Tulancingo Sister City Delegation Arrives on September 24

By Hacienda Network Staff Writer

Marking the 25th anniversary of the sister city alliance, this year's delegation from Tulancingo, Mexico, will be almost twice as large as normal when it makes its first "official" appearance on U.S. soil, at lunch at the Pleasanton Hotel, on Wednesday, September 24.

Among the honored guests will be Ricardo Bravo Delgadillo, Presidente Municipal de Tulancingo, and his wife Olivia, reciprocating the visit that Mayor Jennifer Hosterman and her husband made as part of the Pleasanton delegation this past April. Testifying to the enduring ties fostered by the alliance, Paulina Gancedo and Isaac Diaz, two members of the very first Mexican group to come here back in 1983, will be making a return trip. And despite a doubling in capacity this year to 40, the waiting list held approximately 20 names, says Jorge Victoria, president, Pleasanton-Tulancingo Sister City Association.

Victoria himself has also had a long-term relationship with Tulancingo, one that started in the early 1990s when his daughter took part in the student exchange program, also going strong after 23 years. The summer student programs typically run from mid-June to mid-July northbound and from mid-July to mid-August southbound.

It would be hard to count how many lives have been enriched by the quarter-century affiliation. "A few Tulancingo students have come back here as adults , and one of them immigrated to the U.S. and has become a career military officer," Victoria relates. There have also been some marriages, as well as life-long friendships and god-parenting relationships. "My daughter and her 'sister' in Tulancingo both attended each others' weddings," he continues, noting that the cross-visits are also about making new acquaintances and discoveries in both places.

While here, the Tulancingo delegation has a full schedule that includes a combination of private and community events. The public is invited to make reservations for the welcome dinner at Pleasanton Marriott, Wednesday, September 24; join the tour and lunch at the USS Hornet in Alameda on Friday, September 26; attend the family day picnic at the Fairgrounds, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, September 27, or the Gala Black and White Dinner Dance at the Pleasanton Senior Center that evening. The Hawaiian-themed farewell dinner at the Marriott on Sunday, September 28, is also open to the community.

Privately, the delegation will attend Rotary and Lions club breakfasts; visit Mayor Hosterman at city hall; tour Camp Arroyo, in Livermore; and dine and play bocce at Garre Winery.

For information on participating in any of the community activities to welcome this year's delegation, contact Victoria by email at jvictoria45@comcast.net or by phone at (925) 462-6723. The organization's web site is www.pleasantontulancingo.org.

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