Nacel Open Door Network Voices

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In This Issue:Advisors’ Angle: Starting Out Right. . . . .3

Culture Note: Argentina.............. 4

Introducing: Travel CoordinatorCharlie Forpahl. . . . . . . 4

Keeping Up with NODPrograms. . . . . . . . . . 2

nod vOICESShare Your Experience!The Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) program is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Nacel Open Door has been partnered with the CBYX program since its inception, helping nearly 625 high school graduates take part in this amazing opportunity to live and work abroad in Germany.

Two former CBYX alumni (2011-2012), Katherine Brown and Evan Woodnorth, will continue their travels this year, when the head to Turkey, to further their cultural education.

CBYX alumnus Katherine Brown, who also works for NOD as an intern, plans to head

to Turkey in September to spend her fall semester studing. While in the CBYX program, Brown lived in the northern part of Germany. Brown’s favorite part of her time in Germany was in a traditional German Band, where Brown played trumpet.

Another CBYX Alumnus from the same group, Evan Woodnorth, will also be traveling to Turkey. Woodnorth says his trip to Turkey definitely stems from his CBYX year. He says these things snowball, and open up a lot of doors.

Woodnorth’s advice to those traveling abroad is to step out of your comfort zone. “Try everything,” he says “be open, and use humor, it goes so far.” Laughter will help you connect with people, even if you don’t speak the same language, Woodnorth says. Laugh at yourself, because either way, you’re going to have times where you look and feel like a bumbling fool, he said; so if you can embrace that and laugh about it together it will make your time enjoyable.

Woodnorth also says to embrace the cultural differences. He says things are different, but people are people no matter where you are. If you understand that, you will be able to go really far and connect with a lot of people.

CBYX AlUmNi CONtiNUe tRAveliNg

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Board of DirectorsDr. Frank Tarsitano, PhD – ChairmanMr. Steve Murphy – SecretaryMs. Alice Murphy – TreasurerMr. Gerard AvundoMr. Arnold Franco Mr. Francois Jean HucMs. Hilda Jaffe

Senior Management TeamDr. Frank Tarsitano, PhD – CEO & PresidentMr. Richard Banasikowski, MA – Vice President Mr. Jean Burdin – President, Nacel InternationalMr. Roy S. Nilsson – CFO

Advisory BoardMr. Jean Burdin – President, Nacel InternationalMr. Pierre Coudry – Interclass BrazilMs. Toni Cowles – Retired, Lauder Institute at the Wharton School, UPENNMr. Jaeho Eohm – International Language Forum, KoreaDr. Abraham Ho, DA – Nacel AsiaMs. Marie Jose Huc – CLC

NACEL OPEN DOOR EXECUTIVES

This newsletter is a publication of Nacel Open Door, inc. For more information on NOD programs and opportunities, please call 800-622-3553, or visit our website at www.nacelopendoor.org.

Newsletter Production Staff: Director of Operations: Rae LenwayDirector of Marketing & Communications: Shannon RauschMarketing Communications Assistant: Meg Beerling

Nacel Open Door, inc. (NOD) offers multiple programs

in the United States and abroad to meet a variety of cultural and academic goals for all students.

These programs range in duration from one week to multiple years. the focus of some programs is a complete cultural immersion and exchange, while others are focused more on college preparation.

KeePiNg UP With NOD PROgRAmSSt. Paul Preparatory School (SPP) Community Service and Service Learning

During the 2013-2014 academic year, a total of 1,400 community service hours were served by graduating seniors of SPP.

Every senior graduated with at least seven hours of service logged. Service learning combines classroom instruction with meaningful community service. It emphasizes critical thinking and personal reflection while encouraging a sense of community, civic engagement, and personal responsibility.

Service learning is a method of teaching that combines classroom instruction with meaningful community service. Service learning can be used in all standard disciplines. Integrating service learning with other studies, for example with language study, provides significant opportunities for students to increase their language proficiency, develop their understanding of concepts with a real life

application while simultaneously helping the community.

Service learning combines experiential learning and community service with: curricular connections and academic influence, student voice, discussion, reflection, and assessment, and community partnerships and authentic community needs. At SPP, students worked in the parks and with development non-profits throught the twin cities.

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Summer is at an end and students are arriving. It’s an exciting time for everyone! As placements start to wind down, take some time to get to know your students after they arrive. What are they interested in? What are their talents and skills? Building a relationship makes for a smoother program for everyone!

As students and Host Families adjust to each other, they might find that their expectations are different than reality. Encourage Host Families and students to talk with each other frequently about their experiences and what’s important to them. Flexibility and communication are important during the adjustment process.

Homesickness is a common concern at the start of the year. It’s a natural part of traveling abroad and something that almost everyone experiences at some point. If your student feels homesick, encourage them to monitor how much time they spend talking with friends and family back home. To much communication can make the problem worse. Getting involved in the host community also helps students adjust

more quickly. Help them come up with ideas of things to do or ways to meet new people. Ask the host family if it’s okay for the student to decorate their room with posters or pictures that can make students feel more at home.

Sometimes, students struggle academically early on in the year. They are adjusting to a lot of changes in their daily school life! Homework style, language and class structure can all be very different from what they’re used to. Ask your school contact to let you know if there are any concerns about a student’s academic performance as they adjust to their new school. If there are concerns, be sure to let Advising and your Coordinator or Regional Program Director know right away. We will help you provide the student with support and guidelines as needed.

Feel free to contact Advising at any time with questions or concerns at advising@nacelopendoor.org. We wish you, your students and Host Families a wonderful year!

ADviSORS’ ANgle: StARtiNg OUt Right

Private School Program (PSP)As PSP Local Representatives are busy locating and securing Host Families, students coming on a PSP program this fall should be checking their school’s website for summer reading requirements. Local Reps also remind their students that they

will want to check their school’s web page for information regarding the purchasing of school uniform and their requirements.

PSP Students enjoying the end-of-the-year Dinner Cruise

Pennsylvania had many new faces in July. There were almost forty students from France, Spain and China staying with American host families around the state. Homestay students have been exploring the area with their host families, enjoying places like the local beaches, New York City, and amusement parks; and have tried new things like camping and fishing. The tutorial students are having English classes everyday and then furthering the lessons with field trips to places like a Penn State College Campus, an Amish farm, Washington DC and much more.

Short Term Program (STP)

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Nacel Open Door National Office 380 Jackson Street, Suite 200

St. Paul, mN 55101 USA

t: 651-686-0080800-622-3553

F: 651-686-9601www.nacelopendoor.orginfo@nacelopendoor.org

www.facebook.com/NacelOpenDoorinc

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iNtRODUCiNg...Travel Coordinator: Charlie Forpahl It wasn’t too long ago that Charlie Forpahl was a student roaming the halls of St. Paul Preparatory School (SPP) of the Nacel International School System (NISS). Now he’s back on campus in a totally different role.

Charlie is the Nacel Open Door (NOD) Travel Coordinator. He says having graduated from SPP, it feels good to give back to the institution that has played such a large role in shaping who he is—on both a personal and global level.

Charlie says he immensely enjoys the international setting. He double-majored in Political Science and Hispanic Studies at St. John’s University which is located about an hour and a half north of the Twin Cities metro area.

“I was fortunate enough, as a part of my study of Spanish, in college to live with a family in Segovia, Spain, about an hour from Madrid,” said Charlie.

As the Travel Coordinator, Charlie communicates and coordinates student logistics with the NOD Network, including but not limited to: arrivals and departures, personal/school sanctioned travel, visa related concerns, documentation, emergencies and student safety.

“Forms before fun!” says Charlie. He wants everyone to be safe and have a great time, but emphasizes that students must confirm that they have received NOD’s official approval before traveling while on program.

Charlie can be reached by email at cforpahl@nacelopendoor.org or at ext. 619

ARgeNtiNAUnlike most Latin American countries, in which European and native cultural influences appear fairly evenly, Argentina is largely dominated by European influences. Argentine culture generally resembles European society more closely than it does

Latin American culture.

You may notice that your Argentine student might stand close when speaking to you. In Argentina, it is not common to allow much physical distance when having a conversation. You may also find your student to be blunt and direct, as Argentines are known to be passionate. Despite this tendency, however, tact and diplomacy are considered important in interpersonal interactions.

Honor is of very high importance in Argentine culture. The head of the family, while commanding respect of other family members, typically is most responsible for maintaining the family’s honor.Public confrontations are generally

avoided in Argentina.