The Villages Deutscher Club returned from its summer furlough Thursday evening at Lake Miona Recreation Center. Its Volksfest (peoples’ party) included a hearty dinner with soft drinks and beer (of course); plus lively English- and German-language entertainment. Originally, an outdoor picnic was planned — but with the warm weather and lovebugs, the party was moved indoors.
Club President, Kirk Freundt, and several other active club members, reach out during the year to help other Villages clubs with their citizens’ parades. “One hand washes the other,” Freundt said, “and all of us benefit. We help the Irish on St. Patrick’s Day — and the Italians with their Columbus Day event. They, in turn, help us with Oktoberfest. These parades are bigger and better than ever, and everyone has fun.”
This year (2014), a golf cart will be specially decorated to celebrate Germany’s World Cup soccer victory.
This past summer, members of the Deutscher Club were asked if they would host a European exchange student who wanted to experience a few weeks in America. In total, through the non-profit EF Homestay program, 113 foreign students were welcomed to Central Florida, including the Ocala and Belleview areas — with 37 students staying with Villages residents.
Village of Bonita resident Yulia Wilson, who is originally from St. Petersburg, Russia, and her husband, Gary, invited two European students, aged 16 and 17, during August. “One girl was from France and the other girl was from Italy. We all loved the visit,” Yulia beamed, “and we look forward to them coming back.”
“We learned a lot about each other’s cultures,” Yulia related. “The Italian gal brought a large Parmesan cheese from Italy, and we cooked several pasta dishes together. We had French food too — everything was delicious.”
“We did so much — swimming, table tennis, golf lessons, and going every other night to a town square. We took part in a Flash Mob on August 14 at Lake Sumter Landing, which was really fun.” Yulia and her husband plan to invite new students next year.
Village of Lynnhaven resident, Lauren Sweeny, and her husband, Michael, found a place in their home for 15-year-old David from Germany and Clinton from France. “The boys knew only basic English,” Lauren said, “and learned many new phrases. They were very interested in sports, especially soccer, and guns. People in The Villages air gun club taught them a lot about guns and gun safety.”
“The boys had heard good things about American steaks — so we took them to taste T-bone steaks,” Yulia recalled. “They also wanted to try a ‘yellow on a stick,’ which we figured out was a corn dog.”
“The boys had very good manners,” Lauren continued. “At meals, they waited until I was seated to sit down themselves; and they cleared the table for us after dinner. They loved visiting the Kennedy Space Center and bought skateboards at Ron Jon’s Surf Shop to take home.”
The goal of Cambridge, Massachusetts-based EF Homestay, (which means ‘Education First,’), is to inspire a generation of global citizens and break down international barriers to mutual understanding. Currently they set up home stays in California, Florida, New England, New York and the state of Washington — and are available for support if language or other issues arise.
When people view their own locales and lifestyles through the eyes of an excited teenager, they form a whole new appreciation of their home towns. Some of the students attended language and culture classes while in America; others choose a total ‘immersion’ program , with all of their time spent in their host’s community. The EF Homestay website is: www.ef.edu.
At 6:30 p.m. Oct. 16 at Laurel Manor, the Deutscher Club will celebrate Oktoberfest with gemutlichkeit (which means relaxed camaraderie) and the music of ‘The Swinging Bavarians.’ An informal German-style dinner will be catered by Grandma’s German Kitchen. For more information, call Linda Snow 750-3261 or ruslinsnow@msn.com.
