As our departure date looms closer on the calendar, our trip seems more real every day. I gave this progress report to my Blacksburg Rotary Club week before last.
I thought I’d take just a moment to tell you about my GSE experience thus far. For those of you who are unfamiliar with GSE, it stands for Group Study Exchange. It is an international program of vocational understanding and goodwill where Rotary districts trade teams of four non-Rotarians and a Rotarian leader with districts around the world.
Our district has two incoming teams this year from Tasmania and Bolivia, and two outbound teams to the same places.
Back in September, I competed with 9 Rotarians for two team leadership positions in an extensive interview process in Roanoke. After what was surely a serious paperwork error, I was chosen to lead the Bolivian trip. Bill Ricks, a retired pilot from Lexington was chosen for the Tasmania trip. A month later, we met again in Roanoke to select teams. Karen Drake from here in Blacksburg was selected on Bill’s team. My team was comprised of two women and two men. They are from Lexington, Elkton, and Front Royal. Coincidentally, all my team members are schoolteachers.
Three weeks ago, outbound teams from several Rotary districts met in High Point, North Carolina for a Regional Outbound Ambassadorial Scholar and GSE Team Orientation. This was an excellent session and it really helped open lots of eyes to the good things Rotary does around the world. When I joined Rotary a few years ago, what attracted me most was its international focus. Programs like GSE help us all understand that we are not just citizens of the United States but citizens of the world. I am deeply honored and flattered to have been selected; it was one of the proudest moments in my life.
Bolivia is in central South America and is sometimes called the Tibet of the Americas for its high altitude. Its administrative capitol, La Paz, sits at almost 12,000 feet elevation. We will visit the five major cities of the country, Santa Cruz, Sucre, Potosi, Cochabamba, Oruro and lastly La Paz.
We depart at the end of March and will be gone for 5 weeks. Meanwhile, we are busily preparing our presentation, receiving our inoculations, purchasing gifts and learning Spanish. Your financial help is a vital part of our trip. On behalf of my team, I thank you. I will do a full presentation when I return.
