Wowza Yowza!!! On Tuesday nite I was invited to the changeover party for the outgoing club president, Brian McMath, and the incoming president, Roger Gower. It was a whirlwind event with lots of good people and lots of good times. It was great to see the club members dressed up in all their finest! Unfortunately, I was a little under dressed because my luggage still has not shown up. Still, as you'll read, I was made to feel very welcome and I feel lucky to have been assigned to such a pro-active club.
That evening Bill and Trish picked me up at my flat and then we went to pick up Nicolas Spillmann, the current district governor. I learned quite a bit on the drive because Nicolas spoke with me about the range and history of district 9920. In case you didn't know, the district encompasses 8 countries and includes: New Zealand, Fiji, Cook Islands, Tonga, American Samoa, Western Samoa, Kiribati, and French Polynesia! During our conversation, I realized just how rusty my French is because much of the conversation was in French, Nicolas's first language. Don't worry though, I've already scheduled some language lessons to help me get my French back up to par.
Anyway, upon arriving to the venue, we checked in and Bill introduced me to what seemed like a hundred people, but was much less I'm sure. Everyone was very pleasant and I enjoyed myself immensely. This club takes service above self very seriously and I was gobsmacked to see and hear about their past endeavors. All of which have been very successful. Hopefully, I'll be able to make a meaningful contribution to their future initiatives. BTW, here is a link to a newsletter that was just sent me that includes some photos of the festivities that night for your viewing pleasure:)
Over the course of the night, there were lots of laughs and a good time was had by all, especially me. It seemed like every time I turned around, there was someone else shaking my hand and telling me how excited they were that I was there. It was all very flattering, to say the least. This is a collection of exceptional people and I feel lucky to be part of this group for the next year. So all in all, the evening was a great introduction to the club!
Finally, yes...my luggage is still missing, but I'm optimistic that my bags will show up soon. On a more positive note, I've gotten most of my school stuff sorted and am very happy about it all. I've got a swish new office that I share with the other PhD students in the Management School and I'll try to upload photos soon. Thanks!!
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