Bloomington Worldwide Friendship

1st Lunch with my American "host family"

There's an organization in Bloomington called Bloomington Worldwide friendship" that offers to find families in Bloomington who "take care" of 1 oder more international students and who invite them to their place some times. They try to match the students and families because of their interests.
I was contacted by an retired Opera singer and voice teacher, Mrs. Marian Krajewska Bates. (she has Polish parents) and today she and her friends invited me for lunch. Here they are, enjoying the meal:

She is the one on the left, and the other ladies are her friends and "almost family".... very funny... the house was very large, full of precious and antique looking furniture and surrounded by a nice garden.
The food was really delicious: Her famous "Pinapple cheese casserole" (what looks like a cake on tha left - it is made of cheese crackers roasted in butter, pinapples and shredded cheddar cheese...quite not to recommend for a diet I suppose), behind that there are sweet pickles and olives and mashed potatoes. (and salad with apples and avocados)

The other 4 students who were there today come from Uganda, Colombia and a pianist from Korea. This girl was very much like the stereotype - always smiling, but she didn't understand much, und when there was one of the few words, she understood, like "Kroger", the name of a crocery store, she almust burst out in delight, joyfully shouting "Ohh..ohhh....Kroger....Kroger! Ah.... I know...! hahaha!"


There were also 2 more guests who were the only ones still hungry in the end I suppose:


And that's the diva, Mrs. Bates herself, eating the dessert, an American cheese cake; she has lived and taught in Vienna for many years and later she was at in the voice faculty of IU.