Ginger Grossetete (second from left) with three sisters who served as hosts in Peru, Milena,
Nora and Vilma.
President’s note
From Lenore Pardee
New Mexico exchange to Lima and Tarapoto, Peru, June 1-13.
Ginger Grossetete, Cheryl Lehmberg, Penina Ballen, and Jude, Mavourneen
and Lenore Pardee of New Mexico FF participated in the Peru exchange. They
were joined by seven members of other FF clubs: Linda Doyle and Ed Vaughn
of Fort Worth, Gordon Pardee of the San Diego club, Linda Foley of Atlanta,
and Callie and Gerald Waldrop and their 9-year-old grandson, Charles
Jackson, from Birmingham.
Our hosts in Lima and Tarapoto received us warmly and with great
enthusiasm; both cities have thriving clubs. The exchange provided the
opportunity to learn about two very different regions of Peru. We also
enjoyed lots of music and dancing.
The Lima exchange began
immediately after our arrival
with a welcome lunch. On
subsequent days we toured
the Lima cathedral, an
archeological museum filled
with displays of pottery and
other artifacts from Peru’s
many sophisticated pre
Colombian cultures, as well
as the gold museum. We
walked through the plazas
and streets of colonial Lima.
One afternoon was spent
watching professional
dancers, dressed in regional
costumes, perform dances
from all regions of Peru. We
also did some dancing
ourselves.
A floor show was enjoyed during a lunch in
Lima. Photo by Ginger Grossetete.
By pure chance we were in
Lima for the run-off election
to choose a new president,
which gave everyone the
opportunity to learn
something about Peruvian
politics.
The second week we flew across the Andes to Tarapoto, “the city of palms”,
located in the cloud forest on the eastern edge of the Andes. The program
organized by the Tarapoto club introduced us to natural wonders of the San
Martin region: waterfalls, lakes, rivers, hot springs and the diversity of the
Amazon jungle. Chocolate and coffee are major products grown around
Tarapoto and we were given the opportunity to tour a chocolate factory.
Tarapoto FF visited our club in September 2012 and they have been asking
us to visit them since then. It was a great experience to learn about their
area and to see old friends. Our two weeks passed much too quickly but we
have many happy memories (and pictures) of the generosity and
graciousness of our Peruvian hosts.
See more photos at the end of the newsletter.
New Mexico FF Board needs new
members
It is time to elect new officers to the
board. We need to recruit a vicepresident and treasurer. Please
contact Lenore Pardee or Cheryl
Lehmberg if you would be willing to
join the board.
[email protected]
[email protected]
Exchanges in 2017 and 2018
The Western North Carolina FF has
asked the NM club to participate in a
mutual domestic exchange in 2017
and 2018. N.M. FF already has two
incoming exchanges scheduled for
2017, a two-week global exchange
focused on ancestral and
contemporary Puebloan culture in
May and an exchange from Toronto
in October. We are in the process of
deciding the date for an outgoing
exchange to Western N.C. in 2017
and we will welcome them in 2018.
Friendship Force New
Mexico officers
President: Lenore Pardee;
[email protected]; 505-256-1455
Vice president: Cheryl Lehmberg;
[email protected]; 972-658-4241
Co-treasurers: Martha and David
Meister; [email protected];
505-881-7359
Secretary: Nancy Covalt;
[email protected]
Membership chair: Evelyn Thole;
[email protected]; 505-265-7069
Membership development chair:
Berta Wagstaff; [email protected];
505-710-4448
Past co-presidents: John and Anne
Heard; [email protected]; 505401-2646
We are also organizing the outgoing exchange to Brazil in August 2017. If
you are interested in the two-week exchange to Campinas and Salvador da
Bahia, please contact Lenore Pardee or Cheryl Lehmberg immediately. We
want to start planning the details of this exchange.
Membership directory
Ruth O’Keefe has produced the new membership directory. It will be
available at the monthly lunches.
Friendship Force history
“The Other Side of the Mountain: Bridging the Great Divides” by Charlene Terrell is a history of
Friendship Force. Albuquerque Public Library has three copies.
Israel exchange
Friendship Force International sent word that there are two spaces available
on an exchange to Israel from October 26 to November 6. The catalog link is
http://catalog.thefriendshipforce.org/index.php/catalog/all_more/discover_is
rael/
Coming events
Ice cream social: September 17 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Tom Seamon's home, 11000 Pino
Ave. NE
This will be a great way to end the sweltering summer! Enjoy the camaraderie, not to
mention the different kinds of ice cream and toppings for you to customize! Please jot
down the date on your calendar and invite a friend who might have an interest in travel,
socializing and being an active member. Contact: Berta Wagstaff, 505-710-4448
World Conference in Marrakesh, Morocco, September 15-18. Registration closes
August 15. See details at https://www.eiseverywhere.com//ehome/150979.
New members meeting: There will be a social gathering and orientation meeting for
new members on Sunday, October 2, 3 to 5 p.m., at Judith Mead’s house. The address
is 1515 Soplo Road SE, Albuquerque. Phone number: 505-323-2253.
October 10-17: Inbound exchange from Napa-Sonoma. John Farris is the exchange
director.
May 8-20, 2017: Inbound global themed exchange – A Journey from Ancestral Puebloan
Prehistory through Contemporary Puebloan Culture. Exchange directors are Judith
Mead and Lenore Pardee.
October 2017: Inbound exchange from Toronto, Ontario. This is in the early planning
stages.
Membership Committee grows
From Berta Wagstaff
I am pleased to inform you the Membership Committee now has four new members!
They are Diane Rand, Phil Moskal, Julie McGaharan, and Mark Vaughan.
They are not only new to the committee but also are new members to our club!! I am
thrilled to have them volunteer and help introduce new ways to increase interaction
amongst the membership as well as get better acquainted. They are full of ideas!!
We have plans for more socials -- attending Broadway shows, going to dinner together
at an international restaurant, playing Bunco. Your ideas are welcomed too!!
Please see a photo of the committee members on page 7.
‘Guess Who Is Coming to Dinner’ a hit
By Berta Wagstaff
A great success! We had 21 participants. Our hosts for the evening were
John and Jo Margaret Farris; and Ruth O'Keefe and Ed Studer.
An assortment of food was shared: appetizers, main entree, side dish, salad
and dessert. Anyone who left hungry, it was their own fault!
Participants were members -- both seasoned and new -- as well as guests.
There were six guests. They have been invited to the August luncheon to see
for themselves how an exchange works and what a great opportunity for
adventure exists!
One of the guests was the president for the Welcome Newcomers Club! It
was thought it would be a great way to inform newcomers about the bestkept secret -- Friendship Force!
From FF International: Travel safety remains a priority
With the news full of the threat from IS and many governments expanding
their travel cautions, it’s understandable that people feel nervous about
traveling. It’s very important, as it has always been, to be thorough in
researching our destination and to exercise caution anytime when we travel.
The staff at FFI are committed to your safety; we monitor governments’ sites
and news resources, and talk to people on the ground so we can stay up-todate on your exchange and conference destinations. While guarantees are
impossible, know that we would not send you anywhere we wouldn’t go
ourselves. It rarely happens but when travel to a destination is banned we
always act quickly to cancel a program and notify the participants.
Anytime you have questions, FFI is here for you. Feel free to also check in
with your hosts or the host exchange director to get their perspective on
your destination. Very often its business as usual where they live, and they
will be able to allay your concerns.
Check out award-winning U.S. travel journalist Wendy Perrin’s very
educational article from March. The article is written for U.S. readers but the
overall message is relevant to all of us, no matter what country we call
home. Find the article at http://www.wendyperrin.com/7-keys-travelingwithout-fear-despite-terrorist-attacks/.
Last but not in the least least
Here’s a challenge from Berta:
If you are reading the newsletter, the first one to email me [email protected] -- and answer the following question will receive a little
something!!
What club was invited to the Guess Who Is Coming to Dinner?
Please send contributions for the next newsletter to [email protected]. In addition to
matters dealing with FFNM activities, we’re eager to see accounts of any experiences
members have of an international nature, whether traveling abroad for pleasure or business,
or meeting people from around the world here in the United States. Photo submissions are
welcome as well.
New membership committee members
Left to right: Phil Moskal, Dianne Rand, Berta Wagstaff, Julie McGaharan and
Mark Vaughan. “We look forward to meeting you!”
More photos from Peru
From Gordon Pardee, Jude Pardee and Ginger Grossetete
A scenic Peruvian river valley
At Sacsayhuaman, ruins of a massive fortress near Cuzco.
Also at Sacsayhuaman
Tarapoto hosts welcome the New Mexico contingent at the airport there.
At a cocktail party in Lima.
Worker collecting plantains.
Peruvian waterfall.
A toast.
Classsic photo of Machu Picchu, from the guardhouse.