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| PP Darla Leich, RFE Chair, D6250 Wisconsin, USA |
You want me to eat
what? This was a frequent statement by the members of the D6250 Rotary
Friendship Exchange team from Wisconsin, USA. The first time this was asked the
request was for us to "enjoy" balut. After learning the proper way to
peel just the top off the egg so that we could first drink the juice, we
proceeded to peel the rest and began munching down the duck embryo, the first
of many adventures of our RFE which spanned eight nights, three islands, and
five cities, from January 12-20, 2015. The Philippines were hopping the
entire time we were in the islands. I'm quite certain they are always bustling
with activity, but they were even more so since our visit coincided with the
visit from his holiness, the Pope, and the Ati-Atihan festival in Kalibo.
For five of the six team
members, it was our first time in the Philippines. The first time seeing
jeepneys, motorbikes and tricycles and finding out that seat belts would be too
limiting to the number of passengers they can truly carry. The first time
eating almost every part of the chicken and finding that the Filipinos adding a
little soy sauce and vinegar can make anything taste delicious. And the first
time experiencing the amazing Filipino hospitality and the breath-taking beauty
of the Boracay beaches.
Oftentimes an RFE visit
allows for collaboration on global grants. Since there were six team members
staying with four different host families there were many ideas generated for
partnerships during our visit. We are thankful for the opportunity to see so
many admirable projects and are impressed with your dedication to service.
Please know that our team sees the value in each of the projects you presented.
The goal of Rotary
Friendship Exchange is to advance international understanding and peace through
personal contact across borders, develop interclub relationships for fellowship
and service projects, and offer Rotarians the opportunity to make long-lasting
friendships while exploring different cultures around the world.
We look forward to
welcoming an RFE exchange team from D3850 late summer or fall 2015 and hope we
can come close to the level of immense hospitality that made us feel so
welcome. Not only part of your Rotary families, but truly part of your family.
We miss you all... And the delicious mangos, too!
PP
DARLA LEICH
D6250
RFE CHAIR
Wisconsin,
USA
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| Rtn. Mark Ertheim, RC La Crosse, RFE Inbound Team D6250, Wisconsin, USA |
This was my second
Rotary Friendship exchange, first one was a trip to Nigeria in February
2014. The main take away from the two trips is that Rotarians around the
world truly care about their communities and doing good things for others with
little chance for significant recognition for the work they do. Being a
Rotarian seems to make us all instant friends and the effort put into the trips
by individuals is astonishing. I doubt I can live up to the example shown by PP
Megs Lunn (RC Roxas, D3850 Philippines) and Toyin (Nigeria) as they took 10
days out of their lives to guide us and protect us in their respective
countries, not to mention the hours and hours of time invested to plan the many
details.
The Philippines represents the 7th country I
have visited that is "underdeveloped" and the most notable thing is
that most of the people seem happier than back home (US) and that is
particularly true of the Filipinos. Happy, open, friendly and generous of
their time and homes. I stayed at individual homes that went out of their
way to make me comfortable and I hope that many of them can make the return
trip to Wisconsin so I can attempt to reciprocate. The biggest surprise
was the intense interest in professional basketball and basketball in
general. Courts and hoops abound throughout the country and basketball is
on every TV I saw. Given the average Filipino is under 5'6" that
just surprised me. Watching some of the kids play (very well) made me glad no
one asked me to show them my jump shot!
RTN. MARK ETRHEIM
ROTARY CLUB OF LA CROSSE
D6250, Wisconsin, USA
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