Rotary 5520 GSE 2010 - Philippines

Our time in Cotabato is quickly coming to an end.

It is Saturday 10th here already (we are 14 hours ahead of NM) and we have a free day today--a chance to catch up on calls and emails to our friends and family back home, to do laundry, to rest (this is key!) and to gather our things and pack in preparation to depart tomorrow for new adventures. The week has been a whirlwind of activity...each day bringing new experiences so many it's difficult to absorb it all. We have been not only welcomed here by Cotabatenos, but embraced by them. We came expecting to meet hosts and fellow Rotarians--that's what happens on exchange programs, right? But we are leaving Cotabato with so much more...with extended families and new friends. It's hard to believe it's only been a week since we arrived.

Anyone that has traveled abroad can attest to the fact that no words, no matter how eloquent...and photos, no matter how high resolution---can ever truly depict what you experience first-hand. The best we can do is show snapshots of our days here, and encourage you to welcome any opportunity that comes to you to experience a world so different, yet so much alike your own. Look for posts soon to come highlighting the week...

In the meantime, we, the Rotary GSE Team from District 5520, would like to extend our thanks and gratitude to Rotary International, to our home district 5520, to our gracious hosts in District 3870, their respective DGs & GSE coordinators, and to our sponsoring clubs of RC Albuquerque, RC Alamogordo, and RC Taos Milagro, and to our families and friends and businesses that support us. People kept telling us we were in for an experience of a lifetime. opo, yes, that it certainly true. So to all that made this possible....
Maraming, maraming salamat po!
Thank you so very, very much!