Greenville Magazine - June 2008 - (Page 32)

The area is rich in international clubs and organizations. There’s the Greenville Chinese Cultural Association, the Hispanic American Women’s Association, the India Association of Greater Greenville, the ItalianAmerican Club of Greater Greenville, the South Carolina Association of Colombian Professionals and the Japan America Association, to name only a few. To ensure that international students receive an education in line with what they would have received in their home countries and can return home with equal standing, there’s the Michelin French School and the Japanese and German Saturday schools. Are we doing enough to ensure that all residents feel welcome? Patricia Harrison, executive director of the International Center of the Upstate, thinks we could probably do more. “I don’t think that Greenville makes enough of it,” she says. “I don’t think that people here realize what a tremendous asset an international community is. For one thing, it goes a far way to belying the reputation of the Old South as a backward, nonforward thinking area of the country when you look at the international presence here and the connections to global business.” Harrison says there are often two ways of thinking about the population changes in our area: that it’s only Michelin and BMW employees coming to the area from other countries or that our new residents are mainly illegal immigrants from Mexico. Neither is true, she says. In fact, a large part of the change comes from people who are choosing to live here without ties to specific companies. To illustrate the point, Harrison recounts the story of a friend who recently attended a swearing-in ceremony for new citizens. These new citizens came from 45 different countries. Along with new ideas, new perspectives and new customs, Greenville’s changing population is changing the area’s restaurant scene. Many longtime residents remember the days when eating something wildly exotic meant visiting the lone Chinese restaurant on Wade Hampton Boulevard. Today, there may not be an Indian restaurant on every corner, but they can be found on lots of corners, and nearby, you’ll find plenty of Thai, Japanese and Vietnamese choices as well. “It’s certainly had a huge impact on the food that we eat,” Harrison says. “If you look at the proliferation of a wide variety of restaurants that are here, it’s not just meat and three anymore.” Harrison points out that international growth, while positive, comes with some issues attached. “I do feel our community needs to be much more proactive about addressing issues of having people from other cultures here,” she says. “In general, the approach has been to put our heads in the sand and not deal with the realities of an increasingly diverse population. I think the feeling is there are a lot of people who don’t really want to encourage increased diversity, and if they ignore it, maybe it’ll go away, but that is not going to help us in the future.” GM Hearing is Believing “Being listened to and heard is one of the greatest desires of the human heart.” - Richard Carlson Dial-a-Hearing Screening at 288-8191. Entrust your hearing care to Listening is the greatest gift you have to offer to your business associates, your clients, and especially to your family and friends. Hearing loss can make it virtually impossible to communicate effectively in today’s fast paced world. We can help. St. Francis Women’s Hospital - Eastside 131 Commonwealth Dr. 864-281-9994 Marcy W. Stowell M.A., F.A.A.A. Alisa S. McMahon M.S., F.A.A.A. Carolina ENT, PA - Simpsonville 879 N.E. Main St. 864-228-6142 32 Greenville maGazine | may/june 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Greenville Magazine - June 2008

Greenville Magazine - June 2008 Contents From the Publisher My Greenville Everyday Heroes Tackling Diversity Greenville’s Gone Global In The Lead From the Pros Anderson Suburban Sprawl Wellness The REAL State of Real Estate Something to Bark About Minority-owned Business A Look Back 1-Tank Trips Private School Resource Guide After Hours The Bulletin Around Town Viewpoints

Greenville Magazine - June 2008

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