Tag: Ambassadorial Scholars
Nov 22, 2011 8:00 PM
Traffic meant that it took quite a while to get to Aston University to collect Donnelle to take her to her speaking engagement at Shipston on Stour Rotary Club. As always a very warm welcome was awaiting us and Paul had driven up from Swindon to support as well.
The President did a welcome to us in verse which he said was in honour of my poetic nature which I found very touching. Donelle gave a great talk about herself and Jamaica. It was well presented and kept everyone's attention. We all...
Oct 21, 2011 7:45 PM
When I got home I found the house full of lovely smells coming from the kitchen where Paul and Donnelle, our Jamaican Ambassadorial Scholar, were preparing the food for the evening. Every month Paul is involved with a church group that look at different cultures. Because Donnelle is here Paul arranged for this one to be on Jamaica. Donnelle had prepared a really good quality presentation with information on Jamaica's history and culture. This was then followed by tasting the food the two of...
Aug 13, 2011 3:30 PM
Paul and I drove across to Birmingham Airport to meet Robert, an ambassadorial scholar, from Germany. The plane arrived near enough on time and it did not take long for Robert to come through. His English is great so we were able to hold a conversation immediately. As his lodgings were not ready until the next day we soon had a room ready for him to stay with us. He fitted in straight away and we enjoyed his company. Paul took him to his lodgings on Sunday afternoon after lunch and Robert had...
Feb 7, 2011 7:30 PM
This is an event Paul and I attend most years. It is a chance for Ambassadorial Scholars to share something of themselves and their culture with Rotarians and their partners. This year 2 of our ambassadorial scholars (Shu-Han from Taiwan and Asami from Japan) were able to make it as well as Laura, our returning scholar from Australia. Edvinas, our Youth Exchange student, came as well to meet Rotarians but he will have his own speaking engagement at the club in a few weeks time....
Oct 18, 2010 8:00 PM
It was lovely to go back to visit Kinver Club. An ambassadorial scholar from Taiwan was the main speaker and for me it was good to meet up with Paul there as he had driven down to Swindon and back in the day and was going down again after the meeting - there's dedication to our scholars for you. I loved sitting with the club members - we had a really jovial chat over dinner and then settled back to hear Shu Han speak about her country. She showed several video clips that gave a real feel for...
Sep 19, 2010 4:15 PM
We had the delight of hosting Asca for one evening before she departed back to Japan at the end of her studies. We have been very fortunate to see Asca a lot over the last year and she has been a great student. She came to spend a night with us. She got to meet our new youth exchange 'son' and we all went out for an Indian meal at Paul and my favourite Indian restaurant. We really hope she enjoys being back with her family and soon finds a job to suit her obvious skills.
Apr 11, 2010 8:40 AM
It was touch and go but we managed to get back from Scotland on time to get to the GSE Team farewell event that the Rotary Club of Wylde Green hosted. It had taken 8.5 hours to get home from Scotland and so we literally just had time to chuck things out of the car into the front room, have a quick change of clothes and get back out. We bought 3 of the Lithuanian New Generations Exchange Team, 1 Japanese Ambassadorial Scholar and Paul's dad (a member of Sheffield Probus) with us.
John Quinton...
Apr 5, 2010 10:00 AM
A minibus and car full of people (13) and their luggage set off for Glasgow. The team was made up of 6 Lithuanian New Generation Exchange Team members, 1 Japanese Ambassadorial Scholar, 1 ex Japanese Ambassadorial Scholar, 1 Malawian ex Ambassadorial Scholar, 1 Brazilian friend from church, Paul's dad and the two of us.
Beautiful scenery was passed through and we settled into a hotel for the night. The next day it poured with rain as we wandered around Glasgow and then headed off...
Mar 15, 2010 8:00 PM
As I had been unable to attend John Fraser's funeral I had wanted to go and visit his club and tonight was my chance. A nice drive over to the Fox Inn near Kinver was followed by a great meeting. Ryoko Abe, one of our Japanese Scholars, spoke and we were joined by another 7 or 8 from Pershore Club. A prospective member came as well.
A really nice atmosphere filled the room all night as the banter spread across the tables. A fair amount of fining took place but all was good...
Mar 4, 2010 7:15 PM
I managed to not get lost tonight and found the venue easily for a change. Both of our Ambassadorial Scholars gave a talk to the club members and their guests giving insight into Japan and what they have learnt about our culture and country. They also told us about their studies and future intentions.
The club had several guests and partners come for the evening which was great as it gave the students a good sized audience to speak to and gave a great feeling of fellowship in the venue.
The...
Feb 8, 2010 7:30 PM
This is an event I attend annually and this year was as good as ever. It was nice to see Peter Ramage, District Foundation Chairman, come across as he had already heard the speakers at the Foundation Seminar. It was nice to see the partners of club members there as well.
It was great to have Jessica Sequera back to speak as an ex Ambassadorial Scholar who remained in Birmingham after her course and has now been made an honorary Rotarian by the Lichfield Club. We also heard...
Feb 3, 2010 7:30 PM
Orientations should always be held like this - over a nice Indian meal in my favourite restaurant. Paul and I took Laura Keenan out for a meal which as she has spent a lot of time in India we knew would not be a problem. It was good to get to know her better and to discuss through with her the expectations of the Ambassadorial Scholarship programme.
We covered things like the content of her speeches to clubs, the balance of work and Rotary events, ensuring she sees something of...
Dec 28, 2009 7:00 PM
Paul and I took Asca (Ambassadorial Scholar) to the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry to see its production of the Beauty and the Beast Pantomime. As usual it was a great production with great costumes and all the features you would expect to see in a pantomime. Asca took to it easily and seemed to enjoy the evening. At least she did not demand much explanation of the structures of pantomime (explaining women dressed as men and vice versa gets so complicated sometimes!).
We all joined in...
Dec 21, 2009 11:00 AM
We took Hana and Niki (from the Czech Republic) and Asca and Maiko (2 Ambassadorial Scholars) to St. David's on the Pembrokeshire Coast for a couple of days. A lovely Landmark Trust property became our home for our time there with the most fantastic view over St. David's Cathedral. It was incredibly icy which made the walk down to the Cathedral lethal and quite amusing to watch us sliding down and trying to find sloping grass verges to walk on to keep upright for a short period. We went to...
Oct 10, 2009 10:00 AM
Although the venue itself was not really ready for us we eventually got breakfast and onto the important part of the meeting...the scholars' presentations. Ryoko had been practising all night and was very nervous before her speech but she needn't have been as she did exceedingly well. Asca also performed really well and although they both come from Japan their presentations were very different.
It was great to have 24 of us there to support the students including Clement who was a previous...
Aug 29, 2009 7:45 PM
It was time to meet up with another ambassadorial scholar for a meal to say goodbye. Tonight was our chance to take Luiza Teixeira out especially as she was in celebratory mood as she had finished writing her dissertation. She has spent a lot of the year studying very hard which we hope will pay off greatly for her.
We had a nice Italian meal in a local restaurant and were able to appreciate how much her time here has meant to her. She is very grateful for the chance to do the...
Aug 21, 2009 7:30 PM
Paul and I met up with Sasha Chou in Birmingham to have a farewell meal with her before her flight to New York on Monday where she has an internment for 9 months. We had a very pleasant evening at Cafe Rouge overlooking the canal behind the Mailbox.It was lovely to hear her stories of her study and her experiences here including the amusing story of being locked in the faculty building overnight because she lost track of time whilst working. A sleepless night on chairs staring at a poster of...
Jul 19, 2009 11:15 PM
Was great to be at another event put on by Paul and the students. Yet again they were so professional and put my presentations to shame. Despite dreadful weather many people turned up to listen to them and to wish them well for their future. I am sure they were not disappointed.
Paul had spent Saturday evening and much of Sunday preparing the main course food and Hannah and Jan Denning had prepared desserts which were lovely. Courses were interspersed with presentations from the students...
