Spent the morning at the conference. Listened a little to the Inner Wheel portion and walked around a bit. Ate food. We went shopping at a local bazaar but it was like going to a ShopRite at home. My host said there are more of these shopping malls or bazaars appearing and they are popular because a person can get everything in one spot. They are few and far in between and fairly small and therefore haven’t really affected the local small businesses at all like the big stores in America.
Had a rest at my host’s home then he took us to a few smaller stores to buy trinkets and gifts for home. I have absolutely no room in my suitcase so I didn’t really buy anything.
Back to Conference. We listened to one of the speakers for a little, ate more food (my appetite for Indian food is back and the saree my host dressed me in was rather tight), listened to music, drank beer (not me), watched cultural dances, and went home to bed. I repacked everything in preparation for going to Goa tomorrow and I wrote down the final version of my speech for tomorrow morning. I could do a lot better but it will be about 2 min 20 sec, just within the allotted time and written on short notice.
Here it is:
Namaste’ friends; and I really feel that I can call you friends. Our journey through your district has permanently changed our lives and I hope that we have been able to impact yours as well.
When I was accepted to the GSE team to go to India, I had hopes of learning about your Emergency Medical Services systems, in addition to this, I have learned so much about the people, the culture, and society. My experience in India has even changed the way I view my own country, the United States of America.
In America I work as an Emergency Medical Technician Instructor. I teach students how to give emergency treatment to patients who are having a medical problem or are injured and I teach them how to transport them by ambulance to the hospital. My students can then give to their communities by helping others in need. I have had the opportunity to visit a number of hospitals and clinics and I have made some important contacts here in India. I will be fascinated to see the development of emergency medicine in India in the coming years.
Just as important to me, if not more important than the vocational activities, we have also been observing and learning about the culture of India and its people. We were instructed to bring an open mind but instead I feel India has opened our minds. Unlike America, India is really about the people. It is not about the large population, it is about the interrelations of the people. This has become very evident to us as we have visited many cities and stayed with a variety of hosts. We have experienced the generosity of Indians towards their communities and their devotion to the beautiful culture and heritage of India. We have been especially impressed with the variety of medical and educational projects the Rotarians of India are doing to benefit the people. The theme of this conference is aatithya, the spirit of hospitality, and this seems to be the theme of our visit as well.
I will be sad to leave India as it seems we have just arrived here but I am looking forward to returning home and sharing my experiences with the people of America. I would like to give thanks to the Rotary International, the Foundation, my hosts, and everyone who has made this experience possible for us. Thank you!