Rotary May Recap

With many Rotary activities taking place in May, I thought I’d take the chance to catch up and share some photos of recent events and with some of my favorite people.  The Rotary International Convention took place in the beginning of May in Bangkok and you can read about that here, but it was also a busy month for my local Rotary district in Malaysia.

The Rotary Foundation (TRF) night was a great celebration of Rotary and its donors.  The Rotary Foundation is the non-profit corporation that supports the efforts of Rotary International.  The Foundation is supported solely by voluntary contributions from Rotarians and friends so share the vision of making the world a better place.  It’s a district wide event so I loved seeing many Rotary friends that I’ve become acquainted with from many clubs throughout my stay. 

Past President Dr. Sen, myself, and Tomoko.

Lovely Rotarians from RC Pantai Valley.

The fantastic members of my host club RC Titiwangsa.

The next day brought the re-dedication of the Rotary District 3300 Time Capsule.  This time capsule was established in the year 2000 with the intention of opening it in 100 years.  Enclosed are bulletins and memorabilia from all the Rotary Clubs that were established at the time.  Over the last 12 years, the monument has suffered from a bit of decay and vandalism so the district stepped up its efforts to re-vitalize it adding some stone pillars with Rotary information inscribed about the mission of the organization, and by adding a huge Rotary wheel atop the monument.  This transformed the site into more of an official square/park which will invite more people to check it out.  It’s quite impressive in that is located right in the heart of Kuala Lumpur at Freedom Square, where many historical events have occurred in Malaysia’s history.  I don’t think there is any other major city in the world that has Rotary’s vision so prominently displayed for the public to learn about.  I’m thankful to be part of such an active district and have the chance to learn about Rotary and its many missions and programs.

Next, I had the chance to give a present to the Rotary Club of Cheras.  This is the only bi-lingual club in the district and it conducts its meetings in English/Mandarin.  Thankfully, when they have visitors, they stick to English J  It’s always easy to recognize Rotarians from this club because they have adopted a sort of uniform…green blazers!  At any event, you can always easily spot a Cheras Rotarian and start up a good conversation with them. 

Fellowship and attendance are serious business!

I didn't have a green blazer, but I tried to wear the greenest, most Chinese thing I owned, haha.

The next day I had the chance to meet and present with the Rotary Club of Seremban which happens to be the first chartered club in Malaysia.  The city of Seremban is about 45 minutes south of Kuala Lumpur and I always enjoy visit there and seeing many Rotary friends, including visiting my host counselor and her family in their home.  This is also the home club of the District Governor, although he was not in attendance that evening.  Its OK though as we've met many other times at district events.  One of the members was so kind to host me in their home that evening as I had to be at the airport super early to catch a flight to Sumatra! 

Last but not least, we had a special visitor…another Ambassadorial Scholar! Miss Kristen is from Texas and she has been serving as an Ambassadorial Scholar in Hong Kong. You can follow her fun and inspiring blog about her experiences at Kristen's HKB. I have found it great to be in touch with other SE Asia Ambassadorial Scholars to compare our experiences and learn from each other. She and her boyfriend made the trek to Malaysia for a short holiday before her term ended and she headed back to Texas. We were excited to host them and tried to show them as much of Kuala Lumpur as we could in two days!


The gang enjoying a fantastic fresh seafood dinner on our way
to witness Malaysia's best fireflies.  A very nice excursion.

Enjoying a various selection of local foods at a vegetarian food fair in my neighborhood.

There happened to be a big parade and celebration put on by the
Malaysian Tourism Association so we stopped by to check it out.

Trying to fit everything "Malaysia" on one float.  I find it amusing
that they include shoe shopping as one of the main highlights.

I’m off to share the culture of Alaska and what Rotary does up north with another local club, the Rotary Club of Bandar Sunway.  I’ve officially given presentations to more than 30 clubs and it’s been an honor to do so, they are always so welcoming!  Even if it’s just a small thing to share a bit of our cultures, I do think it goes a ways to help make the world a better place J

Two months and four days until I return to America, stay tuned!