Cultural diplomacy--Kentucky--Louisville

Sean and Ashley Deskins discuss their education, Kentucky life, and regional stereotypes. They talk about why they decided to host visitors for the World Affairs Council and what it is like accepting strangers into their home. Difficulties in language barrier, dietary concerns, and cultural differences are all topics of conversation. Sean and Ashley Deskins live in Louisville, Kentucky. Sean is an attorney, and Ashley is a real estate agent. Sean and Ashley began hosting for the WAC when Sean received an award for his services by the Council. Sean graduated from the University of Louisville while Ashley graduated form Eastern Kentucky University. They decided to host for the World Affairs Council after Sean received an award for his service to the community by the Council.

Linda Freeman is a retired registered nurse and Professor Emerita from the University of Louisville. While there, she developed the study abroad program for nursing students and traveled with students to England, Germany, France, and Russia. She was hired for a few months in 1975 to help open the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Riyadh. Harold Freeman is a retired newspaper editor from the Courier-Journal, where he covered global issues and politics. Harold also served in the Peace Corps in Eritrea and last year, traveled to Ethiopia to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the Peace Corps. The Freeman's have had considerable international experience which sparked their interest in hosting for the World Affairs Council. Both have been influential in Louisville and have become reliable World Affairs Council hosts. This interview contains a brief history of their experiences hosting international professionals and shows how the digital age and the fall of the Soviet Union affected their experiences as hosts.

Lara and Jim Zuber met during in Louisville during their undergraduate studies. They soon married and moved to Louisville. Lara works as a computer programmer at UPS. Jim is the senior design engineer at Challenger Lifts. They have one daughter Elena who is 18 years old and is a Freshman in university. They decided to become hosts for the Worlds Affairs Council to provide their daughter with international experiences. They have hosted several students over the past couple years.The bulk of the interview drew from their experiences with a visitor the same age as their daughter Elena. This individual stayed with them an entire year and they grew very close. Social interactions between cultures, foreigners in American high schools, and why people become interested in hosting international visitors are all covered within the interview.