LIHU‘E — During her weeklong visit to Kaua‘i, Sue Clelland saw some beloved places and met some wonderful people. There was Spouting Horn. There was Waimea Canyon. There was a visit to the Kaua‘i Community Players’ production of “Working.” And
LIHU‘E — During her weeklong visit to Kaua‘i, Sue Clelland saw some beloved places and met some wonderful people.
There was Spouting Horn. There was Waimea Canyon. There was a visit to the Kaua‘i Community Players’ production of “Working.” And there was a reception with Mayor Bernard Carvalho at the Lihu‘e Civic Center Rotunda.
Asked to name a favorite, Clelland hesitated.
“We have been off the beaten track,” she said. “We see the personal side, not the tourist side so much , and that’s what makes it such a special exchange.”
Clelland was one of about 15 New Zealanders who spent the last week in Kaua‘i as part of a Friendship Force exchange program.
They gathered for lunches and dinners, visited art celebrations, went on hikes, toured gardens and Monday, met for presentations on lei making, hula, ukulele and surfing, and today, they’ll head home.
The nonprofit is dedicated to the principle that each person can make a contribution to global goodwill and promote peace, starting with good old, home hospitality.
“The ever-widening Friendship Force global network represents a powerful and growing force that can overcome differences between people and nations,” according to a flier.
Friendship Force, with more than 500,000 participants worldwide, has fostered relationships between the people of more than 60 countries.
“We’re all friends here,” said Shirley Dauterman, event director. “We’re making friends all over the world.”
Frank and Laura Marsh of Kaua‘i have been Friendship Force members since 2001. They’ve visited New Zealand, Japan, Canada and England as part of the program.
“It’s all about making friendships, international friendships, and learning different cultures,” Frank Marsh said.
New Zealanders, he said, are “friendly and easy going people, easy to get along with.”
“We love it,” he said. “It was a good exchange.”
If you want a description of Friendship Force folks, it’s simple. They love to travel and they enjoy hosting visitors from other countries.
Dauterman said what she looks forward to each year is meeting strangers on the first day of each exchange and by the week’s end, they’re like family.
“We’re always making new friends,” Dauterman said.
