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Sister Cities News

Nashville Students Participate in First Exchange to South Korea

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Eight students from four Nashville area high schools participated in Sister Cities' first exchange to Gwangjin-Gu, Metropolitan Seoul, South Korea in June.  The students home stayed with local families and immersed themselves into the culture and cuisine of Korea.  The two-week trip included visits to Mount Achasan, Blue House (president's house), National Assembly, Seoul Museum, Changdeokgung Palace, Yongsan Garison US Army Base, Children's Grand Park and Boheunsa Temple. Korean host students joined the Nashville students in a fascinating trip to the Demilitarized Zone.  Cultural activities included taekwondo class, a tea ceremony, Korea language classes, and watching performances "Nanta!" and "Legend of the Flower."  A highlight for all was watching South Korea's first World Cup match with avid Korean soccer fans.  For more photos, please click here.   

Nashville Exchange Students Travel to Magdeburg

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Nashville students honed their German language skills during a two-week exchange to Magdeburg, Germany where they home stayed with local families, attended classes at a local prep school, toured the historic city (located in the former East Germany) and learned about its role in the "Monday Demonstrations" which played an influential role in the fall of the Berlin Wall, and were awarded certificates of citizenship to the city.  The students enjoyed beatiful weather as they enjoyed a boat tour of the city's waterways, canoed in a dragonboat on the Elbe River, watched an open-air production of "Evita," visited the local zoo and toured the Dom, the famous 13th century Gothic cathedral.  Visits to Dresden and Leipzig with their host families were also a highlight.  The trip concluded with a two-day stay in Berlin where they had a private meeting in the Reichstag, an educational walking tour of the city, and a visit to the Checkpoint Charlie museum.   

Dinner Benefits Mendoza Educational Exchange

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The Mendoza committee of Sister Cities recently hosted a dinner held at the Mad Platter Restaurant which featured some of the great Mendoza wines from importer Vino del Sol and Lipman Brothers Distributing.  Guests enjoyed a five-course meal partnered specifically with wines from Vino del Sol.  Proceeds from the event will benefit the Mendoza-Nashville student exchanges which are scheduled to begin in 2011Click here to view more photos.
  
  

Taiyuan Delegation Visits Nashville Following Historic Flood

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Nashville welcomed special visitors from its sister city of Taiyuan, the capital of China’s Shanxi Province, on May 7-8, 2010.  The delegation included Taiyuan Vice Mayor Rong Tong, Vice Secretary General Pan Baohuan, and Foreign Affairs Vice Director Wei Tao.  Despite the cancellation of many of the group's planned activities because of flooding and recovery work, the delegates were able to meet with representatives of the business community, learn about Nashville’s history at the Downtown Public Library and the Hermitage, enjoy the city's natural beauty at Cheekwood, and meet a diverse spectrum of Nashville's community. Vice Mayor Rong Tong told Nashville business leaders that Taiyuan and Nashville shared many decades of goodwill and that he expected the delegation's visit to produce many areas exchange between the cities including education, culture, and medical manufacturing and know-how.  During the delegation's tour of the Downtown Public Library, they were able to see the library's Wishing Chair puppet show of Mark Twain's story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County."  The delegates were familiar with Twain and his many writings and enjoyed the puppet show as Taiyuan has a tradition of a form of puppetry known as shadow puppetry; Vice Mayor Rong expressed an interest in sending a shadow-puppet troupe to Nashville in the future.  The delegation was particularly impressed with the special areas set aside for children and youth as well as the state-of-the-art technical services available at the public library.

Vice Mayor explained that Taiyuan is experiencing a high level of growth as well as an increasing standard of living amongst its citizens.  With the city building over 5 million square meters of residential buildings annually and plans for new stadiums, museums and other public buildings in the near future, Vice Mayor Rong believes Nashville and Taiyuan will have many ways in which to collaborate as our sister city partnership grows in coming decades.  Sister Cities of Nashville would like to thank all who helped arrange these activities as well as those who participated and made the delegation feel welcome. For photos, please click here.

Magdeburg Students Visit Nashville, April 2010

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High school students from our sister city Magdeburg, Germany met with Mayor Karl Dean during their recent visit to Nashville.  Additionally, the students enjoyed a number of activities including a tour of the State Capitol, the Tennessee State Museum, Schermerhorn Symphony Hall, and the Frist Center.  They also took in a winning Predators game, a performance of "Big River" at the Tennessee Repertory Theatre and visited the Martha O'Bryan Center where a student from Magdeburg is working for a year.   Students home-stayed with area families and attended local high schools for several days during their time in Nashville.  Schools who graciously accepted the exchange students this year are University School of Nashville, Hume Fogg, Martin Luther King and Brentwood High School.  A group of Nashville students will go on a reciprocal exchange to Magdeburg this summer. 

Reception Honored State Senator Douglas Henry

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Sister Cities of Nashville recently partnered with the Alliance Française de Nashville and Vanderbilt University's Department of French and Italian to host a reception honoring Senator Douglas Henry, a long-time supporter of the organizations and a leader in the establishment of the Tennessee Foreign Language Institute in 1986, the only agency of its kind in any state government in the United States.  M. Pascal Le Deunff, the newly appointed French Consul Général from Atlanta, traveled to Nashville to present the Senator with the award.  The event, which was held at the magnificent Cohen Memorial Hall on the Peabody Campus of Vanderbilt University, attracted over 150 guests.  Highlights of the evening included a surprise announcement by Consul General Le Deunff that his country would establish a consular presence in Nashville.  "This consular agency in Nashville is a sign of the growing number of French citizens living here and a growing interest in Tennessee among French companies," Le Deunff said. Another crowd pleaser at the event was the musical presentation given by twenty French students from University School of Nashville and Belmont Weekday School.  The students sang an assortment of French classics, including Joe Dassin’s “Les Champs-Elysées” and Edith Piaf’s “Non, je ne regrette rien.”   Click here to view more event photos.



Sister Cities of Nashville and The Japan-America Society of TN Host
First Annual Cherry Blossom Walk on March 27

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Mayor Karl Dean, Consul General of Japan Hiroshi Sato, and Sister Cities of Nashville Board President David Briley led the First Annual Cherry Blossom Walk, a free community event hosted by SCN and JAST. More than 150 partipants enjoyed a beautiful spring day while strolling on Nashville's Cumberland River Greenway for one, two or three miles The walk preceded the Nashville Second Annual Cherry Blossom Festival, co-sponsored by the Consul General's office and the Japan-America Society of Tennessee. The festival took place at the Public Square in front of the courthouse and featured a variety of booths highlighting many aspects of Japanese culture.  The goal of the walk was to promote the mission of Sister Cities of Nashville and JAST as well as raise money to support scholarship opportunities for Nashville students to study abroad in one of Nashville's many sister cities.  Cherry Blossom Walk t-shirts are still available for sale for $15 each.  Please contact Tracy Kane at tracydkane@gmail.com if you are interested in purchasing.  To view more photos of the walk, please click here.  Some of the photos are the copyright of Metro Government of Nashville/Gary Layda.    

Belmont University Students Travel to Korea

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A group of Belmont University students, under the guidance of Dr. Jeff Overby, Director of the Center for International Business at Belmont, traveled to Korea during spring break.  While in Korea, they visited Gwangjin-Gu and met Mayor Jeong as well as other city officials.  Dr. Overby said about the trip, "I cannot begin to tell you how hospitable our hosts were during our visit to Gwangjin-gu.  Not only did we have an official meeting and gift exchange, but we also got a tour of the district, a trip to the TechnoMart, and then a wonderful traditional dinner.  Our visit even received media coverage.  Had it not been for your Sister City efforts, our visit to Gwangjin-gu would never have happened!"

Belfast Nashville Songwriters' Showcase

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Top songwriters from Belfast and Nashville performed at three different venues during the Belfast Nashville Songwriters' Showcase, March 11 - 13.  Irish songwriters Aaron Shanley, Ricky Warwick, Iain Archer, Gareth Dunlop and Anthony Toner performed at Dan McGuinness Pub, the Bluebird Cafe, and Belcourt Theatre.  Joining them at the sold-out Belcourt performance were Nashville songwriters  David Olney, Bobby Bare, Jr., Elizabeth Cooke, and Pat Alger.  The Nashville event followed the songwriting festival in Belfast, which featured 100 songwriters in 30 concert venues, from February 24 - 28th.  These two major events further promote and strengthen our sister city link, established 15 years ago, and our shared musical heritage.

Magdeburg-Nashville Theater Blog

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The local theater company of Magdeburg, Germany has established a blog featuring discussions by Nashville and Magdeburg theater professionals. Published as a part of Theater Magdeburg's production of Sam Shepherd's Fool for Love, the blog builds on a partnership begun in 2005 with the production of Das Treffen – The Other Side, which brought actors from the two cities together in performances of a simultaneous, transatlantic play. Click here for more information or to join the discussion.

Korean Students Explore Nashville's Best

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During a two-week exchange which brought ten high school students from Gwangjin-Gu, Metropolitan Seoul, South Korea to Nashville, Mayor Karl Dean signed a “friendship city” agreement furthering the partnership between our two cities.  The intent is for Gwangjin-Gu to become an official sister city to Nashville later this year.  The students packed a lot of educational and cultural activities into their stay, as well as official visits to Mayor Dean and a presentation of books on Korea to Donna Nicely, director of the Nashville Public Library.  The students also did varying activities with their host families, attending school sporting and theatre events, and shopping at local malls.  Area public and private schools hosted the students for some of the days during their stay. Students attended six schools in all: Martin Luther King, Hume Fogg, University School of Nashville, Harpeth Hall, Lipscomb and Vanderbilt.  The trip culminated in a farewell dinner hosted by SCN’s Korean Committee Chair Kim Lilly, in which all students and their host families enjoyed a final meal together of Korean and Southern favorites, and shared favorite experiences in Nashville. Click here for more photos.

New Sister Cities Committees on Canada and Australia to Convene

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Sister Cities of Nashville is re-establishing our Edmonton, Canada committee as we prepare for a possible delegation visit to Edmonton during the Canadian Country Music Awards program in Sept. 2010. Additionally, we have engaged in preliminary conversations with the Australian Trade Commission regarding a possible sister city in Australia.  If you are interested in exploring possibilities for either and participating as a committee member, please contact director@scnashville.org. 

Nashville to Taiyuan Student Art Exchange

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A delegation from Sister Cities of Nashville visited Taiyuan, China in November.  There, they presented artwork created by students in Davidson and Williamson County public schools under the direction of Ms. Joy Xu, who teaches art class in her home for youth in the area.  Sister Cities of Nashville board members Barbara Cobb and Jackie Shrago presented the artwork to the school principal, Ms. Suzhen Yang, when they visited the Affiliated High School of Shanxi University in Taiyuan, which has 3,500 students in the middle and high school grades.  Additionally, the group discussed the opportunity for exchanges with schools in Nashville.  Currently, the Taiyuan committee for Sister Cities of Nashville will pursue an email “penpal” program, focusing primarily on schools in Nashville that teach Chinese before pursuing an actual student exchange between schools.   Schools that are interested in participating in this exciting pilot program with Taiyuan should contact director@scnashville.org.

A Memorable Trip to Caen

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For the past 25 years, Sister Cities of Nashville and the Nashville Bar Association sponsor annual trips between, Caen, Normandy, France and Nashville.  In October, a group of 20 made the trip to Caen.  The trips aren’t solely for lawyers, but there is a legal topic discussed at a seminar each year.  The topic in 2009 was how the two systems deal with questions about the constitutionality of proposed statues.

 

Our delegation began the official visit with a wonderful dinner in Paris.  The following day, the group traveled to Caen and were greeted by their French hosts, who then took them to the Bar Office for a welcome reception.  The participants had the opportunity to stay with French families or at a local hotel.

 

In addition to countless receptions and exceptional French dining, the delegates enjoyed seeing the sites and meeting the people in the area.  They listened to an informative talk by the mayor of Cabourg where Marcel Proust lived and wrote; met with officials of the City of Deauville, the Paris beach town, and heard about Nashville’s ties with that city.  They also met with a vice mayor of Caen after touring the abbey founded by William the Conqueror which now serves as city hall.   Additionally, they visited the museum that houses the Bayeux Tapestry, which was created 900 years ago and recounts the history of William’s conquest of England. A visit to the splendid Memorial Museum in Caen completed the tour of the museums.  This facility tells the story of the events leading up to World War II and the landings on the beaches of Normandy just north of Caen.

 

The high point of the trip was a visit to the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach where 9,387 American service men and women are buried.  The group toured the new welcome center, which featured many memorable exhibits, and were fortunate to be able to participate in a wreath-laying ceremony before touring the cemetery.

 

In 2010, the French will pay Nashvillians a return visit, and we look forward to reciprocating their hospitality.  If you would like to be on the email list for the French committee and would like to participate in the future, either helping us welcome the French in 2010 or becoming a member of the delegation to France in 2011, please email Steve Cobb at s.a.cobb@comcast.net.

 

Former Vice President Al Gore Travels to Mendoza

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Former Vice President Al Gore recently traveled to Mendoza, Argentina to speak on climate change.  There, he met Sister Cities’ local representative David English, who helped forge the Nashville-Mendoza sister city partnership, as well as Mendoza Mayor Victor Fayad and Argentina’s Ambassador to the U.S. Vilma Martinez.  Gore addressed a group of business leaders, politicians, university professors and students at Congreso University on Thursday, October 15th.

"Magdeburg: Autumn 1989" Commemorates the Fall of the Berlin Wall

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During the month of October 2009, Sister Cities of Nashville hosted a series of events - "Magdeburg: Autumn 1989" - commemorating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and celebrating our sister-city relationship with Magdeburg.
        
"Needless to say, Nashville's very active and successful partnership with Magdeburg, which was in the former East Germany, would not have been possible without these heroic events," said Sister Cities board member, Douglas Berry, who is also Honorary German Consul for Tennessee.  "We were pleased that so many Nashvillians were able to attend and participate in the variety of educational events that Sister Cities hosted this past month.
   
The events included a photographic exhibit of the events in Magdeburg leading to the fall of the Berlin Wall; an exhibit featuring the Magdeburg Puppet Theatre under two political systems as well as performances by the theatre; a film preview, "Redirected Lives" on life in the former East Germany after the fall of the wall; and a symposium, "Nonviolence and Peaceful Social Change: A Sister Cities Dialogue," featuring leaders of Nashville's Civil Rights movement and of the demonstrations in Magdeburg. There are still opportunities for schools to have Honorary German Consul Douglas Berry speak about the events leading to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the role of the U.S.  He will be available to speak for the remainder of the 2009-2010 school year.
    
Click here for background information about "Magdeburg: Autumn 1989."

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Sister Cities of Nashville Celebrates a World of Friendship    

Sister Cities' first time fund-raiser attracted more than 200 guests to Belle Meade Plantation to celebrate the cultural diversity in our community and in our world.  Ichiban Japanese Restaurant, Gerst Haus, Rumba, Seoul Garden Korean Cuisine, Swett's, and Bread and Company provided a wide array of local and international foods for the dinner buffet.  Guests were treated to live musical performances from some of Nashville's talented musicians as well as a silent auction featuring a range of trips, "staycation" packages, restaurant and spa gift certificates.  Proceeds from the event will benefit SCN's educational, cultural and economic exchanges as well as provide financial aid for select students participating in our educational exchange programs.  Click here to see more event photos.

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Commemoration Honoring Captain Charles M. Peal 

On August 26, 2009 the city of Nashville joined our International Friendship City Crouy, France in a simultaneous ceremony commemorating the 65th anniversary of the death of decorated WWII fighter pilot and Nashville native Captain Charles M. Peal.  See Channel 4 news coverage of the ceremony.

Nashville
and Crouy are forever linked because of Captain Peal’s bravery and sacrifice.  At the same moment in time--9:00 a.m. in Nashville, 4:00 p.m. in Crouy--our two cities remembered and paid tribute to Captain Peal, as well as all the soldiers who have fought for our freedoms.  Additionally, gratitude was shown to the citizens of Crouy for risking their safety to give our soldier a dignified funeral and for continuing to honor his memory for the sixty-five years since his death.

Sister Cities thanks Woodlawn Memorial Gardens for their generosity and help in putting on this very special ceremony.   
Learn more about the commemoration and the history of the Nashville-Crouy relationship by visiting The Captain Peal Story.  If you would like more information about the Captain Peal story, contact ritarichardson@scnashville.org.    

Delegation from Taiyuan, China Visits May 6 - 9