One of the team's final duties is to make a presentation at host country District Conference. This year was a scheduling miracle. Germany's District 1850 sent two teams, one to Turkey District 4440 and one to our District 7870. This year both outgoing teams had returned to join both visiting teams.
Having the opportunity to discuss our impressions and experiences with our counterparts was special and rare.
Standing foremost in the many benefits of a GSE experience is the Rotary way.
The warm Rotary hospitality laid the foundation for the adventures into how our host country lives, works and plays. Rotarians are proud of their country and the community services they provide, giving visitors a level of comparison to their homeland that is rare.
A District Conference is where the club presidents and secretaries of a particular district gather for an overview of the progress the Rotarians have been achieving in their local, regional and international goals. Here in Germany they are working to preserve their unique wildlife environment in addition to their humanitarian efforts to provide clean water and eradicate polio worldwide. Rotarians understand the importance of working together to accomplish what cannot be achieved alone. Their efforts to establish a vast network is borne in their investment in the next generations locally through Rotaract and internationally through exchange programs.
In addition to the Group Study Exchanges, this district alone sponsored nearly 90 student exchanges. These students have an opportunity to live in country with 2-4 families while they attend a year of high school (gymnasium).
The District Conference is a last farewell for half of the students. A certain electricity fills the air wherever the exchange students gather. And we were not disappointed with their 10 member parody on the difficulties encountered learning a new language in a foreign land.
A change of command concluded the day's events as the new District Governor Franz-Joseph Aka received the medal of authority from the outgoing District Governor Jost Schütte. Throughout it all "Service Above Self" rings loud as the Rotary way.
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