Sharing the Excitement

The best thing about Group Study Exchange is the opportunity to visit Taiwan and experience their culture on both a professional and personal level (obviously!)

The second best thing about GSE is the opportunity to share our experiences with Rotarians throughout Rotary International District 5650. Mailani, Chris and I gave our first official GSE presentation about our upcoming trip last Friday, January 30th, with the Lincoln South Rotary club held at The Knolls Country Club.

We each had the opportunity to talk a little bit ourselves and about Taiwan as a whole. It was a wonderfully positive experience as the Lincoln South Rotarians are just as excited as we are for the trip. It was bittersweet for me because Lincoln South Rotary is the club sponsoring my trip to Taiwan. I tried to thank them as much as I could..but I'm not sure I have enough 'thank yous' to express my gratitude.

Friday night also found us celebrating our upcoming trip with the 2008 GSE Australia team. Australia team members Aaron Babcock and Jennifer Jones graciously welcomed us into their home where we were joined by the other team members - Christine Billings, Matt Novak and team leader Judy Peschio - along with District 5650 Governor Sharon Wherry and her husband Dan.

The get-together was a great energizer for the trip. We were able to spend some time getting to know the Australia team. I think they were questioned-out by the end of the night - we had so many questions about their experience and they definitely gave us some wonderful ideas and pointers that we can use on our trip. I think the thing that struck me the most about the Australia team was their camaraderie. They became genuine friends during their time abroad and I'm looking forward to that with our team as well.

Thanks again, 2008 GSE Australia team, for a wonderful and eye-opening time!