Japan and Japanese food was the focus of a grand luncheon among D.C. Chapter members in late February.  Our Asian food tastes are expanding with recent luncheons featuring Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean and now Japanese cuisine.  Mica Dumas from the Japan-American Society came dressed in a traditional kimono and gave a slide presentation of Japanese society, culture, food, and sights.  She lived in Japan for 13 years and then 7 years in Germany: a real world traveler.  As an added treat, each of us received a genuine Japanese red fan, and a Japanese New Year red envelope with good luck coin.

Harmonie Kobanghe, our 2014 Foundation Grantee told the Chapter about her planned circumnavigation and her study of the role of women in improving agricultural economies by increased land tenure.  She is the first French citizen chosen from Georgetown University for a Foundation grant; her family was originally from the Congo.

And, we had a short talk from Alex Bijol from Bled, Slovenia, a guest of Bill Ashley.  Alex told us about Slovenia and the thrill of his first visit to the United States.  We discussed plans for a Persian Nowruz spring party but had to cancel it as the musicians and dancers decided not to come to the restaurant to perform this year.  We are looking at other events for our annual ‘Spring into Summer’ luncheon.

We held our biannual elections, reelecting Samuel Watson as president, Jennifer Teague as vice president and treasurer, and electing Samuel McAleese as our new secretary, all for two years.  Sam McAleese was a Foundation grantee from the Chicago Chapter.

Recent travelers included Ray Olson going to Kuwait and the ‘lovely’ Kuwait International Airport and also to Thailand; Bill Ashley went on several Caribbean cruises over the Christmas holidays; Betsy and Emil Ruderfer went to Chile and Argentina over the New Year holidays; and, Virginia May took another Caribbean cruise (one of many she has taken on Cunard ships to the Caribbean and around the world).

Samuel Watson
Washington DC Chapter President

(click on any of the photos to see a larger version of it)