After spending five days with some local residents, Thanksgiving will now have a new meaning, for a group of students who came to visit over the holiday weekend. They arrived by bus Wednesday evening, November 22, and left Sunday afternoon, November 26, 2017.
Morrison Rotary Club funded this wonderful opportunity. It allowed Morrison, IL, residents to become friends with people who are potential world leaders and problem solvers in their Countries.
Organized by the International House, at the University of Chicago, and local coordinators Janet Fisher and Carol Hollister, 13 college students came from the following countries: Sweden, Japan, People’s Republic of China, India, Saudi Arabia, and China.
Visitors expressed excitement over the friendliness of everyone they met in downtown Morrison, like the group of people having coffee and muffins at the local bakery called Baked By Liz. They were also surprised at the reasonable prices they paid for souvenirs purchased at Burleson’s Antique and Resale shop, and the Black Friday specials of $10 Crockpots and coffee pots at Sullivan’s Foods. Fun was had at Hilltop Lanes, where owner Mike Hamilton provided bowling and expert help, for the students who struggled figuring out their American shoe size. Touring Dale and Sue Sterenberg’s farm caused amazement, because some students had never seen such large farm equipment. Many said the absolute best experience was being a part of an American family.
The families who hosted this year were Steve and Carol Hollister; Jim and Janet Fisher; Stan Steines and Deb Milder; Luke and Joan Vander Bleek; Aaron and Dianah Young; Sandra Crouse.
More information about the program can be found at http://www.morrisonrotary.org/sitepage/international-programs or https://ihouse.uchicago.edu/living/community_building/traditional_resident_programs/thanksgiving_homestay_program/.