That's right. Intercambio is sort of international now. A few months ago a group of 20 Belgians who work with immigrants visited us at our office and we discussed the work of Intercambio. A few of them were inspired enough by what we do to replicate the way we coordinate our one-on-one classes there in Antwerp. I shared some materials with them not thinking they'd actually follow through, but I just received an email a few days ago saying that it's now up and running!
That was just the start to a great weekend. For the last two weeks I've had about 25 people in the Saturday dance aerobics class and the vibe keeps getting better and better. Ayad, a friend form Iraq, said that the dance class is the most effective form of immigrant intergation he's experienced here, where he doesn't think about his race or ethincity and he's just having fun with a super diverse group. That really made me happy.
I got invited by the YWCA and Boulder Chamber to participate in the Boulder version of Dancing with the Stars, where I'd be matched up with a pro dancer and choreogrpaher for 6 weeks or so. I'm super excited but not sure I can do it because the date is right around La Fiesta. I hope it works out.
Today I played indoor soccer and hung out with a bunch of our old and current students there. Before that I helped my friend make a music mix for her elementary school dance troup. Before that I made Arepas (like Colombian tortillas) with a couple of Colombian friends following a mean round of frisbee golf and a little jacuzzi time. This morning had breakfast with Rossana and Steve. Rossana does very interesting cross-cultural work throughout the world and she is the one who developed many of the social interaction sections of the immigrant guide.
Yesterday I presented at a volunteer training in Longmont and consulted with a woman in Littleton who is also planning to use part of the Intercambio model with an organization there called the Littleton Immigrant Integration Initiative, which is also exciting. Rachel, our new Academic Coordinator and I hung out at Reyes' house for a little after that and his super cute son who speaks awesome Spanglish. Then I hooked up with Brett/Benito to check out some cool designs he drafted for the next round of Intercambio shirts. Hung out for a bit with Shawn, who has been sick for the last couple weeks after eating a sketchy chicharron in Rancho Grande Mexico. He's getting better now though. His business Laci is doing well and I'm really proud of all the great stuff he's creating and learning. After that Maria, Rachel and I went techno dancing, which was funny, and then for happy hour sushi, which I've been craving for weeks.
I'm excited for MLK day tomorrow and to go ice skating again with the Intercambio crew on Friday :)
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