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.