Bend Belluno Sister Cities Cultural Exchange
BEN ARRIVATA DI EVENTI SCAMBI METTE IN EVIDENZA CONTATTO
Martina, Maryanne, Maddy and Carlotta meet the Oregon Aquarium mascot on the Oregon Coast
Luna, Pilar, Carlotta and Maddy at The Paintered Hills
THE OREGON PACIFIC COAST
Greeting of Bend students at the Venice Airport
2019 Youth Exchange
Exciting Times! Welcoming of exchange sisters at our airports
And while our eight students don't share the same culture or language they share a meal and laughter and their time together. Welcome BBQ at the beautiful Collins-Carson home.
Dafne at Sahailie Falls in Oregon Cascades
Highlights of 2019 Bend Belluno Rotary/Sister City Cross Culture Exchange
Resting after group hike in the Dolomites (2019)
Margo McDonald of Bend and Sacile, Italy shares stories her recent visit to Belluno at Welcome BBQ
Greeting of Belluno Students at Bend-Redmond Airport
White Water Rafting on The Deschutes
An incredible 2 day campout at Sparks Lake
Oregon High Desert and Oregon Cascades
Maddy, Pilar, Luna and Carlotta at Smith Rocks
Debra handles handling of dune buggy while Sierra and Dafne hanging on. Whose having the most fun here?
Pilar, one of the Bend students said that her last memory is the strong family connection. Each day the family sits together and discusses what each is doing and working on and enjoying.
While in Bend our host sisters and families are delighting in sharing the special places in Oregon, from the Oregon Pacific Coast (particularly the dune buggy rides near Florence, Oregon), to our nearby world famous Smith Rocks and The Painted Hills. And of course summer music events, the Deschute County Fair and shopping trips to our big city of Portland just 3 hours across the Cascades.
At Welcome BBQ Knox's family enjoy sharing their fun 3 months in Belluno in Spring of 2018 with Belluno students Luna and Carlotta.
A critical part of our sister city cross-cultural exchange is for our students to live in a foreign country and be a part of a family. One of the highlights of being in an Italian family was having the Italian host families sharing their favorite hiking trails in the nearby Dolomites, visiting nearby villages around the Venato and of course the day in Venice.
One of the Italian students, Dafne shared her thoughts.
1- The thing that I found more surprising is that everything is huge. Starting from the streets to the houses, the trees, even the cars are twice bigger than in Italy.
2-My favorite American food is pancakes.
3-A thing that I will always remember is when we went camping at Sparks Lake. At night we sat around the fire and we ate s’mores and sang. I know it might sound normal, but that was one of the best nights of my life.
4-One thing that I like a lot about Bend is that everyone is nice to each other, even if they are strangers. I remember that Sierra wanted a sticker to put on her car that said: “Be nice you’re in Bend”.
Beyond those experiences and the international friendships gained is an expanded world view, beyond the tourist mindset. We asked all of our students the following questions:
1. What is one thing you found surprising about Italy / the U.S.?
2. What is your new favorite Italian/American food?
3. What will be a lasting memory of your time in Italy / the U.S.?
4. What is a custom that you observed or experienced that you would like to transport home with you?
Pilar and Luna get to wear their rain gear while enjoying the Oregon coast
Luna and Pilar at Dee Wright Observatory in Oregon Cascades
The Summer Vacation - That Lasts a Life Time
Another Italian student, Luna said that her new favorite USA food is “Corn Dogs”
Looks like Luna’s family in Belluno got to share her new favorite food as she returned home with Corn Dogs from Bend. Luna's family is having for dinner!!! Straight from Newport Ave Market to their dining room (in Belluno) via an epic flight home!
"Our Italian sisters loved boating on the lake."
Breakfast of "campioni" omelets in a bag.
Thanks Susan and Debra!