News and Past Events:
Dining Out at the Banana Leaf Recap- 4-18

On Tuesday, May 18th, several CIP participants and board members enjoyed delicious appetizers, buffet items, and dessert at the Banana Leaf on Bethel Road.
"Banana Leaf is a family owned and operated vegetarian and vegan restaurant that is run by people who love good food. We serve a variety of unique vegetarian dishes cooked with fresh spices that are ground in house, and many of our dishes are gluten free. We are the the only restaurant (that we know of!) that makes fresh Chaat items right in front of you."
Our first course consisted of Lassi, a Yoghurt Smoothie, offered in Mango, Rose, Khus and Sweet Lassi flavors. Lassi is a bottomless serving and may be enjoyed throughout the meal.
The second course consisted of “Chaats,” listed below.
"Chaats are a unique appetizers generally sold by street hawkers in India. These are sweet, tangy, spicy and crispy items, mixed with various sauces. Some are served at room temperatures while some are hot. Some are spicy and some have a sweet flavor."
Bhel Puri - Puffed rice krispies mixed in a tangy and sweet sauce with onions, potatoes, tomatoes and cilantro;
Pani Puri - Small round hard puris to be eaten with the spicy water poured in;
Ragada Pattis - Spicy Potato patti, simmered and seasoned with dried peas gravy mixed in spices;
Samosa Chaat - Samosas covered with gravy of chickpea gravy covered with spices;
Dahi Puri - Crispy whole puris, stuffed with potatoes and onions, covered with a layer of yogurt, garnished with sev, tamarind and hot chutney sauce; and
Dosas -Freshly made rice crepes stuffed with a potato Masala. Dosas are to be relished by dipping them in Sambhar and Coconut Chutney.
The third course was the hot buffet made up of several dishes including delicious basmati rice and an assortment of curried vegetables. "The vegetables are made fresh daily and reflect various styles of cooking; because each region in India calls for a very unique style, spices and therefore flavor." We were also served freshly made bread called Parathas or Puris, meant to scoop the vegetables but also delicious on their own.
Desserts included were Payasam, a sweet milk-based dish, and a Yoghurt Rice, which has cooling effects on the body and is best eaten with a homemade pickle.
For more information on Banana Leaf, visit www.bananaleafofcolumbus.com
Peace Corps - Alive & Well

On Tuesday, May 12, two Peace Corps volunteers shared their experiences with us for a program co-sponsored by the Worthington International Friendship Association entitled "Peace Corps- Alive And Well."
Barbara Tull shared with us insight on her recent Peace Corps mission to Thailand in 2006. She served in the predominantly-Muslim Southern Thailand, teaching English as a Second Language and fostering community development. She has since been back to Thailand and keeps in regular communication with her Thai friends. Barbara has had an incredible amount of international experience, having visited or participated in Habitat for Humanity or Peace Corps in a total of 28 countries. She also spoke of her family's international experience- all five of her children have lived abroad! Barbara is an accomplished speech, language and hearing clinician, author, and professor. She also has had experience as an administrator for programs serving those with mental retardation and developmental disabilities. Barbara holds a doctorate from the Ohio State University.
Richard Davis had taught English in many places around the world before his service in Armenia, including Uruguay and Costa Rica. His first Peace Corps experience was in Poland, and in 2007 he decided to apply to the program once more. During his stay Richard served in the Armenian towns of Spitak and Gugark as an ESOL instructor for young children. Richard shared with us his frustrations and accomplishments as a volunteer and addressed his successes and failures in implementing his hands-on, American-style approach to teaching. Richard has a personal website chronicaling his adventures abroad at www.geezerinarmenia.com.
Barbara and Richard shared background information on their countries as well as a wealth of pictures and hilarious stories about their experiences. Each shared the challenges and rewards of their experiences abroad with thoughtfulness and humor and gave fresh perspective as Peace Corps volunteers of an older generation.
German Night Presentation Recap - 4/20
Last month, we heard presentations from our two German participants, Gelge and Tobias, on their home cities of Berlin and Chemnitz. About 40 people attended, enjoyed the wonderful fare that Juergen's in German Village had to offer, and dicussed contemporary German cities. Thanks to everyone who came out and enjoyed the event!

Helge's home city of Berlin is Germany's capital city and has a population of 3.4 million people. Berlin is one of the world's cultural and political centers. Berlin's economy is based mainly in the service sector and is made up of a wide range of creative industries and media corporations. The city contains diverse architecture, nightlife, contemporary arts, and public transportation networks.

Tobias' home city of Chemnitz is an independant city in the Free State of Saxony. The city's economy is largely invested in the service and manufacturing industries. When Chemnitz was a part of East Germany, Chemnitz was turned into a socialist model city. The East German government changed the name of the city in 1953 from Chemnitz to Karl-Marx-Stadt, but the name Chemnitz was restored to the city in 1990. Since the reunification of Germany, the town has changed considerably, losing most of its industry and rebuilding the core of its city.
Helge and Tobias will both soon be returning to Germany after a five month stay in Ohio.
CRIS Presentation Recap - 3/25
On March 25th, we received a presentation from Charis Steffel, Sponsorship Developer for the Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS) on the recent history of immigration to Columbus. CRIS is a non-profit agency that focuses on serving refuges, asylees, and immigrants in the central Ohio area. Among the numerous services CRIS provides to these individuals are immigration legal services, interpretation, and translation.
Over the past 10years, over 15,000 refugees have arrived and resettled in Ohio. A large majority of these refugees have been from Somalia, Yugoslavia, and Russia. The majority of refugees resettle mainly in five Ohio counties, including Franklin County. Out of the statistics CRIS presented on refugees that had arrived and resettled in Ohio, here are some of the highlights about the countries that the refugees come from as well as overall total immigration statistics.
CRIS talked to us about volunteer opportunities that we could take part in, mainly through refugee co-sponsorship. The co-sponsorship process is generally a 90-day commitment and contains three different parts, all of which have the goal of assisting refugees in order to help them become self-sufficient as soon as possible. The first part of co-sponsorship is acting as a guide, which entails providing initial food, goods, and clothing to refugees. As a guide, co-sponsors also introduce refugees to U.S. culture as well as assist them with job applications, applications for Social Security cards, school registration, and other procedures that may be initially complicated to newcomers. The second part of co-sponsorship is acting as a friend, which involves offering friendship, emotional support, and encouragement to the refugees. Lastly, the third part of co-sponsorship entails acting as an advocate for the refugees. This includes making sure that they are not exploited, discriminated against, or taken advantage of in the workplace or in their personal lives.
CRIS also welcomed us to participate in preparing welcome baskets for new refugees. Because a large number of refugees flee their homelands, they arrive in America without the necessary basic goods needed to establish their lives in America.
If interested in these opportunities with CRIS, please contact volunteer@cris-ohio.com, 614-840-9634 ext. 15, or www.cris-ohio.org.
Russian Open World Program
We just finished a great program on youth issues with an Open World group from Russia. A special “Thank You!” goes out to all who helped with or participated in the program. The delegation visited a variety of city, county, and state offices, as well as a number of non-profit and private agencies. Among the many hig...hlights of the visit was a meeting with students at New Albany, which entailed a nice discussion comparing the characteristics of youth culture in the U.S. and Russia.

Welcome to Columbus to our Russian Delegation - March 13th, 2010

Welcome Party at the Poeppelman residence with our cake decorated with the American Flag.

Meeting with the Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, Thomas Moyer

Muskingum University in New Concord, Ohio

Visiting the Newport Aquarium in Northern Kentucky, looking over the Ohio River into Cincinnati.

Presenting the Mayor of Wooster (Bob Breneman) with the flag of Cheboskary.