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.

Ukrainian Delegation November 2009 Visit

From November 14 to 21, 2009, CIP hosted a delegation of five Ukrainian judges and their facilitator. They came to Columbus to observe our judiciary system, understand the role of law in governance of a mature democracy, and learn about the rule of law in our society. The delegation consisted of Vasyl Fedynak, Appellate Court Judge of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast; Alla Kotelevets, Appellate Court Judge of Kharkiv Oblast; Yelyzaveta Kovtyuk, Supreme Court Judge of Ukraine; Hennadiy Kulinichenko, Obukhivskiy District Court Judge; and Oleksandr Yakovets, Rommy Local Court Judge located in the Surny Region. Olena Troyan accompanied them as a facilitator.

During their first day, the Ukrainians were given a tour of Columbus, which included German Village, the Santa Maria, Ohio State University, the North Market, and Franklin Park. After the tour, they experienced a traditional Thanksgiving dinner and met their host families. On Sunday the delegation traveled to Cleveland, Ohio, where they participated in a Ukrainian celebration hosted by the Ukrainian Association of Ohio. They also visited the Rock and Roll Hall of fame and shopped. Later on Sunday, the group dined at The Castle Door Gallery Bed and Breakfast as guests of the Reese family in Bellevue, Ohio.

On Monday, the delegation participated in the first meeting at the Ohio Supreme Court. They were welcomed by the court with a Bread and Salt Ceremony performed by Chief Justice Moyer. They then had an extensive discussion focused on comparing the constitutions and judicial systems of the United States and Ukraine. Following the discussion, the Administrative Director of Ohio’s Supreme Court, Steve Hollon, briefed the delegation on the difficulties and challenges facing court administrators and on his role in the national Council of State Court Administrators. The Ukrainians also toured the Ohio Judicial Building, and had a discussion with Ruth Ann Newcomer, Judge Patrick Harris, and Pam Harris about the impact of serving as a judge on individuals and families. A Columbus Blue Jackets game, dinner, and exploring Columbus’s Arena District were the evening’s cultural events.

On Tuesday, the delegation observed death penalty arguments in the case of The State of Ohio v. Clarence Fry, Jr. at The Ohio Supreme Court. Afterwards, the delegates had a roundtable debriefing with defendant’s counsel, followed by a discussion with Associated Press Reporter, Andrew Welsh Huggins, about the death penalty debate. In the afternoon, the delegation visited Worthington Kilbourne High School where they discussed Ukrainian judiciary, government, law, and international business. Dinner was hosted by the board of the Columbus International Program and the Columbus Kiwanis at La Scala in Dublin. Following dinner, a discussion about life and culture was enjoyed by the guests in attendance.

The Ukrainians visited the Bricker and Eckler law firm on Wednesday where they met with Richard Simpson and received an overview of a typical American law firm. Then it was back to the Ohio Judicial Building to attend a presentation on the Family Court System in Ohio. The delegates also learned about the Ohio Courts’ computer network from Ed McNaughten, the Technology Resources Program Manager for the Supreme Court of Ohio and about managing a court website from the Supreme Court of Ohio’s Director of Public Information, Chris Davey. The delegation had the evening to relax, shop, dine, and enjoy Columbus cultural offerings.

On Thursday morning, the Ukrainian delegation observed proceedings at The Franklin County Court of Common Pleas and toured the Franklin County Jail. The Ohio Association of Justices hosted dinner that night at Java and Mark Kitrick’s residence. This was an opportunity for the delegates to converse informally with high-ranking jurists and government officials.

Friday morning, the delegates learned about investigative procedures and techniques at the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI) l in London, Ohio. The remainder of this last day allowed for some final shopping and a relaxing farewell dinner with host families.

Russian and Serbian Visits May 2009

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The most recent delegations to be hosted by CIP have been from Russia and Serbia, respectively. A five member delegation from Russia visited Central Ohio government offices to gain a better understanding of the American system of democracy. This group visited, among other places, the Ohio Supreme Court, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, and the Ohio State Bar Association. CIP provided the delegation with a translator and itinerary, along with tranportation and living arrangements with local families. The delegation was participating in the Open World Program, a program that exposes Russians to American democracy firsthand.

Our 10 member Serbian delegation visited the United States to observe agricultural techniques to supplement their knowledge on agricultural cooperative efforts. This delegation visited the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the Ohio Farm Bureau, the Ohio Beekeepers Association, and other local sites, enhancing its understanding of various aspects of agriculture during its 22 day stay. Local families provided living arrangements for the delegation.

We had a delegation from the country of Georgia with us recently. The group included 10 professionals who work in the area of Vocational Education. They established on-going relationships with several area schools and facilities.

CIP hosted a delegation from Azerbaijan for three weeks in July. While here the group of State Budget Professionals enjoyed meetings with dignitaries from around the State to help them implement best practices back home. Thank you to the many organizations who participated along the way including Senator Sherrod Brown, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, The Ohio Supreme Court, The Ohio Department of Development, The Ohio Office of Budget and Management, The Department of Administrative Services and many others. We look forward to updates from this group.