May, 2009, GSE D7150 Team w/GSE D4570 at the Botafogo Rotary Club

May, 2009, GSE D7150 Team w/GSE D4570 at Rotary Magazine's Rio de Janeiro Headquarters

May 10th, 2009, the District 7150 GSE Team leaves Central NY for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for a 30 day exchange. This year’s GSE Team will be led by PDG Herb Jerry (c), a member of the Eastwood Rotary Club. His four team members were selected from among eight applicants at the end of January. They are (L. to R.) Kristin Nylen, sponsored by Fulton Rotary Club; Jessica Harkins, sponsored by Auburn Rotary Club; Wilford "Bill" Doner, sponsored by Skaneateles Rotary Club; and John Jadhon, sponsored by Utica Rotary Club.

Jessica Harkins' first blog from Rio de Janeiro to the Auburn Citizen newspaper:

"DAY ONE - I’M IN BRAZIL!!! - For those of you who know me, you know that I was a little nervous about the flight. I have flown a number of times but it was years ago. Then the last time I was supposed to go somewhere, let’s just say I chickened out. Well I got on the plane this time, and it wasn’t that bad actually. I slept pretty much all of the way from Atlanta to Rio, which was great and I didn’t really freak out! Ok so I was a little nervous on the take off of the first flight, but I chatted up my teammate Bill for a good hour until I felt more comfortable, and then I was pretty intent on my Glamour magazine. Thankfully Bill was a good sport about it. :)

So far I’m still taking in the fact that I’m in Brazil. It’s just so surreal to me that I traveled to South America and that I’m in Rio de Janeiro. We have a lot on the itinerary for this week, sightseeing, visiting three rotary clubs, and a mini-vacation to the islands this weekend. I can’t wait to see all of it! We were greeted by our Rio Rotarians when we came through customs. Everyone was so welcoming and excited to see us and nice and just amazing. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Rotarians are just so welcoming, I always feel at ease with them and I can’t think of a better group of people to be visiting!

We’ve already had our first taste of Brazilian coffee too. Like espresso, it was a small serving, but this coffee was so good. It was rich and full bodied, strong, and smooth all at once. I could get used to this. (Oh and for those who have been following the blog, don’t worry. My caffeine tolerance is back up to normal levels, I hope. :-P) Our hotel is a block away from Copacabana beach, and we may venture out there later this evening, but probably not we are all pretty tired from traveling. Brazil is only an hour ahead of NY so the time difference isn’t such an issue, but the uncomfortable seats resulted in less than desirable sleeping arrangements last night. This afternoon we are having a Mother’s Day lunch at the home of our Rio Rotary leader, Lilia. It will be an informal affair where we will have a chance to experience some local cuisine and meet her family. I am SO excited, and really hungry too! - Harkins :-D "

" DAY TWO - Today I ate a chicken heart. No it was not still beating, and yes it was cooked. I don’t know how to explain it because it tasted like chicken and was meaty but also was a little tough in parts almost like cartilage. It was super small too, so you could just pop it in your mouth, like popcorn shrimp or something. :-P We were eating a at Brazilian steakhouse and the food was so good. I don’t think I’ve eaten that much meat at one time in my life. And everything was so fresh…amazing. They kept coming to the table with something new and they would slice it right there for you. Great experience.

This was all after we visited one of Rotary’s service projects. We went to a school, where the government has converted an old hotel on the edge of the favelas into this learning center. Each floor has a different subject or concentration. They work a lot with public health, dentistry, music, elementary students, as well as adult learners too. It is all free, and provided by the government. Rotary has teamed up to support much of this and in particular has purchased some of the instruments for children to learn on. We visited many classrooms and in the music one they played us what sounded like some traditional music. There were four guitars; one of them was a seven string guitar which I’ve never seen before. The way it all came together was magical. I could have listened to them all day.

I’m finding that the Brazilians that I have met so far have been very welcoming and very nice. Not many speak English, but we have had some translators in our group. Those that do may not be fluent in English but know enough to speak with us. I’m finding more and more that I need to be studying my Portuguese because I feel very out of place without it. The roads are packed with cars and they tailgate like crazy. And you know what? I find it fun to ride in, probably because I’m not driving. So far, I’m finding Rio to be a very likable city. The streets are lined with trees and vegetation so as to create a natural shade from the hot sun. And everything is built into the mountains, and there are many tunnels that go in and out of them. The city is bustling and vibrant, there is always something to look at and there are beaches everywhere! Tonight we make our first presentation to the Rotary Club Sao Conrado. I have to say I am a little nervous, mainly because I realize that I will have to speak much slower than I usually do. But, I’m really looking forward to it. - Harkins :-D "

" DAY THREE - " MMM - Oh I`m so full! I tell you, we eat like kings here! :-D We just finished lunch at Mara's house. She prepared a traditional cozido for us. (I know that I'm spelling that incorrectly.) Cozido is like a stew with beef and carrots and potatoes and bananas and cabbage. It was really good and very rich! We also had rice and beans and lots of other things too! Oh and dessert consisted of lots of fruit and a dish called Pudim. Pudim is kind of like a custard, and it is very sugary. I had seconds. :)

This morning we went to a Botanical Garden. It was amazing to see all the different plants and wildlife. We saw a millipede in the bathroom and caught it and brought it to safety. We also saw lots of butterflies. Since you can~t touch anything in there I made it my personal goal to have a butterfly land on me. As I was making a note of that to put it in my blog, one landed on Kristin. Go figure! :-P Well we are off to see the Christ the Redeemer, so I have to run. More on our sight seeing adventures later! - Harkins :) "

* TEAM LEADER HERB's BLOG: "We have been on the go since we arrived. We made presentations at two clubs so far; the Rotary Club Sao Conrado, our host club this first week, and the Rotary Club Jardim Botanico. We also had lunch, without a presentation, at the big Rio De Janeiro Club. We will make our presentation to them in two weeks, when they will be our hosts. Friday we present at the Rotary Club Gloria. The two presentations went very well. The team has their parts cold. No dancing yet.

We continue to visit various Rotary and Government projects having to do with the poor. But it is not all Rotary. Monday we had lunch at a Brazilian Steakhouse and it was fabulous as well as extremely filling. Tuesday we lunched at a great seafood restaurant. Again the food was numerous and excellent. We visited the National Historic Museum and while there heard a fantastic harp concert.

Wednesday we saw one of the oldest churches in Rio, Nossa Senhora Do Carmo. Not only was it beautiful but very large. It has been fully restored in the last 5 years. After lunch at the Rio Club we went walking through Downtown Rio for a while looking at all the stores, shops and street vendors. Then to the Portuguese Library. There are of thousands of books, all in Portuguese, dating back at least to the 16th century. We went to the National Museum of Beaux Arts and concluded our day with the presentation at RC Jardim Botanic.

Today, Thursday, was a non-Rotary day but just as busy. In the morning we visited the Botanical Garden of Rio. Simply beautiful. After lunch at my host families residence for all of us, we went to Corcovado. This is, of course, the location of the statue of Christ the Redeemer. We climbed the mountain by train and spent about two hours up there. Presently we are taking it easy prior to a visit to Rio's night life. More to come. - Herb

WEEK TWO: " TIRED We have internet access! And probably more importantly some energy to stay up and use it! We've been on the go since Saturday morning when we headed to an island getaway called Angra. It's a series of hundreds of islands that boast crystal clear waters, boats, and relaxation. We staying in this magnificent house, used the infinity pool that overlooked the mountains, the hot tub, and sauna. At night we watched movies in the home theater. This place was way too awesome!!!

After this past weekend, we moved to our second host families. I was staying with Ingrid, who was one of the Brazil GSE team members who came to our district last fall. Ingrid is amazing, so is her husband Luis Paulo. He's been doing a ton of interpreting for us and transporting us from meeting to sightseeing to meeting. I can't thank both of them enough!

We had a short schedule week this week because we were transported to the District Conference last night. We rode on a bus for 8 hours, slept intermittently and now are in Minas Gerais where the conference will be held. We had a "free day" today but we have been exhausted and then we sat in the sun most of the afternoon. I'll tell you one thing, if the Brazilians tell you to wear sun screen, you should probably wear sun screen. I'm a little burnt today but not terrible, but tomorrow I think I'll be wearing a ton of my SPF 50. :-P

We're going on a tour of the area tomorrow too as well as finally being able to do some shopping. I can't wait, we haven't had a chance to get anything because we've been on the run so much. I have got some post cards in the mail though, so that's good. Well I'll have some more time to blog more tomorrow, supposedly. I'm finding that we are very busy and by the time we're home I'm just so exhausted that going online, if I have access, isn't as important as sleeping. And from all the past GSE members that I've talked to, getting any sleep you can is important. - Harkins :) "

WEEK OF CONFERENCE: " Never-ending Desserts - I feel like I was such a messy eater before I came to Brazil. In fact I might even classify myself as a savage eater prior to this experience. One of the things that I’ve been noticing about Brazilians is that they use their fork and knife throughout the whole meal. They use the knife to push food onto the fork and then eat it. I’m sure this is the way people should eat, but it’s not usually the way I do. I’m a one fork, use my hands, and cut the meat ahead of time kind of gal, which isn’t necessarily appropriate here. So I’ve been learning how to eat with both utensils in my hand at the same time; it’s been a little difficult.

I’m thinking about this now because we just got back from lunch. Where we are staying for the conference, they have buffet meals, which is fabulous, but not when you are trying to control your weight. We’ve been eating so much here that all of us feel like we’ve put on a few pounds. I’m not too worried since when I get back I’ll be walking it off without my car; nonetheless, all this wonderful food has left us all a little concerned.
Breakfast here is very light; they typically have breads and cheeses and meats like turkey and ham cold cuts. They like yogurt and lots of fresh fruits and fruit juices. Lunch is the big meal of the day and it will typically take about two hours, maybe longer, depending on how much conversation there is. Dinners are light and late, usually about 7-8pm.

There are these restaurants called rodizio’s and they are like a never-ending salad bowl at Olive Garden except for any kind of food you’d like. We’ve been to a steak rodizio, a sushi rodizio, and pizza rodizio. And they have all been amazing. The only drawback is that you can’t take what’s left home with you. Many of the restaurants we’ve eaten at are very different from home. They all have had many waiters: one for drinks, one for serving you, one for this, one for that. You really feel like you’re being waited on at these places. The one thing that I’m missing here though is snack time. I typically eat many small meals a day; so changing that too small, big, small, with nothing in between, has been a little difficult but not terrible. Now I just need to learn some self control at the dessert table. There are always dessert and coffee and for as much sweets as I eat, I don’t have dessert that often; that’s another big but enjoyable change for me. Ok, off for more pool and sightseeing. :-D - Harkins "

FAMOUS: "On Monday we visited the production area of Brazil’s major TV station , O Globo Digital. It was amazing! Think the Universal Studios of Brazil. O Globo Digital is broadcast throughout Brazil, and even into the Amazon Rain Forrest via satellite. Although I’m not sure how many people have tvs in the Amazon but, just in case, you can get O Globo Digital there too. :-PWe took a tour of most of the buildings on the expansive area. (It boggles my mind sometimes that as space is at such a premium here there are a number of large facilities.) We went to the special effects area where they create wind, rain, thunder, explosions, and anything that will be broken in a show, like a beer bottle for instance. Our guide, who spoke English very well, brought us to India as well. One of the TV Novellas that is airing right now is about a Brazilian girl who married into a traditionally Indian family and now she’s learning how to live in their world, so the show has a set that looks just like you’re on the streets of India.After that we were able to see the taping of a scene for that particular novella and when they were finished we walked onto the set and had our picture taken on it. The light operator even moved some of the shades and such around so that we got a better picture. It was really nice of him. As we were being escorted off, the stars were coming back on to tape another scene.As cool as this was, I think that it would have been even more awesome if we knew who those actors were or were familiar with the shows. For example, if we had been on the set of Grey’s Anatomy, my excitement level would have been atomic instead of just super excited. Speaking of which, I thought it would be great to log on to abc.com and view the season finale of Grey’s. But when I tried to watch, they said that the “full episode viewer wasn’t available to those outside of the US”. As you can imagine, I was highly disappointed. So don’t tell me what happened. ;)- Harkins"

" RIGHT NOW: I know I still have a week left and I shouldn’t think about this until I have to but I’m not ready to say goodbye to some of these people! Ingrid, Luis Paulo, Mara, Sergio, Katie, Salvia, my team mates Bill, John, and Kristin. These people have instantly become great friends to me. And I’m a little upset that I didn’t think forward enough to think about taking some extra time to travel in Brazil after my GSE. Because, it is possible to arrange your return flight so it’s later or from a different airport so you can do more traveling the country you are in. I think this was brought up in one of our meetings but it was just kind of glazed over and I didn’t even realize the opportunity that I would miss. Not that I feel like I could take any more time off of work, I’m already missing so much. But still it would have been nice to arrange a trip to the Amazon or at least had the option of spending a few more days with my new friends. Not that a month in Brazil hasn’t been an amazing experience as it is. We do a lot of traveling and at this point I’d gladly walk to my destination.Tomorrow we are going to have some time to sit at the beach. We’ve been here three weeks and while we’ve been to the beach for a visit it hasn’t been more than a few minutes. This will be our first chance to lay out on the beach, do a little shopping and just hang out. We’ve just been so busy with Rotary meetings and cultural experiences and the 5 days we spent at the conference that we haven’t had a chance to go. So I hope that it isn’t cloudy tomorrow like it is today. I’ve got my fingers crossed. One thing is for certain though; I’m going to be soaking up everything about this next week, because I don’t want to miss a thing. Even the car rides. :)- Harkins "

Say Farewell to our great GSE Team from District 4570, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Join us on Thursday, October 2, 2008 at 6:00pm at Delmonico's Italian Steakhouse, 2950 Erie Blvd. (Route 5), Syracuse, NY (315) 445-1111. Cocktails from 6:00 to 6:30pm. Cash bar. Dinner at 6:30pm. Dinners selected from the menu with separate checks. For more info, contact Dick or Ro Kemmis at 592-4486 or email them.

The GSE [Group Study Exchange] Committee Seeks Applications for Team Leader to Brazil:

District Governor for 2008-2009, Larry Calabrese, has announced that our matched Group Study Exchange District for 2008-09 will be District 4570 in Brazil. District 4570, which covers the greater Rio de Janeiro area, has about 1,450 Rotarians in 72 different clubs. Rio is Brazil’s second largest city with a population of over 6 million people. The Group Study Exchange Committee of District 7150 is now receiving applications for Team Leader. The D7150 Team will be in Brazil for the month of May 2009. Applications for Team Leader can be downloaded here Team Leader applications. The 4-page application should be sent to GSE Committee Outbound Chairperson, Henry MacDonald, 17 Homer Street, P.O. Box 249, Union Springs, NY 13160. Mac is a member of the Auburn Rotary Club. Applications will be received from now through August 1, 2008.

The team leader acts as advocate, confidant, mediator, organizer, intermediary, consultant, colleague, friend, motivator, arbitrator, and protector of team members. As the only Rotarian on the team, the team leader is expected to assume complete control of the team and put its interest first. The team leader must be an experienced Rotarian, not be the current District governor, immediate past district governor, or district Governor-elect, remain with the team for the duration of the exchange, be willing and able, physically and mentally, to keep pace with the GSE team, and not be accompanied by a spouse, companion, or other relative or dependent.

The team leader should help coordinate the exchange by facilitating the submission of pre and post departure documents, develop and conduct the team training and assist in the selection of the team. An ideal team leader is not more than 20 years older than the oldest team member, possesses outstanding interpersonal communication skills, has presentation and public speaking skill and is able to help the team prepare for speeches at Rotary clubs, and has the ability to imbue a team with a sense of mission.

Experienced Rotarians who have an interest in developing their leadership skills above the club level, Rotarians who have traveled internationally, and Rotarians who have sharpened their leadership skills at the local club or district level make ideal candidates.

Interested Rotarians in District 7150 are urged to apply for the all expense paid exchange to Brazil. The native language of District 4570 is Portuguese.

Qualifications for Team Leader & Team Member

• All interested candidates need to have their candidacy endorsed by a Rotary Club in the community where the applicant works or lives. Endorsed applications are sent on for district level consideration.
• Team members must be between the ages of 25 and 40; be employed in a full time recognized profession; not be a Rotarian, honorary Rotarian, Rotary employee; or lineal descendant or spouse of a Rotarian; or spouse of another team member, an honorary Rotarian, or an employee of Rotary; or anyone who has been affiliated with Rotary for the past 36 months.
• Team members must be a citizen of the country in which they reside, and in good health. The candidate must be neat in appearance and able to express himself or herself clearly and logically. They should have a sound general educational background, be interested in and clearly enthusiastic about their chosen vocation or profession. They should be open-minded, tolerant and flexible. The candidate should be comfortable working as part of a team with a schedule that is at times physically and emotionally demanding but incredibly rewarding.

A team member must 1. Be able to participate in team orientations and take the four weeks away from work and family 2. Be non-Rotarian and not a blood relative of a Rotarian, 3. Be between ages 25 and 40 to insure maximum impact on long term career development, 4. Be a US citizen in good health, 5. Be neat in appearance, 6. Be articulate and able to speak before a group, 7. Have a sound educational and professional background, 8. Be enthusiastic about his/her chosen vocation, and 9. Be currently employed on a full time basis - engaged in that business or profession for at least two years. Team member applicants should be open-minded, tolerant, flexible and above all be able to live within and adopt a different culture during the exchange period. They must be willing and able to follow the direction of the Team Leader. An essay of intent is required from each applicant. A brief resume would also be helpful to the selection committee.

There are many ways to recruit team members. Contact the CEO or owner of companies or establishments in your area. Contact your local government heads. Make them aware of the program and ask if they have an employee to nominate. Point out that team members return to work with an understanding of how a similar job is performed in another country and can potentially become better employees. Explain that the program expenses are paid by Rotary and that the employer needs only to provide four weeks off work using a method of his/her choosing i.e. vacation time, leave without pay, etc. Offer a copy of the RI GSE brochure and then followup. Encourage your club members to talk with friends and fellow employees to identify potential participants and then ask your Club's International Chair or GSE Chair to followup.

As a Rotarian reading this, you can help find the young men and women who will make up the District 7150 outbound team. They may be someone you work with, or works for you. They may be your child’s teacher. They may be a friend, or a friend’s child. They may be a neighbor, or your neighbor’s child. We need the help of every Rotarian in District 7150 to identify and encourage young people to apply for this wonderful all expense paid vocational adventure.

The 2007-08 D7150 GSE Committee needs your help in spreading the word at your meetings to assist us in selecting the very best team members possible. If you are a club that has not participated in this program in the past, but would like to get more involved, please contact Inbound Team Chair Dick Kemmis so we can identify clubs wishing to host the incoming GSE Team. This is a great opportunity to meet and get to know people from another culture, and to improve opportunities for understanding and world peace. Download Member applications & the GSE Brochure.

Qualifications for Team Leader & Team Member

• All interested candidates need to have their candidacy endorsed by a Rotary Club in the community where the applicant works or lives. Endorsed applications are sent on for district level consideration.
• Team members must be between the ages of 25 and 40; be employed in a full time recognized profession; not be a Rotarian, honorary Rotarian, Rotary employee; or lineal descendant or spouse of a Rotarian; or spouse of another team member, an honorary Rotarian, or an employee of Rotary; or anyone who has been affiliated with Rotary for the past 36 months.
• Team members must be a citizen of the country in which they reside, and in good health. The candidate must be neat in appearance and able to express himself or herself clearly and logically. They should have a sound general educational background, be interested in and clearly enthusiastic about their chosen vocation or profession. They should be open-minded, tolerant and flexible. The candidate should be comfortable working as part of a team with a schedule that is at times physically and emotionally demanding but incredibly rewarding.

A team member must 1. Be able to participate in team orientations and take the four weeks away from work and family 2. Be non-Rotarian and not a blood relative of a Rotarian, 3. Be between ages 25 and 40 to insure maximum impact on long term career development, 4. Be a US citizen in good health, 5. Be neat in appearance, 6. Be articulate and able to speak before a group, 7. Have a sound educational and professional background, 8. Be enthusiastic about his/her chosen vocation, and 9. Be currently employed on a full time basis - engaged in that business or profession for at least two years. Team member applicants should be open-minded, tolerant, flexible and above all be able to live within and adopt a different culture during the exchange period. They must be willing and able to follow the direction of the Team Leader. An essay of intent is required from each applicant. A brief resume would also be helpful to the selection committee.

There are many ways to recruit team members. Contact the CEO or owner of companies or establishments in your area. Contact your local government heads. Make them aware of the program and ask if they have an employee to nominate. Point out that team members return to work with an understanding of how a similar job is performed in another country and can potentially become better employees. Explain that the program expenses are paid by Rotary and that the employer needs only to provide four weeks off work using a method of his/her choosing i.e. vacation time, leave without pay, etc. Offer a copy of the RI GSE brochure and then followup. Encourage your club members to talk with friends and fellow employees to identify potential participants and then ask your Club's International Chair or GSE Chair to followup.

As a Rotarian reading this, you can help find the young men and women who will make up the District 7150 outbound team. They may be someone you work with, or works for you. They may be your child’s teacher. They may be a friend, or a friend’s child. They may be a neighbor, or your neighbor’s child. We need the help of every Rotarian in District 7150 to identify and encourage young people to apply for this wonderful all expense paid vocational adventure.