The Globe May 2007
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
We ourselves
feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be
less because of that missing drop. – Mother Teresa
During Houston’s cold and rainy start to Spring, ICH members
thoroughly enjoyed a sunny and gorgeous day to visit the University of
Houston-Clearlake. I am pleased to
announce that in April the ICH Board approved a donation of $4,000 to the
UH-Clearlake Billie Fowler Scholarship and presentation was made by Kathy
Waugh, VP- Programs during the visit.
Please find a report of the meeting on page 8.
ICH was formed as a non-profit organization
in 1999 to foster friendships between the local and expatriate community
through programs, activities, tours and discussion groups. Our organization definitely made my
transition back into the States much easier and more enjoyable and I am happy
to have formed wonderful and lasting friendships. Our Nominating Committee is
currently seeking members to serve on the ICH Board for 2007/2008. If you would
like to serve or nominate someone (with their permission please), please
contact Liz McLaren or email ich_membership@yahoo.com.
Have ideas for future programs or events? Volunteer and have fun too!
Make your reservations NOW for Wine and
Wisdom on Saturday, May 19th! Please find details below for an
entertaining evening for all! Also, please take a moment to read the Activity
section to learn more about new activities ICH has to offer. Many thanks to
Barbara Donnelly, VP-Activities for organizing these for our members. I would
also like to thank our VP-Membership, Shelagh Metselaar, for volunteering her
talents for our members’ “Sunshine Cards.”
All my best,
Chris Lusignan
International Connections of Houston
Invites you to an evening of
‘Wine and Wisdom’
0n Saturday 19th May at 7pm
Cost: $20 per person
An evening of ‘Wine and Wisdom’ will be hosted by Jackie Verity. Teams of 6-8 people will participate
in a friendly competition of trivia. A
supper of cheese, fruit, breads and crackers will be served, accompanied by
wine, beer and soft drinks.
To reserve a place contact Barbara Donnelly at barbara14007@sbcglobal.net or Liz McLaren at Mclaren_liz@hotmail.com and mail a check payable to:
International Connections of Houston
ICH, 14007 Lochshire St, Houston TX, 77077
Your check reserves your place. Places are limited so book early!
MONTHLY MEMBERS’ MEETING – MAY 2007
University of Texas Medical Branch - Galveston
Theater Outreach and Education
The Unspeakable Series: Out Loud
A Dramatic Choral Reading
Written and Directed by Cheryl
L. Kaplan
The Unspeakables Series: Out
Loud addresses the
unspeakable illnesses that affect our lives.
Three readers vividly convey the stories of three real women, through
interviews and conversations with these women and the playwright. The three women speak from different perspectives
of lives that have been shaped by the experience of illness. This short play, as part of the series,
voices the thoughts, facts and perceptions of those touched by illness, not
just the disease or biological phenomenon, but also entire scope of illness,
including the social and historical impact.
Theater Outreach and Education (TOE) is part of UTMB's Institute
for the Medical Humanities. TOE uses theater as a tool for education to raise
awareness of health science and medical humanities issues within the university
and the community. Other TOE projects
include a Theater Troupe which creates plays and supplemental study guides for
grades K-12 on any health science topics and Ozone Theater which provides classroom
interactive exercises about the relationship of one's health to air pollution
and the environment. You will hear more about TOE in a short presentation
preceding the performance.
Cheryl L. Kaplan serves as the Director of Theater Outreach and
Education for the Institute for the Medical Humanities at the University of Texas Medical Branch. Ms. Kaplan holds a Bachelor of Arts in
Theatre with area certificates in Women's Studies and Jewish Studies, as well
as a Master of Fine Arts in Directing.
She has worked in a variety of theater settings, university, community
and professional, as a writer, director, producer and actor.
READ
PAGE 8 OF THIS NEWSLETTER FOR A REPORT ON OUR MEETING LAST MONTH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON-CLEAR LAKE. For more pictures and information on the
Billie C Fowler ICH Scholarship, visit our website at http://www.internationalconnectionshouston.org/
Directions:
The Park at Voss
2424
South Voss Road, Houston, TX-77057
The Park at
Voss Apartment Complex is on Voss Road between
Westheimer and San Felipe. It is on the west side of Voss - the left side
if you are coming from Westheimer, the right side if you are coming from San
Felipe. Enter the area by the ‘Park at Voss’ sign and proceed to the left side
of the parking lot. Once you are parked, follow the path inside the fenced area
to the leasing office and the conference room.
Liz McLaren, our
Director at Large, Refreshments, is asking any member who wishes to show off
their cooking skills and would like to bake for our meetings, to please contact
her before each monthly meeting.
Florescence is one of the largest competitive national flower
shows sanctioned by the Garden Club of America in the United States, presented by The Garden Club of Houston, River Oaks Garden
Club, and the Museum of Fine
Arts, Houston. It will showcase
floral and horticultural arrangements by garden club experts, renowned floral
and garden designers, & other noted personalities. May 1 and 2 from 10 am
to 7 pm. Open to the public with general museum admission to The
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Caroline Wiess Law Building, 1001 Bissonnet. For more information: http://www.flohouston.org/
Visit
Kemah for Mother’s Day – May 13th – Live entertainment and lots of
shops and restaurants to indulge her in.
http://www.kemahboardwalk.com/pdf/2007Events.pdf
Also,
every Thursday from May 3 to August 30, from 6.30 to 10.15 pm, Kemah hosts “Rock the Dock” a series of live music concerts.
Friday May 4, 4.30 – 10.30 pm
Sat. May 5th, 12 – 10.30 pm
Sun 6th, 12 – 6.30 pm
The City of Houston will come alive at the 2nd
annual Bayou City Crawfish Festival benefiting Texas Equu Search. Hermann Square in front of City Hall at
901 Bagby, will host a variety of Cajun, Zydeco and Texas Country Music. The air will be filled with the aroma of spicy boiling crawfish, funnel
cakes, etouffee, bbq, fajitas, gumbo and much more. The festival benefits one
of Texas’ most worthwhile organizations, Texas Equu Search, a mounted search and
rescue unit formed in 2000 by Tim Miller to assist law enforcement and families
in the location and recovery of missing persons. Some activities include a children’s
area, mechanical bull, rockwall, carnival, arts and craft vendors, face
painting and much more. See http://www.bayoucitycrawfishfestival.com/
http://www.texasdragonboat.com/
Over 30 teams compete on Buffalo Bayou in Chinese
dragon boats – the banks will also feature cultural entertainment and food. Allen’s Landing Downtown Sat 5th
May at 9 a.m.
Miller
Outdoor Theatre, 100 Concert Drive, Hermann Park, Houston, TX 77030
Features 2 days of interesting cultural
events:
Saturday May 5th
from 3 – 10.30 pm
CINCO
DE MAYO - Mexican celebration featuring
mariachis, folkloric dances and more. Festival activities start at 3 pm. Produced by Comite Patriotico Mexicano and sponsored
by the City of Houston.
Sunday May 6th from 2 – 9 pm
The 2007 Asian/Pacific
American Heritage Festival will culminate in a spectacular concert at 7.30 pm featuring some of the best Asian American Broadway
stars performing the biggest hits with personal anecdotes from the performers. Celebrate
Asian/ Pacific Heritage Month! Immerse yourself all day into the culture, food,
arts, and heritage of Houston’s Asian communities. See: http://www.apaha.org/
GREEK FESTIVAL on May 17th (4-9
pm), May 18th and 19th (11 am – midnight) and May 20th
(11am – 8 pm) at St Basil the Greek Orthodox Church
at 1100 Eldridge Parkway in West
Houston. I go there each year and it’s a lot of fun –
great Greek food, wine, staged dancing and music and small carnival booths for
the children. Catch the Gyro Eating Contest on Friday at 7
pm! http://www.homestead.com/prosites-stbasil/Festival.html
For other events in Houston, look up
http://www.visithoustontexas.com/visitors/events.php,
a link to discounts, special events, concerts and sporting events and
everything you need to know to mooch around town.
Activities Co-Coordinator: Barbara Donnelly
(ich_activities@yahoo.com).
For
all the following activities, please contact the activity leaders directly. The
personal phone numbers and e-mail addresses of the activity leaders can be
found in the ICH MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY or the attachment posted with the
Newsletter each month. For a copy of the Membership Directory, please contact
the V-P, Membership Shelagh Metselaar at ich_membership@yahoo.com. If
you cannot contact the activity leader, please email Barbara Donnelly at ich_activities@yahoo.com
All participants in ICH activities must be members of ICH!
‘WINE AND WISDOM’
Saturday 19th May @ 7pm
$20 per person (includes wine and light supper)
Join
us for an evening of trivia, food
and wine! We have a limited number of places for this event and they are going
fast! To reserve a place, contact either
Barbara Donnelly or Liz McLaren.
WATER AEROBICS (summer activity)
Starting
in June! Email Barbara Donnelly if you want to be put on
the contact list.
NEW2ICH COFFEE
The next New2ICH meeting will be in
June.
COUPLES DINING OUT
As we have ‘Wine and Wisdom’ in May the next meeting
will be in June. For more
information about this event contact either Beverly
Smolenski or Catherine Hay.
INTERNATIONAL
LUNCH
Hope
you can join us at one of our lunches as they are deliciously fun. The next
international lunch is being planned. Details will be published in the next
newsletter. For more information
contact Jo
Hentschel or Barbara Donnelly
TENNIS
We have a number of members interested in playing
tennis (singles or doubles) on a casual basis. If you would like to be put on
the contact list please email Barbara Donnelly
COOKING
CLUB 
We are forming a casual ‘cooking club’ where we can
get together to talk about food, share recipes and learn new cooking
skills.
The
first meeting will be Tuesday 22nd May.
If you would like to attend please contact Barbara Donnelly.
SPANISH COFFEE MORNING
A number of members are
getting together to start a Spanish conversation coffee morning. We will choose
a topic each month and use this as a basis for the ‘conversation’. The aim is
for it to be lighthearted and fun; giving people a chance to practise their
Spanish in relaxed surroundings. There will be different levels of ability
(beginners included) and a native Spanish speaker to help us at the first
meeting- so just come for the fun of it and see how you get on!
The
first meeting will be Tuesday 5th June and the theme will be ‘food’.
If you would like to attend, or want to know more, please contact Barbara Donnelly
BOOK CLUB
The fourth Thursday of the month
at 10:30
a.m.
If
you are already a member of the group, you will be given directions to the
venue. If you would like to join, please contact Amber Wickwire OR Jeanne Hero. If you feel you cannot keep up
the pace of one book per month, you can choose one or more titles and attend
the appropriate meeting. "Casuals" are most welcome.
May
Desai,
Kiran. The Inheritance of Loss. Man Booker Prize (UK), 2006. Set in New York and the Himalayas, an Indian-Nepali insurgency
disrupts the lives of a young woman, her Nepali tutor (and lover), and a host
of other characters. (www.penguin.ca)
June
Edwards, Kim. The Memory Keeper's Daughter. In 1964, Dr.
David Henry, when delivering his own twins, discovers that one has Down's
Syndrome. He asks his nurse to institutionalize the baby and to keep her
birth a secret. Instead, the nurse moves to another city to raise the child as
her own. (powells.com)
FRIDAY NIGHT BRIDGE 
Anyone interested in playing bridge in the
evening? Come with a partner or request
a partner to play fun bridge on the second
Friday of the month. For more information please contact Friedel Liptay.
FRIENDLY BRIDGE ( Tuesday)
Every other Tuesday of the month from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. If you would like to play with this group, please
get in touch with Raquel Fernandez.
GENTLE
GOLF
Every Wednesday morning at Bear Creek Golf Club. We
would love to have you join us and we would welcome some more players. Anyone
interested in joining us call or email Jen Carne.
ICE SKATING
When: First Friday of the month, 11:00 am.
Where: Galleria Ice Rink. Meet at La Madeleine at 10
am
for coffee. Contact Sandra Pezzetta.
MOVIE MATINEE
Movie Matinee meets every second Thursday
of the month. Please contact Susan Cunha for further information, schedules and location.
STITCHING GROUP
The Lone Star Stitchers (embroidery, quilting, cross-
stitch etc) meet every Monday from 1:00–4:00pm. If you wish to join the
group, call Margaret Wallace.
SPANISH CLASSES
The last Spanish class of
this session is on Tuesday 1st May. The class will continue in September.
The new beginner’s class will start
in May if we have enough interest, if not we will start both classes in September.
If you are interested in joining either class please contact Barbara
Donnelly
WEST SIDE WALKERS
This is a great way to meet people in the West
Memorial area, especially if you are new to Houston. We meet weekly on
Friday mornings at 9:00am, at Terry Hershey Park on Memorial Drive, and ¼ mile west of
Eldridge. Meet by the pavilion (gazebo) on the north side of Memorial Drive. Contact Kate Horan.
Member Services
We act as facilitators for a number of
activities that may be of interest to our members. If you wish to participate or if you want to
know more please contact either the leader or Barbara
Donnelly
PLAYGROUP
ICH members have been
invited to join the TANZOT playgroup. They don’t mind at all if you are not
from The Antipodes! The playgroup meets every Thursday morning 10:00am-12:00pm, usually at a member’s
home. Come and let your kids play, while you have coffee and a chat. For
mothers and children from 0-4. For information, contact Megan Jamieson.
GET UP AND
DANCE!
If
you would like to explore the world of social dancing in Houston then Bronwyn is happy to facilitate
that. She knows where you can go to
begin or can find out. If it’s two step, polka, east or west coast swing,
salsa, waltz or hip hop, she can help get you launched and would be happy to
accompany you to your first class or for your first social outing and to join
you regularly for dancing. Its fun and a great way to meet locals. To find out more contact Bronwyn
Browne.
Looking for something for the teenagers to do during the summer
vacations? Christa is organizing trips and outings for teenaged children.
For more details contact Christa Dyson.
H.I.N.T.s (Houston International Newcomers Team)
We are
getting together a team of people to help newcomers to ICH. They will be
putting together a welcome pack full of useful information about Houston. If you have any suggestions or
wish to be involved please contact Janet Dunlop or Carol Hammer.
EVENTS
& ACTIVITIES CALENDAR – May 2007
