Jerry Gary gave a great powerpoint presentation to introduce our Sister City in Kazakhstan and Phil Gary explained the design of the mural. There would be one big panel mural to be used as a sort of 'advertisement' for the Tucson Almaty Sister cities.

Alanna Randall

Volunteer Center of Southern Arizona
Phone: (520)881-3300 ext. 133

PICOR's pancake feed fundraiser

took place on Sunday, October 9, 2005. The Tucson Almaty Sister Cities Committee was in attendance with their Sister Cities Saturdays group. Folks who participated in the pancake feed, by either eating lots of pancakes, or atleast hanging out in the park with us:

Lexi Okurily (Youth Volunteer),
Emre Yavaz (German exchange student),
Nancy Morello (student from Venezuela),
Ibrahim Alsaadi (from Yemen),
Duraid Hassan (from Iraq),
Shavkat Otaboyev (from Uzbekistan),
Diana Koshayeva (from Kazakhstan),
Sally Allison (TASCC member and Diana's host mom),
Jerry Gary (TASCC chair),
Sally Gary (TASCC secretary),
Yerbolat Zhumakhmetov (U of A student from Kazakhstan),
Aleesa Enquist and husband (ASPECT program coordinator and host parents),
Khanh (student from Vietnam),
Carly Inkpen (U of A student),
Chris Suillie (Uof A student),
Fred Dotton (TASCC treasurer),
Benizir Dadyeva (from Kazakhstan),
Gary Sawyer (TASCC member and Yerbolat's host dad),
Dylan Glourner (local youth),
and Alanna Randall (TASCC youth coordinator)!

We had lots of fun, the pancakes were good and the weather couldn't be beat! See you at the next get together! -Alanna Randall

...some of the students (Khanh, Diana, Emre and Nancy)

...Diana with some of the m ariachis who had visited Kazakhstan in 1999.

From Left to right, they are:
Tewfiq (Jordan), Paul (Germany), Duraid (Iraq), Diana (Kazakhstan), Emre (Germany) and Nancy (Venezuela)

Meet and Greet:

On September 17, 2005, at 2 o?clock, sixteen foreign students representing 12 different countries arrived at the Volunteer Center of Southern Arizona to participate in the Tucson Almaty Sister Cities Committee?s Sister Cities Saturdays Meet and Greet in partnership with the Youth Volunteer Corps. Four local youth, registered with the YVC, came to volunteer their friendship to the international students. TASCC supported the effort with refreshments, a short presentation and items on display. Of the eleven adults present, in attendance were the chair, vice-chair, the secretary and a few other members of TASCC, host parents and program coordinators from the three exchange programs involved.

The participants of the Meet and Greet started out by playing a name game led by one of the Tucson youth, who is a member of the YVC?s Youth Advisory Council. Then, all the international students introduced themselves and their country by teaching us a word like Hello in their language. TASCC introduced the committee to the group and then the participants worked on a "find someone who..." activity. Participants mingled to find someone who had seen a javelina, been in a hot air balloon, touched or hugged a saguaro, and visited an island. As a group we discovered that no one had a birthday in the month of September and we only had three vegetarians in the group. After that fun activity, participants were invited to contribute to a group mural, eat snacks and mingle.

All the participants agreed that the Meet and Greet was a success. Everyone had fun, met someone new and hope to get together in the future. Tentative plans are being made for a second get together for a Halloween party.

-Alanna Randall

Youth Activities coordinator