VOICE ONE:
This is Shirley Griffith.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English program,EXPLORATIONS. Today we tell about the Meridian International Centerin Washington, D.C. It is an organization that works to increaseunderstanding among people from different cultures.
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VOICE ONE:
Imagine what you would do if you traveled to the United States,but immediately became lost after arriving. Instead of flying toWashington State on the west coast, you accidentally arrived inWashington, D.C. on the east coast. This recently happened to aGreek woman and her two children. However, the MeridianInternational Center was able to help.
Meridian runs an information center at Dulles InternationalAirport near Washington, D.C. The family arrived there andrecognized the mistake. A Meridian worker came to the rescue.
He called another Meridian employee, Hassan Rateb, who spokeGreek. Mister Rateb was able to reach members of the family livingin Washington State. He then made plans for the visitors to flythere the next day.
The Meridian Center also helped the family find a room at a localhotel. The center even sent a representative to help the family geton the correct plane the following day. This kind of work is justone example of what Meridian International Center does forforeigners in the United States.
VOICE TWO:
Meridian International Center was established in Nineteen-Sixty.Since that time, it has become a leading organization in the area ofcultural understanding. Its purpose is to increase internationalunderstanding through the exchange of people, ideas and the arts.Meridian Center serves as a door to the United States for visitorsfrom other countries. Its programs and special training servicesprovide foreigners with knowledge about life in this country. Inaddition, the Meridian Center supports educational programs forAmericans who are interested in world issues.
One of the more popular programs operated by Meridian is anexchange between professional workers. This program brings peopletogether from all over the world. International visitors working ingovernment, business or education can meet Americans who do similarwork to exchange ideas and information. These meetings helpprofessionals expand their knowledge and develop lastingrelationships. Each year, more than two-thousand internationalprofessionals take part in the exchange program of MeridianInternational Center.
VOICE ONE:
The center also offers cultural training for Americans preparingto work in another country. It teaches them the customs andtraditions of the country. Foreigners coming to the United States towork or study can receive help in understanding American culture.
Meridian also runs an educational program designed to improvecultural understanding in Washington-area schools. This program iscalled “International Classroom.” Representatives from foreigncountries discuss information about their native lands withstudents. Often, the representatives bring things from their homecountry to the schools to show the children. They usually weartraditional clothes.
Earlier this year, Germany’s B-M-W Group honored Meridian’sInternational Classroom program with an award. The German car-makeralso gave Meridian a financial gift to be used for more teachingabout foreign cultures in schools.
VOICE TWO:
Meridian International Center also supports art programs andinternational art shows. The center works with museums and culturalorganizations around the world to present foreign art in America.Many of the shows travel to museums around the United States afteropening in Washington. The program helps build understanding andsupport for international art in the United States. The MeridianCenter also sends American art to foreign countries for people toenjoy. Music, dance, literature readings, and other cultural eventsare also supported by the center.
Karen Jacob is the Communications Director for Meridian. She saysthe cultural programs run by the center are very popular. Thepublic, she says, can learn a lot about a foreign culture throughart.
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VOICE ONE:
Earlier this year, the wives of South Korean President KimDae-jung and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak spoke at the MeridianCenter. They were in the United States for official visits withtheir husbands.
Missus Lee Hee’ho of South Korea discussed her family’s effortsto support democracy in Korea. Missus Suzanne Mubarak discussed theposition of women in Egypt. Both women spoke as part of Meridian’sProfessional Women’s Series.
The center also recently supported an international committeethat was investigating violence between Israelis and Palestinians.Former Senator George Mitchell led the committee. The internationalcommittee proposed measures to reach peace in the Middle East.Meridian Center worked with the committee in Washington, New Yorkand Jerusalem.
VOICE TWO:
The center also recently organized a series of training programsto improve humanitarian aid to Iraqi refugees. Exiled people fromnorthern and southern Iraq took part in the training. Theyrepresented non-governmental organizations working to help therefugees.
In April, Meridian opened an important show of Iranian art. Theshow includes eighty-eight modern paintings by fifty-four Iranianartists. It was organized with the help of the Tehran Museum ofContemporary Art. The show is the first major cultural exchange ofits kind in many years.
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VOICE ONE:
Meridian International Center uses two interesting houses as itsheadquarters in Washington … Meridian House and the White-MeyerHouse. John Russell Pope designed both buildings. Mister Pope was afamous American architect. In addition to Meridian House, hedesigned the Jefferson Memorial, the National Gallery, and theNational Archives in Washington, D.C.
Meridian House and the White-Meyer House are on a national listof historical places. An iron fence, trees and beautiful plantssurround the center for privacy.
VOICE TWO:
Ambassador Irwin Boyle Laughlin had Meridian House built in theearly Twentieth Century. He purchased the land in Nineteen-Twelve,but delayed building the house until his retirement inNineteen-Twenty. The building is filled with art collected byAmbassador Laughlin during his service as an American diplomat.
The ninety-year-old house still has the electric lift system, orelevator, put in when the building was first built. People who workat the center say the Laughlins had to run a wire from the city’sstreet car system to power the elevator.
VOICE ONE:
The Laughlins’ daughter, Gertrude, lived at the Meridian Housewhile growing up. The house became hers when they died. InNineteen-Sixty, she sold the house to a private group that worked toimprove international understanding. The group later became MeridianInternational Center. Today, financial support for the center comesfrom public groups, businesses and gifts from individuals.
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The White-Meyer house is just next to the Meridian building.American diplomat Henry White had the house built inNineteen-Twelve. Mister White was a good friend of Mister Laughlin.The two diplomats had planned to buy property next to each other.
When Henry White died in Nineteen-Twenty-Seven, the house becamehis son’s. Several years later, the owner of the Washington PostNewspaper, Eugene Meyer, purchased the home. The White-Meyer homebecame part of Meridian International Center inNineteen-Eighty-Seven.
VOICE ONE:
A garden with trees and flowers surrounds both homes. There isalso an area filled with water and rocks behind the buildings. Therock garden has become a popular meeting place for young and oldvisitors from many countries. They have gathered there because theyhave found the Meridian International Center opens the door tounderstanding world cultures.
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VOICE TWO:
This Special English program was written by Jill Moss andproduced by Keith Holems. This is Steve Ember.
VOICE ONE:
And this is Shirley Griffith. Listen again next week for anotherEXPLORATIONS program on the Voice of America.
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