Blog

Indiana’s Relationship with India They say you can’t spell Indiana without “India.” Indiana has developed and maintained a strong relationship with India through various cultural and economic ties. In fact, in 2010, the City of Indianapolis established a sister-city relationship with Hyderabad, Telegana, India. Building on the connections between Indiana and India, Governor Holcomb established a sister-state relationship with Karnataka, India in 2017. Bridging diplomacy and economic development, this agreement was linked to the local foreign direct investment by Indian tech giant, Infosys. India ranks third among countries of origin for foreign-born residents in Indiana, with more than 30,000
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Every January, I assign a theme to the new year. I dubbed 2017 “The Year of Self Care”. It included a regular exercise regimen, eliminating (most) junk food, and face masks. Lots and lots of face masks. While I plan to carry this new lifestyle over into the new year, I knew I needed a new mantra. After much soul searching, I finally christened 2018 as “The Year of Just Do It”. No, I didn’t intentionally rip-off the famous Nike slogan (or the wonderfully strange Shia LaBeouf rant, if you’re an Internet meme fiend like me). “Just Do It”
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First things first: tell us a little about your background. I moved to Indiana in the summer of 2016 from the UK with my husband and our elderly cat, Kitty (yes, that is her name).  I grew up in Liverpool, where The Beatles are from, and went to the same high school as the lead singer of one of the biggest boy bands in the UK, Gary Barlow of Take That. What drew you to your role at The International Center? With my experience moving internationally, I realized how complex the little things can be and how challenging relocating
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So many of The International Center’s programs would not be possible without the support of volunteers. Firefighters, police officers, bankers, and educators give their time to our Community Orientation Program for Expatriates, providing helpful insights as families adjust to life in Indiana. Busy professionals also take time out of their work day to share experiences with our clients in the Orientation Program for International Employees over lunch. A team of engaged community leaders serve on our Festival Fund committee that supports international and ethnic groups hosting events in Central Indiana. Volunteers help welcome guests to The Center’s biggest annual
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Growing up in rural Southern Indiana, there were few forms of entertainment. My grandmother was a high school English teacher who adored books; my mother was also an avid reader. Books have always been an important part of my life—I am very grateful that I am a “reader.” I don’t typically hang on to a book once I’ve read it. However, there are a few staples I like to reread because of the moral. “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein is a classic and has long been one of my daughter’s favorite books. Like many other classic literary works,
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First things first: Tell us a little about your background. I am from a small town in Southern Indiana, but I moved to Indianapolis a few years ago to attend IUPUI. I started out as a nursing major but, somehow along the line, I landed in event management. During my senior year, I interned here at The Center as the International Citizen of the Year Award intern. That position turned into a part-time temporary role, which then turned into the executive assistant/board liaison position. I just couldn’t leave; I loved it here so much! What drew you to your
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At any given time, up to six astronauts are flying 248 miles above Earth’s surface at over 17,000 miles per hour. Astronauts chosen to go to the International Space Station hail from nations across the world: the U.S., Russia, Japan, England and Italy, to name a few. Despite missions that average 6 months and the many risks of space travel (including but not limited to: fire, heights, small spaces, microscopic satellite debris that can tear the ISS apart), governments around the world continue to send their brightest minds into Low Earth Orbit to advance our knowledge back on Earth.
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If you’re anything like me, when you hear the world “polo,” you think of one of two things: Ralph Lauren or the film Pretty Woman. However, the high-stakes, high-speed sport has a rich identity outside of the collared shirts with which it’s often associated. Much like football (or soccer, here in the United States), polo is an international sensation, with more than 30 countries—including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Egypt, Scotland and Thailand—sending ambassadors to the governing body’s Beverly Hills-based headquarters each year. In fact, Sir Winston Churchill, the storied prime minister of the United Kingdom, once famously declared, “polo is
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In the fall of 2016, I had the amazing opportunity to participate in a study abroad in Ecuador while I was a sophomore in undergrad. This opportunity presented itself right as I felt my knowledge of the Spanish language had reached the level where immersion was necessary see any additional improvement. It is one thing to learn a language, but it is something completely different to live it: to constantly read, speak, and think in it. During my residency in Ecuador, I had the opportunity to visit the Amazon Rainforest (yes, the one with the anacondas!). As someone who is
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To read the part one of The Mandela Effect, click here. Meeting Mandela I met Nelson Mandela before he became president of South Africa. He had just been released from prison after serving a 27 year fighting for human rights and racial equality. He was visiting Durban, the city I grew up in, for a rally. I lived about 15-minutes from the ocean where there’s a beautiful boardwalk where you can cycle or jog. This one Sunday morning, I was running with a friend and at some point, I went ahead. As I was running on the sidewalk, there
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