U.S. Capitol

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- On April 26, we visited an impressive building, the U.S Capitol building. On that day, the weather was very nice, sunny and windy. The U.S. Capitol has soaring spaces and skylight views of the capitol dome.We realized that it is the most widely recognized symbol of democratic government in the world. This is the place where the United States Congress meets to write the laws of the nation. Before we entered the building, we were checked by security. After being checked, we went to see a video about the history of this building. After that, we took an audio tour around the building with a tour guide. First,we saw statues and scupltures of many famous people from each state.

Secondly, we visited the plaster model for the statue of Freedom, which stands prominently at the west side of Emancipation Hall. The statue is a classical female figure. Her right hand rests on the hilt of a sheathed sword, her left hand holds a laurel for wreath of victory and the shield of the United States. Last but not least, we visited to the Senate Chamber, which is occupied by the U.S. Senate, one of the two legislative bodies of the Congress. It is an impressive and interesting place, but we didn't get the opprtunity to take pictures because photos are prohibited. Before we had lunch, we went to the gift shop in this building to buy souvenirs for our friends. We really enjoyed our visit to the U.S. Capitol.

Citra, Praew, and Barani

On Mix-ups and NGOs

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- There's this old joke that goes this way, "If you cross a parrot and a lion, that monster would need a boxful of crackers." However, if you put things together in a way that they would make sense, it would go something like this, "If you cross a parrot and a lion, you would get an NGO."

How on earth would that make sense? You may ask. Well, come to think of it, it would sound silly - or even awkward - to mix up two creatures with extraordinarily contrasting characteristics, and then ending up with an NGO. Technically, the lion may even eat up the powerless bird, won't it? But when you think about it from another perspective, you start thinking that everything's coming back to you.

Sure, you know what a parrot is, how it looks like, and how it sounds like. More often than not, parrots are known for mimicking sounds, usually phrases and sentences we human beings use. So technically, parrots don't really speak the same way we do. They're simply imitating what we tell them to say; they don't really know what our sentences mean at all.

If you know Simba, then you know what we're talking about. Those large, loud, and intimidating lions just scare the guts out of us, even if we've only seen them on television or read about them in newspapers and magazines. They're famous, scary, and humongous. Need we say more?

So now, having described the different characteristics of both the parrot and the lion, we guess it would make more sense crossing both creatures. We still don't know if you understand what the cross has to do with NGOs, though.

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are cause-oriented groups with varied aims. Some exist for humanitarian causes, such as the Red Cross; some exist for environmental advocacy, such as the Haribon Foundation and World Wildlife Fund. There are hundreds of thousands of NGOs all across the globe working in different countries for many other aims and causes.

We visited three NGOs on April 27 --The Asia Foundation, the Carnegie Institution for Science, and Freedom House--to learn more about them and about what they do to help countries around the world who need their help. All three NGOs have different goals, but they all boil down doing one thing in common: to support and promote the well-being of everyone in the world. The Asia Foundation works for the welfare and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region. The Carnegie Institution for Science promotes the value of science and research. Freedom House works for the freedom of speech and the press in various countries around the world, usually those in which media and political rights are partly or totally denied. Representatives of these NGOs told us about their activities and how they solve problems in the countries where they work. Some countries have improved their situations, the others haven't yet.

We know you still haven't figured out what the cross between the parrot and the lion has to do with these NGOs we've visited. The explanation is pretty simple: NGOs mimic the sounds, usually the needs of the people and places they work for, and relay those messages to the rest of the world in a way that resembles the lion's roar. The governments of the countries where these NGOs work may not necessarily heed this lion-parrot call, but this call stretches out to other people concerned so they can help these people, be it in cash or in kind, or in simply helping out themselves.

Simply put, non-governmental organizations serve as bridges between the needy and the world. It is pretty much a misconception to think that the NGOs solely provide the needs of the people around them. They need help to in order to keep their work going, and that explains why there are a lot of channels and branches of these organizations around the world. So the next time somebody asks, "What do you get when you cross a lion and a parrot?" get serious and then answer, "An NGO." And you'll leave your listener scratching his head.

Raffy Cabristante (Philippines), Steven Thinn (Burma), and Paul Fachiri (Indonesia)

Ford's Theater

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C. One of the city's significant historical locations where President Abraham Lincoln actually spent time. The site where he said his last words to his wife. His turning point to his last minute. The place where original evidence of the conspiracy to assassinate the president is now kept. Safely kept.

At the Ford's Theater Museum, one can run through the Lincoln's entire presidency. Every wall is designated for a specific year of Lincoln's term in office, and includes the significant events of that year. SEAYLP participants had a great time roaming around. Though we had only a short time to see Ford's Theater during our visit on April 25, we had a great time in this historical place, a place that is very significant to every American.

Zachary Thant, Fajar Adhiprabawa, and Niko Cena

A visit to IMSA ( Illinois Math & Science Academy )

DEKALB, Ill. -- We want to share about our great experience at IMSA (Illinois Math and Science Academy) near NIU in Aurora, Illinois, on April 15, 2011. We arrived at 9 in the morning and were there until 4 p.m. IMSA is one of the top 20 high schools in the United States, a very good school! While we were there, we attended classes with the students: biology, history, mathematics, computer science, and statistics. This was a new experience for us learning about education in the U.S.A.



















While we were at IMSA, we played some games with some of the students.

















We get a lot of new friends from there too, we spent times with them from studying, lunch, and played some games together, they are so friendly and kind.

We liked every part of this school, especially its education system with high technology and friendship of the students. We will not forget our great experience at IMSA.

Citra Kaigere (Indonesia) and Parinda (Ploy) Keocamsuk (Thailand)

Preserving the Prairies, Preserving Ourselves

DEKALB, Ill. - It was not too long ago when we, along with the other participants of the Southeast Asian Youth Leadership Program (SEAYLP) and students from Sycamore High School went to the Afton Forest Preserve in DeKalb, Illinois.

With shovels, gloves, jackets, and ourselves ready, we planted spiderworts across the muddy field. A few minutes later, we went to see the beautiful prairies in the area. We were pretty fascinated when we first saw them since we don't have prairies in Southeast Asia. The people from Afton then took us to an open field to plant trees, a practice they have been doing with previous SEAYLP groups.


It was pretty noticeable that some of the parts of the Afton Forest Preserve looked deteriorated, yet these parts were making up with the presence of spring. Most of the wild plants already dried up, but because of the improving weather, they were starting to return to their original shape.


That perhaps is one of the basic reasons why SEAYLP was conceived: to improve the lives of its participants and instill in them values of true leadership. However, leaders do not necessarily go with the flow or according to plan. Some of them fail, hence leaving them with the need to use alternative solutions. Like the wind-blown grasses in the prairies, true leaders allow themselves to bend with the situation of their communities, to grow in the soil, and survive the cold weather whenever necessary. During this activity, we figured out that the values of patience, friendship, and flexibility are some of the many assets of leadership essential in making a community an active and productive one.

Raffy Cabristante (Philippines) and Kyi Zay Min (Burma)

Starved Rock State Park

UTICA, Ill. -- On April 19, the SEAYLP group went to Starved Rock State Park about an hour away from DeKalb. We arrived at 5:30 to hike on some of the park's trails. It was cold.



















It was a rainy day when we went there. It was nice because we saw wonderful views of the Illinois River from the top of the bluffs overlooking the river. Because it was so rainy, though, we had to go back to the bus early.








Visiting Starved Rock was a really good experience. We really like this view of the Illinois River.


Paul Fachiri (Indonesia) and Steven Thinn (Burma)

Planting Trees with Sycamore High School Environmental Club

SYCAMORE, Ill. -- On April 21, the SEAYLP group visited Sycamore High School and later planted trees with the school's Environmental Club in Afton Prairie Forest Preserve near DeKalb. When we arrived at Sycamore High School, we were greeted by the high school staff and members of the school's Environmental Club, who were our hosts for the day. Everyone was so friendly.

Front entrance to Sycamore High School

At the school, we first did some ice-breaker exercises in class. Then we were taken on a tour of the whole school by Environmental Club members and had lunch.

Students walking down one of the many hallways at Sycamore High School

Typical classroom at Sycamore High School

People were very friendly, and told us all about their school, their subjects, school facilities, clubs, and so many other interesting things.

Art classroom at Sycamore High

Hallway display case shows off student artwork

The library at SHS

After touring the school, we went by bus with the club to the Afton Prairie Forest Preserve near DeKalb, about 20 minutes from Sycamore, for a prairie restoration project. There we learned how to plant new trees.

Afton Prairie staff with the trees we are going to plant this day

Learning how to plant trees and small plants at Afton Prairie



Preparing the soil to plant

We had so much fun today and learned a lot of geographic knowledge. We thank the Environmental Club and Afton Praire Forest Preserve staff for making our day!

Atikah Amalia (Indonesia) and Fatin Jamjuree (Thailand)

Cougars Game

GENEVA, Ill. -- On Monday, April 9, we left on the bus from Geneva (a town near DeKalb) at 4.40 p.m. to go to Elfstrom Stadium, home of the Kane County Cougars baseball team. Because we were a little bit early, so we stayed in the bus for a while. I was very excited about the game. It was really cold, 38 degrees Fahrenheit. I wore a T-shirt, sweater, coat, hat, and gloves, and I still felt cold. Before the game started, I bought hotdog, fries and a big glass of Coca Cola with Tom and Adi, fellow participants. In the middle of the game, I bought a glass of hot chocolate to warm up. Brrrr! In the first inning, the Cougars didn't start very well. The visiting team led 2-1. But in the third and sixth inning, the Cougars scored and made a comeback, and led 3-2. Unfortunately, some of the participants couldn't stand the cold, so they went to the bus early. Only me, Niko, Tom, Raffi, Adi, Dita, Tika, Citra and our GAs, Sean and Jordan, made it until the sixth inning. We had a lot of fun. Adi and Tom always ran when a ball came toward us. Adi got two balls, while Tom got one. When we waited for an inning to start, we danced. It was a lot of fun. Watching the Cougars was one of my best experiences on this trip --one I will never forget. Fajar (Indonesia)

4/18/11

by Fajar

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Another view of IMSA

AURORA, Ill. -- It was awesome to go to the Illinois Math and Science Academy on Friday, April 15, and meet the students there, many of whom were Asian. It was a great experience to sit in on some of their classes. We played a get-to-know game right at the halls of the building. It was so fun playing it with the other SEAYLP participants and some of the students at IMSA. It was really a BIG international relations moment, so significant for us all.

We, the SEAYLP Spring 2011 team, hopes that SEAYLP participants who come after us will enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime international experience.

Niko Cena (Philippines)

Explore Abraham Lincoln's New Salem

Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site is a reconstruction of the village where Abraham Lincoln spent his early adulthood. The six years Lincoln spent at New Salem formed a turning point in his career. From the gangling young man who came to the village in 1831 with no definte objectives, he became a man of purpose as he embarked upon a career of law and statemanship.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- This is the place we visited on April 19, 2011. It was rainy and chilly in the morning, the weather was warm enough to " walk into the past" when we arrived. After having lunch in the picnic area, we started strolling along the trail. Once we went past the visitor center, we saw many wooden houses. There were altogether 24 houses, each with its own history written on the sign boards. That helped us understand more about the people who lived there and what they did as living. There was a blacksmith shop, a mill, a wool house, and a few stores. See the map below of the village:

The map helped us find everything without worrying about getting lost. Because the trail through the village is surrounded by trees and ancient houses, it feels as if you were actually in the village in that era (except that the only people you see are other tourists!). If the weather is pleasant, it is a really nice place to walk and take photos.

During this trip, we learned that even though Abraham Lincoln had to go through a lot of hardships, he was determined. And because of this, he succeeded and became one of the greatest presidents of the United States of America. He is admired by many people today.

Praew (Thailand) and Brenda (Burma)

American high school life: IMSA

AURORA, Ill. -- On April 15, we went to Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) to learn about the American high school life by attending classes, having lunch at their canteen and hanging out with the students from the academy. We were separated into small groups and visited different classrooms.

Praew: First I went to Chemistry class, where the students were reviewing for the exam on the coming Tuesday. Three girls I sat with during class then took me to tour around the school. I saw lots of artwork along the way. This hallway was decorated with wall sculpture made of colour pillows. It was beautiful and creative.

The second class that I attendeded was Biology class, which specializes in diseases. The teacher assigned students to do report about disease they are interested in and they had to present to other students. Then they discussed and used their tablet computers to find more information. I think this class is very interesting beacause of the way they learn their subject. After that I had a few hour break for lunch and playing games with my new IMSA friends, who were very kind and friendly. Calculus was my last class. The teacher used computer graphics to teach students. The computer graphic made me, who did not know Calculus before, understand it. I had a great time there and I hope schools in Thailand will be developed as good as IMSA.

Brenda: Since Praew and I got separated, I had to attend History class for the first period. The teacher was Dr. Clay Skinner, the teacher who came to NIU to explain about the river ecology of Bubbly Creek on April 12. We watched a short video, History of Technology, which consists of two parts. It emphasizes mainly on transportation using boats and ships. Then we went to the class next door, which was the math class (CALCULUS!!!). I was hoping to work on the problems with the students there but unfortunately, I hadn't learned the topic taught on that day. But it was fine because I learned new lessons. After lunch, the last class I attended was political science. They talked about what happened where between 1953 and 1961. I learned that the needs of the Third World to be modernized include having skilled people, financial support, education, industries, and so forth.

Praew: During the lunch break, we were separated into different tables so that we could chat with the students. I enjoyed the food. My favourites were fish curry and ice cream! We then went to the meeting place to play get-to-know games. The first one was to form a circle with one person in the middle with their shoes taken off. He/she was to introduce himself/herself and say one thing about him/her (e.g., I love dancing). Those who are in common with that person will have to move away from their places and the one without a pair of shoes will go in the middle. Another one was TRUE or FALSE game where each person had to say 3 facts, where two of them are true and the other is false and the rest of the players will have to guess which one is incorrect. Finally, we went up to the library, where we chatted with students (again) and read books.

Visiting IMSA was a great fun and we learned the difference between high schools in Asia and the ones in Western countires. These include:

• Students here do not hesitate to raise any questions about the topics in class and teachers are willing to answer them.



• Students can choose the subjects they want to study, where for us, we can only choose when we get to universities.



• Students are provided with laptops they are allowed to use in class so that they can "Google" the information they want to know immediately.



• A lot of presentations are done: the teachers use media to explain the lessons, which seems more interesting.



• The interaction between students and teachers is more like friends there, which is good because teachers can know the needs of their students more easily.



• They don't have uniforms.



• We have morning assembly in our countries.



• There are only a few people in one class, which makes the learning more effective.



• There is a large variety of subjects to choose at IMSA.

Praew (Thailand) and Brenda (Burma)

Welcome to SEAYLP and spring at NIU

Wednesday, April 6. Today twenty-one students and five adult leaders from Burma, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand arrive at Northern Illinois University for the spring 2011 session of the U.S. State Department's Southeast Asia Youth Leadership Program operated by NIU's Center for Southeast Asian Studies, with assistance from the Division of International Programs. As participants go through this three-week program that runs through April 30, they will be posting entries about their experiences and what they learn. The center welcomes these future leaders of Southeast Asia to the world of ideas we hope they find here.

We look forward to getting to know each and every one of you!