rotary district 2780 conference,
(better late than never, isn’t that what they say?)
in october, i was invited to attend
the rotary district 2780 conference with
my host district 2750 and two other fellows,
derek from the U.S. and ousman from gambia,
is about 2.5 hours away from where
i’m living. so this was a wonderful
opportunity to connect with rotary.
the theme was “joining the w o r l d .”
reflected in the international roster of attendance,
students and people from other rotary programs around the world,
and rotary members from pakistan and korea,
seeing korean and japanese rotary members come together
for this conference was particularly encouraging,
given the on-going tension between the two countries.
one of the highlights of the conference was a workshop
held by the UNHCR and put on by japanese high school
students, which focused on an introspective activity
that stretched us to imagine stripping ourselves of
physical, emotional,and “vital core” possessions
leading to a conversation exploring how each of us
felt, questioning what we would do, what our reactions would be.
though most of us in the room have never experienced anything
like what many people around the world, and particularly
refugees,continue to go through day after day,
the exercise reminded us to remember those who have lost
everything, a way to re-humanize an issue that’s magnitude
often overshadows the individuals.
my table consisted of myself, my fellow
cohort member derek, a rotarian from
pakistan, and several japanese rotary members.
it was a privilege to discuss these real
issues with such a diverse group of people,
listening to new thoughts, ideas, and feelings.
it was wonderful to catch up with the rotarians
in my host district as well, and continue to get
to know them better. we always get a good laugh,
trying to meet somewhere in-between english & japanese,
there’s something special about finding that in-between,
two people struggling to overcome when language
seems insufficient, working together, and finding
that even without the right words,
we can understand one another.
seeing my host counselor emiko is always a joy,
she brightens my day every time we meet and i am
so grateful to her for her kindness and thoughtfulness,
(also, she is fierce! she made sure i got to try
all the international food and drinks during the break,
despite the intense crowds that scared me off.
thank you emiko for braving the crowds,
and always making sure to help me get involved).
it was a fascinating weekend and wonderful opportunity.
i am looking forward to attending again this october!
truly, i feel incredibly blessed to be here, and by
the generosity of rotary international and the
japanese rotarians. thank you.
most days, it’s still
hard to believe
this isn’t
all just a dream.
