The Mushy Gushy Stuff

I am laying in bed right now, eyes wide open despite the opportunity to sleep in this morning.  The warm sunshine and day's expectations motivate me to move.  As we have learned over the course of the trip, my strengths rarely include specific numbers or estimations, however there are some important faces that will never leave my memory...some Salvadorian people that have yet to be mentioned:

Lilliana - my host the first night in Santa Ana and our local guide

Lily and Hanns - the hosts for Km and me in San Salvador

That is just a quick sample of the compassionate and welcoming people we have had the opportunity to meet over the past 4 weeks. These remarkable Rotarians and community members define our experience with their warmth and hospitality.  A common phrase (regardless of their English language capabilities) is: my house is your house (mi casa, su casa)- which is said with great sincerity.

As Mark mentioned, seeing the familiar faces at the conference is exciting and overwhelming, as it brings you back to all the smiles, laughter and conversations that you have had with each person.  Not everyone can make it to the conference and some will be missed (shout out to Andy and Ros, Manuel, and many more), but one can't help but feel like they are a part of this big family stretching across 4 very distinct countries in Central America.

Other memorable moments include:

• In Santa Ana with both clubs, having our Canadian anthem played in addition to the Salvadorian anthem (the selected version also included French/English!);
• Juan standing up with the GSE team when introduced at the conference - member #6? Eyda who just nods in acknowledgement;
• Roberto, our Nicaraguan host, first words a week since we left "I needed to see you";
• San Miguel group (whom we didn't visit due to the miscommunication error) inviting us back, despite our first missed opportunity;
• a great big bear hug from Dawn, a familiar and remarkable face to see after 4 weeks of travel;
• my other hosts in Santa Ana, Jose and his wonderful family - sitting, staring, smiling and nodding awkwardly, upon our first meeting, with Spanglish hardly even being an option.

A common question we receive - "What was our favourite place and/or most memorable moments?"  I struggle to answer this one with anything definite because you simply can't give every country the justice it deserves, and each one offers entirely different things from the other.  What stands out to me, in the wise words of a Rotarian is: we are all here, we are all connected, by our common vision to make a difference in our communities.  How true of an observation.  Some of our best memories were meeting people who really demonstrated passion through their professions or involvement in Rotary projects. It's the people who make a country, and I feel honoured (as do my teammates) to have been a part of their lives, big or small.

Gearing up for our day now! Excited to see loved ones, sad to leave here but comforting in knowing we will return.

AR