Rotary

Rotary = the reason I`m in Argentina and I owe tons to the Rotarians that have helped me both in Greensboro and here in San Juan. Here Rotary is very different from in the US, although the same commitment to service exists. The Summit Club of Greensboro has around 120 members (maybe more?) while here my host club has 16 members, frankly it`s hard to find professionals with both the time and money to commit to the organization here. The club here is only male while the wives form what`s called La Rueda Interna (Internal Wheel) and they also do service projects but always separate from the men. They have their meetings at the same time but at separate locations.... somewhat awkward for me but I`ve taken a different route. I participate in special projects and social events that both the club and the Rueda Interna have but on a weekly basis I`m involved with the local Rotaract club which is a young people`s version of Rotary, mostly students but some working professionals as well.

I first met all the Rotarians and their wives wearing borrowed clothing on the day the men were going to surprise their wives with chocolates and champagne at their weekly meeting (note that we didn`t arrive with the chocolates/champagne until 12 am and this was a weeknight!). Since then I`ve helped out at some fundraisers and have attended the District Conference in Mendoza so now I have a much better understanding of how Rotary works here... I now also know that Rotary normally only brings high school exchange students to San Juan so I always have to explain why the heck I´m here when I´m sooooooo old ha... although most people here think I`m 19, a step up from 15 that I was getting back home :)

I haven`t really done anything with Rotaract yet except attend some meetings, the group is extremely welcoming, so I`ll keep you posted.