Rotary Meeting

Bonjour!

Monday night, I attended my first French Rotary meeting. The first difference between Rotary Montélimar and Tacoma Narrows Rotary is the time. TNR meets in the morning for breakfast and has 2 hour meetings. RM has dinner meetings that last closer to 3 hours. It was awkward for me, just like my first meeting with TNR. The Brazilian and I stood there while random people came up to us. They asked our names, where we were from, and how long we'd been in France. Amelia; Seattle, WA, USA; 6 semaines (weeks). Over and over and over again. Eventually the conversations got a little longer, but it was the same simple topics for each. 

The official meeting began with a mini-tour of the location. We were at a vocational high school and got to see the workshop and resource center. It wasn't terribly interesting to me, but I was respectful and listened (I didn't say I understood it all). When we went back to the room, we had dinner. It started off with a small salad and what I think was a pâté... not sure. The main course was chicken and mushrooms with a cream sauce. That was actually pretty good. The dessert was fondant au chocolat avec la crème anglaise (a chocolate cake thing with English cream, which is like sweetened condensed milk). During dessert, the representative of the vocational school made a presentation. I think the club had either already donated to them or was considering it. After the presentation, there was tea and coffee. After I drank my tea, I left. 

As you can see, it was rather uneventful for me. I hope the next one is a bit more interesting. I got to know a lot of the Rotarians back in the States and hopefully I can do that here. Oh I almost forgot. About a third of the Rotary Montélimar club is women and their president is a woman. That may seem unimportant if you aren't familiar with Rotary, but in many countries, women aren't allowed into the organization. It really is a shame because Rotary does a lot of great charity work and everyone should get the opportunity to be involved around the world, regardless of gender. 

Before I finish, I do have some good news! Yesterday, a few people told me that my accent is completely gone (they're lying, but still, that's always good to hear). Also, my host dad said that my pronunciation, comprehension, and accent have improved since I arrived! That I believe. I know I have improved, but I'm also completely aware that I am not perfect. I make mistakes, I get corrected, but I am learning! More and more every day. It's a wonderful feeling, to know that you're improving, even if it's only a few words a day. 

And on that happy note, I'll say au revoir!

Amelia