An Amazing Journey

We would like to offer thanks and gratitude to Rotary International, our local rotary clubs (Cape Coral Goldcoast, Sarasota Southside and Bonita Springs), District 6960, District 7030 and our host families for an unforgettable experience. We realize this has been an opportunity of a lifetime and we are forever grateful. We have gained a global perspective that will improve our relationships with people and communities throughout our lives. We will carry our new knowledge, understanding, and gratitude with us in our local communities and throughout the world. We hope to keep in contact with all of you and you are always welcome to visit us in Florida!

Thank you,

Bob, Sara, Kendra and Suriya

Our last sunset in Grenada! Farewell!

Rotary District 7030 Conference in Grenada

Our last week in Grenada was filled with fellowship and goodwill. The Rotary District 7030 conference was held at the Grenada Grand Beach Resort. Both GSE teams from District 1060 (UK) and 6960 (Florida) presented on Friday, April 19^th. We spoke about our GSE experiences and thanked everyone who made this opportunity a great success. Friday night we were welcomed at homes of Rotarians for a home hospitality evening.

The last night of the conference was a formal banquet and presentation of awards held at the Spice Basket. Awards were given to Rotarians for extinguished service and the GSE teams were welcomed to the stage and given gift baskets filled with local spices. After the awards we were entertained by local artists singing and dancing. We topped off the night with some local soca music, dancing, and saying farewell to our new friends and fellows. It was wonderful spending time with some of our hosts and friends from all of the countries we visited. Thank you to all the Rotarians who made our last few nights so special!

Celebrating after our last presentation at the conference. 

We were asked many times what airline we work for!

Receiving our gifts at the banquet

Entertainment at the conference banquet

Island of Spice

Today we had packed day of sightseeing.  The Rotary clubs arranged for us to have a driving tour through the island.  Our first Stop was Concord Waterfall, it was stunning, we were all a bit disappointed we were unable to leap from the top of the waterfall and swim! (It is allowed but we were unprepared)  We then travelled to a Dougaldston Estate where we were educated on all the local spices that Grenada is known for, primarily Nutmeg, Basil, Mace, Cinnamon, & more. 

We had a delicious lunch at Belmont Estate where they are known for the local chocolate and goat cheese.  After lunch we headed to Rivers Rum Distillery, had a tour and of course got to sample some very strong rum!  We had a few more stops along the way through the forest, a quick hike, and before we knew it the day was over! 

The Last Leg

On our last evening we limed and had dinner at a street fair in Gros Islet. We soaked up as much as we could of the culture while dancing to Soca music. Once again, it is bittersweet to be leaving, but we are excited for the district conference in Grenada. We had such a wonderful time in St. Lucia, a special thank you to our hosts and the Rotary Clubs that took us in for the week. We had a great time and appreciate the generosity.

Once again, we arose early for our last leg of the GSE trip, Grenada!  We were greeted by quite the crowd at the airport.  On our first full day we had a wonderful lunch where both GSE teams gathered and did presentations because there are no local Rotary meetings in Grenada since they are hosting the District Conference!

 

Lime

We have expanded our  vocabulary!  When we arrived in St. Lucia and received our itinerary for the week, we were all rather confused by a term that appeared numerous times: Travel to Soufriere and lime.

Initially, we believed "Lime" was a place, as it turns out lime means to hang out, which can include, eating, drinking, dancing and more. I think it is a phrase we should all start using more!

On Wednesday we had a Rotary meeting at the St. Lucia Club, after the meeting we were able to lime. On the drive back we went on a short hike to see some stunning views of the Pitons. On the hike we saw chocolate in its raw form. There are little pods which are very slimy but taste very sweet, if you crack the pod open the actual chocolate is extremely bitter and a bold purple color. We also stopped to swim in the sulfur springs (which are said to have amazing health benefits), and ate some chocolate cassava bread paired with Piton beer!

Our time spent on our vocations was enjoyable. Kendra and Bob saw many different developments some were completed, others were just starting to develop. Suriya went to the criminal court, family court, and the Boys Training Center which is an all encompassing program for boys ranging from age 12 to 16. Sara spent time at the Government Fisheries Complex where she was able to learn about St. Lucia's plans for conservation, pollution, climate change, and costal habitats.

Her Excellency & 150,000 Gallons of Water

On Tuesday morning we had quite the experience. Her Excellency Dame Pearlette Louisy, the current Governor General of St. Lucia invited us into her home. We chatted with her for about an hour on topics such as St. Lucia, ourselves, current events, and our GSE experience. It was a pleasure to spend time with an individual of such esteem!

In the afternoon, we were able to see the beginning of the water project that District 6960 has participated in. We ventured high into the mountains to see the construction of the water tank. The tank will hold 150,000 gallons of water and provide service to over 500 individuals who were previously walking long distances to retrieve water, from a source that only worked on occasion. The water tank is going to have an enormous impact on the people of St. Lucia the project is also being managed very well by the local clubs!

Welcome to St. Lucia!

As we arrived in St. Lucia we had another warm welcome! We headed straight to the beach outside the airport to discuss our itinerary for the week.

The first evening we attended the 20^th anniversary dinner for The Rotary Club of Gros Islet.  The celebration was very entertaining and we learned a few new folk songs.  Bob also was able to practice some of his Soaka dance moves (Soaka is a popular type of music on the islands)!

Yesterday we were taken on a sailing adventure to Soufriere to view the Pitons which are absolutely stunning, the sulfur springs (the smell is quite overpowering), and deliver a wheelchair. I want to express a special thank you to Endless Summer Cruises for the wonderful day trip as well as the hosts that prepared a feast for us on the boat.

 An Octopus!

A Busy Time in Barbados!

We have been having such a wonderful & busy time on this trip and not much time to type away on the blog! But do not worry, we are still thinking of everyone back home following our adventure!

Past District Governor David Edwards took us out for an afternoon of boating on his AMAZING boat.  We went up the west coast of Barbados.  We stopped to do some swimming and were able to swim with quite a few sea turtles, they were not too shy and Sara managed to pet one!  It was an amazing experience with the turtles and the crystal clear water! Our expert diver, Sara was also had an opportunity to do some scuba diving on our last day, she went too deep for her underwater camera to take photos!

Suriya had quite the opportunity on a vocation day to meet with Barbados Chief Justice, she was pretty star struck and thrilled with the experience!

Our time in Barbados was amazing to say the least.  Everyone was extremely hospitable!  A special thank you to the clubs and host families that took great care of us! Again, it was a bittersweet feeling to leave Barbados and head to St. Lucia. 

Driving...........

Driving on the left hand side of the road can be daunting enough.  Luckily, the team does not have to drive.  Our host families and other Rotarians move us around.  It did take a few days of getting used to riding in a car.  Of course, getting into the left hand side of the car was also a challenge to remember, as we are not the driver.  There are not many traffic lights for all of the vehicle traffic moving around.  Round Abouts are the popular way to move a lot of traffic through intersections.

The most interesting thing is the communication between the drivers. Yes, they communicate between themselves with the slight beep of the horn, flashing of the head lights, and their turn signals. It is all done with courtesy. Rarely did we see the horn of the car used in anger.

An example is put the turn signal flasher on while you are on a two lane road to make a right hand turn (remember, we are already on the left side of the road), and the oncoming traffic will slow down, flash the lights to tell us to go, and after our turn, we give a slight honk to say thank you.

This courtesy continues all the time as we drive around.  It makes driving around delightful, with plenty of time to let the other car into your lane with you, or let the oncoming car turn off the road, and still say thank you with a slight beep of the horn.

Off Roading and Underground Adventures!

On Monday we had an exciting day, it began with an island safari.  We toured the West, North, and East coast of Barbados.  We saw the only functioning windmill left on the island, experienced the 9^th wonder of the world (an anti gravity hill), and saw amazing Atlantic Ocean views.  We learned that swimming on the west coast of Barbados is quite deadly and not encouraged, although the surfers brave the danger.  Our driver was consistently supplying us with rum punch & jokes.  On occasion, we questioned his off roading skills but we all survived and made it back in one piece.

After the safari we had a tour at Harrison’s cave where we learned about the history of the island, how it was formed and that it is the only non volcanic island in the Caribbean (Barbados is really in the Atlantic Ocean). We took a tram through various rooms in the cave and ventured 160 feet underground.  I cannot express in words the beautiful views above and below ground in Barbados,  I don’t believe that the photographs do this island justice. 

On Tuesday we had our respective vocational visits which were quite educational and were much appreciated.  After vocations, we visited George Washington’s residence where he stayed while visiting Barbados with his ailing brother.  While in Barbados the contracted small pox and survived to return home, begin his military career, and become our President!

One of the team member’s going to our district, Tamara, has been spending time with us.  She is looking forward to her time in Florida, we have been sharing plenty of tips and information so she will be prepared!  Later this week we have more vocational visits, a night out at Harbor Lights, & a visit to a local Rotary project!

Harrison's cave with Suriya's "brothers"

 Our safari guide with rum punch!

 Sara & Tamara

Farewell Suriname, Hello Barbados!

We would like to express our gratitude to the Rotary Clubs of Suriname.  We had an amazing time that we will never forget.  Leaving Suriname was bittersweet, we met amazing individuals, learned about the culture and our vocations, and experienced memories that will stay with us forever, yet we were thrilled to head to our next destination, Barbados! 

We had an early morning flight, we rose at 2 am to make it to the airport in time, with a quick layover in Trinidad, we were in Barbados before lunch.  A wonderful group of Rotarians greeted us at the airport and whisked us away to our respective host families. 

We are spending Easter with our families and beginning to explore the island, which is amazingly beautiful!  Tomorrow we visit Harrisons Cave and have an Island Safari Jeep Tour!

We have a pink problem….

We had a fun filled day on the National Holiday of Holi Phagwa.  It began with a visit to a butterfly farm.  The tour guide taught us all about the lifecycle and process of exporting the butterfly cocoons around the world.

After the butterfly park we headed to Jungle Camp Carolina, a beautiful campground with a few homes on the land.  We were able to escape the heat a bit and enjoy a swim in the “coca cola” water.  The water is a very dark color due to the leaves that fall into the water and dye it, very similar to what the mangrove leaves do in the Everglades. 

On the way back to Paramaribo we made a stop at a Flamboyant Park where there was a Holi Phagwa celebration occurring.  As we entered we were handed a pink powder we were a bit confused as to what you do with it.  Ed & Ine our hosts immediately started pouring the powder all over us! As the evening went on people would walk up to you and spread an oil based color on your skin or spray a colorful powder on you!

Holi is a festival that commemorated good harvests and the fertile land. Hindus believe it is a time of enjoying spring's abundant colors and saying farewell to winter. It also has a religious purpose, commemorating events present in Hindu mythology.

Upon returning to Ed’s house (where Bob is staying) we began to wash the powder off, which came off just fine, we soon realized the oil based product was not rinsing off….there was a bit of a panic since we all had blotchy red stained skin!! We moved onto scrubbing our faces with soap and rubbing alcohol!  The majority has been removed, but as I write this, my hands, face, and hair (I now have a few red highlights) are stained a light pink color!   

Staatsolie and the Vice President of Suriname?!?!

On Monday we all took on a new vocation, Pumpers!  We visited Staatsolie, the local oil company, which produces 16,000 barrels of oil per day.  We had a wonderful presentation where we were educated on the goals of the company and then were put to work in the swamps.  An airboat took us to see an oil rig that was in the process of moving locations and then went to a functioning oil well.  We got to pump oil from a well that is approximately 90 meters deep, the oil has a very pungent scent!

Over the weekend we were introduced to the national dish of Suriname prepared by Mavis Muller, Pom.  Pom can be described as a chicken casserole and Mavis did a wonderful job, it was delicious!

We had another day of vocational training, Bob was viewing a construction project for the Vice President of Suriname and the VP, Robert Ameerali, himself was there!  Bob was able to have lunch with him and spent several hours chatting and sipping rum! 

Today, is a national holiday, so we are going to Jungle Camp Carolina, a butterfly garden, and participating in the Phagwah festivities!

Rotarian Siegfried, Vice President of Suriname, & Bob! (left to right)

 Pumping Oil at the Oil Well!

 Pom!

Monkeys, Dolphins, A Sloth, and More!

Our hosts and Rotary Clubs planned an amazing weekend.  We began with a trip to the interior of Suriname to the Amazon Basin.  We were incredibly lucky to be able to spend the day at Bergendal Resort, it began with a hike in the rainforest, followed by a wonderful boat ride on the Suriname River where we were thrilled to see a pack of monkeys leaping from tree to tree. Sara, Suriya, and Kendra were the thrill seekers and participated in a zip line excursion (Bob was too scared!).  Kendra got a glimpse of a sloth right before the guide sent her down a zip line and Suriya did great conquering her fear of heights! On the way back to Paramaribo we were able to stop at Afobaka dam and appreciate another amazing view.

On Sunday we rose early for a dolphin boat cruise.  It was lead by Monique Pool with the Green Heritage Foundation, Sara being very interested the research Monique does with the dolphins basically got an extra vocational training day!  We were able to see many, many dolphins as well as beautiful Scarlet Ibis, which have a stunning red color.  During the boat cruise, we stopped at the local beach where fisherman work and spent an hour taking photos & speaking with locals.  Sunday afternoon we were able to sample delicious Indonesian cuisine (they are feeding us well) and had a tour of a walking museum in New Amsterdam, where we were educated on the history of Suriname and saw the first Suriname jail.

Stay tuned, later today we are touring the state oil fields and this week the Holi Phagwa festivities begin!

 

Travel to Suriname!

We made it safely to Suriname! Our Insel Air flights were uneventful, on time, and arrived just before midnight.  We were graciously welcomed into our host families and promptly prepared for our first full day in Paramaribo!

Today we dove right into the GSE program with vocational visits. Suriya had an amazing experience visiting with the only youth prosecutor in all of Suriname and getting a tour of a courtroom.  Kendra was able to job shadow a Remax Realtor and showed a few properties that were available for rent.  Sara was able to experience learning about environmental regulation in Suriname.  Our fearless Team Leader, Bob, was able to delve into the world of construction and visit some job sites.  

This evening we did a walking tour of the historical downtown Paramaribo. We heard plenty of stories on the history of Suriname, saw the oldest wooden structure in the Western Hemisphere, (a catholic church) & witnessed a peaceful demonstration by the youth of Paramaribo regarding eliminating racism. 

So far we are having a wonderful time and have already learned a lot.  Tomorrow we venture into the interior of Suriname for an adventure filled day! 

Our Layover in Curacao!

Meet the USA Team

We would like to thank Rotary District 6960, District Governor Steve Schlueter, District 7030, our local Rotary clubs and our host families for this amazing opportunity! 

We look forward to posting pictures and keeping you updated. We will be in each country for one week - Suriname, Barbados, St. Lucia and Grenada. We depart on Thursday, March 21 and return on April 22.

 
Bob Knight - Team Leader

My name is Bob Knight and I am the team leader. I live in Cape Coral, Florida. I am a member of the Rotary Club of Cape Coral Goldcoast since 1988, located on the Southwest side of Florida. I am a Past President of my club, and currently serve on my club’s Board of Directors. I am also a Paul Harris plus two. I have been involved in the Rotary Group Study Exchange program for over 20 years in our District 6960.

I enjoy many hobbies that include boating, golf, snorkeling, sailing, hiking, exploring, traveling all around the world, and the best is making home brew beer.

My vocation is a Financial Officer (Accountant) for a construction company that builds residential homes. I am one of the owners of the company. I specialize in company operations in the office and also in the field.  

 Kendra Hoefs - Team Member

My name is Kendra Hoefs, I was born and raised in Wisconsin, attended college in Arizona where I studied Criminal Justice and Public Administration. After graduation I worked in Phoenix, Arizona as an Academic Advisor. About two years ago I moved to Bonita Springs, Florida and began my career as a Real Estate Agent.

As a Licensed Realtor in Florida, I work primarily in residential real estate with individuals who would like to buy or sell property.  As part of my Real Estate business we have a property management division. I work with about 300 property owners that rent out their investment properties to tenants. 

I am the youngest of 4 girls; I love spending time with family and friends and enjoy a good glass of wine, beer, or coffee! I lead a very active lifestyle, which includes spending time outdoors lounging on the beach, boating, or hiking. I want to express my gratitude to you for hosting us on this amazing adventure!    

Sara Kane - Team Member 

My name is Sara Kane and I live in Sarasota, Florida. I am originally from Lincoln, Nebraska and I have also lived in Galveston, Texas. I am a graduate of Texas A&M University where my studies focused on ocean and coastal resources, environmental policy, and scientific diving research. Prior to my current job I worked at Mote Marine Laboratory where I was part of the scientific diving team for projects including coral spawning in the Florida Keys, offshore deep water blue holes, and fish surveys for artificial reef systems. 

Currently, I am the Public Outreach and Education Manager for the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program. I am responsible for developing and implementing programs to encourage the local community to restore and protect our local estuary – Sarasota Bay. I manage numerous projects including grants, kayak tours, volunteer programs, teacher training workshops, education programs, climate change and sea level rise projects, economic value studies and the Citizens Advisory Committee for Sarasota Bay. Scuba diving is my passion and I am a PADI open water scuba dive instructor. I also enjoy other water activities like snorkeling, sailing, boating, and kayaking.

Suriya Khong - Team Member

My name is Suriya Khong and I moved to Sarasota, Florida from my hometown of Green Bay, Wisconsin only six months ago. I am a recent graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School, the sister school of the university where I completed my undergraduate degrees in Child Psychology & Sociology.  This February I finished the last step in the arduous process of becoming a licensed attorney by taking the Florida Bar Exam.  After receiving my examination scores, I plan to continue my previous work in the field of juvenile justice and represent youth in both dependency and delinquency matters.

 

I am the middle child of a moderately sized family: I have an older brother who resides in Wisconsin and a younger brother who attends college in Minnesota.  I'm a vegetarian with an addiction to caffeinated beverages, dark beer, and spicy foods, an avid runner, and an American football fanatic. I enjoy traveling to new places and taking part in crazy adventures, almost always have a book in my hand or headphones in my ear, and love spending time with my family and friends.  

We look forward to posting pictures and keeping you updated.

Thank you,

Bob, Kendra, Sara and Suriya