Thursday, February 4, 2010
Once my wife dropped me off in Portland at the airport and we met Vanessa Attfield, and said good-bye to her mother, Gayle, it was time to drag the checked luggage to the check-in counter for tagging. Since I had to take all of the team shirts with me, I had very little room for my own clothes and the work gloves. I had already touched base with Vanessa and asked if she had any room in her case to add some shirts and gloves. Out in the parking lot, we packed some shirts, gloves and Nerf baseballs in her case and then checked in.
Although I thought I would have to pay $50 for my second piece of checked luggage, somehow that got missed and we proceeded through to security. Once through that process, we sat and waited for our flight to be called. When that time arrived, Vanessa and I were both surprised to see TSA agents checking every bottle of water. Each person carrying water or other drinks was asked to remove the cap. The agent then held a small white stick about a half-inch above the opened bottle, removed it and then placed one drop of chemical on the stick. Evidently they are trying to detect specific gases which might be explosive, and then confiscate the bottle from the passenger. Fortunately, nobody on our flight was carrying dangerous substances, so the flight took off on time.
About five minutes into the flight, the gentleman who sat next to me said, "Thank you for being a Rotarian!" I asked him why he had said that and he began to share part of his own story. His first wife had been an Ambassadorial Scholar of The Rotary Foundation, studying for her Masters degree in France. That is where he had met her. In addition, his step-daughter had participated in the Youth Exchange program of Rotary International when she was sixteen, traveling to one of the easternmost areas of Russia, near the border with China. Although, as he put it, "Rotary in Russia is entirely different from Rotary in the United States", his daughter was enriched by her experience, which he felt had helped shape her life. Finally, he and his family had hosted a Youth Exchange student from Brazil, and my new friend felt he had a new member of his family.
We chatted throughout the flight, and I shared with him what our Team's mission is: to immunize as many children as we can on February 7 - the National Immunization Day (NID) against polio in India. With the expected tens of thousands of volunteers, both Rotarian and non-Rotarian, we will hope to be successful in immunizing between 150 and 175 million children under the age of five years, and all in one day! He was astounded at those figures and was pleased to learn more about Rotary and its mission to END POLIO NOW!
It turns out Simon is an artist and a sculptor and lives in Lincolnville, Maine. I asked him if he were a Rotarian and he told me he was not. We discussed it further and he concluded, "I own my own small business, so I guess there is no real reason why I should not be a member of Rotary!" Hopefully, one of the two Rotary clubs in the Camden, Maine area will become his new home, at least once a week.
Once we landed in Newark, I was pleased to learn we did not have to pass through security, as we were already on the "right side of the wall". Vanessa and I decided to get smoothies and sat outside in the concourse, people-watching and enjoying our drinks. About a half-hour after we sat down, my mobile phone rang and the person on the other end of the call was the former team leader for the Group Study Exchange team, that had visited from Turkey and been hosted by Rotarians in our district, a few years ago.
I knew Cengiz was participating in a gift show in New York but did not think he would be able to take the time away from the show to travel from the Big Apple all the way out to the airport and then to find the right terminal. I passed through security, while Vanessa kindly watched our carry-on bags. Cengiz and I had about an hour to visit and to catch up on my family and his, as well as many Rotary friends he had met when the GSE team visited us. It was wonderful to see him and to catch up on the news of the other team members and to learn that he and his wife and daughter may be returning to the US in late spring or early summer, and planning on coming up to see us in Maine. What a special treat for me! It is all part of what I call "Rotary Magic"!
Now the other members of the ROTARY DREAM TEAM - INDIA 2010 ought to be arriving, so I will put my net book away until later.
Once my wife dropped me off in Portland at the airport and we met Vanessa Attfield, and said good-bye to her mother, Gayle, it was time to drag the checked luggage to the check-in counter for tagging. Since I had to take all of the team shirts with me, I had very little room for my own clothes and the work gloves. I had already touched base with Vanessa and asked if she had any room in her case to add some shirts and gloves. Out in the parking lot, we packed some shirts, gloves and Nerf baseballs in her case and then checked in.
Although I thought I would have to pay $50 for my second piece of checked luggage, somehow that got missed and we proceeded through to security. Once through that process, we sat and waited for our flight to be called. When that time arrived, Vanessa and I were both surprised to see TSA agents checking every bottle of water. Each person carrying water or other drinks was asked to remove the cap. The agent then held a small white stick about a half-inch above the opened bottle, removed it and then placed one drop of chemical on the stick. Evidently they are trying to detect specific gases which might be explosive, and then confiscate the bottle from the passenger. Fortunately, nobody on our flight was carrying dangerous substances, so the flight took off on time.
About five minutes into the flight, the gentleman who sat next to me said, "Thank you for being a Rotarian!" I asked him why he had said that and he began to share part of his own story. His first wife had been an Ambassadorial Scholar of The Rotary Foundation, studying for her Masters degree in France. That is where he had met her. In addition, his step-daughter had participated in the Youth Exchange program of Rotary International when she was sixteen, traveling to one of the easternmost areas of Russia, near the border with China. Although, as he put it, "Rotary in Russia is entirely different from Rotary in the United States", his daughter was enriched by her experience, which he felt had helped shape her life. Finally, he and his family had hosted a Youth Exchange student from Brazil, and my new friend felt he had a new member of his family.
We chatted throughout the flight, and I shared with him what our Team's mission is: to immunize as many children as we can on February 7 - the National Immunization Day (NID) against polio in India. With the expected tens of thousands of volunteers, both Rotarian and non-Rotarian, we will hope to be successful in immunizing between 150 and 175 million children under the age of five years, and all in one day! He was astounded at those figures and was pleased to learn more about Rotary and its mission to END POLIO NOW!
It turns out Simon is an artist and a sculptor and lives in Lincolnville, Maine. I asked him if he were a Rotarian and he told me he was not. We discussed it further and he concluded, "I own my own small business, so I guess there is no real reason why I should not be a member of Rotary!" Hopefully, one of the two Rotary clubs in the Camden, Maine area will become his new home, at least once a week.
Once we landed in Newark, I was pleased to learn we did not have to pass through security, as we were already on the "right side of the wall". Vanessa and I decided to get smoothies and sat outside in the concourse, people-watching and enjoying our drinks. About a half-hour after we sat down, my mobile phone rang and the person on the other end of the call was the former team leader for the Group Study Exchange team, that had visited from Turkey and been hosted by Rotarians in our district, a few years ago.
I knew Cengiz was participating in a gift show in New York but did not think he would be able to take the time away from the show to travel from the Big Apple all the way out to the airport and then to find the right terminal. I passed through security, while Vanessa kindly watched our carry-on bags. Cengiz and I had about an hour to visit and to catch up on my family and his, as well as many Rotary friends he had met when the GSE team visited us. It was wonderful to see him and to catch up on the news of the other team members and to learn that he and his wife and daughter may be returning to the US in late spring or early summer, and planning on coming up to see us in Maine. What a special treat for me! It is all part of what I call "Rotary Magic"!
Now the other members of the ROTARY DREAM TEAM - INDIA 2010 ought to be arriving, so I will put my net book away until later.
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