November December 2001

1
UPDATE
International House www.ihclt.org
November- December 2001

Letter from the Executive Director
Dear International House Friends In honor of
those whose lives have been affected by the
events of Tuesday, September 11, 2001,
International House has chosen to dedicate this
newsletter to covering the reaction from around
the world, the outpouring of sympathy and
condolences, and our united resolve to move
forward. The tragic events of September 11th
have highlighted both the best and the worst of
humanity. They have shown us what unspeakable
acts man is capable of as well as the strength
and generosity we possess to overcome our fears
and ignorance.
Above Firefighters in Frankfurt, Germany
Each of us will always remember where we were on
Tuesday, September 11, 2001. At International
House, some of our staff members were overseas in
Moldova, representing us under the auspices of
the US State Department. Other staff members
were busy finishing up final preparations for a
fundraiser, planned for that evening, that we had
been working on for months. All of that changed
Tuesday morning, as reports of terrorist attacks
began to surface. Staff with family in Manhattan
began to make phone calls, as spouses and loved
ones in uptown Charlotte were evacuated. The
fundraiser that had been planned was cancelled,
and the following days and weeks were spent
fielding calls and questions about Islam, Arabs,
and the Middle East in general. Part of the
mission of International House is to promote
intercultural understanding and cooperation. A
statement from the National Council for
International Visitors vividly states the
necessity for organizations such as International
House to continue our significant work The
need for internationally engaged leadership in
communities across the United States has never
been more acute.  The tragic sequence of events
on September 11 has altered our world.  Those of
us leading organizations with international
missions have a special responsibility to deflect
misdirected anger, to redouble our efforts to
learn about global affairs, and also to convey
the best of our values to colleagues around the
world.
It is now more important than ever that we as a
community work together, to educate and advocate,
to dispel myth and misunderstanding, to work
towards greater understanding of other cultures
and belief systems, and to act as ambassadors of
our own society and customs. We at International
House thank you for your ongoing support.
Together, we can work towards a united world. In
lieu of our cancelled September 11, 2001
fundraiser, we have included a self- addressed
envelope in this, our last newsletter of 2001.
Please join us in Creating Community with a
Global Vision. Sincerely, José Hernández-París,
Executive Director
Left Youth Waving Flag (Ethan Miller, Reuters)
Creating Community with a Global Vision
2
From the International Community
Within hours of the attacks, International House
began to receive letters of condolence from our
friends around the world. We have selected a few
to share with you below.
NEW YORK AND WASHINGTON DC ATTACKS The South
Africa Booksmart Foundation team wishes to pass
their deepest condolences to the whole nation of
the United States, the communities of New York
and Washington DC, family and friends who lost
their loved ones in this tragic event. Our
hearts and thoughts are with you at his time of
sorrow. May God Almighty be with you all the
way. Sincerely yours, Monica Mngadi and Staff
SA
Booksmart Foundation
Dear Sirs, Accept our deepest condolences
concerning the awful tragedy which have
comprehended all American people caused by
barbarous act of terrorism in NYC and Washington,
DC. At the same time we express sincere
confidence, that any forces can not stop
aspiration of mankind to the world and
knowledge. Sincerely yours,
Alexander Menshikoff
President of the
ECC INTERJOB Kiazo
Beriashvili Vice Pres. of the ECC INTERJOB
Above Pentagon, Washington, DC
Left to Right Palestinian School,
Amy Bittar Muslim Youth (Paul Warner, Assoc.
Press), Candlelight Vigil in India,
Creating Community with a Global Vision
3
Thousands of non-Americans Among WTC Missing NEW
YORK, Sept 20 (Reuters) - New York City has long
drawn people from all over the world. Among the
nearly 4,200 people missing or dead in the World
Trade Center and Pentagon attacks are almost
2,000 people from more than 60 countries.  The
following is a tentative list of the missing
non-US citizens. It serves as a reminder that the
attacks on icons of U.S. military and financial
power struck countries in every corner of the
globe. Unless otherwise noted, individual
governments, or the U.S. Department of State has
provided figures. NON-US CITIZENS MISSING OR
DEAD Antigua/Barbuda 3 Argentina
5 Australia 55 Austria 1
dead, 26 missing Bahamas 1
Bangladesh 55 Barbados
3 Belarus 1 to 3 Belgium
1 Belize 4 Brazil
8 Britain 200 to 300 Burundi
1 Canada 3 dead, up
to 60 missing Chile 1 China
4 Colombia 208 Costa Rica
1 Czech Republic 10 Denmark
1 Dominican Republic 25 Ecuador
34 Egypt 4 (believed to be
more) El Salvador 71 Finland
1 France 10 Germany
4 dead, 96 missing Ghana 1
Greece 30 to 50 Guatemala
6 Honduras
7 India
250 Indonesia
1 Iran
5
Ireland 4 dead, up to 40 missing
Israel 133 Italy 38
Jamaica 7 Japan
23 Jordan 2 Kenya
1 Lebanon 4 Mexico
17 Netherlands 3 dead, 400
missing New Zealand
1 Nigeria 94 missing Pakistan
200 Panama 3
Paraguay 1 Peru 3
Poland 30 Portugal
4 Russia
96 Slovakia 10 South
Korea 30 South Africa 6 Sri
Lanka 1 St. Lucia 1
Switzerland 6 dead, 100 missing Taiwan
7 Trinidad/ Tobago 4 Turkey
1 Ukraine 1 Venezuela
3 Yemen 8
Creating Community with a Global Vision
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International House Wish List
Treasures of the Caribbean A Great Success
International House appreciates all contributions
to our organization. Your in-kind donations to
International House are tax-deductible. Laser
Printer Bridge Tables (6-8) Coat Tree Flags
representing various countries (especially needed
are those of Latin American countries) Re-upholst
ering for traditional parlor sofas and chairs of
International House Carpet
On Saturday, October 27, 2001, International
House held its 13th annual benefit gala at the
Hilton Charlotte Towers, Treasures of the
Caribbean The event was successful thanks to
the hard work and dedication of the Gala
Committee. This years committee was headed up
by co-chairs Carmen Hilton, Kimm Jolly, Carolyn
McGroarty, Leslie Paliyenko and Stefany Staton.
Special thanks to auctioneer Larry Sprinkle and
the Caribbean International Cultural Association
for making this an entertaining and memorable
event. International House is grateful to all of
this years corporate sponsors, businesses,
individuals and volunteers who generously support
the programs and services of International House
through their participation in the 2001 gala.
Your membership welcomes the world to
Charlotte International House depends almost
entirely on private donations to fund its
programs and services. Your contribution means a
great deal. Your membership expiration date is on
the mailing label next to your name. Yes, I want
to help. Enclosed is my membership fee for
_____ International Houses annual individual
membership begins at 25. For more information,
please call 333-8099. Name________________________
__________________________________________________
_______________ Address___________________________
__________________________________________________
__________ City____________________State_____Zip__
_________ Telephone____________email
______________________
Creating community with a global vision
International House 322 Hawthorne Lane Charlotte,
NC 28204 704-333-8099 www.ihclt.org
Non-profit Organization US Postage Paid
Charlotte, NCPermit 3166
5
GLOBAL PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS
International House Professional Programs for
International Visitors.
As representatives of International Houses
Community Connections program, Amanda Britt and
Lorne Lassiter were in the Republic of Moldova,
North Carolinas Sister State, on September 11.
Many of their Moldovan friends drew parallels
between the horrible attacks of September 11,
2001 and the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. In
the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack a small
but incredibly important piece of our nation's
diplomacy picture began to take shape. During
World War II, our nation began bringing to the
United States a handful of "molders of thought
and opinion" for person-to-person exchanges with
American citizens. It was a program designed to
create an environment for peace by bringing
"emerging leaders" to our country. From modest
beginnings grew what is now called the
International Visitor Program. With 5700
participants annually, its alumni list includes
Anwar Sadat, Margaret Thatcher, F.W. de Klerk,
Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Indira Gandhi, and Oscar
Arias. British Prime Minister Tony Blair is one
of 47 current heads of government or chiefs of
state who are IVP alumni. International House
administers the Charlotte Council for
International Visitors program locally as one of
97 Councils for International Visitors in the
US. Designed to introduce not only our system of
government, but also the components of our
democracy--business, law, education, the
arts--the International Visitor Program has from
its beginning brought together the "rising stars"
of foreign countries with the best and brightest
in America. It has always included opportunities
for our visitors to meet with both professional
colleagues as well as average Americans" in a
variety of social settings--casual meals in
private homes, with children meetings in
elementary classrooms gatherings of "regular
folks". These face-to-face encounters have done
more to dispel the myth of the "ugly American"
than anything else ever has or could. The
International Visitor Program has always been a
peace program. It is also an avenue of coalition
building. For almost 60 years, every American
president and every American congress has
supported this program. Now, as they work to
garner the cooperation of governments all over
the world in the wake of last weeks terrorist
attacks, our nation's leaders will be the
beneficiaries of nearly six decades of citizen
diplomacy with people in many of these countries.
The selection process for identifying
International Visitors begins at our embassies
abroad. Working toward the stated goals of the
US Department of State, officials at more than
120 American embassies locate individuals within
their countries who are in a position of
influence. The individuals invited to come to
the United States come with varying degrees of
trust or distrust for our government. At a recent
meeting of the National Council of International
Visitors, a senior State Department official
spoke of a former German leader who had come to
the US as a young IV participant in the 1950s,
suspicious of our government, our people, and our
motives. As he progressed in his career as a
German statesman, he later credited his IV
experience with fundamentally changing his view
of America and Americans. Continued
Flowers at the American Embassy in Chisinau,
Moldova
Creating Community with a Global Vision
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Continued from previous page
When the former Soviet Union began to break up,
as soon as our embassies were in place, they
began sending emerging leaders to the US as
participants in the IV program. That trend
continues today, with leaders coming from all
areas of expertise. In this way, the US becomes
the worlds foremost exporter of democratic
thought. Our nation and its leaders face tough
decisions. No one knows what the future holds.
But in these uncertain times, we are so fortunate
that through good times and bad over the last six
decades, both our government and our citizen
diplomats have seized on opportunities to build
friendships with people all over the world
through the International Visitor Program. How
fortunate we are the trust formed at American
dinner tables will help set the tone for serious
discussions at international conference tables.
September 11th Far From Home As North America
was just awaking to the horror of September 11,
the more eastern parts of the world had nearly
completed their day. So it was for our
Community Connections delegation of six who were
visiting Moldova during that dreadful week.
After a day of visiting the businesses of our
former Moldovan interns, we discovered that an
airplane had crashed into the World Trade Center.
After failed efforts to learn more about the
matter, we presumed a tragic accident or isolated
kamikaze zealot was the culprit, and we continued
with our afternoon. Little did we anticipate the
magnitude of those horrific events that had
occurred.  Personally, I was late to hear about
the actual events transpiring. My home host
invited me to a late supper with her extended
family. Entering their Soviet-era apartment,
they greeted me with heartfelt remorse. Barely
had they said hello before they showered profuse
condolences for me and my country obviously, I
was somewhat confused. Only once they sat me down
before the television did I understand why they
were carrying on so. I did not need English
translations from Russian or Romanian the
pictures said it all.  Despite being so far from
home, we experienced the same reactions as most
Americans shock, disbelief, horror, grief, and
fear. While we were removed from the panic, we
shared the sadness. We were quite safe in
Moldova, yet we knew that our fellow Americans
were in danger at home. The reality of our
return flight to the U.S. the following Saturday
was both uncertain and unnerving. Were we, too,
to be victims of such terrorist attacks? No one
was completely at ease.  The sincere expressions
of remorse from the Moldovans truly were
touching. As in many other countries around the
world, they covered the American Embassy from end
to end with flowers, candles, and cards. My host
family stayed up late with me to watch the news
and insisted that I phone my family, despite
extraordinary calling rates. Strangers would
stop me, the obvious American, in stores and
express their condolences I continue to receive
words of grief and prayer from my Moldovan
friends. Such efforts magnify my certainty that
our State Department programs impact real people,
with real love for America and the freedom it
embodies and extends to other nations.  Having
been outside of America on September 11th has
given me a greater appreciation for the land I
call home as well as for those whose land I
visit. The immediate and ongoing effects of this
tragedy remind us that, despite our language,
origin, or creed, we all are alike in our
humanness. A tragedy of such breadth and
magnitude affects more than those who lost their
lives or loved ones it touches the very core of
our world - especially in Moldova. Amanda
Britt
Text of Oslow, Norway letter
Im proud to be an American, where at last I know
Im free! I wont forget the men who died, who
gave that right to me. So I gladly stand up next
to you and defend her still today. Cause there
aint no doubt I love that land- God Bless the
USA.
Thank you to Amanda Britt, International House
Program Officer, and Lorne Lassiter, former
Community Connections Director, for sharing their
thoughts and experiences in these articles.
Creating Community with a Global Vision