April 2008

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Bhutanese refugees make St. Louis home

St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Business Section): Small Businesses find it tougher to get tiny loans

Vital Voice: New American Neighborhoods/Enclaves

SabaH: INTERNACIONALNI INSTITUT PROSLAVIO JOŠ JEDNU GODIŠNJICU

 Our latest guest blogger is Kimberly Henricks, who is currently Secretary/Treasurer of I-Squared, the Young Friends Network of the International Institute. She has her own blog called Everybody Loves Cheese, where she discusses her culinary adventures.

¡Provecho! 

Each month, the i-Squared Dinner Club makes a pilgrimage to an international restaurant in St. Louis to experience cuisines and cultures from around the world, educate ourselves about the happenings of the International Institute, and serve by making a small donation to help welcome new Americans to our fair city.   

We recently visited Mango, a very lovely Peruvian restaurant in Shrewsbury. Awaiting us on the table were “cancha & chifles.” We learned that cancha are salty, fried corn kernels, and chifles are salty chips made from plantain. They were served with a very tasty creamy pesto and spinach dipping sauce. Everyone enjoyed them and wished we could have eaten them all night.  From there, many interesting and tasty Peruvian dishes were ordered, and everyone agreed that the food — all made from fresh ingredients and served with spicy, sweet, and imaginative sauces — was excellent. Of course, a Peruvian meal isn’t complete without a Pisco Sour, a popular drink in Peru, made with pisco (a liquor distilled from grapes), sugar, syrup, key lime juice, and a whipped egg white. Many of us were a bit leery of the egg white, but it worked very well … we all agreed that this was a great cocktail!   

Aside from learning about (and enjoying!) Peruvian cuisine, the i-Squared Dinner Clubbers also learned about the new International Institute community garden from Paul Costigan, Vice President and Director of Employment at the Institute. This new project aims to promote self-sufficiency, build community, and promote healthy eating among the refugees and their families. A select group of refugees from various nations will be responsible for the maintenance and growth of the garden, but of course, volunteers are always needed to help ensure that this project succeeds. 

All in all, it was a great meal, and any time you’re with the i-Squared Dinner Club, you’ll learn something new. Maybe you can join us next month?

This post is from a guest blogger, Bree DeGraw, who is I-Squared’s Social Committee Co-chair.

Since I moved to St. Louis almost 10 months ago, the main thing which has impressed me the most are the number of non-profits and their involvement with the community. The one with which I had the most interest right from the start is the International Institute of St. Louis. I was introduced to the Institute by one of my first friends in the city, who happened to be from the Czech Republic. We attended Immigration 101 where I met many other wonderful people who I now consider to be close friends. What I learned that night opened my eyes immensely.  

Immediately after attending Immigration 101, I became involved with the Young Friends Group of the Institute. I jumped right in by helping on an immigrant fishing field trip. I met people from around the world and by far it has been one of my favorite lifetime experiences.  

Last week, I was able to help out at the Institute’s annual Thanksgiving Dinner for immigrants and their families. 

Seeing the faces of these new Americans and their joy as they expressed the phrase “Happy Thanksgiving” to one another got me thinking. Why are we not as thankful as these people? Why do we not appreciate our freedoms as they do? 

Through these experiences and in the interactions I have had with the immigrants I see a whole new side to immigration, their side. I doubt I will ever have to hide in a bunker below my house while missiles are exploding overhead, or be walking to the store and as I top the next hill here rolls a tank, or be sent away from my home at a tender age because my parents want to protect me from war and invest in my future and perhaps even be told to “never return”.  

Some people think they are coming here to steal our jobs, ruin our schools, ruin our economy, and raise crime rates in our cities. But for the most part, these people undergo a very lengthy process to enter our country because they are fleeing the persecution they are facing in their “home”. Some have lost their families, some have lost their dignity, and others are trying to find something better to “invest in their future”.  

Get involved, support immigrant owned businesses, experience other cultures, and meet immigrants.

Ethnic foods are one of my favorite topics of discussion, if not a hobby. I think it’s because eating food is one of the easiest ways to learn something about the people who make it. This includes my friends, co-workers, and fellow St. Louis residents, especially individuals who have heritages and life experiences so different from my own.  Preparing, sharing, and eating food is something everyone has in common and transcends language.

The global representation of foods available year-round in St. Louis is incredible. Did you know you can find Albanian dishes in south city? There really is a lot to explore without going very far. Personally, I’m happiest at a church Octoberfest, a taco stand, or any recommendation proved absolutely right.

So how about you? What and where are your favorite ethnic eats? Like with food, it’s good to share…

Many times, immigrants bring unique experiences and expertise to the workplace. They can add to the workforce diversity, building the company’s global perspective, sales, and service. Some are bilingual, expanding a company’s customer base. Do you have foreign-born co-workers? What do they add to your work environment? Have there been challenges and if so how has your company overcome them?