Have you ever had a hog on a log?

When I first heard this as a meal suggestion for the Russian delegates on their way to visit the South Carolina state fair tonight, I have to admit that I was a little bit worried this might be a bit too much culture too fast. That was until I realized that “hog on a log” was simply an expression for a huge turkey leg. I think that’s something we can handle!

“Hog on a log” was just one of many things that the delegates learned about today while visiting a variety of schools in Columbia, SC. The delegation has the unique opportunity of being the first delegation from NPF to study an innovative curriculum in Columbia’s Richland District 2 that uses service and civic action as educational tools. But what makes this delegation even more special is that several of the delegates have actually implemented some of the same ideas into the curriculums of the schools they serve, making this an ideal opportunity for a true exchange of ideas. In fact, never have I seen so much enthusiasm for creating a partnership on both the Russian and American side. In the day and half that I have already spent with the delegates during the professional program, I have been incredibly impressed with the preparation the Russian delegates have put into their materials to ensure that a partnership can begin immediately upon their return home. One of our delegates, a vice principal, has brought copies of letters from the principal and students of her school to hand out to all contacts she meets who would be interested in setting up an exchange, both between students and between education professionals.

In addition, the delegates are getting a heaping taste of southern hospitality. Every place that the delegates have visited to this point has gone above and beyond to welcome the Russian guests. On today’s agenda was Lonnie B. Nelson Elementary School, a school with a civic engagement project built into the yearly curriculum, and Richland Northeast High School, a high school with an exceptionally high number of civically engagement extracurricular activities including a Model U.N. team. At Richland Northeast, the delegates got rock star treatment from a free t-shirt listing the school’s core values, to tons of valuable teaching aid materials to bring home, to their own private concert showcasing the school’s arts programs, which include music lessons, singing groups, and dance classes.

This delegation is truly off to a great start and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the week holds for them. And I’ll let you know if the group was brave enough to try a “hog of a log!”

Jane