The last week before our departure simply flew by and suddenly we found ourselves on the plane to South America. Our family, friends, and Rotarians joined with us to mark the end of our long year of preparation to represent District 5050 to the Rotary Clubs in Ecuador.
Participating in Group Study Exchange requires a great deal of time. We had seven team meetings and a weekend retreat, a total of almost 90 hours together. At these meetings we got to know each other, learned about Rotary and Ecuador, prepared biographical information for our hosts, applied for passports, obtained insurance, created our uniforms, purchased gifts for our host families, and developed a brochure and a blog. And we gathered pictures and wrote a script for a power point presentation for the Rotary Clubs in Ecuador…in Spanish!
We delivered our presentation to all present—in Spanish with an English interpretation—and then received two very special lapel pins: GSE Chair Bert van Dalfsen gave us The Rotary Foundation pin and District Governor Larry Stinson presented us with a pin of a lion holding the Rotary wheel which was created by his class of District Governors.
We are on our way and truly want to thank everyone for such a warm send off. Our trip ends on May 25th and we are sure to have lots to share with each of you along the way and when we return.
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