Internationalmatt's Blog

This blog is about my international friends and their inspiring stories

Fun Events from 2009- A trip to the Omaha Zoo

One of the fun aspects of my friendships with my international friends is that I have the opportunity to see our culture and our country through their eyes. They are many wonderful things here that I tend to overlook because it is commonplace to me. Then when I experience them with my international friends I have a new appreciation for what we have here. One of those times was when we went to the Omaha Zoo last Spring. I went with a group of young people from China and Vietnam with four other “adults” including Uncle Yoshio from Japan, Jochen and Julia from Germany and Ada from China. Julia and Jochen asked me if I invited them because I needed adult sponsors and we laughed.

The group at the Zoo

It was good to see my friends laugh and have fun.When I go to the Omaha Zoo, I usually rush past exhibits that are miracles of Creation. My friends took the time to stop and appreciate them.

my friends stop to see one of the large cats

my friends stop to see the bear

took some time to enjoy some ice cream thanks to the generosity of our friend Phuong who treated us to some ice cream.

I guess you could say my friends had a lot of fun and monkeyed around.

Phuong and Tom at the Gorilla statues

Ada and Alex at the Gorilla statues

A special thanks to Uncle Yoshio, Jochen and Julia and Ada for helping us with this trip.

UncleYoshio with Ada and our young friends

Jochen and Julia

seems like a long time ago that we were in the warm sun at the zoo especially now in the middle of the snowiest December Nebraska has ever had. It is fun to remember that day and to think about what fun adventures I will have with my international friends next year. I do know we will have a Lunar New Year lunch to celebrate Lunar New Year for our friends from Vietnam and China.

December 29, 2009 Posted by | Chinese friends, Cultural Ambassdors, Cutural Celebrations, Experiences of international friends, German friends, International Friendships, Internationals, Japanese friends, Vietnamese friends | Leave a Comment

New friends in 2009- My friend Zhou Heng from China

Zhou Heng at a picnic last summer

In January and February I met some young people from China. I have previously written about Tingting and Wen Zhu and how I met them both at different times but did not know they were friends. One week they told me they had another friend who wanted to come to my Sunday class. Her name is Zhou Heng. Zhou Heng was one of my pleasant surprises in 2009.

Zhou Heng and Tingting

Zhou Heng enjoying some Peppermint Candy Cane ice cream

Zhou Heng is an intelligent young woman who is a student at the University of Nebraska. She is perhaps the quietest of the group, but is a person I appreciate. We have fun and laugh a lot. We share a mutual addiction because we both love ice cream. I went to a movie with my young friends from China after they finished their final exams and my van decided to go to Cold Stone Ice Cream. I was surprised by how much ice cream she can eat because she is not very big. I appreciate her smile and laugh when we joke in class. She has a great sense of humor.

me with Zhou Heng at a picnic last summer

Zhou Heng is a good friend to have. She did something in April that I will never forget. My father died in April

Zhou Heng at church waiting for the Christmas Eve Service to begin

and when I went to the funeral Zhou Heng came with some of her friends. She did not need to come. I did not expect them to come, but she came to show me support. That showed me what kind of a young woman she is. She is a young woman who will be there for her friends. She is excellent example of how if we take the time to get to know our international friends we will be pleasantly surprised.

December 29, 2009 Posted by | Chinese friends, Christmas, Cross Cultural, Cultural Ambassdors, Cutural Celebrations, Experiences of international friends, Holidays, International Friendships, Internationals | Leave a Comment

   

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