The USA Cultural Presentation at the Malaysia Conference

20th International Conference Pre-Conference workshop

PPSEAWA USA Delegation to Conference

N.Y. Chapter Spotlight: Janet Nixon

PPSEAWA New Jersey Chapter Begins

A View on What Happened at the Conference

Solomon Islands Merit Scholarship for Women (SIMSW)

NGO Liaison Officer Appointed

Old Friends (New PPSEAWA Members) Attend Malaysia Conference

Wall Hanging

To Mani Chari, thanks, Godspeed

PPSEAWA New Jersey Chapter Begins

Zinman-Schwartz placed advertisements in local newspapers for people interested in promoting Southeast Asian culture, and less than a month later, in July, 1997, twelve fledgling members of PPSEAWA met to form the New Jersey chapter.

Sample biographies of some of the new members include Marlene Colback, a human services professional who has counseled and housed Asian refugees at her home in South Jersey for many years. She has nine grandchildren and is an activist for social justice.

Florence Sperry, Mid-Atlantic Regional Director, America's Charities, a non-profit organization, representing local, national and international charities, including Amnesty International and Vietnam Veterans.

Shenru Zhao earned her medical degree at Beijing University, then traveled to the U.K where she worked for several years. Today she is a consultant for Chinese medical companies in the U.S. Shenru wanted to meet people interested in Asian culture.

Chia Chien, an Asian living in the U.S. for twenty years, owns her own computer consulting company with her husband. She wants to stay in touch with others interested in Asian culture.

Loan Nguyen-Christensen is Vietnamese and a computer analyst for Bell Atlantic, Office of Vietnam Associates. Loan recently translated a Vietnamese description on a bag of herbs for Zinman-Schwartz who, as part of her research, was taking them from Saigon to Cuba where "green medicine" is now widely practiced as a result of U.S. embargo restrictions on that country.

Vivien Steiner, an elementary teacher for over twenty years, is interested in all cultures and has traveled over much of the world, including China. She wants to meet others like herself who want to travel and never stop learning.

Lilian Jasko is well known to PPSEAWA and is now a member of the New Jersey chapter. Lilian's participation has been invaluable in nurturing the chapter through its infancy.

Marcia Mazer is an attorney in Cherry Hill, long interested in travel and Asian art and culture.

Connie Fellner and her husband own a travel agency and are currently guiding a group through Southeast Asia. Connie is Asian and for many years owned and operated an Asian food store in Cherry Hill, NJ.

On September 27, many of our members attended the Tri-state Chinese Cultural Night in Pennsauken, NJ. The performers were the Qi Shu Fang Peking Opera Company, Chinese zither, fiddle and lute musicians, and folk dancing. Those attending met earlier at the Taiwan Lotus restaurant for a special dinner.

The first "small evening" of the NJ PPSEAWA chapter was held on November 8, at the home of Libby Zinman-Schwartz. Members prepared the food which consisted of delicacies of Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean and Laotian cuisines. Following dinner, one of our members, Shen-ru Zhao, a medical doctor recently here from Beijing, led an informal class in the Chinese language and calligraphy. On November 24, members met at the Lotus Inn to discuss a number of projects the chapter is considering and decided on one which will guide our effort through this first year.

On November 9, the New Jersey chapter had its first multicultural "small dinner" at a private home, followed by a demonstration of calligraphy and language instruction in Chinese, offered by Shenru Zhao. Members provided their favorite dishes and each brought one guest to the dinner.

The New Jersey chapter is project-oriented. The need to explore and develop extended family structures in the U.S. and to reduce conflict between and among immigrant groups in America are two themes currently under consideration for action by the group. Chapter project coordinators are Marlene Colback and Lilian Jasko.

The New Jersey chapter welcomes all PPSEAWA members and guests to any and all meetings, especially to the "small dinners," at which serious discussion and educational entertainment combine in an international salon of mutual interests.

Officers PPSEAWA New Jersey 1997-98