First Message

Hallo!!!!

My first message in my first blog.
The paperwork is done!! The tickets are booked!!

But why in English?
Well..... I really have to practice my english and my family and friends can read and speak english (Long live the primary and secundary school) so it doesnt really matter in which language they read it. A more important reason is so the friends from Amerika can read our blog. They get to know us a little better by reading what were up to and communicating in english. Soon I will add my personal biography to my blog.  

The theme of the trip is 'Conflict management'.
At this point we are preparing the presentations for the USA.
In the next weeks we are going to visit the Rotary clubs in district 1590 (Overijssel, Drenthe, Friesland and Groningen) who nominated us for the GSE 2011.
Every teammember is preparing a short presentation about him/hereself, the work he/she does, the person he/she is and the expectations and wishes about the trip.
Thom (our teamcaptain) is preparing a piece about the Rotary club in Southern California and The Netherlands.
Besides the small presentations we are preparing for larger presentations we going to give in California at different clubs and meetings.
This presentation is about The Netherlands;  history, folklore, industry, politics and the way we live in The Netherlands. Dutch news does not travel to America (most of the times)!! 

The last meeting we discussed the program we reseved from our american friends. It was a concept but we were already excited. For example we are going to visit a Peace Studies Proggram @ the Chapman University Film and TV school and @ University of California Irvine.

University of California Irvine

Dana Point Harbor.

We also visit the Ocean Institute and take a trip to the beautiful San Diego.
We are really getting spoiled bij the visit to Disneyland. Go sightseeing in Long Beach, including Long Beach Harbor, Queen Mary and visit the Aquarium of the Pacific.

Queen Mary

Besides al these important, beautiful en fun trips we have a lot of 'vocational days'. In these days we visit organisations and institutes that look like the ones we work in back in The Netherlands. We are going to look for differences, agreements, talk to professionals and learn from each other.

We discuss the impressions about each other.

Enough for now........... I have to get back to my presentation

Lots of work to do (haha)!!!

gr Ellen