Day Two Dinner with Friends

After a long day of meeting, project visitations and conferencing, it was time to socialize and relax. Each Mexican Club was matched with members of a California club for hospitality in the home of a Rotarian, hosted by his or her club. Here you see Rotary Club of Sebastopol Sunrise and Club Rotario Xalisco at the home of Antonio Silva Gonzalez and Margarita Soltero

Here we are, all together

Day Two Late Lunch After Project Visitations

After we had visited the available projects, we got together for a late afternoon meal at Campo Real, a fine seafood restaurant and bar. Check them out at http://www.restaurantcamporeal.com/. The food was excellent, the ambiance marvelous! We felt so lucky to be there. Campo Real is owned by Rotarian Fernando (Fer) Orozco, who with his wife Camenita and his two young sons (they are called the Rotaritos here) have been hosting us.  Fer is Presidente 2009-10 of the Club Rotario Tepic Nayar.

Our intrepid FestivalDirector Dale Ann Knight with Dalia

Day Two Project Visitations

After our orientation, we had the opportunity to visit some of the projects proposed and also some past successful ones.  Here are some photos taken from a proposed project.  It is one of many.  We hope to post others soon. But for now, look at these photos. They are from the Centro De Atencion y Desarrollo Infantil, a project of the Club Rotario Xalisco.  This program provides pre-school services for children aged 1-5 years.  The program serves children of unwed self employed mothers while the mother is working. The government does not provide preschool or daycare. If the mothers can not take their children to work and can not afford services, those children would otherwise be left at home unattended.

A few years ago, 3 children died in a home fire while their mother was away.

The environment was clean, well organized and wholesome. There was a visible difference in the health and abilities of the children who were new to the program and those who had the benefit of having been served for awhile. Those first few years are so critical to the adult these youngsters will become, this is a compelling program.

Here we are in the new section of the building discussing the funds necessary to complete the building.  It would allow the program to expand from the current 95 child capacity to 250!.  Construction is not something we can use Rotary Foundation funds for.  But once the building is completed we could equip it with matching grants. The current request is to find money inside or outside of Rotary clubs to match what the Rotarians here are doing.  If we can secure, $25,000,  they will do the same. This club has been very resourceful in securing local support. Their work allows mothers to work, children to be safe, and starts children off on an even playing field with others.

Day 2 Our Orientation into projects

The Tepic area Rotary Clubs joined us for a morning meeting to overview the projects they are working on currently, and the ones in the planning stages. These clubs are resourceful and their projects are awesome!.

Each club  had developed proposals with overview, rationale, specific requests and developed specific budgets.  In every case they are putting their own money and efforts in these programs, their work is all volunteer. They never proposed that we help with something they were not investing in themselves.  Would we had resources to invest in every one of these. We will have to visit, discuss, prioritize and choose according to the resources available.

Our Welcoming Reception

Towards the end of a long and eventful day, we were invited to welcoming receptions. So as to make that welcome more intimate, we were divided into two groups for dinner parties with little in the line of speeches and lots of chatting and reunion.  We were hosted by the Club Tepic Paraiso, an active and strong all women's club. We were greeted by Assistant District Governor Carlos Gutierrez and his charming wife Coyhita.

We got to the Hotel Fray Junipero Serra https://www.hotelfrayjunipero.com/ early in the afternoon. A few intrepid souls went shopping, the rest of us to our respective rooms for showers, naps and to settle in. We are right on the downtown plaza of a town of appx. 400,000 people. This is the view from an upstairs bedroom.

Guadalajara!!!!!!!! Mexican Airline is hospitable and nice, still when you to fly from 1:00 A.M to 6:30 A.M. you could wish for softer beds; ) Some of us had difficulty sleeping; the rest didn't sleep at all! Mike Merrill was very excited when he saw what he thought was going to be his ride.

Good thing there was a great bus and good friends waiting for us. First thing was breakfast at tn airport hotel. We were greeted by our fabulous Mexican leader Marguarita de Alba and a cadre of Rotarians to ease our transition. Our breakfast was attended and hosted by District 4130's District Governor.

After our respite we loaded the bus for Tepic - about 2 hours north and west.

Now we had great comfort - reclining seats, private bath, view windows and drinks. Some watched the scenery and caught some winks. What a nice trip!.

SFO to Guadalajara on the Night Cruise

So there we all were, we were the ones who wanted the direct flight on Mexican Airlines - that only flys at night and saves a stop in Mexico City. We got there early and took off at 1:00 AM (that is not a typo).

So Who Are We?

We are ordinary people who do extraordinary things.  We are just a few of the 1.2 million members of Rotary International with membership open to every race, religion, and political persuasion. We work together to promote world peace through understanding.  Take a few minutes to view the attached 4 minute youtube video to set us in context. When you have finished the video, please select the "back" button and check regularly for posts. We think you are going to like this.

http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D6vVyG0TJBWM&source=video&vgc=rss&usg=AFQjCNFKiZ-wxgO5GMI3yQaBSAQOMt2JdA