Center News Fall 2010

Center News

Fall 2010

AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE FOR OUTSTANDING IMMIGRANTS

Each year the International Center hosts a fall fundraising event, usually a formal dinner, honoring foreign-born leaders in business, education, and the arts who have made significant contributions to American life. This year’s fall celebration, on November 4, was held at our home on 23rd Street, giving our supporters a glimpse of the place where newcomers and New Yorkers come to learn and share their cultures. A welcoming committee of Center members and volunteers greeted some 100 guests who were treated to the sounds of the Peter Duchin Orchestra streaming from the Center lounge. Volunteers staffed the open bar and served a spread of gourmet hors d’oeuvres. The silent auction offered an array of attractive items donated by our many supporters.

The event chair was Tadashi Ishiguro, President of Brother International Corporation. Roger Nakagawa, Senior Vice President of Brother International and member of the Center’s

board of directors, Gabriella Sperry, president of the Center’s board, and Executive Director Doreen Rizopoulos welcomed the guests in the conversation partner room and introduced distinguished honorees, recipients of the Center’s 2010 Awards of Excellence. Amelie Chabannes, Tian X. Hou, and Yuta Powell accepted their awards with eloquent remarks and moving personal stories, poignant, poetic, and humorous, delighting an appreciative and often exuberant audience. Amelie Chabannes is a French-born, Brooklyn based, sculpture artist whose works have appeared in exhibitions and private collections throughout the world over the past decade. One of her latest projects, “Your Portrait of My Identity” involves sculpture and video. She received the Award for Excellence in the Arts. (Text of her remarks is on page 4.) Tian X. Hou is Managing Director at Auriga USA, LLC, focusing primarily on Chinese Internet and media stocks. With first-hand experience of owning and operating a business in her native China, she has served as consultant to US companies seeking business partnerships there. Hou has run an international campaign to improve human rights conditions in her native country. Her award is for Excellence in Financial Services. Continued on page 2

ISP MEMBER ANJELIKA KHAKHAEVA WRITES A WINNING ESSAY AT NYS TESOL CONTEST

Congratulations to ISP member Anjelika Khakhaeva for placing first at the Annual Student Essay Contest sponsored by New York State TESOL.

Ms. Khakhaeva was honored at the 40th Annual NYS TESOL conference for her essay “Studying in a Bathroom,” which she wrote in Elaine Roberts’ class, Reading and Writ-ing Personal Sto-ries. Text of her essay appears on page 2.

Anjelika Khakhaeva (left) with her teacher Elaine Roberts (ISP Manager ) at the NYS TESOL ceremony in Albany in November

Yuta Powell, a native of the Czech Republic, is the owner of “Yuta Powell,” a high-quality women’s fashion boutique on Madison Avenue. Before opening her own business, Powell worked for years under the tutelage of Hubert de Givenchy. Her collections are chosen from designers in France, Italy, Britain, and the USA. She received the Award for Excellence in Entrepreneurship. Yoshitomo Nara, one of the leading artists of Japan’s Neo Pop movement, is internationally known for his work depicting small children and animals in solitary settings. His work, “Nobody’s Fool,” is currently on display at the Asia Society in New York City. Marianne Boesky, of the Marianne Boesky Gallery, accepted the Award for

Excellence in the Arts on Yoshitomo Nara’s behalf. After the presentation of the awards, the celebration continued

as the Peter Duchin Orchestra played to a dancing crowd. The International Center community would like to thank

all those who helped make this event a huge success. We are grateful to Brother International Corporation and its president, Tadashi Ishiguro, for their most generous support, and to the event patrons, JCC Fund of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of New York, Inc., Wilkie Farr & Gallagher, LLP, and Jeanne Warner.

Continued on page 2

Amelie Chabannes

Tian X. Hou

Yuta Powell

FALL CELEBRATION 2010

Center News Fall 2010

Fall Events Fall Celebration ...Continued from page 1

2010/11 COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAMS

For the past ten years, the Center Community Outreach Programs

have collaborated with non-profit organizations and public schools

throughout the city to offer our Conversation Partner Program in the

neighborhoods where newcomers live and work.

The Community Outreach Programs are currently at sites in

Manhattan and the Bronx. 12-15 week programs are offered in the

spring and fall. English language learners and the International Cen-

ter’s trained volunteers meet weekly for one to two hours of English

conversation in a one-to-one partnership.

This past fall the Center worked with immigrants from Af-

rica and Latin America at the Mid-Manhattan Adult Learning Center

in Harlem, high school students from around the world at Manhattan

Comprehensive Night and Day High School on the Lower Eastside,

and Latin American immigrants at the Mercy Center in the Bronx. We

will offer these programs again in the spring of 2011 as well as our

program for students from Hostos Community College.

Community Outreach Programs have helped immigrants

improve their English language skills and increase their civic participa-

tion while introducing volunteers to new neighborhoods. As a result,

newcomers and New Yorkers develop lasting networks and mutual

understanding and support, which benefits New York City socially,

culturally, and economically. If you are an ICNY volunteer and would like to participate in the 2011 Community Outreach Programs, please contact Shawn Mullin at [email protected] or 212-255-9555, ext. 208, for more information.

Studying in a Bathroom

By Anjelika Khakhaeva When we first came to the USA my sons were schoolboys. Within a couple of months they started to study in NYC’s public schools. It was a really difficult time. We lived in a studio apartment — my two parents, my two sons and me. The best English speaker in our family was my mom, who had been living in the USA for a few years. Here was not only a lack of English between us but also a lack of space in our one-room apartment. My mom, with one dictionary, helped my elder son sitting in our only room and the younger one and I took our place on the floor in the bathroom. I was trying to do my best looking through the pages of a Russian-English dictionary in search of a proper word. Some months had passed and my sons didn’t ask for help with their homework anymore. I was far behind them with my English. Times changed, I began to ask them to help me with my homework. Those first steps were the most difficult in our jour-ney in learning English. Now my elder son is in the US Navy and the younger one is a first-year student at NYU Poly. I am proud of them. My English is still far from being perfect but I keep walking. It’s my country and my language. Day by day, sound by sound, word by word — I make my steps.

A very special thanks goes to the Institute of Culinary Education for their gracious preparation and donation of the food and to Wine and Spirits Magazine for their generous donation of wine. A full list of our supporters is on the International Center website at www.intlcenter.org.

Our gratitude goes to all.

Anjelika Khakhaeva’s winning essay... Continued from page 1

Roger Nakagawa

Above: Staff and volunteers, past and present Left: Jake Lazarowitz, Gabriella Sperry, Doreen Rizopoulos

Above: Elaine Rob-erts, Ahmed Habeeb, Veronika Chuenvong

Guests respond enthusiastically to honorees’ remarks

H. Sperry, Jenny Lines, Jack Van Hulst

Below: Ibrahima Seck, Doreen Rizopoulos, Tian Hou

Our New York Lives - Events to Remember

I have been living in the United States for one year. It is a pleasure to be staying in such an exciting city like New York, but sometimes I badly miss my family, my culture, and our festivals.

On September 12 of this year, we celebrated here in New York one of our special festivals, called Teej. For me, this has been a very special event since I have been in the United States. Nepali Teej is a special festival celebrated by the women of Nepal with dedication and love. It involves singing, dancing, special foods as well as fasting and worship. This year, on the eve of the festival, four of my Nepali friends came to my apartment. We prepared all kinds of different foods, which are special for this festival, and we shared them together. We were dressed in our traditional dress and ornaments like red colored saris, blouses, bangles, and the vermillion powder. After having the food, we played typical Teej music and songs from the Internet and enjoyed dancing in a group. It was so wonderful. We all felt as if we were at the festival in our own country. In the evening, we went to the temple, located in Jackson Heights in Queens, where there was a big celebration. There were a lot of Nepalese sisters there, and we had dinner at the temple, sang songs, and enjoyed dancing. We also had an opportunity to meet Nepali celebrities. Finally, at midnight, we returned home. The following day was a day for fasting. We fasted, worshiped, and prayed for the happiness and long life for our husbands. This is part of our country’s cultural tradition. We were glad to have celebrated a Nepali festival, following our tradition, although far away from our home country. The experience refreshed our bodies and our minds. — Sharmila Dhakal My husband is a student at Columbia University, and it was our turn to invite his friends over to our home. This was the first time I had to serve a meal for people other than the Japanese, I was very nervous. But it turned out to be a good and fulfilling experience and we had a wonderful time. The home party was named “Sushi Party.” However, because I am not a professional in making sushi, I prepared “temaki-sushi.” That is, I prepare the ingredients such as nori, rice, and raw fish and everyone makes their own sushi. It was a success. Now they could make temaki-sushi at home! My husband and I also wore yukata (a casual style of kimono), so that the guests would get a feel for the Japanese culture. The next party is going to be held at a Swedish home. I am very excited to be able to experience different cultures in New York and to learn from them. — Rie Ueno Continued on page 5


At our registration for September structured courses, we asked the members to write a placement essay on the following topic: Describe an event, an experience, or a relationship that has been of special importance to you since you have been in the United States. Here are some of their thoughts. Being in America is a big event in itself. Since I had never dreamed beyond going to Europe, to pursue my studies, I believed that America was always too far away for my feet to reach. So, it was a great, unbelievable chance when I won the lottery and got my green card. I just felt as if I had gotten a key that opens the door into America. Ever since I arrived, I have been through so many in-teresting experiences. But the most moving one for me was the time when a teacher tried to explain something to me. I asked him for an explanation and he came over to my seat and bent down leaning on his knee. It was a great gesture that never got out of my mind. I felt so moved that I was crying inside. It was completely different from the way teachers used to treat students back home. This teacher is always present for me and very unique. — Mohamed Ghafari

I have been living in New York for five months. I am from Haiti

and I came here after the earthquake on January 12, 2010.

The university where I was teaching philosophy and French

literature was completely destroyed. Many students from that

university and some professors died. When I left Haiti and

came to New York, I felt lost and deep in sorrow. I felt an infi-

nite sadness, an infinite fear that even now I can’t describe.

Even now I can’t get over a kind of sadness.

But in New York I met friends who helped me a lot.

One of them gave me room and board and helped me to feel

better. Another one helped me in many ways, and especially

with my job search. She translated my CV and all my impor-

tant documents and provided me with a lot of guidance. She

also helped me in a deep psychological way by surrounding

me with a wonderful and very special friendship.

Now I started working at New York University (NYU)

as a visiting scholar. I have to do academic research about

Monique Wittig’s literary work. I am very happy about that

and very grateful to a friend who found that position and to

NYU as well.

I am also studying English at the International Center

where I have a scholarship. That makes me happy, too. And I

am grateful that, since the first encounter at the Center, I have

been treated with kindness and understanding.

At this point I have some means that allow me to or-

ganize my life in the United States. That is a relief. But I am

aware that I have to continue my life’s struggle. At the same

time, I want to be able to appreciate the beauty of life.

— Kerline Devise


Remarks by Amelie Chabannes as she accepted

The International Center 2010 Award for Excellence in the Arts

I would like to deeply thank the International Center and all the people here who have supported me for the past years. I can‘t tell you how proud and thrilled I am to be honored tonight! Especially so by the

International Center that helps and supports many immigrants like me. And how wonderful it is to be helped when you have just moved to the city. It is the most unforgettable thing. Thank you so much! Thank you for giving me a voice tonight (which I lost yesterday) and thank you for giving me a wonderful opportunity to talk about my experience as an immigrant, as an artist, and as a New Yorker. It all started like a very typical Parisian story. I had a crush on New York, the legendary one that strikes you violently, makes your head feel dizzy, your heart beat, and it spreads butterflies in

your belly! I met the city, and I knew I had to move here as soon as possible. There was no rational explanation, it was not reasonable at all, I could not understand the precise nature of that sudden obsession, I just had to do it, leave everything behind and just go…

Later I understood what all those things were that shook my mind and soul. REACTION! Everything made me react here: the streets, the sounds, the lights, the architecture, the spectacle, the subway, the construction, the vastness, the tightness, the space, the landscape, the art, the artists, the music, the musicians, the people, the eclecticism, the counter culture, absolutely everything made me react! I could love and hate at the same time, I could agree with and question the same thing… Reaction.

I was asleep in my old world. I woke up in New York! I started to experience a brand new palette of opinions and visions…The oscillation of those new thoughts and feelings brought me a new breath of inspiration. A new work, a new identity. So inspiring for someone like me who builds up all projects on the notion of identity. So inspiring to add to your primary identity a brand new one.

I also discovered a new thing that I never experienced in France. Extremity! People I met here can be so extreme, they like something, either an idea, an aesthetic, a project, they defend it strongly and they go ALL THE WAY! “They have their fingers stuck in the plug,” as a French expression goes to describe that particular and safe insanity.

They have no fear and they are full of hope because they strongly believe in the dream. That was a brand new idea for me, a brand new land opening up right in front of me.

For the past few years my “fusion” behavior, my passion for the city, settled in and became real love, the one that lasts… I slid from a shaky ground to a steady and solid one. It helped me discover the sensitivity of the city, the spirit of community, the empathy, the precious friendships, my husband, my son, and all the people who supported me since I moved to the city. And what support it has been! Amazing…. All of these things helped me to create an oasis in this loud gigantic washing machine called New York. Again, thank you for your support. I am also so pleased to be among so many talented people tonight. Really, it is a great and true honor!

Celebrating Our Immigrant Community Save the Language:

The Case of Ikposso in Togo Excerpts from a scholarly paper written by Center member

Dr. Ufuale Afola Amey This paper is an overview of Togo and its languages but, through this paper, I would like to discuss how language influences culture, politics, economics, and vice versa. I will also show how Togo, a very small country, as many African countries are, was artificially created by many different colonizers for socio-political and economic interests. The Republic of Togo is located on the coast of West Africa. The land size is 21,925 square miles. There are 48 languages in Togo. The official language is French, but the remaining languages are classified into three groups:

• ‘Kwa’ languages

• ‘Gur’ or ‘Gurunsi ‘ languages

• Residual or GTM (Ghana Togo Mountain) languages Two main languages have been chosen as the official

languages for national affairs, media, and education. One is Ewe (from the Kwa group) and the other is Kabiye (from the Gur group). Ewe is spoken in the south and also in parts of Ghana, and Benin. Kabiye is spoken in the north as well as in parts of Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Benin. These languages are taught at primary and secondary schools where education is mandatory up to the age of 15.

Ewe is spoken by 862,000 people in the southern part of Togo and by 1,616,000 people in Ghana. Ewe is the first Togolese language to be in contact with the Europeans. For this reason it became the basic language of communication in the church, school, and trade. Consequently, it became a symbol of modernity and ‘evolution.’ Under the first President, Olympio, Ewe served as an official language in Togo, along with French. The sociolinguistic role of Ewe in Togolese life has expanded in the post-independence period, and it has become a lingua franca among all ethnic groups and people of all backgrounds. Today, Ewe is the language of the capital city and particularly the commercial centers of Togo.

Kabiye is the main Gur language and it is spoken by more than 800,000 people. It is spoken in the northern part of Togo, as well as in the neighboring countries Benin and Ghana. All these different languages predating European colonization reflected the strength and divisions of different kingdoms of African rulers.

The Ikposso language belongs to GTM group and is one of the minority languages of Togo. It is spoken by 162,500 Akposso people who are living in the Kposso region. This region is located 280 km from Lome, the capital. The Kposso lands border the north-central and the southwest parts of Togo. They are located in the mountains and on plains where it often rains, so the climate is very favorable for many different products: fruits, vegetables, expensive wood for furniture, and especially coffee and cacao. This area is considered the ‘lungs’ of Togo. The climate has brought many different immigrants to these lands, with Ewe and Kabiye people being the largest group of immigrants to settle there. Most of the Ewe people were traders in Kposso towns and villages. However, some of them as well as all the Kabiye people work at the Akposso farms and plantations.

Because Kposso regions are prosperous, parents often sent their young boys abroad or to the other Togolese towns to attend university. More and more Akposso women have married foreigners. These activities have diluted the Ikposso language which is spoken less and less by children and some adults. Ewe, Kabiye, and other languages have started absorbing the Ikposso language.

Continued on page 7

It is very difficult for me to speak about an experience that has been of special importance because I have had so many special events since I have been here. One of them is how I was treated when I had surgery on my foot in a hospital in Jamaica, Queens. The result of an MRI on my left foot was not good. My physician told me that I needed surgery. I was glad, full of courage at the prospect of being operated on since I had had two operations in Togo that were useless. How wonderful it was to have surgery in the US! I can’t compare this event with any other. All the doctors were so good, so precise and all the nurses did their work so nicely and on time. I was even taught how to do my intravenous injections at home after the surgery, and I did it just wonderfully because I was trained so perfectly. How was it possible to be visited at home by so many nurses? Yes, it was possible in the US The system is so well organ-ized that everyone does his or her work in the best way possible. Many months after this surgery, my foot has al-ready healed, but I am still getting the help I need from physicians. I will never forget this event because it is of its utmost importance for me. Being able to walk again with-out the fear of losing my foot is just a miracle. I am really grateful to all those doctors and nurses, and to the US for giving me Medicaid. After this event, how wonderful it is to rediscover the International Center, my second home in New York! —Ufuale Afola Amey Networking is a special experience for me because I have never had it in my home country. In our culture, people should be humble and they should focus on their jobs and not talk to others. Having a “happy hour” with your boss or other senior co-workers is impossible for us. Alterna-tively, networking is not only a social event but an attitude that tells us people should be open-minded and easy-going when they meet someone new. I used to be an engineer. All I knew was working hard, doing research and development, and one day these would pay off. However, in fact it was the people who ne-gotiated that were in charge. Communication plays an im-portant role in the business world, and even more in the world we live in. To network means not only to meet new people but also to get to know your friends better and to take care of one another. I came to New York City alone in 2009, and I made a lot of friends from different states in America and from different cultures from all over the world. Networking teaches us how to make friends and also how to treasure them. — Chiao Yuan Lo


An event which has been of special importance to me was my wedding ceremony which took place at the Unitarian Church in Manhattan on October 11. After the ceremony, we went for a photo session with my relatives and had dinner on a cruiser with a view of Manhattan. Besides the wedding itself, there are three other reasons why the event is an unforgettable experience for me. To begin with, the event helped me improve my English. For example, I had to select my wedding dress and had it tailored. What was the hardest for me was to explain in English exactly the kinds of things I wanted. So, the experiences enriched my vocabulary and improved my communication skills. Second, wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, countries, and ethnic groups. I recognized again cultural differences between the Japanese and American customs. For example, when my father rented a tuxedo, a shop assistant urged him to try on a black tie. Generally, in Japan a black tie implies a funeral, while a white tie is suitable for a wedding ceremony. Also, unlike American brides, Japanese brides usually rent a dress for their wedding because we don’t have many chances to wear the dress later. However, I couldn’t find any rental stores for wedding dresses here. Third, having to plan my wedding here was a good opportunity to learn things about New York City. More than 10 relatives came to New York to attend the wedding and I was the one who took care of them. I had planned where we would go sightseeing, in which restaurant we would have dinner, and so on. One of the places I took them to is the New York Public Library because it is famous for the movie “Sex and the City.” Before visiting the Library, I had read its history. When I learned that once there had been a reservoir in its place, I was most surprised. I discovered a lot of different things about New York City. So, having to do the planning made me stronger and better informed. And during the ceremony I was happy and thankful that I had my wedding in New York City. — Rie Ueda When I was a child in Japan, I took ballet classes. So, my mother would often take me to see ballet performances. Seeing ballet made me feel relaxed and taught me about beauty itself. As a result, seeing ballet became one of my favorite things. However, when I grew up and attempted to purchase a ticket to see a ballet by myself, I was very surprised to see how expensive the ticket was. It couldn’t be helped because many professional dancers came all the way from such countries as Russia, the UK, and the United States. I couldn’t afford seeing many performances. Now, I have been in New Jersey for six months and, fortunately, I was able to enjoy seeing ballet as many as four times at a reasonable price. I plan to see The Nutcracker this winter and I am really looking forward to that. — Misuzu Kato

Our lives - events to remember...Continued from page 3


Discovering… Reflections on the Adventure

of Living Abroad By Marina Cano Garcia

People from Jaén believe that there is no better place in the world to live than this small town in the south of Spain, where I come from. This is funny, considering most of its

population has never lived abroad. They will only think about what you lose, when leaving, not that you might actually gain something that might make your life happier. Things are changing now in Jaén, but I know I am still considered by some of my

friends and relatives as a “crazy girl” living in New York City. “What are you doing there so far from your family?” They actually ask me, “What do you eat?” Others, espe-cially my girlfriends, think it might be exciting living in a fashionable city like New York. They might imagine I am like Carry Bradshaw in the famous sitcom “Sex and the City,” walking around Manhattan in fabulous high-heels and attending cocktails parties every day. When I think about how I ended up here, in New York City, I am not sure if it was been destiny, chance, or a mixture of both. Although I have always felt really happy in my hometown and got on very well with my family, I won-dered: What would living abroad be like? I was very curious about knowing different people with different cultures, with different ways of seeing the world. At Jaén there seems to be only one way of living and thinking and you better not put it into question. When I was a girl I wanted to be a stewardess so I would be flying from one country to another getting to know the world and they would pay me to do that! It was just perfect! Later on, I realized being a stewardess was not such a glamorous job. So I decided to study something else, but I did not abandon the idea of “exploring the world.” _______________________________ I was very curious about knowing different people

with different ways of seeing the world. The opportunity came up when my university took part in the “Erasmus Program,” a university students’ ex-change program in which students from one European country can go to study at another European university. In other Spanish cities this program was extremely popular and it was really difficult to get a place. But at my univer-sity in Jaén, many places remained vacant because either people were just not interested in living abroad, or they

considered going abroad without knowing the language was just crazy. Another general thought was that “missing” one year in your university would be a barrier to finding a job when you return, because you would never learn as much abroad as in your own local college... I laughed about these closed-minded ideas and I ap-plied for an opening in the UK, enrolled in an intensive English course, and got a place at the University of Dundee in Scot-land, Great Britain, for my last academic year. I was happy and excited! I have to say I had my parents’ full support and they thought it was going to be a great experience for me. I had never left home before and I felt curious and a bit frightened about how I was going to manage in the cold and rainy Scotland. It hardly snows in my hometown, so I decided to go shopping for some warmer clothes. I wanted to bring with me as many things as possible, sheets, blankets, food, books, medicines ...and just before the packing was reaching an un-manageable point, my Mum came into my bedroom and asked me, “Where do you think you are going? To a desert?” I looked at her with a foolish face, embarrassed at all the mess around; we both smiled and she helped me prepare a “reasonable” amount of luggage. It was also going to be my first time flying and doing so right after September 11th did not help. Julia, an-other student from Jaén, and I arrived at the dormitories on Sunday late at night. It was dark and raining and there was no one to ask for directions. Students had not yet arrived from summer vacation. The gardens surrounding the building were a bit scary and Julia, who was walking behind me, whispered when we finally found the janitor, “You talk!!” And I did, put-ting on my best British accent. I was feeling pretty confident until I realized I could not catch a single word from the janitor’s response! So we had to change to “sign language” in order to understand each other. It was not until six months later that I started to feel comfortable speaking and understanding the Scottish accent!

_____________________________________ I understood that there is more than one way to live your life and that all ways are fine.

It turned out that I had one of the best years in my life. I experienced things that enriched my life and truly changed the way I thought. I met people from all over the world, studied with a completely different educational ap-proach, traveled around the country, and maybe the most valuable thing of all: learned how to “survive” without Mum behind me! But the most significant thing was that I changed. I became much more open-minded, able to see the world from different perspectives; I understood that there is more than one way to live your life and that all ways are fine. I learned that you shouldn’t judge people just because their appearance differs from yours, and I felt a deep interest in learning about other cultures. After that year abroad, I suppose I got “braver” and lived and worked in Barcelona and London until I moved to New York, and my personality has been impacted by the dif-ferent cultures and people I have been interacting with. And while gaining a new personality, I have gradually felt a loss of my identity as a young woman who grew up in Jaén. Continued on page 7


.

Our New York Neighborhood: Chelsea

You Can Find It in Chelsea By Gresy Lopez

When autumn and winter tedium sets in — don’t panic. Chelsea has hundreds of options for you to spend your time, to relax your spirit, to break the routine, to meet people, and to find a great place to kill your cravings. What you need when the weather conditions are sapping your energy is a healthy, delicious, steaming hot beverage or a delicious meal that brings to mind the taste of your hometown. Recently, on my way to the International Center, a couple of signs caught my attention. I couldn’t resist the temptation and went right in. I feel pretty confident recommending these two places where,

I believe, you will be able to sat-isfy your cravings. One of those is “Argo Tea” café. It has four locations in New York City, one at the corner of Broadway and 23rd Street. Most of us believe that tea con-tains antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that help protect against cancer, boost the immune system, and lower cholesterol. “Argo Tea” brewers promote healthy living and say they use only high quality ingredients.

Tasting a hot or cold beverage in this café is a pleasurable experience. There are teas from the best growers around the world to satisfy your palate and to boost your energy. You can select from black, green, rare, exotic, and herbal and fruity teas. Enjoy one of those after you had a heavy lunch or finished a hard day’s work. You won’t regret it. They also offer gift cards, gift tea ware, signature bottles, and different varieties of loose teas. Don’t forget to take advantage of their seasonal specials. If you are a tea lover, “Argo Tea” café is the right place to visit. Another recently opened interesting place in Chelsea is “Eataly,” a high-quality food market. I was amazed when I walked in: it is like going to Italy without leaving New York! Here you can shop for produce, go to the bakery or the pastry shop, choose among a variety of cured meats and cheeses to enjoy there or to take home, have a cup of coffee, or delight in the famous gelato. You can also enjoy tast-ing delicious Italian food in any of five restaurants. If all you need is a good bottle of Italian wine, “Eataly” will select it for you. But if you prefer buying a nice serving dish or a tool for your kitchen, they have exclusive designs for you. For a special dinner, make reservations at Manzo, the only named restaurant in “Eataly.” Just walk half a block from the Interna-tional Center towards Fifth Avenue and enjoy the magic of Italy. When you are in Chelsea, you can find everything .

Reflections on living abroad ...Continued from page 6 So, during the last seven years, I have felt some inter-nal conflicts about the pros and cons of living far from home. We all know all the positive things that living in another country provides and how enriching that experience might be. But sometimes it is really hard to live so far away from your family and friends; you miss so many things and relation-ships, and the feelings of loneliness and doubt inevitably arise: “What am I doing here?” These feelings become stronger when something really important happens in your life, such as having a baby or discovering that someone in your family is really sick. And in those happy or sad moments it is not so easy to discern whether living in another country was the right choice. Now, my parents are worried about the possibility that I will never come back, and I do have a “timing fear” of coming back too late, when they are no longer there, or I have changed so much that it would be impossible for me to fit again in a small town like Jaén. You also tend to think naively that things don’t change in the place you leave behind; the city doesn’t get transformed; your friends are still the same, your parents don’t get older, and so on, as if you had taken a picture just before leaving and it remained deep in your mind forever. So when you decide to go back you will be able to smoothly take up your previous life again, as if you had never left. Sometimes I think I would love my children to have this kind of adventurous spirit -- to travel and live in different places. But at the same time, I am aware of the fear that my parents have now, Would they ever come back home? Out of five brothers and sisters none of us are currently living in Jaén. My parents like to say that if they had known this would happen, they would never have encouraged us to explore other options or study away from our city! Although I don’t believe them, I would love to have a crystal ball to make sure we are making the right choices in our lives. But who has one?

Ikposso language … Continued from page 4 As a consequence most Akposso people are bilingual or

multilingual. Unfortunately, some fundamental linguistic elements of this language have been lost. In 2002, Ikposso was examined for the first time in regards to its lexical and morphological verbal system. This language has 10 vowels, 35 consonants and 6 or 7 types of tone.

From oral stories collected and transcribed, I wrote my PhD thesis, titled The Temporality and Event Structures from Oral Ikposso Text at the University of Paris X, Nanterre, France. From this thesis, done with oral language, many studies about villagers’ alphabetization have been done nowadays in Tomegbe, my own village, and others. For the first time now, my brothers and sisters are reading and writing in their own language.

• Many songs and short stories are being written in this language.

• Bible translation has started in this language.

• Master’s degree theses in Ikposso language are being coded at the University of Lome.

In conclusion, the problem of Ikposso as a language in danger of extinction reminds us of the influence of all dominant languages on tribal languages. This phenomenon is clearly understood when we analyze what happened in the U.S. between American colonizers and Native Americans, in Belgium (Flemings and Walloons), in France (Alsace-Loraine), in Africa, and with classic Greek and Latin languages. Of course for socio-economic or political interests, native languages are sacrificed or are totally destroyed when food or different raw materials are exploited from the same countries. But knowing that each language represents the soul and the beliefs of its population, sometimes it is necessary to save, as far as possible, some of the languages.

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