(Note: sorry blog readers - I know I have been remiss in updating the blog during the past week here. I have been having a great time and enjoying some wonderful adventures here. My access to the internet has been a little hit or miss (this past week being mostly "miss"), which is why I haven't been blogging about my travels.)
I am back in Capetown and it has been a wonderful past few days. As our final stop in South Africa, the GSE team attended at the Rotary District 9350 annual conference and had the opportunity to see all the people we have stayed with and met over the past month. It was a bit overwhelming and emotional - I have been surprised at the deep connections that all of us GSE'ers have made with people that we have only spent a brief period of time with. I choked up several times when I said goodbye to the Rotarians today. One of the things I know for sure is that I want to return here and spend more time with all of my new friends. (I am leaning heavily toward returning for the Cape Argus Cycling Tour next year)
Tonight is my last night in South Africa and I am spending it at the home of a super cool and talented woman, Jackie, who has been in charge of coordinating our whole trip. Jackie is a younger Rotarian and has been very involved with the organization (including as a GSE team leader and member) - I am inspired by this and hope to give back to Rotary like she has.
Tomorrow morning the GSE team will make a final stop at the Ilitha Creche (preschool) before heading to the airport. Ilitha is a Rotary project that we visited early on in our visit and we instantly fell in love with the teachers and the children there. Words can't accurately describe the poverty in the neighborhood where it is located, yet the beauty, hope and potential of the children and teachers, as well as the Rotarians who are involved. I want to take a lot of photos tomorrow and hope to post some to the blog while we are waiting at the airport(s) to give everyone a better idea of why this school moved us so much (and what we as GSE team members representing Southern Arizona Rotary are doing to help!).
That's all for now - I have so many thoughts running through my head right now about the trip, what I have learned and what I hope to do with this knowledge. I am excited about returning home and doing some serious mental processing of the past month!
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