The Leader Has Spoken

As we enter the home stretch of this incredible journey , it is time to pause and reflect on what we have all been through over the past three and half weeks . With many ups and very few downs, as Team Leader , I am pleased to report that our Team has been a pleasure to lead ( we are not sure who is leading whom ?) and the energy and enthusiasm with which our four young professionals have conducted themselves has greatly exceeded my expectations . For sure ,friendships have been made that will be lasting both within the Team and throughout the four Countries we have had the priviledge of calling home since our departure from Canada on February 27th .

It has also been a pleasant surprise to us that the blog has created such a huge following of interested readers ( over 5000 viewers) from all over the world and I thank the Team Members ( Curt and Mark esp) who have been so diligent ( dare I say obsessive ) in completing the Blog on a regular basis with such an editorial and creative flare. I also would like to congratulate myself on doing such a great job of delegating this important task to our Team Members whose talents and interests shine in this area ( Well done Doagmooodieeee).

As the Blog demonstrates, we have had very different experiences in all four countries; however, it is equally clear that we are seeing common threads throughout and it is on this point I would like to elaborate - as it speaks to the very essence of Rotary's objective for the Group Study Exchange which has been in existence for 30 + years

Without exception, we are being greeted and hosted by committed Rotarians and their families as they take us into their homes unconditionally. We arrive after 12 hour bus rides ( sometimes unexpectedly ) with our dirty laundry and hungry stomachs and we are welcomed into their homes as if we are faimily ( or in some cases royalty!). A Hosts' responsibility is to give us a bed and breakfast - period. However, as you have seen from the Blog, in some instances, our Hosts have accommodated us all and have been our Guides and chauffeurs for the week . The Comittment is incredible and we are seeing Rotarians who spend a great deal of their personal time helping the impoverished in their commuunities and beyond . It is clear that they are doing it in an incredibly modest and humble way with the sole intention of helping improve the quality of life for the less fortunate - because they can ! Interestingly, the People they are trying to help are proud, pleasant people , who , while very appreciative of the assistance , do not feel they have been hard done by ; rather , we have seen generous gestures of sharing during our visits to their simple communities such as offerings of fruit by Elders and the sharing of candies from the pinitias by the kids.
　
As Team Leader and a Rotarian , it is important to me that we take away as much from this experience as possible with a view to helping these people in need . In this regard , it is important that this four week "Mission" is the just the beginning of our journey . The people we have met and the Projects we have seen are an introduction for us to match Rotary Clubs in our District in Canada with Clubs and projects in Central America . Our Blog will help serve as a chronology of Contacts and projects - indeed the work has just begun for all of us.

DM