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Worth A Thousand Words

By Dan Hannaway

Every two years the Friendship Force clubs of the Mountain States region (Cheyenne, Greater Denver, Northern Colorado, Pikes Peak Region, Rocky Mountains, Utah and Western Colorado) hold a region-wide photo contest. Clubs are asked to submit three photos from recent outbound and/or inbound exchanges that exemplify the mission of Friendship Force and the theme from our conference, “A World of Difference.” FFI President George Brown and a professional photographer agreed to judge. The winning photo came from the Pikes Peak club, with second place going to Utah and third place to Cheyenne.

	FIRST PLACE: Mana, the young daughter of one of the members of the Yamagata Friendship Force host club, gives the common gesture one encounters from children throughout Japan. Normally, the gesture is made with two fingers – the peace sign. Mana is still learning! The photo was taken on the banks of the Mamigasaki River in Yamagata during a traditional autumn “imoni” picnic. Our hosts cooked pots of imoni (a stew consisting of taro potatoes, thinly sliced meat, and vegetables to which sake and soy sauce are added). After eating we sat around singing and drinking. What a memorable time!
	SECOND PLACE: The second place photo, from the Utah club, had the caption, “While in Lamphun, Thailand we discovered that our host Virojana Boonmaphi greatly enjoys watching American cowboy shows on the television. We knew his greatest desire was to be a Cowboy. When the Lamphun club had an exchange with the Utah club we picked them up from the airport and took them to meet a friend that is a competitive team roper. After we outfitted ‘Cowboy Virojana’ with his cowboy hat, shirt and belt buckle, he rode Steve’s $20,000 horse, and they have become lifelong friends.”
	THIRD PLACE: “Breaking Down Barriers” is the name given to the third place photo submitted by the Cheyenne club. Rod Larson gives Russian Special Education teachers a hug during a visit to Estes Park while the while the other teachers, including Olga Yakovleva from Novodvinsk near Archangel (wheelchair), pose for the photo taken during their visit in October 2005.