For Memorial Day, the Cross Cultural Internship Program's (www.theccip.com), an EVP J-1 intern program sponsored by FUSIA, exchange visitors attended in the 90th Annual Little Neck-Douglaston Memorial Day Parade. The largest of its kind in the nation, the parade that takes place in Queens, New York, recognizes veterans and those who have fallen in combat. The festivities included a closing ceremony to celebrate special honorees and a performance by The Blue Aces, a cover band made up of active US Air Force members.

This outing was led by two student leaders who helped plan the departure time and the pre-parade lunch. CCIP's student leaders oversee group activities and administrative duties.

The exchange visitors gathered before the parade, which started at 2 pm, and traveled to the location by pus. At the parade, the exchange visitors enjoyed meeting locals and learning more about America's history.

People travel from all over the region to come to the parade, so there was an assortment of attendees through which the exchange visitors could appreciate America's diversity.

"People always say America is a melting pot," one of the students remarked, "and being at this parade, I can see what they mean."

As this was also only the first or second weekend in the program for all of the exchange visitors, the parade was an ideal outing for the students from a variety of schools across Asia to get to know each other better.

"To see everyone gathered together for Memorial Day was really nice," another student commented. "It felt like a really important thing to experience while I'm here."