A day in the life of a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar from South Africa

What does it actually mean to be a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar? It is not just to study...but more importantly, become one of the local community, do service projects, make speeches, learn about the local people and culture, and share about myself and where I'm from.

I am so thankful for my time here in Victoria, British Columbia - I know it was the right decision to spend a year in this unique place, where I've learned increased independence and expanded my worldview immensely. Thank you ROTARY INTERNATIONAL and DISTRICT 9350 for choosing me as your cultural ambassador and for your generous scholarship - I've represented South Africa to the best of my ability, connecting not only with Canadians but also with graduate students from various different countries and other South Africans at an International Conference in Toronto.

Canada is best known for their maple syrup, multiculturalism, free health care, hockey, Mounties, bears and not to forget the beaver, but after having an insider perspective Canada to me also represents:

- Friendly and fun people

- Educational opportunities



- Beautiful scenery


- Outdoor activities



- and Unforgettable and inspiring friendships.



Some of the puzzle pieces that help form this amazing experience include attending conferences in Toronto and Vancouver, watching Olympic and Paralympic events in Whistler and Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Games and meeting the South African Paralympic athlete Bruce Warner



and also appearing on the daily news talking about 'Paralympic excitement'



I also had the opportunity to work with some leading edge researchers, teach classes at the University, train National Special Olympic Athletes, travel to 10 different States in America, meet the Senator of Tennessee



learn how to surf, kayak, play slow pitch and basketball and daily watch deer graze in our front yard.



Rotary hopes to promote peace and prosperity throughout the world by building a vast network of communication and by spreading the common value of helping where and however each person and each club can and I hope to continue to stay involved with Rotary for the rest of my life. I hope to encourage students to try for the Ambassadorial Scholarship, and I hope to promote the continued funding of Ambassadorial Scholarships among Rotarians.

This is such a valuable program for acquainting South Africans with new places and new ways of life. It gives me such inspiration, it is such a wonderful challenge, and it feels so good to volunteer that I know that it will always be an integral part of my life. I am hoping to travel a fair amount in my work. Hopefully I will be able to help start Rotary, Rotaract, and Interact clubs in the places where I travel. At the moment, I will do whatever I can to help Rotary and to help future Ambassadorial Scholars.

My years of service have taught me that working for a better world is not always easy. But every time I faced tough challenges or lost my sense of efficacy, my community of like-minded individuals would unfailingly come to the rescue.

It would be a privilege and I look forward to sharing with Rotarians and outside organizations alike the importance and impact of the work of Rotary International.

Chapter 12: Whistler

After dreaming about it for a couple of years, I had the opportunity to spend some time in Whistler for a few days.



It was an amazing trip, talking at the Rotary club and spending time with some very kind and friendly people. (A big THANK YOU to David and Rosemary Malaher, Sheila Walker, Joanne Younker and Brian Rode)



It was snowing a lot while I was there, and I think it will take me more than a couple of days to get tired of the snow. It is so magical!

I felt kind of out of place (not being use to all the snow), but when I walked into a store or mostly Starbucks it was normal for people to ask how it is up there today...guess I looked like a local ;) ... The first time I had to break the news that I have actually never ski/snowboarded and that for now I am just here enjoying the scenery.

But then the next time I got a little more creative and it went something like this. "O yeah, it's amazing, I woke up early this morning to get up the hill - outer limit (expert, double diamond slope) for fresh tracks, it was snowing so much my tracks were erased almost instantly when I made them, I hope the weather stays like this because we want to go Heli-skiing tomorrow."

I did tell them the truth in the end, and we all had a good laugh.



School has been going very well, I have been getting involved with some very interesting and exciting projects and I'm really looking forward to the 2nd semester starting in Jan.



If this looks complicated, don't worry I'm right there with you. The more I learn about Neural Science the more fascinating it gets, and no, I do not consider myself a nerd or anything of that nature. Rather like the very respected Brian Regan would say "I am a learner of things". :)

Some highlights:

• I booked my ticket to go to South Africa in July, yay!
• I have been learning a lot making presentations at different Rotary clubs, it truly is a unique and wonderful opportunity.
• The most important lesson I have learned lately is that it really doesn't matter where you are, but who you are with. -People and relationships are one of the most important things in this life -
  

I wish everyone a wonderful Christmas and may 2010 blow your socks off!

Love it!

- Charles Swindoll -

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.

It is more important than appearance, giftedness, skill. It will make or break a company, church, a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change the inevitable.

The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you...we are in charge of our attitudes!"

- Mother Teresa -

"People are often unreasonable, & self centered -
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives -
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends, & some genuine enemies -
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest & sincere people may deceive you -
Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight -
Create anyway.
If you find serenity & happiness, some may be jealous -
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today will often be forgotten. -
Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it may never be enough -
Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God -
It was never between you and them anyway!"

Chapter 11: Family wedding, Halloween and Olympic Torch Relay

Anne Lamott - Bird by bird "Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he'd had three months to write. It was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother's shoulder, and said, 'Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird."

This is a great little story, that I just heard, and it made me think of my situation at the moment and I found it very encouraging. "Article by article, Lizette. Just take it article by article."

So I always knew Grad Studies are pretty intense right, but wow, I have to admit I have been working really hard these days. I have been learning so much which is great, but some days I wish I could spend some more time with all the amazing people I have met so far or ..... that I was an extreme introvert :).

Besides all the articles there has been some really exciting events these past couple of weeks.
I went to my cousin Conrad's wedding in South Carolina. Was great to see some family again and to share this special event with Conrad and Carry.



Hanging out with some of the cute kids before the wedding...



Conrad and Carry :)



Halloween was also a very interesting, entertaining event. Here I am with my friends Michelle and Marie who went as "shooting stars"! Very original :)



and with Kim - " Colonel Mustard"



The Olympic Torch Relay came thru Victoria last weekend, and it was very special to see this, everybody was really excited. My house mate Michelle was one of the lucky people who ran with the torch. Here in the first picture she is very excited to teach us more about all she has learned during this amazing opportunity.

I got to do my first Rotary speech in my host country this week at the Saanich club and I'm very excited about my upcoming speaking engagements at Whistler, Langley and West Vancouver - Sunrise Rotary Clubs in December.

Chapter 10: Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving, what a great day to celebrate, spending time with friends and family and seriously thinking about what you are thankful for. If I could have it my way we would have this Thanksgiving-long-weekend not once a year but once a month!



I had a great time with one of my house mates Courtney and her family at their beautiful cabin mostly playing games and eating way too much turkey and pumpkin pie!



Here Grant is busy preparing the turkey, quite an interesting process I have to tell you! While Courtney is trying to stay out of trouble.. :)






"Seems like it's been tradition that I have a photo of some animal in my blog, so just want to keep that trend going.."

When moving to a new place I have learned that it is normal to feel like you are on a roller coaster ride, the one day you are on top of the world, and everything is just peachy, but some days you feel more on the downside. Here are some ups and downs I have experienced so far.

Up...having an unforgettable time traveling in America and seeing friends and family!

Down...almost losing my passport and visa's

Up...finding my passport and visa's

Down...everything feeling so unfamiliar and not "really" knowing anyone...miss just walking up the street (coincidentally around lunch or dinner time) and hanging out with the Jacobs, Schoonees or Derksen family!

Up...getting into a routine again and having a great time at UVic

Down...my family and friends being spread out all over the world and not seeing them as much as I would like to :)

Up...learning to really trust God - no matter what the circumstances - and not rely on my limited understanding.









So the fact is that Summer is over and Winter is peaking around the corner but the delay in the process also known as "Autumn" brings with it a certain sense of wonder. The change of color is amazing!



Lastly I want to leave you with these really simple but very wise words.
"Don't send flowers when it's too late" - appreciate the blessing of friends and family in your life and make sure to tell and show them that you care while they are still around! :)

Chapter 9: Victoria

Risk - "A ship in a harbor is safe but that's not what ships were made for"

The trip on the ferry from Vancouver to Victoria was the first time that the reality of going to a totally unfamiliar place started to sink in. It is definitely a challenge to start from scratch and figure everything out but its one of those things that only gets better with time.

I will probably say this more than once in this blog but I just feel so blessed, it feels like I have the best housemates, classmates, UVic supervisor & Rotary counselor and a big bonus is that there are a lot of South Africans in Victoria. Its the first place where people actually know where the accent comes from. (",) About 12 of us (South Africans) had a braai/barbeque and watched the rugby until 3am the other morning. We also play touchies and field hockey together every week. So all of these contribute to a very smooth and exciting transition.



Oak Bay Harbor



Bunnies and UVic go hand in hand. There are so many of them just running around on campus. Would have been nice if we could pet or feed them, but not everyone is that happy to have them around, they cause a lot of damage to the sport fields ect. so an intervention program is underway to get them down to more manageable numbers. Don't worry it doesn't involve any 'bunny'- handling, but rather to encourage the public to adopt one and take care of it.



Having fun with my new friends - Lindsay and Jill. We are a fun group studieng together and its been great getting to know everyone. I was secretly glad to find out that most of the Kinesiology Grad students were new, so we were all in the same boat, and equally desperate to make friends.



My new home, I have been really blessed with 3 great Canadian house mates. I love my new home and honestly couldn't be happier. The house is about a 10min drive from UVic, and I have been having fun trying to figure out the bus system, I'm eather just in time or just too late, but it's going a little better everyday - the upside is, that running after the bus everyday, does wonders for my fitness (",)

This week I also went to my first Rotary meeting at my host club, and it was perfect timing because the District Governor and his wife came to visit.

Chapter 8: San Diego, California

After my wonderful trip in Santa Barbara I took a very interesting train ride to San Bernadino where my cousin Susan lives. I have been meeting a lot of interesting people on my journey and the biggest reason for that is that I walk around looking kinda lost and awkward with a huge backpack on my back, a smaller one in the front, my purse balancing nicely on one shoulder and trying to drag my 50 pound bag without wheels from one place to another... some people choose to stare, point and laugh (at least I made someone laugh, even if I was the joke) but luckily there is always a few - I will call them hero's - willing to help.

Some really good news is that I found a place to stay in Victoria. It's in a house with 3 other girls. They look like a fun bunch and I'm sure I'll have a great time staying there.

It has been so nice spending some time with family and speaking Afrikaans again. We decided to explore San Diego this weekend and make use of the great sunny weather. Here are some pictures of the fun things we did.

Sea World is definitely one of my favorite places to go to and I realized that my dream as a little girl of becoming a Trainer at Sea World hasn't totally vanished. What could be more fun than working with Whales and Dolphins?

Just hanging out with the polar bears.

Little Flipper showing of his 80 -100 teeth. There is something fishy about that!

Meeting the Shamu (killer whale) trainer, for me this is way better than meeting a celebrity!!

Ta-da!
The Killer Whale is actually not a whale but the biggest member of the Dolphin Family, it weighs between 3000 - 12 000 lb and their live span is 30 -80 years.

Sea Lions LIVE



Me and my cousin Susan



Too cute!



"You guys wouldn't mind if I take a quick nap, right, all this eating can be quite exhausting"



Kayaking & Snorkeling at La Jolla beach. Me indicating that I have 0 (zero) breath left.



Snorkeling among leopard sharks. Luckily they are not dangerous, because at one stage I counted 12 of them swimming around me. It was so exciting!

Enjoying the scenery...again..

and again...

...and again!