Florence - Got a new car Paul TC - Curling victory this week (from the level of celebration, I'm guessing they are rare) Matt - Matt is going on vacation, golfing, and then to the Grey Cup so we won't see him for a while Linda - Went on a whirlwind tour of California with Guy for their 25th anniversary. And will be missing for a couple more weeks (but I didn't catch the reason...good news though). Also she loves her new job with Pearl Hospitality. The fact that her boss was in the room was purely coincidental. Pres Jim - Attended Cambridge North meeting yesterday, where they awarded $36,000 to Kidsability from our 3-club fundraiser (The Rotary Classic Run).
Linda reminded us of the Tri-Club xmas party at Evo Kitchen on Dec.7. Reserve your tickets and pick meal option online at http://rotarycambridge.ca/. Space is limited.
Chris W - The Rotary International Convention will be in Toronto this year, June 23-27. Book early for best pricing. And consider getting an AirBNB downtown like she did. The organizing committee has openings for volunteers, and you can register here. I've already signed up!
Representatives from the Legion spoke on the need to help veterans having trouble fitting back into society. They thanked us for our support from the 2017 golf tourney. Jim, Paul, and Linda presented an outsized cheque for $9000.
Part 2
Paul TC introduced Katharina Tiran, our Austrian exchange student from 9 years ago. Katharina has done a lot in the past 9 years, and I will let you read about it in her words.
It’s been a such a long time since I left Canada! How are you? How have you been?
I have often thought of possibilities how to come back to Canada to visit that place that has been my home for one year. Life, however, came in the way and planned things differently for me. So it has taken me 8 years to come back to you and send you my thoughts, love and wishes.
I still remember the day I left Austria for my one-year Rotary exchange to Canada to start the first big adventure of my life. It was one month after my 15th birthday and my best friends and family came to say goodbye to me at the airport. At that time, I had never been to Canada before nor had I met anyone in person of that place which would soon become my second home. Thinking back, this situation was really scary, but despite my shyness I was confident in my decision and eager to start this very first adventure of my own.
Throughout the year, I have learned a lot about intercultural (mis)understandings and after some time I grew more confident in my role as an Austrian “youth ambassador”. Whereas being called “Austria” on the hallway instead of my real name turned out to be a bit annoying, it also made me realise the potential it carries. Apart from “The Sound of Music” I was probably the first Austrian contact many kids in High School have had at that point and the impression I gave them would very much influence their view on Austria in general. As such the Canadian experience had a great impact on who I am and who I have become today. I experienced the multicultural encounter as a space for learning for both sides, as a mutual experience and benefit that arises through dissimilarity.
After my graduation in 2011 I moved to Vienna to study International Development at the University of Vienna. The wish to travel and to experience new cultures was sparked in Canada and has not let go of me ever since. To enhance the theoretical approach achieved at university I took one year off to volunteer at a little children's home in Guatemala City. Spending over 10 months abroad in a country in the Global South has not only taught me a lot about the culture and the people of an amazing country but has also confronted me directly with political, sociological and economic issues such as extreme poverty, crime and the conflicts persisting and arising in a post-civil war setting. Those experiences have also strengthened my will to get engaged in the fields of conflict transformation and pursuing human rights. Since my graduation from my BA degree in International Development in October, I’ve been working as an intern at Oikodrom – the Vienna Institute of Urban Sustainability (http://www.oikodrom.org/) and next year I will start my MA degree in Peace, Development, Security and International Conflict Transformation an the University of Innsbruck (https://www.uibk.ac.at/peacestudies/ma-program/index.html.de).
Although I very much like and appreciate the scientific approach, enhancing practical experience in the field of peacebuilding and human rights is very important to me. This June I will return to Guatemala to participate in the project ACOGUATE, which provides accompaniment as protection and support for local organisations and individuals advocating human rights in Guatemala (https://acoguate.org/acompanamiento-internacional/).
Erica thanked Katharina for coming back to visit and congratulated her on the terrific direction her life is taking.
