A very warm reception was waiting for Ambassadorial Scholar Asca Tsushima and her support team - myself and the two Rotarians who she referred to as her "cheerleaders" or her "English Dad's" - David Briggs and Colin Harris from the Nuneaton Rotary Club. Still, Asca referred to me as a "very very very very young Rotarian", which has to be 4 "verys" too many!
The idea of a speaker's host is a nice tradition and a role played very well by Len Leibling at the Sutton Coldfield Vesey Rotary meeting this evening. He sat next to Asca and engaged her in conversation, showing a definite interest in what she had to say. The information he gleaned was then used to enhance his "vote of thanks", which was executed very well.
Asca's talk was very well received. It had changed yet again and this time we got to see her family for the first time. One Rotarian was able to take a more active role than usual though. Not only had he been to Japan and correctly identified her home island, but he was also a past Scholar who came to the District from India and several years later, had returned and become a Rotarian himself.
The questions were varied and interesting and, having carried out several presentations now, Asca was able to draw on previous questions and answers to help enhance the answers she gave this time. Several people commented on the standard of her English, which has become a common theme at her talks. One Rotarian felt that her accent was now "mid-Atlantic", so perhaps after a few more weeks it might have become "fully English"....
Another evening that was clearly a hit for both the speaker and the audience, so it is a "well done" to Asca and a big thank you both for the hospitality of the Rotary Club of Sutton Coldfield Vesey and to David and Colin for assisting with transport.