According to a press release, the "Villa 2 ‘Ville Initiative," has these eight selected students taking classes at Northwest for two weeks in order to "build English, leadership and motivational skills." After the two weeks, the students will return to their home country. As part of the experience, the students will also be living with host families. Max Ruhl, dean of the College of Education and Human Services helped Tappmeyer with putting the program together. He has known Tappmeyer for over 20 years and said that he remembers being very proud of her when she joined the Peace Corps. He said that Maryville and Villa Sandina have very similar qualities. "In some ways, it's not such a different community," Ruhl said. "It's a 4,000 plus community … and yet it's a place that doesn't have grocery stores and doesn't have the amenities that we look for." Ruhl said that the Peace Corps is all about sharing opportunities and that Tappmeyer came back excited and wanting to show the students American culture and education. He stresses the importance of Northwest students having a diverse experience, and for American students to have experiences with international students. A similar project was done last year with a group of ten from Panama. Three of those students are still here studying at the Missouri Academy. Ruhl points to this as proof of the opportunities that can be created in creating international connections. "We built this as a cultural exchange and a language immersion," Ruhl said. "They don't have extensive English language skills right now, but you can see them already beginning to build them."
Nicaragua RPCV Andrea Tappmeyer put together the "Villa 2 ‘Ville Initiative," to bring eight selected students from Nicaragua to Northwest Missouri for two weeks
Cross-cultural experience to build English, leadership, motivational skills
By By Brian Johnson
Features Editor
Published: Thursday, January 21, 2010
Updated: Wednesday, January 20, 2010
On Friday, when eight Nicaraguan students stepped off a plane onto the cold American soil, the first thing they noticed was being able to see their breath in the cold for the first time.
"That was I think the first thing; that they knew they were in a very different place," said Andrea Tappmeyer.
This trip was the beginning of a dream come true for Tappmeyer. The Maryville native, who is currently working for the Peace Corps, had wanted students from Villa Sandina, Nicaragua to be able to have a taste of life and education in the United States. She said she saw a desire in these students while teaching there.
"I knew they were really interested in America," Tappmeyer said, talking about the students she taught. "So I started talking to the University to try to put together this camp to be able to bring them over and have this cross-cultural experience."
According to a press release, the "Villa 2 ‘Ville Initiative," has these eight selected students taking classes at Northwest for two weeks in order to "build English, leadership and motivational skills." After the two weeks, the students will return to their home country. As part of the experience, the students will also be living with host families.
Max Ruhl, dean of the College of Education and Human Services helped Tappmeyer with putting the program together. He has known Tappmeyer for over 20 years and said that he remembers being very proud of her when she joined the Peace Corps. He said that Maryville and Villa Sandina have very similar qualities.
"In some ways, it's not such a different community," Ruhl said. "It's a 4,000 plus community … and yet it's a place that doesn't have grocery stores and doesn't have the amenities that we look for."
Ruhl said that the Peace Corps is all about sharing opportunities and that Tappmeyer came back excited and wanting to show the students American culture and education. He stresses the importance of Northwest students having a diverse experience, and for American students to have experiences with international students.
A similar project was done last year with a group of ten from Panama. Three of those students are still here studying at the Missouri Academy. Ruhl points to this as proof of the opportunities that can be created in creating international connections.
"We built this as a cultural exchange and a language immersion," Ruhl said. "They don't have extensive English language skills right now, but you can see them already beginning to build them."
When the group arrived on Friday, Ruhl, as well as others, were there to welcome the students to their home for the next two weeks. Ruhl said that he has been doing projects like this for a while and he always knows he's going to meet wonderful people.
"They're just the nicest kids you ever want to meet," Ruhl said with a smile.
To combat the new cold that the students were feeling as soon as they got off the plane, coats were handed out to each of them provided by a community coat collection put on by Denise Jasinski and Amy Nally.
"They came from ninety degree weather," Ruhl said. "Thankfully we were at thirty-something. A week before we were at 2 or 5 degrees."
The cold is just one of the things that Tappmeyer knows that the students will learn about and never forget on their quick journey here. She said she could not be happier with how her dream is unfolding.
"I'm ecstatic right now. We've been working on it for so long and it's been a very stressful process," "It's going far and beyond what I expected … and I'm very proud of the students and how they've been handling it as well."
