Thank you!

As I sit in my hotel in New York thinking back over the past month of GSE, I am overwhelmed by the amazing adventure!  I would like to thank everyone who made this possible, an extra-ordinary feat.  I would like to thank everyone I met along the way, you made it what it was, and the laughs and good times we had together were fantastic.  I have an amazing repertoire of vocational information to incorporate into my work practices and policies.  I would like to thank all my host families - your hospitality and generosity has been amazing! I have developed friendships that will, hopefully, sustain over distance and time.  I have memories that I will cherish.  I would like to thank Holroyd Rotary Club for sponsoring me, and for giving me this amazing opportunity!!!!

I would like to thank my GSE team - an amazing bunch of people!  David, Teresa and Robyn - we did so much - our 5000-odd kilometres in the juggernaut, Rotary visits, and vocational visits, snorts, laughs and good times!  What a month!  What a team!  "It's all good!" :-)

Sleep Well - Thursday Night

Its hard to go to sleep for a number of reasons.

• My GSE adventure is drawing to a close (sadness and thinking of the many memories)
• I am heading home in a couple of days  (excitement)
• Concern for the excess luggage I am going to have to pay for (....door mat)
• Not wanting to miss the alarm for our early morning drive to the airport
• Backing up 7200 photos onto my Ipod.

Its hard to put into words what the last 4 weeks have been like.  From our blogs, photos, sms, postcards and emails I am sure that you all have a sense of the fun, variety of vocational visits, people we have met, places we have seen, the food we have eaten (Cant wait to get back to fitness classes), the support and friendship shown by everyone we have met.

For me the key parts of my GSE adventure have been:

• The support I have received from home
• The warmth and friendship of every Rotary club, every Rotarian & their partners
• The way in which we were hosted by every club, every host family and the various vocational visits that were arranged for us.
• Being able to reflect upon my skills, knowledge and abilities in my current role and in any role or position that I will have in the future.  It has given me my confidence back in knowing that I am a very capable individual and will succeed now and into the future.
• Sharing this experience with David (who is now one of the girls), Amanda and Robyn - I was lucky to share this with you all.  Thank you for your support, laughter, red bull and snorts.

A big thank you to the Penrith Valley Rotary Club for sponsoring me and in particular Linda Rios and Graeme Wilson for encouraging me to apply.  I look forward to attending a meeting to share with you my exchange.

Love to all

Teresa

Thank You

As we are about to conclude the "best ever GSE" (a throwback from the Sydney Olympics) I would like to express formally our heartfelt felt thanks to many people.
Firstly, as the team leader, I want to thank my team. Without you guys this would not have been successful; without you being who you are would not have been so much fun. I have truly had a ball. I think I have learnt to be a girl and can now appreciate shopping and finger nails as they are meant to be. I sincerely thank each of you for the friendship and professionalism you have shown to the whole exchange program and to the ideals of Rotary.
Thank you to the Rotary Foundation, and to the many clubs' contributions who have made this exchange possible.
Thank you to my own club, Lower Blue Mountains, who sponsored me and saw the value in my representing them and the district on this journey.
Thank you, too, to the sponsor clubs of Teresa (Penrith Valley), Amanda (Holroyd), and Robyn (Prospect) who recognised these young professionals and encouraged them to apply for GSE.
Thank you to Paul back home and the GSE committee for supporting us throughout the selection and training process. I think we done good!
To our host District, and DG Chris, and Linda and the host committee, we really appreciate the effort you have gone to to put together a great program.
To our host clubs and everyone who participated in the program over the past four weeks, how can we ever show our appreciation? Everybody has gone out of their way in some way or another, either driving for a day, hosting a pot luck dinner, inviting a team leader for a beer, or in numerous other ways, thanks a lot. We shall never forget you.
To our vocational day hosts, we also appreciate the effort you have gone to to show us your workplaces. Whether it was a school, airport, call centre, golf course, library or courthouse we had a fantastic experience and can take back a little of New Hampshire and Vermont experiences.
Everybody who took time to particaipate in some way or another has helped to make this Group Study Exchange so memorable. Thanks.
And finally to our partners and families back home - we have missed you greatly and look forward to meeting again soon and sharing our experiences. We thank you for your love and support.

Tonight we had a great farwell dinner, hosted by the Nashua Rotary Club and we now move on.
We shall keep up the blog as independent travellers for a few more weeks and then soon we will meet again in Sydney to conclude the experiences.
THANK YOU EVERYBODY