Paula meets Europe

One of the best parts of this Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship has been the opportunity to meet dozens of Rotarians across the Netherlands. I have given Rotary presentations at many Rotary clubs here. I have talked about West Virginia and shared facets of my amazing home state. The connections and pals I have made through Rotary have been blessings. When I did not have housing my first two weeks in the Netherlands, who housed me? A Rotary family. When a friend was visiting, who hosted us for dinner? A Rotarian. Rotarians were also there to help me get my first bike, and help me acclimate in every way to this new country.

Of course, this is all possible because of the Rotary clubs in West Virginia who believe that sending young people to other countries as cultural ambassadors helps both Appalachia and the world, by spreading goodwill and increasing knowledge. Thank you all~! I want to also thank my host club in Utrecht for inviting me to go on an all-expense paid trip across Europe tomorrow. For the next sixteen days I am helping chaperone 30 high school students on a tour of Europe. Without the Utrecht Rotary club (which I would not know without West Virginia Rotarians!) this trip would simply not happen.

Though I have been to a few incredible European and Scandinavian countries this year, there is still much to see. I visited Paris—amazing! I went to Berlin for a class trip—eye-opening; and visited family in Stockholm Sweden in winter—cold and unforgettable. However, there are so many places in Europe to go to. The truth is, I’m not as fearless as I would like to be. While an intrepid adventurer on my home turf—America—when it comes to being abroad, I sometimes get cold feet. I’m not one of those folks that hops on a plane each month to visit a new country(something many of my friends do while abroad, and something I applaud them for.) Sometimes someone has to light a match behind me to get me to jump! For this reason, I am so fortunate to have been invited by Rotary to visit a host of countries for two weeks. Rotary is the match, and I am sure I’m going to have one blazing-awesome time. When I get back I will supply you with colorful words about the trip. My schedule is the following: Berlin (3 days); Prague (2 days); Vienna (2 day); Venice (2 days); Rome (2 days); Barcelona (3 days); and Paris (2 days). It is going to be an awesome trip! Thank you all.

Paula