Checking My Assumptions at the Door

I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I made several assumptions about what I thought I would experience this weekend and the people I would meet at the Rotary Outbound Seminar in Tampa. I pictured a dry conference about paperwork and our responsibilities as Ambassadors of Goodwill. I envisaged scholars who, while intelligent and motivated, would be somewhat socially awkward. I was wrong on all accounts!

The conference, while obviously touching upon our many responsibilities as scholars, was actually unbelievably inspiring. Hearing one of the Rotarians talk about his experience witnessing shacks in the Bahamas converted into homes with running water and functioning septic tanks captivated me. I was thrilled to hear him express that our community service should always center around the receivers' needs, not that givers' desires. At another session I was reminded that each year Rotary Districts around the world choose to invest their precious resources into funding these scholarship - a trade-off from other similarly worthwhile initiatives such as additional polio vaccinations or new literacy programs. The Foundation pours millions of dollars into its local youth programs because it believes that the return on its investment will be worthwhile. I now recognize that I will never be able to re-pay the Foundation for the opportunity it afforded me and therefore the only means of showing my deep gratitude is by maximizing my time abroad and my relationships with Rotarians and fellow scholars.


At the same time, I also made assumptions about the people I would meet at the conference. I imagined them to be very "squarish," as we say in Hebrew, and socially awkward. Instead I was blown away by the calibre of these individuals and our collective group. Our scholars included a young woman who began college at 15, a guy working for a lobby group promoting reproductive right, a multi-linguist, a poet, and so much more. These people were dynamic, motivated, interesting and FUN. We actually went out until 3 a.m. on Saturday night and still managed to have smiles on our faces the next morning after only 3 hours of sleep. I pre-judged this group but thankfully I was totally off the mark. Undoubtedly they will be doing incredible work next year in places like Tanzania, Spain, Argentina, India and yes, England. This is my small way of apologizing to them for my assumptions.

Simultaneously, I should be thankful for this "mistake" of mine as it reminded me that when I head abroad - and represent the Rotary Foundation, my country, the chapter and myself - I need to leave my assumptions behind. I must embrace this experience with a clear head and an open heart so as to not miss any opportunities along the way. I am thankful for the reminder fellow scholars!