The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 2007-08-02, Page 11By Brenda RadfordLondesborough CommunityCorrespondent“Canada is a great country withfriendly, welcoming people.” Thiswas the sentiment I heard expressed by Inna Chrusina of The Ukraine and Laura Horenberg of The Netherlands. These two young women were part of the International Lions Club Student Exchange and hosted by Don and Kittie MacGregor of RR1, Londesborough. They arrived on June 30 and left for their respective homes on July 28. Inna is a 20-year-old university student who lives in Donetsk, a city of 1.2 million in the industrial eastern part of The Ukraine. Studying International Economics, Inna speaks Russian, Ukrainian, English and some German. Inna has an older brother. Her father is CEO of a large construction company that takes contracts for the government, occasionally in the mining sector. Her mother is an accountant. Raalte, a city about the size of Stratford in the eastern part of The Netherlands, is home to Laura, who is 17. Laura’s family runs a contracting business and she has two younger sisters. Laura speaks German, French, Dutch and English. Laura, also expressed a desire to study International Economics at university. Her course would involve a half year of study abroad and is a fully English course. The girls are fluent in English. It seems Laura has picked up her English by watching and obviously paying close attention to television. On the other hand, Inna had a personal teacher. Their adeptness with languages will serve them well in their chosen fields. They are expected to speak only English while in Canada. By the end of their time here the girls were finding it hard to make theswitch from English back to theirnative tongue when e-mailing orcalling home.Both girls enjoy keeping fit andyou may have seen them out jogging during their days on the MacGregor farm. Inna and Laura had both expressed an interest in cultural activities and had a chance to explore that interest while in Canada. During the month that the exchange youth are in the A9 District the better part of three weeks is spent with the host families. They enjoyed The Merchant of Venice at Stratford one evening and attended a performance of Queen Milli of Galt as guests of the Londesborough Lions Club. Elizabeth MacGregor gave the girls a tour of Toronto which included time at Casa Loma, shopping at the Eaton’s Centre and supper at Big Daddy’s Crab and Oyster Bar. The girls noted they found Toronto large, crowded and Inna was overwhelmed by the skyscrapers we all take for granted there. The Beef Producers of Huron County entertained the young women at a barbecue in Dashwood and Jim and Marg Anderson had them over for a campfire one evening. Naturally the two girls did some shopping and souvenir hunting in Goderich, Bayfield and other points in our area. They were taking home maple syrup, Tim’s coffee and items from Barmy Bags of Walton. Laura found clothing about the same price as in The Netherlands while Inna felt it was less expensive here than at home. A trip to London meant a screening of Harry Potter, shopping at Masonville and supper with Katie MacGregor. The last week in Canada the girls also attended the Fergus Truck Show with Don. The Lions Clubs in the district alsoplan events that get all the exchangeyouths together for a variety ofactivities. A day at Canada’sWonderland was enjoyed soon afterall 17 youths arrived in Canada. On another day Inna and Laura spent an afternoon at a cottage in Kingsbridge with two other students from Goderich and one from St. Augustine. A tour of Mennonite country and a visit to a carriage- making shop followed by a potluck barbecue was organized by the Holstein Lions Club. Soccer is the major sport in both The Ukraine and The Netherlands but here they got to see a local baseball game. While at camp they played baseball as well. Inna claims The Ukraine is hotter than our summers while The Netherlands, Laura says, is wetter. Fast foods were new to both girls. One evening they each cooked a native dish for the MacGregors. Borsch, or beet soup, was prepared by Inna while Laura cooked stamppot, a mashed potato dish with raw endive and bacon. Laura claims to never toast bread or to cook meat items for breakfast. Soup is a daily staple for Inna. All the exchange youth of the A9 District spend the third week of their visit at the Charlie Shaw International Youth Exchange Camp at the Grant Chisholm retreat with two host campers and six counsellors. Lions groups in the district help out with funding, meals and activities. The Auburn Lions Club prepared breakfast on July 15 at the Londesborough group looked after the lunch that same day. Ice cream and the celebration cake with the name of each youth iced on was the effort of the Blyth Lions Club. Erica (Horbanuik) Baxter from Auburn took the group photo, a souvenir for each camper. Everyone from camp took a bus tour to the Golden Horsehoe area. In Niagara Falls the group rode on the Maid of the Mist and then went behind the falls for a completely different view. Both Inna and Laura seemed to enjoy the Battlefield Museum at Stoney Creek where they learned Canadian historical background. Staying overnight in the Oakville Sheridan Residence the group visited the Guide Dog School which is supported by Lions Clubs. A tallship tour and going up the CN Towerwere other highlights of the trip.The Sauble Beach Lions Clubtook the group on a visit to the CapeCroaker Indian Reserve. Everyone found it a most interesting day. They witnessed a mini pow-wow with drumming and dancing. A blessing ceremony was observed before the group ate traditional native foods. Then they hiked up one of the higher bluffs and marvelled at the view of Lake Huron. While at camp there was also time for being on the teach, sharing addresses, putting on skits, etc. Another feature of the camp is that each youth must do a presentation for the others of their home country.They were visited by localpoliticians, Greg McClinchey, CarolMitchell and Ben VanDiepenbeek.Each camper launched severalballoons while at camp containing info about themselves hoping to hear from someone who found their balloon at some point. It was evident that Kittie and the girls had enjoyed their visit and that the time had gone all too quickly. Many tears would be shed when Inna and Laura had to say goodbye to the MacGregors and the other exchange youth. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2007. PAGE 11. Time in the sand In one of the first beach volleyball contests of the day at Brussels Homecoming Saturday, the Chicksters took on the Angry Beavers and the Hairy Wackers at the sand pit in the Brussels Optimists Park. The tournament went all day and well into the evening, while the tournament gave way to recreational games deeper into Sunday. (Shawn Loughlin photo) Londesborough family hosts exchange students BBLLYYTTHH PPRRIINNTTIINNGG IINNCC.. BLYTH 523-9211 PRINTING IS OUR BUSINESS • Colour • Business Printing Forms • Posters • Brochures • Letterheads • Flyers • Envelopes • Carbonless • Business Forms Cards • Labels WE CAN DO IT ALL! LAWN QUESTIONS? Organic Programs Available 524-2424 -Trust the Professionals - ACCREDITED "BABY AND I PROGRAM" CLINTON PUBLIC HOSPITAL August 2007, 10:00 - 11:30 CONFERENCE ROOM 2nd Floor WHEN ATTENDING FOR THE FIRST TIME PLEASE REGISTER IN ADMITTING PROGRAM TOPICS: Wednesday, Aug. 1 - Infant Car Seat Safety Wednesday, Aug. 8 - Infant C.P.R. Choking & Safety Wednesday, Aug. 15 - Sibling Rivalry Wednesday, Aug. 22 - Romance After Baby Wednesday, Aug. 29 - Child Care & You For more info call Veronica Farquhar - 519-482-3440 Ext. 6304 (NC)–Do any of the following behaviours seem familiar? • Forgetting things more and more • Asking the same question over and over • Having increasing trouble with language • Difficulty performing familiar tasks • Disorientation of time and place • Poor or decreased judgment • Problems with abstract thinking • Misplacing things • Mood or behaviour change • Changes in personality • Loss of initiative If you or someone close to you is experiencing some of the signs and symptoms above, it could be Alzheimer’s disease. You should speak to your physician soon. Further information can be obtained by calling 1-888-370- 6444 to speak to a registered nurse. - News Canada Alzheimer’s disease: Signs to look out for