GSE Caribbean 2009

2009-05-16T16:32:00.007-04:00

It's truely hard to believe that GSE Caribbean 2009 has come to an end. That's the trip but not the friends we have made, the memories we will have from the adventure, and the life changing experiences we have had. Everyone from the team is safe at home and trying to get through the adjustments of returning to reality.

We ended our experience with a great time at the District 7020 Conference in St Croix where we had an opportunity to visit once more with the many new friends we made in the previous four weeks. DG Ruppert put on quite an affair. It had the flavor of an International Convention rather than just a District Conference. DG Bill joined us at the conference and called it the best ever that he had attended and that was saying a lot following our own Conference in Portsmouth. .

DG Bill spent some time with the team and experienced Rotary at work in the Caribbean

DG Bill with Australian Team Leader

Jennifer left us early to walk with her class at the University of Richmond. She really had a hard time getting on the plane to leave. We also had that same feeling just a few days later.

We want to says our thanks for all who made this such a memorable trip. DG Bill, PDG Bob Preston, PDG Bob Stallworth and others from D-7600 started us down the path and made many things possible. Our Alternate Team Leader Warren Rice was very helpful in our preparations and provided the team a projector that saved the day more than once in our presentations. There were so many folks in D-7020 that I don't have the memory capacity to remember but DG Ruppert, GSE Chair James Sealy, and DAG's Vance, Don, and Louie plus PP Yvonne, the Inbound Team Leader from the BVI were right up front. Our host families were the greatest.

I guess you could say that it's good to be home but we're ready to go again......

Homebound

2009-05-15T22:20:00.004-04:00

What a long day of traveling. It's St. Croix to St. Thomas-no more than 30 min flight but in a 8-seater plane! I got to ride co-pilot!!! in fact that is one of the available seats on the plane...Jenny also got to do that when she headed home. Layover in St. Thomas for about 4 hours before heading to Miami (3 hour flight in a BIG plane) for another layover of 3 hours then to Richmond (close to 3 hour flight in a medium plane). Whew! We're gonna need a vacation after all this plane hopping!

-Sarah

St. Croix: Sunset Sail

2009-05-15T22:08:00.002-04:00

To conclude our journey Shelli, Scott & myself went on a sunset sail aboard a schooner that is a non-profit educational sailboat that splits its time between Massachuttes &

St. Croix and is geared toward 7th and 8th graders. Evenings & weekends they provide sails to the public in an effort to raise more money for the program. The sunset sail was most fitting as it marked our last night in the Islands...before heading out on a LONG day of traveling back to Richmond. After the sail we met up with Jerry and the Austrailian team for dinner. They have even more traveling to do-it will take them almost 2 days to return home!

-Sarah

St. Croix: DG Banquet

2009-05-12T18:47:00.002-04:00

The DG Banquet was a great time to have a nice dinner, speeches by District 7020 DG Rupert Ross, awards & recognition and socializing. We were able to meet many people that we had not had the chance to over the past few weeks and from islands in the district that we did not visit including Jamaica, Bahamas, D.R. & Haiti. It was so wonderful to meet everyone at the conference and to once again see our new friends from Tortola, St. Thomas, St. John, St. Maarten, St. Martin, Anguilla that we have met along the way and we were able to share our experiences since we saw them last. It was also time to say goodbye to those who were finished with the conference training and heading back to their islands.
-Sarah

St. Croix: Home Hospitality Night & Caribbean Cultural Extravaganza

2009-05-12T17:48:00.004-04:00

St. Croix entertained us with Home Hospitality Night & Caribbean Crucian Cultural Extravaganza. Both evenings gave us a chance to mingle with everyone and experience the Caribbean culture, music, dance and food. Cultural night featured a steel drum band of young high school students, dancers, jumbies-stilt dancers, fire eater & limbo dancing.

-Sarah

2009-05-10T10:05:00.002-04:00

DG Bill Pollard joined us in St. Croix this week for the district conference. We have truly enjoyed having a fellow Virginian join us and experience the Caribbean and share in the festivities. We have also had a great time meeting the Australian team and sharing our experiences and stories. In between presentations, home hospitality night, cultural extravaganza night, DG Bangquet, we've gone on an island tour with our new Aussie friends, Cruzan Rum Distillery-see Scott trying to tap the rum barrels at the cruzan rum distillery! Bill got to feed the beer drinking pigs-non alcoholic of course but they really do crush the can, drink the beer and spit the can out. It truly is a small world-this week I met Chelsy, a GSE alumni and a VA native living in St. Croix...and when she was in VA she lived about 25 minutes from me! and...her mother works with a family member of mine so Chelsey had heard that I was headed her way! WOW-seriously a small small world.

We were saddened to see Jenny head home on Friday, a few days earlier than the rest of the team, but her college graduation ceremony was this weekend!!! Congrats Jenny! We really really miss you and we're taking pics for you to see!

Anguilla & St. Croix

2009-05-07T18:40:00.002-04:00

We spent the weekend in Anguilla resting before heading over to St. Croix for our final week and the District Conference!

-Sarah

Anguilla - This past weekend!

2009-05-06T15:35:00.006-04:00

Jennifer, Prison Guards and Sarah

This is where they store prisoners property...Onl one box was occupied out ouf 45 inmates which means they were wearing their personal items!

The Vision, Mission and Goals of the prison was displayed at the front entrance.

While at the jail a heard of wild goats greeted us!

After a long week, Sarah, Scott and I went out for beach music on the beach.

Anguilla was a different experience for me personally than all of the rest of the islands! It was definately a time for relaxation after we toured their jail and met with the police department and probation department.

Vocation Day May 6, 2009

2009-05-06T14:01:00.008-04:00

Kenneth Helmer - Virgin Islands Division of Personnel Human Resource Manager and I

Today I worked along side of Virgin Islands Department of Personnel in St. Croix. I met with Kenneth Helmer Director of Human Resource Management. He was so accommodating and informative. We exchanged ideas, procedural processes, advice, etc. What a wonderful place to work. One thing I found interesting about this department is that all employees wear uniforms-just like a private school. The moral in the department was invigorating. It made me look at the department and say to my self-what can I do to get our employees this happy!

Carnival Video

2009-05-03T22:48:00.002-04:00

video of Carnival on St. Maarten

-Sarah-

gendarmerie

2009-05-03T22:02:00.004-04:00

On Thursday and Friday we went to the St. Martin police and immigration departments. The Gendarmerie forensic position was almost identical to mine. Even with the French language barrier we were able to compare kits, equipment and vehicles. It was great of both police departments to allow us to tour their facilities and speak about our jobs. Shelli

2009-05-03T21:52:00.003-04:00

Victor Gibbes!!
sunset in st martin after victor gave us a boat ride to anguilla

Anguilla We have had such a great time in St. Martin with Victor Gibbes, Gilles, Rene, Claire and the rest of the Rotarians that we didn't want to leave! But....we arrived in Anguilla and were greeted by Ann, Seymour, Kitty, Ralph, Don & Calvert and we have been treated like royalty since! What fabulous beaches and food! So peaceful and quiet it has been a great relaxing weekend before we head to St. Croix for a busy week...the conference and our last week :(

-Sarah

Carnival video

2009-05-03T21:51:00.003-04:00

2009-05-03T21:45:00.002-04:00

Carnival -St. Maarten (videos!)

Sint Martin

2009-05-03T21:36:00.004-04:00

st martin immigration police dept

orient beach-st martin

fresh coconut from a wheelbarrow salesman, it was raw & not so tasty just yet

Sint Maarten/Martin: Carnival & Orient Beach

2009-05-02T18:09:00.002-04:00

sunset st. martin

orient beach-st martin

carnival-st maarten

carnival-st. maarten (AG Louis Wever on the left!)

2009-05-01T10:25:00.005-04:00

We continue our world wind visit to the Islands of District 7020. There aren't enough words to describe the beauty of these islands. Time is at a premium and hard to keep all the balls in the air. The mixture of vocation visits and cultural visits has been great. Here are some pictures to show what I mean.

Exchanging flags with the Saint Maarten Mid Isle Club

Captain Shelli leading our America's Cup Yacht Stars & Stripes

Leaving our Saint Maarten Host Families for the "French" side

2009-05-01T08:08:00.002-04:00

Sint Maarten (Netherland Antilles) on the Dutch side. We have had the opportunity to visit our occupations while staying in the Dutch side. We went to Belvedere Community Center which has an incredible program for the youth & after school programs that Scott was interested in and he has been able to visit more extensively. Shelli, Jenny & Sarah have been to the Police Department and the Prosecutor's office and even did a ride along! The photo of the "sunrise rotary club" bricks was a project done by Belvedere with the support of RC.\

-Sarah

~Hello Chesterfield~

2009-04-28T15:57:00.007-04:00

Fred (from Holland - our host), Jennifer and Scott

Sunset

Four wheelers as a way of transportation!

While walking through town, I saw the most banannas ever!

If your looking for a job, they are hiring.

While driving down the road, horses greeted us and actually stuck their head in my window.

Sunrise breakfast meeting was inside a plane

Last night we exchanged flags with one of the Rotary clubs at dinner.

This is the world famous 'Johnny Cake'. Similiar to a donut but not as sweet. Yummy!

I know it has been a while since I have posted but I have been extremlely busy! Although it looks like we are having fun, we are! But we are also on a very tight schedule with meetings, presentations, cultural visits, host visits, etc. We do get a couple hours here and there but we are working :)

This week we are in St. Maarten which is one half of the island and it is governed by Holland so they all speek Dutch. Yesterday, Sarah, Shelli and I went to Korps Politie Nederlandse Antillen and met with a detective and forensic specialist. We learned how their court process works, booking and intake and the dutch legal system. Can you beleive that most all police officers there speak 4 langauges? Wow! We also had the chance to take a tour and meet with the local community center. They had awesome programs for kids and the Rotary sponsors most of them. Their facility is amazing!

Today I went back to the police department and went on a ride along. I went on a cruise ship and overlooked an investigation. It was very interesting! I have been trying all sorts of different foods and drinks. Tomorrow we are going on a yacht and we will learn how to sail while at the same time race our yacht with another team. FUN!

St Thomas Eco-Tour

2009-04-27T23:29:00.004-04:00

In St. Thomas we had the opportunity for an Eco-Tour that involved kayaking through the mangroves to an eco-island sanctuary, hermit crab races & exploring the island then snorkeling and kayaking back. In total we kayaked over 2 miles!
-Sarah

St. Thomas Families

2009-04-25T23:37:00.004-04:00

Last night we had dinner at Don & Susan Chandler's home which they so graciously opened for the team and our host families-great dinner & socializing with new friends. We are all so blessed to have had such wonderful families to welcome us into their homes & lives and treasure the memories and friendships for years to come. Thanks to Don, Susan, Sharon, Greg & Carolyn & families for being so kind and helpful - we appreciate it more than you know!

-Sarah, Shelli, Jenny, Scott & Jerry

*photos courtesy of Don Chandler (he was taking the pics so he's not in any!)

all work no play?! no way!

2009-04-25T23:31:00.002-04:00

Thought we should post some pics to show the folks back home that we really are working...this is no vacation :) but it's working in paradise!!!

Photos courtesy of AG Don Chander, St. Thomas VI

St. John national park & wildlife

2009-04-24T17:12:00.004-04:00

iguana

century tree only blooms once every 100 years

(we working the photography vocation day-thanks for the pic Bob!)

St. John is 2/3 national park! what a lovely island, pristine beaches & wildlife!

-Sarah

Housing Development Visits

2009-04-22T08:59:00.003-04:00

It may be hard to imagine, but through my discussions yesterday with Jackie, Housing Development Director, and James, Law Enforcement Coordinator, I learned that here on St. Thomas gangs are rapidly growing. They are growing four times faster here than in the U.S. and elementary school students are now showing signs of gang related activity due to their older sibling's influence.

Although there are numerous challenges in preventing this kind of culture, there are fortunately programs that are working towards shaping and steering the youth into positive life long community members. It is through the hard work of Jackie, James, staff, and volunteers, including the Rotary Clubs on the island who donate time and resources to the sites, that their intervention and after school programs, two of the most successful programs, are likely saving the lives of approximately 100 children under the age of 15 and they are working diligently to get more involved.

In the above the pictures, the shoes hanging from the telephone line indicates the number of victims an individual has killed, a picture of Greg (the great host!), Jackie (Director), Scott, and Jackie (Staff), a picture of books and chairs donated by Rotary, and a fun picture with the children.

ST. Thomas Vocational Day

2009-04-20T22:59:00.005-04:00

The morning began with a walk with Rotarians Greg and George as we toured the area and I learned about the variety of fruits and trees indigenous to the area. Then off to meet with Donnalie, the President of the YWCA, in the morning and then Cherise, Executive Director, with United Way in the afternoon.

A common theme that is promenient within the islands is the need for more youth programs to help keep them engaged in making positive life decisions as well as living healthy lifestyles. The challenge is creating or finding locations to host such programs. Many of the youth living indigently are unable to get transportation to those centers that are thriving and providing wonderful services, while others are able to make it but are being turned away as a result of the capped enrollment numbers.

It was inspiring to speak with Donnalie an Cherise as they took their time to educate me on all the great events and successes they are having as well! I hopefully was able to provide similar insight into our challenges and successes in the States.

The island is most fortunate to have them in their positions.

Scott

St. John: Vocation Day (Sarah)

2009-04-20T21:14:00.004-04:00

sugar mill ruins

*************************

My vocation had a change of plans today...but it was just fine with me! The probation/court vocation will be available tomorrow so today....I was a St. John Photographer's assistant! I got to assist Bob with a destination beach wedding on the gorgeous Maho Bay beach. I can't post any pics of the actual weding yet because it was Bob's client after all! but afterwards I was able to explore all different areas of the Island and photograph it! WOW. So today was a photography vocation day for me which suited me just fine as that is a totally unique opportunity.

-Sarah

Vocation Day in St. Thomas

2009-04-20T18:18:00.006-04:00

The Training Director of VIPD

Internal Affairs Sergeant Bellot

Asp Training for their current Police Academy

What a wonderful quote they have hanging in their academy class room! I think we should all motto this!

VIPD Academy Class Room

Today was amazing! I had the chance to visit and work alongside the Virgin Islands Police Department(VIPD). I met with Human Resources Assistant Director-Donna Wesselhoft, Internal Affairs Director-Curtis Griffin, Sergeant Kent Bellot, Cheif Deputy of Police DeGraff and Police Commissioner James McCall. They were so welcoming, hospitipal and so informative. I got a tour of their whole department (Thank you Sergeant Bellot!). I visited the training academy where I met with the training director. I also exchanged and received an enormous amount of information from Internal Affairs and the Human Resource Units.

Also, I want to thank my wonderful host family Dr. Susan Anderson-Forensic Dentist and her husband Dan Anderson-Pharmacist for being so accomodating and welcoming!

~Jennifer

Our trip moves on

2009-04-20T15:41:00.004-04:00

My host family Janet -Richard- and Dylan

We said good byes to our new friends in the British Virgin Islands and traveled by ferry to the US Virgin Island on April 18th where we were met by Rotarian's and family to begin our new adventures. We quickly went about getting acquainted with our new families and made a day trip to the island of St John. There really are no (or not enough) words to describe the beauty of the islands. We enjoyed a day at Trunk Bay and dinner at BJ's home overlooking the city of St John. BJ is the president of the St John Rotary club we will be visiting on Friday. We will be giving our talk to six clubs on St Thomas and St John

The team overlooking Trunk Bay - B4 a day in the sun

The barbecue was great at BJ's - smiles around

It's back to work today with Vocational days

St. Thomas and Friends

2009-04-20T06:26:00.004-04:00

Getting ready for our exciting week, we are beginning with one of our vocational days today! Here are some pictures of St. Thomas, a beautiful sunrise, buoys, Shelli and Greg (my host!), and another new land friend who seemed a bit sceptical of being photographed - I think I got the better side!)

St. John

2009-04-19T22:20:00.002-04:00

Cruz Bay

Sailing thru Trunk Bay

overlooking Trunk Bay

I have the distinct priviledge of staying on the island of St. John for a few days with my fabulous host BJ Harris. (how did I get so lucky?!) What a wonderful gem of an island! It is almost 3/4 natural park & has approx. 6,000 year-round residents. It has such a great small town feel and I have not seen a view yet that I did not think was spectacular nor have I met anyone that was not welcoming & smiling. The rest of the team is stationed in St. Thomas and I will be joining them in a few days when I switch hosts. The team did have an opportunity today to ferry over and we all went to Trunk Bay and then had a great BBQ at BJs with her family & friends. We should all be back over here later this week for the St. John club meeting.

*many more photos of St. John will be posted soon :) *

-Sarah

Depart VBI Arrive USVI

2009-04-18T19:09:00.003-04:00

We departed one island paradise for another today. It was hard to leave at the Rotarian friends we developed for the last week but we know we now have lifetime family, A steel band played for our departure from Tortola. Must was loud and beautiful at the same time

2009-04-18T17:06:00.003-04:00

Tortola group

Shelli-Sarah-Jenny

Archie-Sarah-Euriniece-Barbara

Steel drums at the ferry!

Today we said our goodbyes to Tortola! We definitely did not want to leave and tried to figure out how to get the next ferry back over :) Yvonne has been fantastic as the chair for the gse team and has done a fantastic job coordinating with all the other Rotarians who made this possible-our host families Lewis & Shelia, Archie & Euriniece, Tom & Barbara & Richard have been so generous to open their homes & lives to us. Charles, Scotty, Darrlyn, Percy, Vance, Mary...and everyone else on Tortola- Thank you so very very much. Yvonne said that we have enriched their lives and we definitely feel the same! We not only have learned alot about our vocations, culture & life but also made some lifelong friends - Can't wait to see you soon
! Even though we don't want to tell our new friends in Tortola goodbye, we are ready to head out for new experiences & adventures - people, places, food & clubs. (Scott said he was Tortolas 2nd stoplight since he was so red from the caribbean sun yesterday...ouch....)
St. Thomas you better step up your game because here we come - you gotta bring it :)

Tortola: Sailing, Rotaract & Quitos

2009-04-18T16:10:00.002-04:00

Island hopping & sailing the BVI! We had the priviledge of taking out the Chris Marie catamaran with Skipper John Shirley along with Yvonne & Charles. We enjoyed a day of sailing, island hopping to Peter Island where we jumped off of the boat into the Caribbean Sea towards the white sand beaches. We then sailed over to Norman Island where we snorkled the caves & Yvonne grilled fish. Even though we slathered down with sunblock the Caribbean sun is fierce and we got a bit crispy...but nonetheless it was FANTASTIC! (we are working folks...today included some cultural experiences :)
We rushed off to the Rotarct meeting which has such a incredibly motivated & hilarious group of young adults making a positive impact on the local community, Tortola, BVI and the World. The Rotaracts invited us to their usual Friday night hang out Treasure Isle where we sang Karaoke & had some local appetizers of conch fritters, spicy fries & wings. Jason took care of us(advertisement for Treasure Isle: join their facebook page!) he is at the top of his game & after a few flips of the bottle he torched some flaming mojitos which was spectacular. A few of us headed down to Quitos to see Quito & the Edge do what they do best...music. What more could we ask for? how about not to make us leave tomorrow???

Tortola BVI, Island Tour

2009-04-17T00:20:00.004-04:00

Is this Tortola's motto? (Boomba Shack)

The World Famous Boomba Shack (it's a bar made of driftwood!)

View from the top! Sky World

Shelli & Scott

View from the top!

Scott-Sarah-Shelli-Jerry

Tortola

Tortola-one of the best restaurants on the island

The Sailing Capital of the World

Cruise ships docked in Road Town, Tortola

Road Town, Tortola - view of Dead man's chest & Norman Island

local artwork-wall mural depicting historic Tortola

Photos from our Tortola, (British Virgin Island) Tour!

(This is just a very little bit, I took 400 today!?)

-Sarah

2009-04-17T00:01:00.003-04:00

Premier

RC of Tortola

Jennifer

Sarah

Shelli

Scott

Taste of the BVI BBQ

Yvonne-Mary-Scott

Today we met with the Premier for a courtsey call. We then took a quick Island Tour before our lunch presentation to the RC of Tortola. They had a fantastic lunch of curried mutten, conch chowder, garlic grouper, steamed veggies & rice, fruit, pie, icecream...incredible! The group was such a great audience and very attentive! They are truly a group of fantastic Rotarians and individuals! After the lunch presentation we took the 2nd half of our Island Tour which I will post some pictures seperately. Unfortunately due to time constraints we missed out on a spa massage that Donna & her husband so kindly offered our team, hopefully we will be able to reschedule! We ended with dinner hosted at Astrid's hacienda - it was a Taste of the British Virgin Islands potluck BBQ that was spectacular! It was so wonderful to meet all the people and interact with them for fellowship and great food! Thanks to everyone who helped make today possible! (Yvonne, Vance, Astrid & host families especially!)
-Sarah

April 16, 2009

2009-04-16T23:29:00.007-04:00

We met with the Premier this morning and then gave a presentation to the Tortola Rotary Club. Afterwards we went on an island bus tour and then the locals hosted the GSE Team to a BBQ dinner. Here is a picture of a pet chicken sitting on a boombox at Rotarian Astrid's house during the cookout. On our road tour we spotted a local bar hanging out on the side of the road..what a difference in culture!

A Great Day of Vocational Visits

2009-04-16T07:00:00.004-04:00

Had the priviledge on Wednesday to spend time and learn from the BVI Red Cross staff, VAD's (Volunteer Aid Detachment), and high school volunteer in the morning and the Youth Empowerment Program (YEP) staff and students in the afternoon!

Hello Chesterfield!

2009-04-15T19:24:00.002-04:00

My vocational day was very informative! I have alot of valuable information to bring back. Here is a picture of the view from my room where I am staying! BEAUTIFUL!

Good Morning From Tortola

2009-04-15T06:25:00.009-04:00

Excited for our vocational day, to be followed by dinner with our most gracious and incredible host families, we are waking up to a beautiful sunrise!

Meeting With Governor Pearey

2009-04-14T15:03:00.004-04:00

Had the fortunate opportunity to meet with the British Virgin Island's Governor, Governor David Pearey,this morning! Tonight Governor Pearey will be hosting a reception for us at his home. From left to right in the picture Jennifer, Shelli, Sarah, Governor Pearey, Jerry, and Scott. Tomorrow we will begin visiting our vocational sites!

Scott Brugh

We've Arrived!

2009-04-14T09:30:00.005-04:00

What a warm welcome we received in true Caribbean style. We were greeted by Assistant Governor Vance Lewis & Yvonne Crabbe GSE Team Leader for BVI to Virginia. Numerous other Rotarians & host families contributed to greeting us with Calypso music & Mocko Jumbies! We were treated to a casual dinner at the local restaurant Pusser's then headed home with our host families!

Bon Voyage!

2009-04-12T21:58:00.002-04:00

Well, we are getting ready to head out to the land of white sand, calm blue waters & umbrella drinks...and working for RI of course! Our flight leaves bright & early in the AM headed to Miami then St. Thomas, lastly riding a ferry to Tortola where we will be staying the first week...Looks like most of the day tommorrow will be traveling. We'll be bright & wide-eyed in the morning, anxious to start our adventures! I don't know if any of us can sleep...it's like Christmas :)
-SG

2009-03-28T20:37:00.007-04:00

We had our last full team meeting today, We spent some quality time tuning our power point presentation and going over our preparations for the trip. We will depart for the Caribbean on Monday 13th, flying from Richmond to St Thomas. By the end of the day we will be in the British Virgin Islands, in Tortola after a ferry ride from St Thomas.

We have our first weeks itinerary and it looks great with a good mix of vocational and cultural. We will meet the Governor and Premier of the BVI one day and have a day of sailing the next, even snorkel an old wreck. Our excitement level is starting to peak. Our next update should be from the islands. See you soon

2-21-09 Team Building Meeting

2009-02-23T10:15:00.009-05:00

The team learned beginners French today! We were sorry to hear that one of our team members will not be joining us for the trip but we are anxious for a new member to join us. After our lunch, our team did some climbing! Here are some pictures.

Preparation

2009-02-15T10:55:00.002-05:00

Currently our team is preparing our presentation, designing brochures, business cards & a website, collecting rotary pins & flags as gifts for host clubs, creating gifts for host families, completing medical evaluations and inoculations. As our departure nears we will provide the district clubs with the team’s website so that you can share in our travels.We would all like to thank our sponsoring clubs and District 7600 for this incredible opportunity. We look forward to representing and promoting Rotary, Virginia and the United States, rams and serving our communities with the skills and experiences we will gain.

Sarah Goodwin

Pack your bags-wer're going to the Caribbean

2009-02-15T10:51:00.002-05:00

The new year started off in full swing when I attended the GSE Team Orientation in High Point, N.C along with fellow team member Scott Brugh, team leader Jerry Fields and District Governor Bill Pollard. We joined the Ambassadorial Scholars and Cultural Scholars from our district as well as other teams from North Carolina, South Carolina and West Virginia.
This orientation was by far the most informative, practical and worthwhile conference I have ever participated in. It began with an overview of Rotary-past, present, future, the mission, projects and the foundation for the cultural exchange programs. The expectations of the group study exchange program as a whole and as individuals were outlined. Since all team members are “non-Rotarians” we did not know most of the details and it is fundamental to learn about the organization we are going to represent!
For me, the most valuable component of the weekend were the seminars led by previous team members. By openly sharing experiences, both good and bad, we were able to gain a better understanding of what to expect and how to be flexible and react if something unexpected occurs. They were straight-forward and honest which allowed us to cover a large amount of information, leaving no question unanswered. We were able to view past team presentations which provided insight as to what information our target audience is interested in. The meals, social hour and roommates allowed for us to reflect with other groups while providing an opportunity to work on our social skills of talking and interacting with people we have never met. This orientation session should not be missed! The knowledge, tips and insight presented was of incredible value and relevant to our preparations and the journey ahead.
It made me even more eager about this experience both professionally and personally.

Sarah Goodwin
GSE Team Member