Rendezvous with Swiss GSE team

With Swiss GSE team in Sunrise

Barbeque in Pinetop

Roger and Nancy Bonngard

Last Memorial Day weekend some of the members of our team had the chance to rendezvous with the GSE team from Switzerland that is currently touring the district. We met up with them at a small family rodeo in Eager and after watching a few young kids fall off of some sheep, we made our way over to Bryon and Jackie Harrington's house for a quick bite and to get better acquainted with the Swiss Team. Next up, we headed to Sunrise ski resort to take a ride up the lift to get a better view of the surrounding countryside and get our fill of the cool mountain air. Some of us decided to go for a little hike down the mountain to stretch our legs and to take in the scenery. Our team got a preview of what to expect from the weather in Scotland. It was a tad cold up on the mountain and that encouraged some of us to rethink our cool weather wear for our trip. Even though the Swiss team was more used to the falling temperature, judging by their anxious hop in the van, they were not expecting to run into our vastly diverse climates that we have here in Arizona.

We were then off to the joint rotary club barbecue in Pinetop. We ran into Marina from the outbound Swiss team and had a chance to meet and talk with many other interesting rotary members and to share a burger and macaroni salad with some great people. The daylight started to fade and it was time to say goodbye to our friends from Switzerland and to meet up with our rotarian host that was kind enough to offer lodging for our team for the night.

Roger and Nancy Bonngard were exemplary hosts and their selflessness and generosity was truly overwhelming. We stayed at their beautiful cabin which had been completely renovated from the ground up by their own hands. They went out of their way to make us feel welcome and treated us to many insights on their experiences with Rotary and their life in general. They taught us how to lose at a new card game, and we shared several stories and laughs.

In the morning, we had a nice breakfast and a quick tour around their property. Unfortunately, it was time to end our quick adventure into the mountains. We said our goodbyes and hopped back into the SUV to make our way back to the valley.

A very special thank you to Roger and Nancy, and to Bryon Harrington (GSE Chair) for making this trip a possibility. It was a great trip and I think we are all ready for our next adventure.

Welcome!

Welcome to the blog site for the Rotary District 5510 Group Study Exchange to Scotland! Our tentative dates for travel will be 08/21 through 09/22. While we don't have an itinerary yet, the district we will be visiting is 1010 which is basically the entire northeast section of Scotland. If you take a diagonal line northwest from Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye, the district covers pretty much everything to the right of that line.

Our team leader is Ahwatukee Foothills Rotary member, Karen Panietz, an endodontist. Our team members are Scott Turpin, web designer; Levi Coffelt, lead pump technician/water well drilling and pump installation; Kylee Seely, independent hair stylist; Heather Bilodeau, workers compensation claims supervisor; and Caitlin King, non-profit consultant. Our two alternate members are Mariel Olson, grade school teacher; and Benjamin Powers, construction; and our alternate team leader is Scott Slusher, insurance agent.

If you haven't heard of the Rotary GSE program, it is a cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for non-Rotarians between 25 and 40 years old. The program began in 1965 and is designed to develop professional and leadership skills among young adults so that they can address the needs of their communities and an increasingly global workplace. GSE team members make vocational visits, experience cultural and fellowship opportunities, and share the culture of their home country with the host country. Check out www.rotary.com if you know of anyone interested in participating in the GSE program!

Our team is busy getting ready for the trip, meeting every other week to learn about Scotland, brush up on our Arizona history, and plan the presentation we will be making to Rotary clubs in Scotland. We are excited about attending the Scotland District conference and the potential to meet the incoming Rotary International president, John Kenny.

So what do you know about Scotland? the capital city of Edinburgh is the second largest city at a population of about 468,000, while Glasgow just to the west, is the largest city with a population of about 582,000. The total population of Scotland is approximately 5,144,000. The country has over 790 islands and covers 30,414 square miles. The highest point is the summit of Ben Nevis in Lochaber at 4,406 feet above sea level. The longest river, the River Tay, is 120 miles long. Scotland averages about 31 inches of rain a year, and sometimes get 120 inches in the Highland mountains. Winter averages about 42 degrees, and summer averages 64 degrees. Scotland is about the same size as South Carolina.

How does this compare to Arizona? Phoenix, Arizona's capital, is the largest city in the State with a population of about 1,513,000. Arizona has a total population of about 6,500,000 and covers 113,998 square miles with - sorry to say - no islands except the little uninhabited ones in various lakes! Our highest point is Humphry's Peak in Flagstaff at 12,633 feet above sea level, and our longest river is the Colorado, running 500 miles from the border with Utah, through the Grand Canyon and down the Arizona/California border to Mexico. The Phoenix area averages 7 inches of rain per year, with our winter temperature averaging 70 degrees and summer averaging 104 degrees. Edinburgh has about the same population as Mesa, and Glasgow has about the same population as Tucson.

And while Scotland may have the elusive Loch Ness Monster (which we do hope to sight on our trip!), Arizona has the equally shy Jackalope hiding throughout our deserts.
Keep checking this site! We'll try to post at least every month until we leave, and then as often as we have time and internet access during the trip.
----Heather