News release timely through: May 8
Contact: Richard Fleisher 304-293-2694 Ext.3450
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
"I want to be alone," the esteemed Swedish actress Greta Garbo
said. Not so Mary Elizabeth Williams. As West Virginia's
International 4-H Youth Exchange (IFYE) representative, the 22-year-old
Moorefield resident returned home from six months in
Sweden with three guests in tow--including a Swedish IFYE en
route to Oregon.
After their short stay and a couple of weeks with her family, Mary is on the road again. This time in West Virginia. Beginning in mid-January Mary is touring throughout the state for six months to share her Swedish experiences with 4-H'ers. (Insert details of local visit here.)
Mary, the daughter of Renick C. and Betty P. Williams of Moorefield, is a 1996 magna cum laude graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan College.
The Williams have been a host family to 12 exchangees from eight countries and 11 West Virginia IFYEs. In addition, her sister, an uncle, and a cousin are former IFYEs.
The International Extension Program of the West Virginia University Extension Service conducts the IFYE program in the Mountain State. The IFYE Alumni Association and the CD International Program Services oversee the program nationally.
IFYE funding assistance is provided by 4-H clubs, 4-H alumni, friends of 4-H, and the West Virginia 4-H Club Foundation.
As Mary discusses her international experience, she will present a slide show and show various items from her travels. She has a Swedish cookbook, wool gloves, a rug made by a host sister, a sheepskin from a host family, straw handicrafts, wooden cups and butter knives, some Swedish cheese and reindeer meat.
"The food was really good," she said. "I ate a lot more fish than usual." Dishes she enjoyed included smoked eel, reindeer, smoked meats and bread and cheese.
The Swedes "do lots with berries," she continued. Lingonberries, strawberries and black currants especially.
In her free time, Mary traveled to Finland, Norway and Denmark with other U.S. IFYEs. She found Finland particularly memorable. "There are lakes everywhere. It was so quiet when I was there in the fall that I could hear the leaves drop from the trees."
Being away "makes me appreciate the beauty of our own state so much more," she said. "I find myself looking at the details of the countryside since I've returned."
She's also appreciating the price of gasoline as she travels. "In Sweden it costs about $60 for a tank of gas," she said. Therefore, she wasn't surprised to encounter "very efficient rail and public transportation." Biking and walking also are popular ways to move around.
Aware that Sweden has a very high standard of living, Mary observed that "everyone has a home and the people are concerned with environmental issues."
Sweden also has embraced the information age. Fax machines and computers are common household items, she noted.
Mary experienced the Swedish programming of the 1996 Olympics televised from Atlanta. "I saw more of the Swedish participants and other Europeans than U.S. viewers did," she said. "In a country with a population of 8.8 million, it seemed that everyone knew someone who was going to the games."
Her host families also followed the U.S. national election. "They are very up-to-date on current issues and observe the trends in other countries," she said.
Language-wise, Swedes begin learning English at 10 years old. Many are also fluent in Finnish, Danish, Norwegian, German or French.
Is a return to Sweden in her future? "Definitely," she declared. "And, I want to be a host family to Swedish guests."
"I highly recommend the IFYE program. It's the experience of a lifetime. You get others' views and learn more about your country and yourself," she said.
For now, Mary is concentrating "on traveling around the state and sharing what I've learned."
