Goodbye tulips and spring weather, hello Thailand, 95 and sunny! Chris and I are headed out to the airport soon, and I wanted to share a little more insight before leaving.
Some have asked me about Rotary, so I couldn't help but have a minute or two soapbox on that topic. Most of you know Rotary is a big deal to me. I grew up with my dad being a member in La Crosse downtown Rotary (he's a 35 year member today), and he was the Youth Exchange Officer to high school students who would come to Wisconsin for a year on exchange from various countries. They were instrumental role models in my formative years: they were the most outgoing, positive, ambitious, and smart young people I had ever met, who truly wanted to make the world a better place through Rotary's ideals of "Service Above Self". My 3rd grade teacher asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I told her "a Rotary Youth Exchange Student to Germany". My dream came true at age 16, and I savored every day of my year in Bad Salzuflen. It was the best year of my life in many respects, and I came home with a whole new perspective on life....it reminds me of Marcel Proust's quote "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." I continued lifelong friendships with my host families and friends, and Chris, Madeline, Krista, and I even went to Germany last year (20 years later) to see my friends and visit the Rotary Club who sponsored me- what an honor!
That's what Rotary has done for me...it's so gratifying to give, share, pay it forward, and it's contagious. I love being the Rotary Youth Exchange Officer in my club to help kids have the same opportunity to come to Eden Prairie for a life-changing year, and help Minnesota youth have the chance to experience another culture for a year as well. Chris and I were fortunate to travel with a group of Rotarians to Kenya and Tanzania 2 years ago, and we were humbled and filled with gratitude as we witnessed first-hand what raw poverty in the slums are, yet people still find dignity, hope, and love through it all. (Check out more info. on my other blog http://janeandchrisinafrica2010.blogspot.com/) Chris came back a Rotarian and joined the Edina club shortly thereafter.
Every Rotarian has a special story about their Rotary path, and I look forward to hearing more stories from Rotarians around the world in Bangkok! Here's one of our favorite 2 minute Youtube videos about Rotary to sum it up: http://youtu.be/Ubqc7_MnBeE.
Peace Through Service, Jane
