Almost There

Summer is in the air (well, it would be if only this gloomy weather would go away!). It's the last week of class and -- probably like most of you -- I am so excited to be done with school for a while. Over the weekend, I went to the Farmers' Market and picked out three kinds of herbs to grow on my deck. Seeing them in their cute little pots, all green and delicious smelling, makes me really look forward to one of my favorite things about summer time: the food. I love fresh fruit smoothies, salads, and summer vegetables. With the basil plant that I got at the Market, I want to try a recipe for avocado pesto. It's basically ripe avocado, a bunch of basil, some spinach, olive oil, garlic, and pine nuts blended together and eaten on pasta or bread. I also can't wait for caprese salad season -- basil, tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese...best thing ever! Oh and I almost forgot homemade mint iced tea (this year, I also want to try a lavender lemonade...yum!). Now I just have to get through 3 finals and a big paper. Luckily the incentive to reach the finish line is a great one! 

Speaking of summer, are you going home before school starts in the fall? If so, don't forget about International Reach! Cultural items (e.g. pictures, clothing, toys, treats) can be very fun for use in Reach presentations. If you think of something interesting, bring it back to Madison with you and we'll make sure you get a chance to share about it at a Reach event!


Also, we need to update our volunteer spreadsheet. Please take a moment to fill out this very short survey if you have not already done so: Reach Volunteer Survey 



 
 Before the semester wraps up, I wanted to share some Reach statistics with all of you.

--This year, the program fulfilled 22 requests. 68% of these requests were on campus, 18% in kindergarten through 12th grade classrooms, and 14% in the community. 

--We recruited 31 new volunteers this year. The majority of these volunteers were undergraduates from either China, Malaysia, South Korea, or Japan. 

--Reach volunteers reached over 1700 audience members this year!

On behalf of International Student Services and the Reach staff, I would like to thank all of the people who helped make this a successful year for the Reach program. To all of our volunteers and to everyone who has requested a Reach presentation, thank you!

P.S If you need something to do in town, check out the following links for suggestions: 

http://www.travelwisconsin.com/events_calendar.aspx

http://www.thedailypage.com/theguide/

http://www.visitmadison.com/visitors/calendar-events/

Good luck with finals, everyone. And have a fantastic summer!