 Your Passport To Adventure! |
 |
2012News
View our 2011 TV commercial! (Click above image) |
|
||
|
|
|||
| 2012 PUBLISHED ARTICLES Mobile International Festival intern broadens her horizons, Press Register Mobile International Festival, Peace Valley Foundation |
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile
International Festival intern broadens her horizons MOBILE, Alabama — Since childhood, Christina Riley has had a passion for France and French culture, which she developed from watching Disney movies such as "The Aristocats," set in Paris. Her dad's international travels further sparked her interest in other cultures. "When I was little, my dad was in the Coast Guard and he would buy me spoons from different countries," said Riley. "I was absolutely intrigued and was always interested, especially when I found out Mobile was established by the French." Riley began studying French while a sixth-grader at Phillips Preparatory School and continued French classes while attending Theodore High School, from which she was graduated in 2010. Now a college sophomore at the University of South Alabama, Riley is majoring in French. In June and July 2011, she studied in France, where she lived in a residence hall with other international students. "I attended the University of Burgundy in Dijon, France. I was enrolled in a six-week language intensive program for my French degree," Riley said. Riley toured palaces and vineyards in Burgundy, enjoyed time on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, and visited the casino at Monte Carlo in Monaco. Her two favorite cities were Lyon and Nice. The people of Nice, she said, are "such loving and open people like Southerners here." In Paris, she saw the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, walked along the Champs-Elysees and toured Notre Dame, the Louvre, Versailles, and many other French sites, including a World War II museum. "It was crazy to see a picture of Notre Dame with the Nazi flag flying over it," said Riley. "It went from the history book to reality and it made me think that some of these people's great-grandparents saw this." She also improved her French. "I have to work at it every day, but it is a work of love," she said. "The more I study, the easier it gets." Riley's visit to France was her first international trip, but she has traveled to many U.S. cities, including Washington, D.C., and New York, where she visited the United Nations building as part of the Close Up program, which gives high school students a chance to observe the workings of our government. Here in Mobile, Riley travels around the world courtesy of the Mobile International Festival, with which she has been an intern since August. "I have always been a fan of the Mobile International Festival since I was a young Girl Scout attending it," said Riley. "In my freshman year of high school I participated in a Mobile International Festival art contest and received an honorable mention." Now, as a festival intern, Riley helps prepare field trips, assists with setup and logistics and researches new ideas. "It has all the qualities a great festival needs," said Riley. "The main goals of the Mobile International Festival are to open the attendants' eyes to the world, create more understanding of different cultures, and, most of all, share and explain those cultures. Knowing that I am a part of an organization that promotes these wonderful values is an unexplainable joy. "After
graduation, I hope to continue to work with the festival,"
she said. "I have not ruled out the possibility of grad school,
and, of course, I also hope to travel more. I would most like to
travel to Italy next."
November 17, 2011 - OSC, Southern League (SL) Mobile BayBears Mobile, AL,
November 17, 2011 - For the second straight year, the Mobile BayBears
Professional Baseball Club and the Mobile International Festival
are giving area schools children a chance to see a piece of Mobile
history. Each field trip includes a tour of the Hank Aaron Childhood Home and Museum, a tour of the BayBears Clubhouse, a video about the restoration of the museum and a chance for students to participate in other ballpark activities. "As a history teacher, it was great for the kids to be able to see a piece of living history," Denton 7th-grade social studies teacher Alex Tarwater said. "It was great for them to see the impact that someone from Mobile had on peoples lives." Some of the kids from Denton were pleased with the trip also: "I like the clubhouse and seeing the lockers," Diamond - 6th grade student; "My favorite part was being on the field," Chloe - 7th grade student; "I loved the tour of his house," Charria - 7th grade student; "My favorite part was watching the Hank Aaron movie," Alexis - 6th grade student. In 2010, the Mobile BayBears and the Mobile County Public School System created a new venue for students to enhance their learning. The 755 Team Partnership, gives area businesses the chance to sponsor a class of 30 kids to take the field trip to Hank Aaron Stadium, which includes a tour of the museum. Students also get a first-hand look at the ballpark as well as lunch on the grounds. BayBears Charities
was organized for the primary purpose to educate and help children
of all ages learn about the history of Hall of Famer Hank Aaron
growing up in Mobile in the 1940s and baseball in Mobile. The Hank
Aaron Childhood Home & Museum was opened to the public on April
14th, 2010 and is located on the stadium grounds.
Peace Valley
Foundation The annually organized Mobile International Festival(MIF) is one of the most appealing events held in Mobile. Volunteers of Peace Valley Foundation proudly helped Turkish-American community to organize Turkish cultural and food booths at MIF. Visitors got the chance to experience Turkish culture, learn about the history, and enjoy with the traditional food.
|
|
||
Getting Lost at the Mobile International Festival Published: Sunday, November 20, 2011 MOBILE, Alabama — Warning: You can get lost at the Mobile International Festival if you are not careful. With cultural exhibits from 65 different countries at the Mobile Civic Center, and other nations offering entertainment and food, it’s not hard to understand why. Saturday marked the 28th edition of the festival, which seems to grow every year. As in years past, children collected passport stamps from the countries they visited. Danielle Payne, who had 9 stamps in her paper passport book at one point, said India was her favorite. “I like the stuff that they make,“ the 9-year-old 4th-grader at Christ the King School in Daphne said. The men and women who manned the booths were an eclectic mix of people from the nations they represented, local residents who trace ancestral roots to the countries they highlighted and even folks with no ethic connection at all. “I’m not even Slovak,“ said Donna Rogers, a retired education professor from the University of South Alabama, who was at the Slovakia station. Rogers said she got involved with a local Slovakia heritage group in 2002 at the urging of a friend who had started the organization. Originally called MOKA, the Mobile Kosice Association, the organization was created to promote Mobile’s relationship with a sister city in the Eastern European country. Today, Rogers said, only 2 of the organization’s 10 members have ethnic ties to the country. But she said her affinity to Slovakia grew when she and her husband visited Kosice six or 7 years ago. “It was an intriguing mix of old, historical Slovakia culture and the remnants of a Soviet satellite country,“ she said. On the other side of the spectrum, Tito Ari was promoting Indonesia. He works for the Indonesian Consulate in Houston and goes to about 20 events like this across the country every year. He said he tells curious Americans about the tourism opportunities in his country, as well as a “little bit about the history, little bit about religion.“ He said he enjoys the Mobile event. “It took me 2 years to go to all of the countries,“ he said. A cacophony of sights and sounds surrounded festival-goers all day, from Safari Acrobats representing Kenya to the McGuire’s Pub Band representing Ireland to Tuna de Derecho of Monterrey, Mexico. Filipino dancers delighted their audience with tinikling, an activity that combines folk music with dance steps intertwined with bamboo poles. “It’s based on the name of a bird, tikling,“ said Maria Arcenal, explaining that the animal — any of a number of rail species — hops over bamboo grass in the Philippines. Two people hold either ends of a pair of 8- to 12-foot poles and bang them twice on pieces of plywood before striking the poles together. The dancers move their feet to the beat — one, 2, between the poles before hopping over to the other side before the poles come together. The beat and rhythm increase until they reach a frantic crescendo. “You can do different dances, different steps,“ said Arcenal, who is a member of a local Philippine-American group. Then there was the food. Offerings from 17 different countries arrayed around the perimeter of the main arena provided a chance to have quite a diverse feast at a cost of no more than $4 an item. You could have a $1 cup of Java coffee from Indonesia, a $1 bowl of chicken soup from Vietnam, $2 Native American fry bread and a $4 plate of spicy red curry chicken from Laos. Wash it down with a $1 mango milkshake from India and then treat yourself to some dessert: 3 bitso-bitso (Pinoy doughnuts) for $1 from the Philippines, some baklava from Greece for $1.50 and some Brazilian candies for 50 cents each. And that does not even include the 13 international stations at a food court at the adjacent Expo Hall. Gautier resident Richard Ramsumair, who was at the festival with his 4-year-old daughter, said he has been to the festival 4 or 5 times in the last 8 years. He said it gives him a taste of other cultures and almost makes him feel likes he has visited the countries for real. “It’s absolutely wonderful. It’s a very enlightening experience, especially for someone who has not traveled,“ said Ramsumair, who immigrated to the United States from his native Trinidad 11 years ago.
|
|||
2011 PUBLISHED ARTICLES Estela Dorn's Address to 2011 Naturalization Ceremony Remembering 9/11: Mobilians share their stories, Press-Register Los
Arcos a fantastic fusion of cultures, Lagniappe Desiree Bishop takes helm at Environmental Studies Center, Press-Register Veteran Recalls Key World War II Battle, Press-Register "India Unveiled" in Mobile, Alabama, Pravasi Herald Semmes woman sends Mobile area's best wishes to Prince William, and gets reply, Press Register Mobile Environmental Studies Center's longtime director retires, Press Register Asian
Art Exhibit at Semmesonian, Press Register Scottish Society of Mobile celebrates poet laureate, Press Register
|
2011 PRESS RELEASES SHAOLIN TRAINING CAMP ACCEPTING LOCAL SCHOLARSHIP APPLICANTS SEVEN YEAR OLD EXPANDS MUSICAL KNOWLEDGE TO CHINESE INSTRUMENTS MOBILE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL AWARDS ANNELLE JEROME SCHOLARSHIPS |
||
Press-Register,
July 31, 2011 Bobbie and David Bayne toured Turkey for 10 days as part of a cultrual exchange program. They are shown at the highest point in Istanbul.
|
Zuri
Dancers, Egypt, performing in Children's Area at Bayfest.
|
||
Mobile International Festival members attended the Cambodian New Year celebration at Wat Veluvanna Temple, Irvington, AL, on April 22, 2011
|
|||
Ryan Thurston Pettway, a past recipient of MIF's Annelle Jerome Scholarship, will graduate from the University of Oklahoma on June 4, 2011, with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. Ryan is the son of MIF's former Treasurer and one of our representatives from Puerto Rico, Minerva Pettway.
|
 |
||
"India
Unveiled" in Mobile, Alabama Well, did the audience enjoy the presentation and was it informative? Did it or did it not increase the awareness about India? Read on to find out. The program was well publicized by Pravasi Herald, University of South Alabama, Mobile Chamber of Commerce, Mobile International Festival, IAGM members and word of mouth. The presentation was being held at USA Humanities building and schedule to begin at 6pm. The author was driving from Columbus and was to arrive at 4pm. We did not hear from him until 4.30pm but he arrived at 5 pm. This was the first sigh of relief. Mobile County Commissioner Mike Dean was one of the first people to arrive and then I saw Estella Dorn and few of the other members from Mobile International Festival. In fact, a student from the USA was there at 5pm itself. There were only a few people from the Indian Community; the time was now 6pm. I took to the microphone and bought some time by joking about how IST (Indian Standard Time) is infamously known as Indian Stretchable Time and the program will in start in a few minutes. Slowly people started showing up and in the next 15 minutes, there were about 75 people. The program started at 6.15 pm and the end of the program there were about 150 people. Was the program successful? Let me tell the audience of Pravasi Herald about the program and you be the judge. The program started with my welcoming of the audience and the author. One of the members of IAGM Mr. Madhu Chillukuri, a close friend of the author as he was also previously from Columbus gave a great introduction of the author. The author had travelled to India extensively multiple times over a period of multiple years. The author travelled the entire length and breadth of the country and stayed at individual houses to learn the most intricate detail of the rich culture and tradition of India. The author’s slides were only pictures and no letters - great pictures with intricate details and clarity and lots of them. It felt as if you have been to those places yourself. A lot of the members could recognize and associate themselves with those places as either they were from that place or that they had visited the place. The presentation was progressing very lively with a lot of interaction from the audience. The author compared Hinduism with Christianity and bought out the similarities between the two religions. This would be a great experience and information database at the back of the brain of our young teenagers, as they interact with the American friends and explain the similarity and commonness between the two cultures and religions. What I took home from the presentation was that striking similarity between “AUM” in Hinduism and “AMEN” in Christianity. IAGM Community had earlier collected funds for the Japan Earthquake Relief fund and a check for $2,500 was presented to the Mobile City at the event. The presentation concluded at about 8pm with a vote of thanks from Mr. .Mahesh Batavia. It was followed by Indian snacks of Hot Chai and Vegetable Pakodas with Indian Cookie. You are now about to read the event from the eyes and mind Ashwin Betala, a 9th Grader from UMS Wright in Mobile. “On April 22, 2011, Mr. Robert Arnett was invited by the Indian Association of Greater Mobile and the Indian Student Association to present his book—India Unveiled. The event was free to the public and was well attended by several members of the Indian community and the faculty and students of the University of South Alabama Professors and City Councilman-Mr. Dean. Mr. Arnett had a slide show of his photographs taken on his numerous trips to India and gave a very enlightening talk about his experiences in India. He travelled extensively in India over a total period of two years during his several trips. He is the author of India Unveiled, and other books as well. Mr. Arnett spoke about how India is a beautiful country, despite its overpopulation and diseases. He spoke about how magnificent the architecture of India is and about the people and the rich culture. He spent a lot of time with several Indian families and closely observed and appreciated the religious beliefs and customs of all the different states of the vast country. He talked about the four major religions of India: Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, and how deeply devoted people are there. Mr. Arnett also showed how all the different world religions are connected. His visit across India was phenomenal, and I am honored he has presented it to us. During his speech, he presented beautiful pictures from his trips to India. Mr. Arnett showed us places in India where even the poorest of people maintained faith in their religion. He showed us religious ceremonies, such as special bathing in the Ganges River and the Kumbha Mela. Mr. Arnett presented pictures of people from exotic cultures in India. He showed us the major places where people in India worship. This was a very interesting talk and I was amazed by his knowledge of India. I am truly impressed by his journey across India, and his photos from the trip. It was nice to see a westerner who knew so much about India, its culture, and its history. I am looking forward to listening to him again.” If someone is reading this line then he has read the article and has now come to some opinion in his/her mind if the event was a success, at least he/she would understand the anxiety that an amateur organizer has. Sayonara and hope to come in touch with the readers of Pravasi Herald at the next event write up of IAGM . Taking leave from your precious time, this is Pawan Agrawal President of IAGM.
Semmes
woman sends Mobile area's best wishes to Prince William, and gets
reply SEMMES, Alabama -- Hundreds of people in the Mobile area can boast a closer connection to Friday’s British royal wedding, thanks to one local woman. Just a day after Prince William and Kate Middleton announced their engagement in mid-November, Semmes resident and former British citizen Ginny Phillips jumped into action. She took a notebook to the England booth of Mobile’s International Festival, asking attendants to sign their names and well-wishes on the pages. “I saw the engagement announced and just got the idea that people might like to write the couple a message,” said Phillips, who has operated the festival’s England booth for eight years. “People wrote their congratulations and best wishes, and I remember that one woman even wrote that their story was a fairy tale — a girl finding her prince.” By the end of the three-day festival, Phillips had more than 700 messages to mail to the couple. In March, she received a response from The Office of HRH Prince William of Wales. “Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton have asked me to thank you for your very kind letter and for enclosing your book with over 700 signatures,” the letter reads. “The Prince and Miss Middleton were overwhelmed by the kind words that you sent.” Phillips treasures the response, which is now framed, she said. “I was so pleased to get this letter,” she said. “A lot of people will be happy to see it.” Phillips plans to make copies of the letter in time for this year’s International Festival and hand them out. “Even some of my family laughed in the beginning,” she said. “I was told by some of my family members that I would never hear back.” Phillips moved in 1992 to the Mobile area from Newcastle, England. She had first come to visit for a July 4 celebration at the behest of a pen pal, she said. She returned for Thanksgiving and on a third trip, “stayed for good,” she said. Phillips later met her husband, Gerald, who helps her with the booth. Their home in Semmes is decorated with English memorabilia, including a new plate featuring the royal couple’s photos. Mobile
Enrionmental Studies longtime director retires MOBILE, Alabama — On March 31, David “Lloyd” Scott, 67, retired from his position as supervisor of the Mobile County Public School System’s Environmental Studies Center on Girby Road. A biologist from Dickson, Tenn., Scott became the center’s first and only director in the fall of 1974. “We started leading field trips then, serving a couple of thousand (students),” he said. “We now serve 22,000-25,000 each year.” Among his duties and those of the staff at ESC have been maintaining the grounds and exhibits, which house 60-70 animals kept for educational purposes; and caring for injured animals and releasing them to their natural habitat when they are ready. In 2010, 514 birds, 376 mammals and 142 reptiles were treated at the center.
Barbara Shaw, public affairs manager at Mobile Area Water and Sewer System, has worked with Scott for several years on the open house events. “We (at
MAWSS) love the opportunity to take part in this wonderful community
event that he started and nurtured,” she said of the bi-annual
affair that attracts thousands to the center to view the animals
and plants and to take part in fun activities geared to the whole
family. The most challenging parts of his job, Scott said, have been “fundraising in the form of grants and donations” and “bouncing back after hurricanes.” “I’m in awe of his ability to partner with community groups and businesses, (which) has enabled the center to grow and continue to offer new and exciting learning experiences to students, even during years of budget cutbacks,” Shaw said. “This special place will always remind me of him and his tireless efforts to instill respect and appreciation for the environment,” she said. “It is hard to imagine the Environmental Studies Center without him.” Louis Buckalew, a member of the ESC advisory board, described Scott as “an exemplary professional, dedicated, energetic and caring person.” “He has
been a true pillar of both our educational and scientific communities
and of animal rehab and welfare interests,” Buckalew said.
“He leaves behind both fond memories and appreciation for
his tireless and consequential work and shoes that will be hard
to fill. Scott’s first post-retirement activity will be to join his twin brother, also a biologist, on a natural history tour in Utah. Then he expects to travel with his wife, Cindy, and spend time with their two children, Stephanie Alexander and David Scott, and their two grandchildren. (This story was written by Jo Anne McKnight, Press-Register correspondent.)
Scottish
Society of Mobile celebrates poet laureate MOBILE, Ala. — This year marks the Scottish Society of Mobile’s 23rd annual celebration of Scotland’s poet laureate Robert Burns, who was born Jan. 25, 1759. For the late poet’s birthday, the group hosts a dinner, which includes haggis, neeps and tatties and traditional Scottish shortbread, to honor the contributions Burns made to Scotland. “Burns was instrumental in revitalizing Scottish culture after decades of English oppression,” said the society’s president, Randy Seale. “Robert Burns’ works awoke the Scottish idea of being a ‘Scot’ again.” Seale said Burns greatly influenced countryman Walter Scott, whose efforts turned tartans and kilts into “symbols of Scottish national identity, a national identity that still exists today as one of the most recognized in the world.” “Robert Burns is a significant iconic figure in Scottish culture and history and is also known as one of the world’s most famous poets,” said the group’s vice president, Janie Daugherty. “Around the world, tributes to the life and works of Robert Burns are held through the ritual of the Burns Supper. Originally started a few years after his death by a group of his friends and acquaintances, the suppers are now celebrated annually on the anniversary of his birth.” The Mobile gathering will include Celtic music by musicians Tom Morley, Andra Bohnet, Scott Cox, Dennis Dowd, Steve Claus, Fran Morley and the Hadji Highlanders Pipe Band from Pensacola.
The dinner is followed by a cèilidh, pronounced “kay-lee,” a traditional Gaelic social dance event in which all guests are invited to dance while musicians play music from Burns’ era. While the main purpose of the Burns Supper is to celebrate the poet and his homeland, the event also hosts a raffle to raise funds for the William McDonald Scholarship Fund. McDonald and his wife, Mary, initiated the Scottish Society in 1987. It now includes over 60 members. While most members have Scottish ancestry by direct descent or through marriage, Daugherty said all that is required to join the group is “an interest in and love of Scotland.” The Society promotes education about Scottish history and culture by participating in the annual Mobile International Festival, the Pensacola Highland Games and Gulfport’s Highland and Island Games. In April 2008, members participated in a ceremony where Gov. Bob Riley declared April as “Scottish Heritage Month” and named April 6 as Alabama’s annual “Tartan Day.” “Currently the Scottish Society of Mobile is working to establish an official Alabama State Tartan,” said Seale. “It’s sad to say, but Alabama is the only state in the South not to have an official state Tartan. We have the design, but we need funds to make it happen.” The Scottish Society of Mobile meets the third Thursday of each month at Westminster Presbyterian Church at 2921 Airport Blvd. Annual membership fees are $25 per family. For more information, visit scottishsocietyofmobile.org. ROBERT BURNS
SUPPER (This story was written by Christie Lovvorn, Press-Register correspondent.)
|
Semmes
resident Ginny Philips collected hundreds of signatures wishing
Prince William and Kate Middleton congratulations on their wedding,
and received a note of thanks from the Prince's office. (Press-Register
Correspondent/Lyle W. Ratliff)
Lloyd
Scott poses at the eagles' cage at the
Lloyd
Scott admires the wild azaleas at the
Mary
McDonald, a founding member of the |
||
| |
|||
.jpg)
.jpg)
