THANK YOU!

We have a several people and Rotarians to thank for our time in Peru.

First, we want to thank all the Rotarians in District 6460 that supported us of each individually and as a team to make this trip possible.  We would personally like to thank Dave Parsons, District 6460’s governor, for supporting the GSE program as well as supporting us to travel to Peru. We would like to thank our sponsor clubs – Sunrise Rotary Club of Galesburg, Bushnell Rotary Club, Jacksonville Rotary Club, and the Edwardsville Club. 

Next we would like to send the biggest thanks possible to John Gibbons, the GSE District Chair.  John met with us prior to our trip and prepared us for our trip to Peru.  So much of our preparation for this trip depended on John and his advice and we do not know how we would have made it through those early months without him.  We would also like to thank the St. Vianney’s Church in Sherman, IL.  They graciously allowed us to meet in their conference rooms several times before our trip. 

We would like to thank District 4300 of Peru.  All of the rotary clubs we met in Peru were absolutely wonderful to us and we all agreed that it was the people we met in Peru that made our time there so amazing.  Special thanks to District 4300’s governor, Carlos Capellino Rejas, and Ronald Barreda Vasquez, the GSE District Chair in Peru.

We would also like to thank every person or family that hosted us in Peru.  Thank you for welcoming us into your homes and making us feel so much a part of your families while we there.  We would all love to host any of you in our homes in Illinois anytime you want to visit. 

Lastly, thank you to all of our followers on this blog.  We are excited that so many people got to experience this month with us and we have enjoyed sharing the kindness and generosity we have had in Peru with you.  Gracias a la vida!    

Last Team Photo in Peru

The team with members of the Tacna club prior to our departure to Lima

May 3rd and 4th – Days of Travel

On May 3^rd we traveled from Tacna to Lima via airplane.  We were not able to spend anytime in Lima when we first arrived so we all enjoyed being able to spend a little time in this large city.  After arriving at our hotel for the night we headed out for our last dinner together as a team in Peru.  On May 4^th we left Lima early in the morning to head Miami.  We arrived in Miami for a long layover before heading to our final stop in St. Louis.  Although most of us were sad to leave Peru, we were all excited to come home and see our co-workers, friends, and family to share all we experienced in Peru.  

Photos from May 2nd

At CFAT with the group

At CFAT in the classroom

Some of the different types of olives

Some of the workers picking the olives at CFAT

At the Pisco Distillery with our group for the day

The group we ate lunch with for our final Rotary lunch in Peru

May 2nd – Last Day in Tacna

            We started our morning by visiting CFAT – an agricultural school the government has developed for local farmers to attend cost free.  They grow olives and different varieties of fruit at CFAT.  The students learned how to properly grow, maintain, and harvest their crops.  They also get to keep the profit they make from the produce sold while attending this two-year program.   After touring CFAT’s facilities and looking at some of their different produce in the fields, we headed to our next stop.  We visited another Pisco distillery.  This distillery was a little different then some of the other ones we have visited because they also make macerado, which is a liquor that is made with different types of fruit.  We got to sample a cherry macerado and an apricot macerado. 

            We then had some free time to go shopping at the local markets in Tacna.  We were able to pick up our last souvenirs for our friends and family back home.  We then ate lunch at a local restaurant with Tacna Rotary club.  We then had the rest of the afternoon and evening free to pack our bags and spend time with our host families. 

Photos from the Conference

The fountain in the Plaza de Armas

The cathedral in the Plaza de Armas

The opening remarks on April 29th

The district governor, Carlos Capellino Rejas

The foreign exchange students and their friends at dinner

The Kallpa Suyay Rotary Club giving their performance

At dinner with some of the members of the Pisco Rotary Club

Giving our presentation at the lunch on April 30th

The group with Jose Miguel Oportus, from Chile, the representative for the President of Rotary International

The District Governor with Susan and Jennifer and his gifts from our team

The team all dressed up at the Gala

Some of the traditional dancers they had for us to watch at the Gala

The team with the President of the Chincha Rotary Club, Piero

The team with some of our friends from Arequipa - Pepe and Maria Theresa

At the flag raising ceremony on May 1st

The raising of the Peruvian flag

Some of the different Rotary clubs with their banners at the flag raising ceremony

The team with the Tacna Rotary Club

Prior to marching in the parade with our banners and Cody, a foreign exchange student

Some of the different groups after the parade outside the cathedral

The team at the final lunch of the conference

Details about the District 4300 Conference

        On April 29^th we attended the opening ceremonies for the Conference.  Our first event for the evening was a mass they had to welcome all Rotarians at the Cathedral in Tacna.  We then went to a nearby theater to hear opening remarks from several important people honored at the conference.   We ended our evening with dinner at a large reception hall. This was a great chance for us to see and visit with many of the clubs we met through out our month in Peru.  After dinner, different Rotary clubs put on a talent show.  There was dancing, singing, and small performances for us to see.  The whole show was very entertaining for everyone.  Kallpa Suyay was a club we met in Arequipa and they informed us that they had won the talent show the past two years.  They performed a rhythmic “stomp-like” performance.  And they took the title again this year.  We all had a wonderful time at the dinner. 

            On April 30^th we were asked to attend our final lunch meeting and give our presentation one last time.  We have been giving a presentation at every Rotary meeting we have attended but this was a little different because we had about 300 people to give the presentation to.   We were complimented several times on our presentation and they enjoyed our song, Gracias a la vida, very much.  After spending some time at our host family’s homes we then went to a formal dinner and dance they had planned for us.   Once again, this was another chance for us to spend time with some of the clubs we met earlier this month.  Also we got to dance with several of our new friends in Peru.  It was one of the funniest nights we have had in Peru.

            On May 1^st we started our morning early by attending a flag raising ceremony at the Plaza de Armas in the center of Tacna.  Rotary was a special guest at this flag raising and the different clubs at the conference presented their banners during a parade along the Plaza de Armas.  We then went to the theater and heard the closing remarks for the conference.  We ended our afternoon with our last official Rotary lunch at the conference.  We had the chance to say good-bye to many of our new friends in Peru.