchange to Romania. In mid May, a group of ambassadors, led by Teresa Wilkin, will be spending time in Sibiu and Brasov, renewing friendship between the two clubs. We are also planning a trip to Sacramento in August led by Mary Williams. 

Unfortunately, the remaining international exchanges scheduled for this year are uncertain at this time, including an inbound from Taupo, New Zealand and outbounds to Colombia and China. If you are interested in any of these exchanges, please contact the exchange directors soon!

UPDATE: China exchange has been canceled.

Looking ahead…We are hopeful that 2010 will usher better results. An outbound trip to Izmir, Turkey, and an inbound exchange with Haliburton Highlands, Ontario are planned. Ed Edgren, our domestic exchange director, is currently contacting clubs interested in hosting us next year. Exchange directors will be needed, and there will be a training session in the fall. Contact Ray Enstam for more information.

In Friendship,

~Wendy

Upcoming Meetings 

May Meeting 
Pot luck picnic - Sunday May 17, 6 pm

Home of Kathy Morris
Reserve by contacting Dora Stahl at edstahl@swbell.net by May 12.

June Meeting
Sunday June 14th, 5-7 pm 
Happy Hour at Crown Plaza Hotel, 14315 Midway Rd., Addison 5-7 pm
Tell Dora Stahl you’ll be coming

July Meeting 
Sunday July 12 - 3 pm
Party at Diana and Marty Behannesey's house 
Swimming and indoor games such as cards and dominoes

Hamburgers, drinks, paper products furnished. Please bring a side dish or dessert to share.
Cost: $5 at the door. Pay at the door, but please reserve to Dora Stahl at edstahl@swbell.net by July 8.

August Meeting 
Sunday August 9 - TBA 
Presentation on the Romanian exchange - Teresa Wilkin

San Francisco Exchange

San Franciscans left their hearts in Big D!

The San Francisco inbound was a huge success, and we are looking forward to having a return outbound to San Francisco with the San Antonio club. We will certainly keep everybody informed of the dates. 

The rodeo and Mandolyn horse farm events were very popular with all of the ambassadors. They particularly enjoyed the country-western meal at Clark's Outpost. 

On Monday the rain came down in torrents, but Paula Rose had no trouble dealing with this calamity as she took everyone to North Park Mall in the morning and then to the Arboretum when the rain let up in the afternoon. 

Dallas Day was also very popular, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the Cadillac Diner. The small group dinners, the free day on Wednesday, and the welcome and farewell parties gave the members and ambassadors a chance to really get to know each other. 

All of the events were well-attended, and the visitors were impressed with the size of our club, the way the club is managed, the fact that we have monthly meetings (they can only meet every other month), and the members' interest in the club. 

Finally, I heard many of the ambassadors’ comments about the friendliness of the Dallas club. They were greatly impressed with the Texans! 

As the exchange director, I would like to thank everyone for their terrific participation in all of the events. The home and day host coordinators did a fine job. The event coordinators were especially creative in the manner in which they planned their events. And, most of all, we all owe a great deal of gratitude to the home and day hosts.

~ Dale Klosterman, Inbound Exchange Director

A big cowboy welcome was extended to our friends from San Francisco.

Exchanges

Spanish Language School

Ray Enstam is Exchange Director for a combined exchange and Spanish language school experience in Bogotá, Colombia offered by Friendship Force International July 11-18, 2009. See flyer here. 

The event will include one week of homestay combined with a total immersion Spanish language school offered by professional instructors. Participants will attend classes in the mornings and participate in excursions and events in the afternoons and evenings with the Friendship Force of Bogotá host club, in addition to practicing Spanish with their home hosts. This is part of a new series of exchanges to be offered by Friendship Force International and several groups have already traveled from Germany to study English in the US. This will be the first outbound language exchange offered to Americans. Classes will be offered on an intermediate and advanced level and the cost is $440 plus travel. Anyone wanting more information about this unique opportunity should contact Ray Enstam at  enstam@sbcglobal.net.

Sacramento Outbound

The Sacramento exchange arranged for August 3-8 is a GO with 11 ambassadors. The Sacramento club can take up to 20 people, so if you want to go, contact Mary Williams ASAP at txtravel@flash.net. Cost is $135 plus your transportation to get there and $35 payable in Sacramento for the day trip to Lake Tahoe. The group is looking forward to sightseeing in this historic area and meeting new friends. Click here to see the information flyer.  Request an application form from Mary. 

UPDATE: The group now has 12 ambassadors and is closed to more pariticipants.

Club Exchanges for 1010

For the year 2010 Friendship Force Dallas has been offered an inbound exchange from Haliburton Highlands (in Ontario), Canada in April and an outbound to Izmir, Turkey in October. The two foreign exchanges are highly coveted locations and we were lucky to get these offers. The Canadians, of course, are English speakers and we all remember the great exchange from Medicine Hat, Canada several years ago. Izmir is the modern name for the ancient city of Smyrna which goes back 5,000 years in history. It is located on the Aegean coast and is close to great sites such as Istanbul and the ruins of Troy and Ephesus. More details will be coming later.

Eco-Exchange

The Friendship Force clubs of Greater Milwaukee and Chicago are hosting a unique Eco-exchange, a new theme being introduced by Friendship Force. This economical, adventurous exchange will offer participants a view of great "Outdoor Wisconsin" and how the Midwest cherishes the environment. From September 9 to 22, 2009, please consider joining them in Chicago and Milwaukee for outdoor activities (sailing, hiking, canoeing, etc) during one of the most beautiful seasons, followed by several days at a northern lake home or a rustic cottage. $470 land only. Contact Dave Kalan (davekalan@sbcglobal.net)

Discover China

September 14-October 1
Take a rare look into China Friendship Force style! With the help of FFI International Board member Jack Cang, we will experience a one-night homestay with families in Nanjing, China during a five day cultural program. We then will tour all the scenic highpoints of the country. These include the Yangtze River Cruise, the Terra Cotta Warriors in Xi’an, the Great Wall and the Forbidden City in Beijing where our tour concludes on the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. $2,859 plus airfare. Contact Teresa Wilkin at teresawilkin@yahoo.com for more information. 

UPDATE 6/10/09: This trip has been CANCELED.

Domestic Exchanges for 2010
Ed Edgren, Domestic Exchange Director 

We are in contact with the San Francisco club from California (whom we just hosted) and a positive outbound shared with San Antonio appears possible. Contacts have also been directed to 3 clubs in Colorado, one in Montana and one in Nebraska. All of these clubs already have exchanges committed in 2010 and we may have to start working on 2011 should they all pass. FF International was late in issuing the list of clubs that are interested in domestic exchanges and we were just added to that list this year. Our Board will discuss other alternatives at the meeting on May 11.  

UPDATE: See confirmed exchanges on the Exchanges page.

Seeking Applicants for Exchange Director

The Board is seeking applicants for exchange director for future exchanges. All interested parties have a chance to participate and the board wants to encourage new talent. The Exchange Director will have the full support of the board and prior exchange directors. For more information or to volunteer, please contact Ray Enstam, International Exchange Coordinator, at enstam@sbcglobal.net. 

UPDATE: There will be Exchange Director training in the fall.

Please welcome our newest member Susan Carpenter, and rejoining members Hal Geldon and Dick and Ginny Lombardi. We hope you’ll take time to get to know them and share the fun experiences you’ve had with Friendship Force.