Events 2018-2019

The weather cooperated for our walk through the rapidly changing neighborhood of the very northeast corner of Cambridge.  We compared historic photos with the recent and ongoing development of this historic district of former factories, wharves and railroad yards into a revived thriving business, retail and residential area.

Our IWCB group enjoyed watching over 200 dancers ranging in age from three years to senior citizens. Many dancers came from the Boston area but some came from as far away as Brazil and Toronto. Twenty plus different groups performed dances drawing on traditional Israeli themes and steps danced to both traditional and contemporary music.  The dances were well choreographed and the dancers wore beautiful costumes.  There were many family members and friends in the audience who gave rousing support to the dancers.

Thank you, Elsa, for hosting the gathering for International Women's Day 2019 and to everyone who came and shared their stories of the strong women of courage and conviction who inspired them.

We shared not only some amazing stories of strong women like Julia Morgan, the 19th century pioneering female architect and Czechoslovak born tennis professional Martina Navratilova but we learned about the strong mothers of some of our members and their amazing stories of courage and resilience.

We all agreed that the deep conversations we had in this intimate gathering was worth repeating. A new group is being formed so that Members can gather and share stories of their childhood, cultural roots, life experiences and more.

Our docent did a fabulous job, sharing her knowledge about the show. Thank you!

The much anticipated annual IWCB Holiday Party was once again hosted at Brigitte and Terje’s beautiful home. As usual, everyone brought a sweet or savory dish to share. It was a very festive event. Including the spouses, about 40 people attended. A good time was had by all!

Lalitha

Thank you Rux for hosting this IWCB event !

Also a big hand to all cooks, it was a wonderful collection of food from all over the world!

Norwegian Soup	Iko's Pumpkin Recipe by Joann
Indian dishes:
French Dishes!
Lively conversations	Happy Host and Organizer!

Thank you to member Debra, we had a wonderful explanation of all things Japanese food and kitchen. Lunch afterwards catered at the museum.

Food and utensils.
The fake food may be used in front of restaurants in Japan, but are also collector's items. They are often made from wax and gelatin and painted. 

Bento Boxes, used to carry food to school, work, etc.

The Cultural Exchange's first event of the year was a fun Japanese chopstick-making workshop facilitated by Debra S and led by a skilled chopstick craftperson from Niigata, Japan, Mrs. Kayoko Takashima, and Mr. Mamoru Kaihou of Hashitou, Honten, a well known chopstick shop in Tokyo.

It was held at Itedaki Gastropub restaurant in Boston.  The members enjoyed a delightful bento box lunch while learning about the history, importance and etiquette of using chopsticks.  After lunch, everyone had a hands-on experience making their own personal set of chopsticks using all natural materials--aromatic cedar wood, oak leaves and walnut oil.

We were encouraged to select the two pieces of cedar wood that "called" to us, to "feel" the process and work slowly as we shaved the wood down into the right shape and then sanded and polished them into finished chopsticks.  It was a very Zen experience.

We had a perfect day to sit in the beautiful fountained courtyard of the Boston Public Library and have a lively and animated discussion of Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal.  Please join us for our next book club meeting at the BPL on October 15 to discuss Educated by Tara Westwood.  In nice weather look for us in the courtyard, otherwise we meet in the Map Room Cafe at 10:30 am.

A group of members met for a tour of the Paul Revere House. Well informed guides separated historic fact from poetic fiction: Paul Revere's midnight ride to Lexington and poet Longfellow's version written many years later.

The house is a good example of Colonial homes: a heavy timber frame build in 1680, definitely build to last. Ninety percent of the structure is original.

Lunch afterwards at the North End was the perfect ending for an interesting day. Thank you Matsuko for organizing this visit.