Thursday, June 29, 2000

Aransas County 4-H club hosts Maryland members during week-long visit

Elizabeth Zeron had heard about South Texas' brutal summers, so she knew what kind of heat index to expect when she arrived in the Coastal Bend last week.
   But it was Southern warmth of a completely different category that blindsided the 16-year-old tourist from Maryland.
   "People around here pull over the side of the road to let you pass," Elizabeth marveled. "Drivers in Maryland don't do that."
   For Elizabeth and seven fellow members of Maryland's Cecil County 4-H Club, this week in South Texas has been as much about dispelling misconceptions as it has been about building new friendships, seeing new sights and sharing club project ideas. The members are here as guests of the Aransas County 4-H Club, as part of a cultural exchange partnership that began last year as a way to broaden youths' perspectives on regional agriculture.
   Last year, eight Aransas County 4-H Club members worked two to three months to raise about $3,000 to cover airfare to Maryland. There, they got a firsthand look at dairy farms and sampled the difference between fresh and homogenized milk. Their weeklong summer visit also included historic and educational sites in five neighboring states.
   This summer's itinerary for the Maryland guests included a visit to the Lexington Museum on the Bay, a tour of a redfish hatchery in Flour Bluff, a hayride and weenie roast on Mustang Island, a visit to San Antonio's Alamo and Riverwalk, and a day-long excursion to Nuevo Progreso, Mexico. Maryland 4-H members leave Texas on Friday.
   "There were huge misconceptions we had to get past first," said Erika Ruvalcaba, an Aransas County 4-H Club member. "Some of the Maryland kids thought everybody in Texas were basically cowboys. It was a huge eye-opener for them to see how most Texans really live."
   Elizabeth found the cultural exchange program highlighted the two states' management approaches to 4-H, which in turn led her to do some brainstorming of her own.
   "Texas 4-H club people work together a lot more on larger activities," Elizabeth noted. "That's something I look forward to sharing with club leaders when I get back home, this idea of a closer organization.
   "This trip here has been a great experience for everyone involved, and I think both groups have gotten good ideas from each other."
  
 

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