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July 11, 2007
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Ilias Antoniou, from Athens, Greece, was the weekend guest of Cheryl McCord and
Bill Clark of Kuna. Four other families in the Treasure Valley hosted visitors from
Europe who were on a six-week tour of US cities as a part of the German Marshall
Memorial Fellowship exchange program. This year’s visitors were from Spain, France,
Slovakia, Poland, and Greece.
Ilias began his tour in Washington, DC and traveled to Charleston, Columbus and
Los Angeles before arriving in Boise. The host families and guests met at Municipal
Park for a picnic and a stroll through the MK Nature Center along the Boise River.
On Saturday morning, Ilias attended the Kuna Farmers Market and visited with the
vendors. He appreciated the genuine concern our farmers and gardeners have for the
environment as they nurture their crops and animals.
He toured a local dairy farm and saw the requirements to house, feed, and milk a
herd of over two thousand cows. He compared it to a large city with many inhabitants
who need truckloads of food, water, and infrastructure for housing, manufacturing,
and waste management.
We floated the Payette River in Emmett on Sunday. Ilias commented that the hills
approaching Emmett had similarities to the landscape in Greece. The lazy float on
the river was the perfect activity for a hot afternoon. We saw ospreys on their
nests, herons and hawks along the way.
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit with Ilias as we learned of his family, work, and
pastimes. We discovered many similarities between our countries that seem very different
at first. Both countries have proud heritages even though the US is relatively young
and Greece is rich with ancient history. Both countries have tough societal and
governmental issues to deal with including immigration, education, and city planning.
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