December 2018 Newsletter. Presidents Message. November. Membership News. December. Explore Understand Serve

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1 December 2018 Newsletter future journeys Outgoing Journeys September Presidents Message I want to personally thank Cecil Schneider for doing a great job with the newsletter this past year since this will be his last issue. Ray Bowyer will be the next newsletter editor. We have some wonderful opportunities to make new friends this coming year with a visit from the Kiev Region, Open World Delegations, a journey to Canada and many other possibilities. I want to wish that everyone a Merry Christmas and that the new year brings hope and understanding to the world. Yours in friendship, Alan Membership News If you haven t already done so, please open, complete and mail the membership renewal form attached to this newsletter distribution and mail to our Treasurer, Robert Logan, prior to December 31 st. Our Club must write a check to FFI in December. The membership dues remain $25 for individual and $50 for couple (new members exempt). Thanks and hope to see everyone at the Christmas Party. Thanks! Bob Anderson, Membership Chair Explore Understand Serve CALENDAR OF EVENTS January 20 2:00 PM Meeting, Big Canoe Clubhouse Trip to Georgia & Armenia. Enjoy brunch at Clubhouse before meeting. May 2019 Incoming Journey from Kiev, Ukraine September 2019 Outgoing Journey to Ottawa, Canada November John Upchurch 8 Ches Tredway 12 Cecil Schneider 14 Robert Stam 27 December Carol McCann 7 Lorraine Mullins 14 Dan Zachman 14 Barry Kadechuk 15 Monique Vinelli 16 Dan Hunsberger 24 Robert Lyle 26 January Bobbie Garner 4 Diane Briscoe 8 June Tredway 8 Don McCann 19 Lenna Anderson 31 1 December 2018 Newsletter

2 December 9, 2018 Meeting and Christmas Party The Big Canoe/North Georgia Friendship Force club held their annual Christmas party on December 9, 2018 at the home of Sherry Wileman and Dan Hunsberger. Members brought food for the sit-down dinner, with over twenty members attending the event. New members Pierre & Beverly Grimes getting travel tips from Bob and Barry Barry discussing Ottawa Journey and cruise down St. Lawrence River planned for September Linda, Peggy and Alan getting dessert ready Member News 2 December 2018 Newsletter Club Officers for Margaret Logan (Secrertary), Sherry Wileman (1st Vice- President), Barry Kadechuck (2nd Vice- President), Robert Logan (Treasurer) and Alan Johnson (President). New Members Pierre and Beverly Grimes Photos by Ray Bowyer Pierre and Bev are originally from Pittsburgh, PA and Rochester, NY and met in the Adirondack Mountains in They spent 24 years raising their family of four in Brighton, MI, and have 11 grandchildren ranging in age from 7 to 22 years living in California, Texas and Lyon France. Pierre graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in Physics. They owned a business in Detroit for almost 15 years called Automatic Controls that served as a manufacturer s representative and a distributor of process control equipment. They learned about Big Canoe and Friendship Force from fellow members Don and Carol McCann on a rafting trip down the Colorado River. They bought a house in Big Canoe and have lived here since They joined our Club at the Ice Cream Social. They both enjoy skiing, kayaking, golfing, reading, playing cards, board games, and of course, traveling. They look forward to meeting and traveling

3 Minutes of the December 9, 2018 Meeting The Big Canoe/North GA FF met on Dec. 9, 2018 at the home of Sherry Wileman and Dan Hunsberger for the annual Christmas party. Members brought food for the sit-down dinner. Twenty plus members attended. Barry held a short informational meeting for the members attending the Ottawa Journey next Sept. He asked for a consensus on whether to do a cruise or coach trip after the journey. Members agreed on the cruise. He gave some instructions on what we should take care of ourselves for the second week. Alan presided over a short business meeting. He welcomed new members Pierre & Beverly Grimes. Robert Logan reported a balance of $5, with annual dues of $25/person now due. Jeannette Waldrop from the Cares and Concern committee reported that Nancy Davis, who is recovering from a serious traffic accident in July, is now in the rehab hospital in Warm Springs, GA. She hopes to return to her home at Bent Tree when her special wheelchair is delivered. Jean Ficht has moved to the Memory Care section of Windsor Lodge in Jasper. Her address is Windsor Lodge, Rm 102, Sammy McGhee Blvd., Jasper, GA Jeannette will undergo foot surgery soon, and Margie will keep track of member needs in her absence. There is no news from the Kiev group. They are working on their visas. We will probably host the exchange even if the number shrinks. Barry reminded the members that the Jan. meeting will be held at the Big Canoe Clubhouse. Mem- Meeting Minutes bers may attend the brunch and then come to the meeting at 2:00. The program will be on the recent GA Journey. Alan thanked Sherry and Dan for their hospitality and hard work on the Christmas party. He said he will hold an executive board meeting soon. He also thanked Bob for writing an article for Smoke Signals and Mary Ellen for her article for Pickens Progress which is yet to be published. Alan also shared that Cecil is resigning his position as newsletter publisher at the end of the year. He welcomes all volunteers for this position and thanks Cecil for his excellent job. Ray took a photo of the officers for Merry Christmas Respectively Submitted, Margaret Logan, Secretary From our CARES Chair Jeanette Waldrop Nancy Davis has now returned home from her hospital and rehabilitation stays. She would like notes of encouragement, but she doesn't want visitors at this time because normal daily activities are still stressful for her. Jean Ficht has moved to the Memory Care section of Windsor Lodge in Jasper. Her address is Windsor Lodge, Rm 102, Sammy McGhee Blvd., Jasper, GA Please keep Nancy and Jean in your prayers. 3 December 2018 Newsletter

4 From Georgia to Georgia Nine ambassadors from Big Canoe/North Georgia Friendship Force (Bob and Peggy Anderson, Diane Briscoe, Dan Hunsberger and Sherry Wileman, Alan and Mary Ellen Johnson, Barry and Linda Kadechuk), three from Birmingham Friendship Force, one from a Canadian Friendship Force, one from Murray Bridge, South Australia Friendship Force, two from Seattle-Tacoma Friendship Force, and two from a German Friendship Force traveled to Tbilisi, capital of Georgia, or Sakartvelo, in eastern Europe, meeting up Oct. 14 in the wee hours of the morning on Qatar Airways via Doha, Qatar. Why travel so far to visit the other Georgia when so many other lovely areas beckon those who may have a wanderlust? Our Club had hosted three groups from Open World, the last two groups from Georgia. The Open World Leadership Center s mission, an arm of the U.S. Congress, is to introduce rising leaders of emerging countries to the importance of legislative functions in creating and sustaining democracies. This is done through the introduction of young foreign leaders to the American democratic governing systems and free market operations at every level: federal, state, and local. The Center also maintains a continuing relationship with the network of leaders it has enlisted, especially with those from countries crucial to American national security interests. Many of these countries are former Soviet states. Programs of study in 2016 and 2017 for the Georgian delegates focused on entrepreneurship and nongovernmental organizations (NGO s). Our Club was invited to visit the Tbilisi Friendship Force. Sherry Wileman, Big Canoe/North Georgia s Journey Coordinator and Kate Maisashvili, Tbilisi s Journey Coordinator began the long planning process to Journeys of Club Members by Mary Ellen Johnson (Photos by Alan Johnson) not only explore the beautiful country of Georgia and their neighbor to the south, Armenia, but to visit many of the young professional Georgia delegates we had hosted in different areas of the country! It was truly amazing to see how our Georgian friends had progressed in their professional lives and what they had accomplished! These young people were well selected by Open World to represent some of the best qualities to be developed in their country. Georgians, as well as Armenians, are mainly Orthodox Christians and espouse democracy. Georgia shares its northern border with Russia (including the Caucasus Mountains) and in fact, is 20% occupied by Russia. Azerbaijan, Turkey, Armenia, and the Black Sea form the other borders. Christian Armenia and Muslim Azerbaijan and Turkey surround Georgia. Georgia and Armenia are at the crossroads between Asia and Europe, and as such, have been invaded and occupied many times over the years. Winemaking began in Georgia, and I can recommend Georgia wine as the best of the best! Georgian architecture has been influenced by the country s captors over the years: Byzantine, Persian, Arab, Ottoman, Russian, and Soviet. Our Group was home hosted the first five nights in Tbilisi by different families until we left the area for the Black Sea and points beyond. Our family consisted of 2 children, parents, and on occasion extended family, so it was a busy household, and our host mom, Natuli, was the glue who kept everybody together. She was the best English speaker in the household, but her mom and I enjoyed many conversations together. We arrived at our home about 1:00 am their time after a 15-hour flight, a long layover, and 3 more hours. We were definitely weary, but a feast was prepared that included many traditional, delicious foods including khachapuri and 4 December 2018 Newsletter

5 homemade wine and chacha (brandy) liquor. We ate and talked and enjoyed the family, finally getting to bed about 3 am. A Welcome Reception at an Open World delegate Ketevan s very modern house included a large display of traditional foods, homemade wine, and more chacha along with traditional Georgian dances and dancers. Delegates Etuna, Lana, Maya, and Facilitator Nini also hosted the party. After a good night s sleep, we joined our group at the rendezvous, climbed aboard our bus, and toured Tbilisi, a busy capital city, and home to many churches (Georgian Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, Catholic), synagogues, and mosques (scarves for the women are a necessity in any church). We took a cable car ride to see a panoramic view of the City, then a walk down to the district of Sulphur bath houses with a waterfall at the end. Other interesting sights were a Cathedral, a Basilica, a Theatre, and the Bridge of Peace leading to a European park. of the highlights of our Journey. A tour of the grounds amazed us with the beauty of the panorama and the lovingly kept gardens, as well as an ancient church in the process of being remodeled. Bodbe St. Nino Monastery (Lunch) Delegate Nana accompanied us to Bodbe, then took us to a local archeological museum in nearby Sighnaghi with findings dating back to 1500 BC, followed by a walking tour of the walled city, and finally to the village of Tsnori to her Knowledge Café serving all ages and populations in the Village, an award-winning project of Nana. More foods, singing, dancing, and group participation in the making of churchkhela over a fire, a candy with nuts and a mixture of flour, sugar, and badagi (concentrated fresh grape juice). Bridge of Peace in Tibilisi Day three s agenda was the area of Kakheti, including Bodbe, Sighnaghi, and Tsnori. Bodbe St. Nino Monastery, originally built in the Ninth Century, is a Georgian Orthodox monastic complex and the seat of the Bishop of Bodbe and the Patriarch of the Church. The Deputy Patriarch hosted an awesome lunch, arranged by delegate Ketevan, prepared and served by the nuns! Many toasts were made in the Georgian tradition, and the Feast was one Making Churchkela A bus tour to Stepantsminda (Kazbegi) in the northeastern mountains was the plan for Day four. We skirted the occupied territory of 5 December 2018 Newsletter

6 South Odessa, officially the Republic of South Ossetia, relying heavily on military, political and financial aid from Russia. Beautiful mountain views of the Darial river gorge and winter skiing areas delighted us on the way up to Mount Kazbek on Russia s border. Delegate Shota had lunch with us and then accompanied us to visit Gergeti Trinity Church, a 14th Century monastery, said to have been built on a mountain top by one man and a mule! Four-wheel drive vans took us up to the church on a wild ride. Dinner with our host families ended the long day. Speaker of Parliament and Member George Khatidze, a Charlotte, NC Open World delegate who had relished his experience and was happy to meet our Club members. Both men spoke positively about the support our country provides to Georgia. It was a wonderful experience! Gergeti Trinity Church on top of the mountain Day five was a tourist day to visit two UNESCO World Heritage sites in Mtskheta, the Religious Center of Georgia: Jvari Monastery (Sixth Century) and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral (Eleventh Century) where the Robe of Christ is buried. After lunch at a botanical garden, we toured a typical open cave in Uplistsikhe (7th Century BC). Locals as far back as the 2nd Millenium BC enlarged natural caves for living and hiding out. Our last evening with our hosts included a farewell thankyou dinner at a hotel, with many rounds of toasting, and line dancing by almost everyone. Gifts for our hosts (We always bring our hosts gifts of appreciation) ended the evening at our homes (Our hosts also gave us gifts). We loaded our luggage on the bus the next morning, hugged our hosts farewell, and headed for Kutaisi, the second largest city in Georgia, northeast of Tibilisi. The Parliament of Georgia was our first stop, a meeting arranged by Delegates Lana and Nini with the tour. 6 December 2018 Newsletter Nini, Parliament Secretary-General, Member of Parliament George Khatidze, Lana Back on the bus we were surprised to disembark after a short drive for a WOW performance of Georgia folk dancing and polyphonic singing by the Kutaisi Song and Dance State Company, arranged by Delegates Nino and Shalva. Besides the orchestra, the troupe consisted of close to 100 men and ladies performing for our small group! I am still amazed at the athleticism of these young dancers who have been studying since they were very young. Another reception followed the performance at the Local Democracy Agency. We left our hotel on Day 7 and headed to Batumi and the Black Sea area for two nights. On the way we visited the biggest cave in Georgia, Prometheus Cave, also known as Kumistavi Cave in the Imereti region. It was just discovered in 1984 and developed as a show cave only 10% is developed for visitors. Underground lakes and rivers add to the tourist experience. Along the way to Batumi we stopped at a resort on the Black Sea, enjoyed a delicious lunch, and walked behind the hotel to walk to the beach. When we arrived in Batumi, we had a guided walking

7 The next morning, we bused to Adjara, near Batumi, and toured Gonio fortress, a Roman fortification. The Batumi Botanical Garden gave us another chance to walk and stretch our legs on the lovely, park-like grounds. We returned to the hotel in time to explore more of Batumi on our own (Alan and I walked the few blocks to the Black Sea and I kicked off my sandals to put my feet in the fresh water cool but still comfortable). Day 9 began and continued as rainy and damp, but we pressed on to Zugdidi to pick up Delegate Archil at the McDonald s and drove to the border with Abkhazia, a Russian controlled territory that was formerly part of northwestern Georgia on the Black Sea. Archil arranged for us to enter the neutral zone between Georgia and Abkhazia. We walked with trepidation in the rain as our bus drove to the neutral zone to turn around it felt way too close to Russia! Afterwards we enjoyed a delicious lunch at a local restaurant, a cooking demonstration that Archil had planned for us and a presentation of his work as Coordinator of the Regional Office for Transparency International. Archil was very busy at this time since the Georgia Presidential election was being held in a few days (He was very familiar with our close Governor s race). We then visited a local home whose owners had old cabins on the property. Demonstrations of home cooking followed the tour of the cabin. Luckily, the heavy rain held off until we trekked back up the hill to the bus. We left our hotel on Day 10 and headed to Vani to meet up with Delegates Shalva and Mindia for a talk about agriculture and Mindia s honey business and his local farmers cooperative. An earthy, outdoor fire was started to cook traditional food over an open fire with local honey and hors d oeuvres to taste, and chacha made with honey it was all fun and delicious! Mindia gave each one of us a jar of local honey to take home. We all had such a wonderful time with our hosts and helpers and didn t want to leave, but finally we were ready to resume traveling! Day 11 we packed up our bags again for the resort town in central Georgia, Borjomi, known for its mineral water springs in the Central Park. We enjoyed yet another delicious lunch. A visit to Rabati Castle, established in the Ninth Century as Lomisa Castle and rebuilt by the Ottomans, near the town of Akhaltiskhe, gave us a magnificent view of the surrounding area it is now an Orthodox church. We said goodbye to our German friends who would not be accompanying us to Armenia. Our last day in Georgia we travelled to Akhalkalaki, close to Georgia s southern border with Armenia, to visit Delegate Rima at her Open Society office for a presentation of her work with the news website and the school. She and her workers ( Brave Girls ) are Armenian as are most of the population of the area; in fact, she commutes from Armenia to Georgia to the office. This is no small feat, as their gravel roads are pockmarked with ruts our bus creeped along in this part of southern Georgia/northern Armenia as it lurched left and right to avoid the worst ruts. Most working men spend 6-8 months a year away from home (many in Russia) in order to earn a living. Life is difficult in this area! We hopped on our bus with a new appreciation of the hardships the local villagers endure. We were leaving Georgia to spend a week in the Christian Orthodox country of Armenia, another country that has lost territory over the years to conquerors, especially the Turks. Our first stop was Gyumri, one of the oldest cities in the world, bordering on Turkey and Iran. We were tourists, but in no sense of the usual experience most tourists have. Alan and I had hosted two groups of Georgians in 1990, and loved the experience of home hosting! Our daughter had travelled to Georgia and had been home hosted in Georgia for a week 7 December 2018 Newsletter

8 as a Pickens High senior in the Georgia to Georgia exchange. Georgians are open, loving, and have fought hard for the freedoms they enjoy, including the right to worship God as they choose. The Friendship Force experience is one they embrace; that a world of friends is a world of peace. Their country is beautiful, invigorating, and not to be missed by visitors. Georgians work so hard, and we need to continue to help them as they strive to better their economy and fend off those countries who aim to conquer them or impose their will! The Georgian language is neither Indo-European, Turkic nor Semitic, but possibly related to the Anatolian language. The English language has replaced Russian in schools today. Georgia was invaded and part of the Soviet Union from In 1990 during the Georgia to Georgia exchange, we were asked to replace the name Soviet Georgia with Georgia. The ugly Soviet apartment buildings are disintegrating, and can be seen all over the country, with clotheslines hung from the outside of the building. The country has been Christian, Georgian Orthodox, since the Fourth Century. Rima, Staff and our Friendship Force group minus our 2 German friends in Akhalkalaki Future Journeys: Barry Kadechuk Outgoing Journey to Ottawa, Canada Barry Kadechuk is journey director for a 2019 journey to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and an optional post-journey cruise from Montreal to Boston. At this point, 18 ambassadors are planning to go, and 13 are planning to continue on the cruise. The journey begins on September 12 and concludes on September 19. Those going on the cruise will stay two nights in Montreal, then depart Montreal on the Holland America liner Zaandam on September 21. There is still room for 2 more people, so contact Barry if you are interested. 8 December 2018 Newsletter

9 Big Canoe North Georgia Friendship Force Officers FUTURE JOURNEYS OUTGOING JOURNEYS September 2019 Journey to Ottawa, Canada and post-journey cruise from Montreal to Boston. JC: Linda & Barry Kadechuk INCOMING JOURNEYS. May 2019 Kiev, Ukraine JC: Peggy Anderson & Mary Ellen Johnson. President Alan Johnson First Vice President Peggy Anderson Second Vice President Sherry Wileman Secretary Margaret Logan Newsletter Editor Cecil Schneider Activities Barry Kadechuk Historian Joe Crawford Web Site Ray Bowyer Treasurer Robert Logan Cares Chair Jeannette Waldrop We Need Your Help This newsletter is for the members of the Big Canoe/ North Georgia Friendship Force, and is intended to bring up-to-date information and news of interest to the membership. To make it informative and interesting we need information about what is going on in the club. If you have something you want to share, such as committee updates, member updates, photos of your recent travels, please send it to me. Membership Bob Anderson Publicity Mary Ellen Johnson Past President Linda Kadechuk Ray Bowyer From our CARES Chair: Please notify Jeannette Waldrop whenever you become aware of illnesses, landmark birthdays, anniversaries, or family losses among our members so that the club can extend its care and concern or best wishes. Jeanette s address is listed above. 9 December 2018 Newsletter