No, I did not get lost.
As part of the IFYE program, before taking the hop across the pond, I had to stop off to get oriented at the National IFYE Orientation for 3 days.
On Friday, June 14th, my beautiful family took to Denver International Airport. (Words cannot explain how much I love them.)
A few hours later, I was situated in a hotel in Bloomington, IL where the volunteers (mainly IFYE alumni and SIFYEs [Spouses of IFYES]) have put together a program to help both incoming and outgoing IFYEs get ready for this adventure of a life time.
In all, we have 28 IFYEs beginning this experience here in Bloomington, 21 inbound (From Austria, Germany, Greece, Northern Ireland, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and Wales) and 7 outbound (From Colorado, Montana, Kansas and Illinois).
Cecilia from Sweden was my first new friend as we arrived at the same time, and she is one of the 11 IFYEs headed to Colorado. She also gave me this glimpse into American Culture, winning the award for Quote of the Day
"I had Fruit Loops for breakfast. It was like eating candy and milk." - Cecilia
On day two of the orientation, we spent the morning talking about our respective programs, and soaking up advice from past IFYEs. One of my favorite sessions was a photography workshop put on by Harlen Persinger, an award winning photojournalist (and an American IFYE who traveled to Norway just after serving in Vietnam). His "photo art" could speak for itself, but he also took the time to talk about techniques like silhouetting, framing and using leading lines to draw people into the picture.
We also had the opportunity to go to The Funk Prairie Home. This 1860s house was built by Lafayette Funk, son of the infamous Isaac Funk who built the largest farm in the United States by one unaided man (25,000 acres). Filled with gorgeous artifacts, the Prairie Home as well as the historic barn and equipment museum, are one of the most popular field trips for local schools because of the educational value and free guided tours led by members of the Funk family.
From the farm, we traveled into town where we were able to sit down at a local church and discussed any questions people may have had about religion and the different church branches along with host expectations. As an IFYE, ambassadors will be part of the families, which could include going to church or attending other religious ceremonies or activities with the family that may not align with what they believe.
On the last day of orientation, we continued in the same fashion, meeting in the morning to help prepare us for our exchange and then going on outings to see some of the local attractions.
These included.....
The Illinois State University Horticulture Gardens
Corn Crib Stadium, Home of the Normal (The only town in the world named Normal) Cornbelters and the World Greatest Bathroom
and the Ropp Dairy Farm
After touring this Registered Jersey dairy farm where they use the milk from the 50+ cows to make cheese, we gathered around a fire for roasted hotdogs, watermelon and S'mores before spending the rest of the evening giving short presentation, skits, etc about our homes.
While I have been excited about this experience for months, it wasn't until today that it finally hit me.
I AM GOING TO EUROPE.
But tonight, I'm headed to bed.
Farewell America.
so excited for you!!!
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