Back to Basics

Before I can tell you about where I am, I have to tell you about where I've been ... let's rewind to early 2009.

"Rotary District 7890, comprising of Rotary Clubs in Northern Connecticut and Western Massachusetts, has selected four non-Rotarians and a Rotary Team Leader to travel to Thailand as the 2009 Group Study Exchange. The team will depart on Sunday, February 15, from Bradley International Airport.

The Group Study Exchange (GSE) of The Rotary Foundation is a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for businesspeople and professionals between the ages of 25 and 40 who are in the early stages of their careers. The program provides travel grants for teams to exchange visits in paired areas of different countries. For four weeks, team members experience the host country’s culture and institutions, observe how their vocations are practiced abroad, develop personal and professional relationships, and exchange ideas.

This year’s team includes three individuals from the Springfield, MA, area and one from Manchester, CT. Brett Gearing is the director of the structured credit group of Babson Capital and is sponsored by the Springfield Rotary Club; Natasha Clark is a reporter for The Reminder publications and is sponsored by the East Longmeadow Rotary Club; Magdalena Jaroszewicz is a product marketing manager at Lenox Tools and is sponsored by the West Springfield Rotary Club; and Jacelyn Lopez is an aircraft engineer with Pratt & Whitney and is sponsored by the Manchester Rotary Club. The team leader is Rotarian Aileen Witkowski of the Putnam (CT) Rotary Club.

The team will participate in a rewarding, once-in-a lifetime experience and will return home with a broadened cultural perspective and new understanding of a nation’s history, language, commerce and government. A GSE offers a unique opportunity to develop leadership skills, work on team building, and increase self-confidence. The program is designed to have an invaluable impact on the career of these young professionals in an increasingly global workplace by creating networking opportunities and lifelong friendships.

While in Thailand, the US team will stay with host families from the local Rotary District and will move to a new location every few days. The Thailand team will arrive at Bradley International on March 28 and will stay with host families from the Springfield, Franklin County, Simsbury and Windsor Rotary Clubs over a four-week period."