Last week, Spirit representatives Lori and Katherine visited Sheboygan and Milwaukee to meet with Host Employers and Work and Travel participants. They visited three different Host Employers, as well as participant housing, and met 25 participants representing Kazakhstan, Colombia, Thailand, Uzbekistan, the Dominican Republic, Turkey, Jordan, and Mongolia. It was great to meet the participants and see where they work. The participants had become close friends with their American coworkers and said how sad they would be to leave.
At one Host Employer, an American employee made posters about the Dominican Republic that were displayed in the office to help everyone learn more about Dominican culture.
Cultural exchange in action at the workplace
On the first evening, Spirit took fourteen participants bowling. The participants had a great time bowling and cheering their friends on! For many of them, it was the first time they had tried bowling. Later, Spirit took the group out for ice cream. Participants shared the places they were hoping to travel after their programs ended.
The next day, Lori and Katherine visited participants in Milwaukee. The participants gave them a tour of their housing and showed them around their workplace. They live and work with Americans and told Lori and Katherine how much they had learned about American culture and cultures from all over the world! Spirit then took the participants out for lunch at Ian’s Pizza. The participants enjoyed trying all of the new pizza toppings, like Mac & Cheese and BBQ Chicken.
Spirit participants with their new American friend
Participants also introduced Katherine and Lori to an American friend who had worked with them this summer. She told us how much she loved getting to know them and how much she would miss them when they went home. Participants received American flag sunglasses and happily posed for a picture together. Katherine and Lori had a great time talking with all of the Spirit participants and hearing about their cultural exchange experiences!
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