District 9320 South Africa to District 1580 Holland
8 April – 8 May 2005

TEAM LEADER: VIVIAN DE KLERK

Introduction

It was a great privilege to have been selected to lead a GSE team to Holland this year. Team member selections took place in Colesburg during October 2004, so we had plenty of time to make preparations for the trip.

The team was comprised as follows:

1.	Rtn Vivian de Klerk (Team Leader) - Professor of Linguistics (Grahamstown)

2.	Ms Jacqueline Gilchrist – Public Relations Manager, Greenacres Hospital (Port Elizabeth)

3.	Mr Gunther Marx – secondary school teacher, St Andrews College (Grahamstown)

4.	Mr Francois Prinsloo – Pubic Relations Manager, ABSA Bank (Bloemfontein)

5.	Mr Carel Venter – Town planner (Kuruman)

Planning and orientation meetings:

Meeting dates:

1.	21 -23 January

2.	11-13 March

3.	7 April (pre-departure meeting) and farewell presentation

Having the planning meetings over weekends meant that we had sufficient time to discuss the wide range of issues that had to be covered, as well as having time to get to know each other – a very important aspect of the GSE experience. However, the team members were widely scattered in terms of geographical distribution, with some 900 kilometers separating them (see map for details). This was obviously problematic for all concerned, and necessitated extensive travelling in order to meet. Both team meetings took place at a private Game Reserve, Asante Sana, near Graaff Reinet in the Eastern Cape Province, and for Carel Venter this entailed a trip of some 9 hours. Those living closer travelled for about 4 hours. Although accommodation during these weekend meetings was at minimal cost, travel costs have not been covered by the grant made available from Rotary International. The rule requiring all team members to meet, make a final presentation and depart from the same location required further extended travel from our northerly members, who had to travel overnight by bus on the previous day, adding considerably to their exhaustion, not to mention the costs involved.

The tour itinerary:

As the map shows, the size of the two districts involved in this exchange is dramatically different. But although the area we visited in Holland was limited in size, it was extremely rich in terms of sights and experiences it offered us, and we were actually grateful not to have to travel very long distances. The organisation of our visit was shared by our hosts in terms of the 4 weeks of our stay and different groups of clubs took shared responsibility for our programme of activities for each of these weeks. We were particularly grateful to the hosts for allowing us to stay for longish periods with each host. On average the team members each stayed with only 4 host families (as team leader, I had 6 hosts, but this was also perfectly acceptable). Staying with the same people for 5 to 7 days meant that we were genuinely able to get to know each other fairly well, to discuss matters of mutual interest at a more than superficial level, and to establish bonds which, we hope, may last a little longer than superficial acquaintanceships normally would.

We were treated with amazing warmth and generosity throughout our stay, and I was constantly being asked, as team leader, to confirm that arrangements were suitable and that things were proceeding well – which they were! The team was genuinely surprised at the extra effort our fellow Rotarians put into making our stay both stimulating and comfortable. There were several occasions on which people went beyond the call of duty to ensure that our wishes could be met – on one occasion, for example, Carel Venter was taken into Amsterdam to watch a soccer match in which he had expressed a particular interest, and at another time Nic Nap (from Haarlem) came especially to the north, to Obdam, to collect me and take me back to Haarlem so that I could participate in a prestigious vintage car rally that the Haarlem club was running as a special project. It turned out to be highlight of my trip – and of course I had to be taken all the way back to my host family at the end.

Linguistically, there were no real problems in communicating: all team members were relatively fluent in Afrikaans (2 of them are mother-tongue Afrikaans speakers), and we found that the links to Dutch are very close, and that we could understand each other very easily by each speaking our own language (although there were some hilarious moments of miscommunication!) Most of our Dutch hosts could also speak English, some very fluently indeed.

Week 1: Haarlem, Bennebroek, Bloemendal, Heemstede: we were delighted by the quaint architecture, by the interesting new foods, by the warmth of our first host families. This was our first encounter with Dutch houses and architecture, and with the ubiquitous water – canals, dykes, windmills, pumps and lakes. And of course, the bulbs were breath-takingly beautiful, and had us gasping wherever we went. A wonderful start to our tour.

Week 2: Zaanstreek, Waterland, Purmerend: during our time in this area we experienced the “agricultural” and industrial side of life: bulb growing, cattle markets, cheese-making (involving the milking of sheep!), and various fascinating factories producing packets, chocolates and clogs. We were taken on a wonderful boat-ride on the lake, and remember being wined, dined and treated in particularly generous style by Hans op den Velde and his colleague Gosse Adsera de Boer.

Week 3: West Friesland: de Hoorn, Obdam and surrounds. Arend Sijepestein, Jan Smit and Rem Jonker went out of their way to attend to our smallest needs during this week, where we enjoyed some stimulating museum and art gallery visits, and were given wonderful guided tours, enriching our understanding of Dutch history, architecture and culture. This was a refreshingly different week, in contrast to the previous weeks, and marked again by extraordinary generosity.

Week 4: Amsterdam: Our activities in Amsterdam were coordinated by Evelien van Schaardenburg, who once again went out of her way to look after us and ensure that we were usefully deployed, going to soccer matches and art galleries, taking canal rides and walking tours, and generally absorbing the extraordinary beauty of Amsterdam.

During this hectic schedule of activities, we were all particularly grateful that we also had free time: even before our mid-tour break, we each had a few nights on a hotel in Zaanse Schans, which was an opportunity to take a break from the endless whirl of socialising. The mid-tour break, also in a hotel, gave valuable time to refresh our energy, and later, in Amsterdam, because we were all staying in close proximity to the city centre and were supplied with free travel passes, we had the freedom to explore parts of Amsterdam by ourselves, and to do some shopping. This free time was much appreciated by the team, and very necessary.

Overall, the ordering of the places we visited was well thought out and very sensible: we began, in a very receptive and eager frame of mind, by exploring some of the smaller, out-of-the –way places, and everything was new and exciting. As our energy levels inevitably ebbed somewhat, new and better sights awaited us, culminating in Amsterdam, which obviously has the most to offer culturally, historically and socially. It would, I think, be unwise to order the tour any differently.

Vocational Experiences:

I shall leave the details of each team members’ vocational experiences to their individual reports, and offer some general comments. On the whole, there was general satisfaction from all the members about the visits that they went on. Carel Venter’s exposure was undoubtedly the best, but of course his profession lent itself more easily to such visits. Gunther Marx also reports strong satisfaction with his programme, and he learned a great deal as a result. Less happy were the team members involved in public relations, partly owing to an unfortunate level of repetition in arrangements (Francois Prinsloo made 4 separate visits to 4 different branches of Rabobank during his trip), and some degree of inappropriacy at times.

It became evident to me that there was some disagreement or confusion in the Holland district as to whether they were required to arrange vocational visits for the team leader, and during the 3^rd week my 2 vocational days were left blank for me to make arrangements as I pleased. This proved to be rather awkward, since I could not ascertain, in advance, what plans had already been made on my behalf, and so could not set up any firm appointments myself with colleagues in cognate academic departments at Universities ahead of time. I did, however, manage to visit 3 universities during my stay (2 visits were arranged for me during my last week in Amsterdam), and I am currently developing the possible formalisation of some sort of link between my own department of Linguistics and that at Leiden University, the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam and Amsterdam University at the post-graduate level, thanks to the contacts established during these visits. There were also arranged visits to a few secondary schools and a technical college, and I very much appreciate the insights gained through this exposure.

I recommend that in future the team leader is given unequivocal instructions, one way or the other, prior to departure: if one knows that one must arrange one’s own vocational visits entirely, it is probably easily done. But timing is problematic, and logistics are difficult if only some of the visits are arranged. In this regard, it is obviously advisable to make the programme arrangements available to the team as early as possible, to enable negotiation and changes if necessary.

On a more positive note, apart from visits directly related to our vocations, many of our activities were also highly educational, and very interesting indeed: I accompanied different team members on selected visits to banks, municipalities, town planning projects and a home for the disabled, and I was particularly impressed at the high levels of volunteerism evident in Holland, something from which South Africa could learn a great deal.

Team presentations

Altogether we made 14 formal presentations to Rotary Clubs during our 4 week visit, and each time these presentations were enthusiastically received. Part of the reason for this was that all team members were accustomed to some degree of public speaking, given their own professional backgrounds. Also, we made an effort to balance a little bit of personal information with insights into South Africa, from an educational, social, financial and environmental perspective, and found that our audiences appreciated our honesty and openness in explaining the problematic issues that we face in our country. There were two occasions when we visited Rotary Clubs as their guests, only to discover that they had already arranged for invited, local speakers on the same day. In such cases we were introduced very briefly, and I felt it was a pity that the Rotarians concerned missed the opportunity of hearing more about South Africa. The main aim of the GSE programme is to promote deeper understandings across nations and cultures, and I had expected Clubs in the host district to make room in their programmes to listen to what we had to say. Part of the reason for this seems to be that several Rotarians had little or no understanding of what the GSE programme is, and seemed a little puzzled as to why we were visiting their clubs in the first place. Someone even suggested that before we make our presentation, I spend some time educating the club about the GSE programme. Given that time was always short during meetings, I did not think this was appropriate.

Having laptop computers available proved to be absolutely essential to our preparation (given the current tendency to favour power-point presentations) but we did not take our own laptop with us on our trip. As a cautionary note, (and this is in no way intended as a criticism of the Holland Clubs) it is worth pointing out that host clubs in Holland were occasionally unable to provide the necessary technical facilities to make our presentations at short notice, and advance arrangements should be made with clubs prior to arrival. Our team had a very effective and inspiring 3-minute video snippet which we planned to use as part of our presentation, and we could only utilise this once, out of 14 presentations, owing to a lack of technical equipment. It needs to be noted by future GSE teams that presentations should not rely heavily on too much technical support.

We were privileged to have been part of the 7-district Conference, held on Saturday 16^th April, where all international attended held a separate session with “each other”. With 8 other GSE teams present, including another South African team, we decided not to make our full presentation and run the risk of duplication and boredom. We were able to attend the closing parts of the conference, and the team was hugely inspired by the laser show which celebrated 100 years of Rotary: it was phenomenally impressive.

It is necessary to comment briefly about the composition of our team: there were unfortunately only 14 candidates available for final selection for the 2 outgoing teams at this time (the other team went to South Carolina), and as a result, the choice was not as wide as it should have been. Ideally, a GSE team from South Africa should (all things being equal) have some representation from groups of colour, but this was not possible in the case of the team selected to go to Holland, and all 4 team members were “white”. While I believe that the right choice was made, since all the members who were selected were thoroughly deserving, and they were undoubtedly the “best” candidates at the time, this was an unfortunate quirk of circumstances, given that there were insufficient applicants from all racial groups, and those few applicants of colour who did apply were particularly weak. The fact that young black professionals currently have many more opportunities for upward mobility than their white counterparts may account for the low numbers of applications from these racial groups. Notwithstanding these factors, the issue of the racial composition of the team was a topic of discussion at several of the Rotary Clubs that we visited, and it was somewhat problematic to have to make excuses (although these were entirely valid) and to feel uncomfortable about this issue during the trip. I therefore strongly advise that South African GSE selectors in future make a special effort to ensure some racial representivity in outgoing teams.

Final remarks:

We really have had the experience of a life-time, thanks to the warm generosity and efficiency of District 1580. First among all these positive experiences has been the exceptionally well-organised vocational exposure that was arranged for the team. All agree that the professional visits they made during the month in Holland were stimulating, interesting, and in addition to making valuable collegial contacts, all of us have had to rethink our preconceived ideas, and have gained useful insights and understandings, as well as new ideas. We often found ourselves comparing and discussing the differences between Holland and South Africa, and we learned a lot, not only about our host country, but also, in a strange way, about our own country as well. While this is the primary purpose of the GSE, naturally there were personal and social highlights as well, and particular aspects that remain in my memory after our whirlwind tour are the marvellous friends me made, the warm and welcoming people we met, and the delicious food and drink. The following 10 English adjectives describe our experiences in Holland fairly well: Exciting, memorable, fascinating, educational, exhilarating, heart-warming, amazing, brilliant, marvellous, stupendous! But none of these adjective captures the feeling better than the Dutch phrase: “dit was heel leuk”. Hartlik bedankt!

Vivian de Klerk (Team Leader)
Grahamstown Rotary Club, District 9320
30 June 2005
14 Leicester Street, Grahamstown 6139, South Africa
v.deklerk@ru.ac.za

TEAM MEMBER: JACQUI GILCHRIST

Team Selection

I found the team selection during the first round in Port Elizabeth and the second round in Colesberg to be effective. The first stage in PE was very thorough with a wide range of questions and a panel interview, which I think enables the selection to be more successful.

Colesberg, although stressful, is a very effective means of choosing the team. The interview is obviously essential but I would like to stress the importance of the dinner/ braai etc. A very important part of the GSE trip was socializing and particular attention to this aspect at Colesberg is essential. Group dynamics should also be considered when selecting the team, and I think you got it spot on with our team! We really connected from our first orientation meetings and throughout the trip.

We had excellent accommodation for our orientation meetings and being able to stay together really assisted us with the “bonding” process. As our district is so large the orientation meetings were in Graaff Reneit, which is quite a distance to travel. I especially felt sorry for one of our team members, who had to travel 8 hours for orientation meetings and then add an extra two days of travel when he had to come to Grahamstown for our pre-departure presentation at Vivian de Klerk’s club. Perhaps the places where the team members live should be considered when selecting the team.

Itinerary

The program overall was excellent. We managed to see every part of District 1580 and we fully experienced the wonderful Dutch culture. Throughout our visit we visited museums, such as Friesa, Zuide Zee Open Air, Van Gogh, and Rikjs Museum; water boards, municipalities, schools, agricultural farms, hospitals, homes for the elderly and disabled, paper and textile plants, cheese and clog factories and mustard mills. This gave us a great impression of Dutch society, customs, history and art.

We were treated very well to the extent of being spoilt. I was amazed at their generosity and kindness, and they expressed a keen interest in South Africa. I learnt a lot about the Netherlands and the Dutch culture, and surprisingly I learnt a lot about South Africa and South Africans. The Netherlands has a long and deep history, and it was fascinating to learn about such an old culture.

During our itinery we were exposed to Rotary in Holland and gave many presentations. We noticed some marked differences and approaches to Rotary in comparison to SA. Our presentations were well received and I enjoyed giving them and debating some issues. I would like to recommend that when GSE teams are in SA that whenever possible presentations are done in the evening. It is a lot less rushed and there is more time for questions and debate.

We met some highly influential and well respected people in Holland, who were members of Rotary. The clubs were predominantly male and upper class.

As expected we had very busy and extensive program. On arrival we went straight into our first presentation. I think this was bit inconsiderate of the club. The team would have appreciated the opportunity to shower and perhaps rest, as many of us did not sleep on the plane. However, they booked us into a hotel for our first night and this enabled us to get a good rest after dinner at a Rotarian’s home.

During the trip we were booked into hotels at certain junctures and this helped the team unwind and if need be have a good rest. If possible I recommend that this is done for visiting GSE teams to SA. It really helped us maintain our energy levels and stay focused.

During week 2, our itinery was too full. The coordinators, although wonderful hosts, felt they had to entertain us 24 hours day. We ate at a restaurant every night and were moved several times to different host families. This was very tiring. If they weren’t sure what to do with us they took us to a factory or business of one of the Rotarians. I do not recommend that this happens in SA, when in doubt let the team have some free time together or by themselves.

We did not get a weekend break as was expected. We had a free day in Hoorn, which was wonderful. I think however that the night should have been included, as we were very tired at that point. Out last week was very relaxing and that helped. If that did not happen, everyone would have been exhausted. I think GSE coordinators should insist that this break is included in every GSE visit. I believe that the GSE team from Holland did not receive this break and I think it is unfair and inconsiderate to the team’s needs.

Vocation

From a vocational point of view I had excellent exposure to Hospitals and health care in the Netherlands. I visited 6 hospitals and met with the communication professionals on most occasions.

There are no private hospitals in Holland and therefore a very limited need for external communication & marketing at hospital level. I was exposed mainly to internal communication. I met some dynamic communication professionals and we exchanged several ideas. I learnt a great deal and am excited to initiate several different projects at my hospital.

Through my discussions I was able to brainstorm many solutions for common problems experienced by communication professionals.

Being a public relations professional in the healthcare industry is quite an unusual career, and therefore I expected that there would be some confusion about what I would like to see. I tried to make it as clear as possible that I was interested in public relations, advertising and marketing, however there were a few occasions where I was taken to homes for the elderly and mentally handicapped. This was interesting but not applicable, and it would have been more beneficial to see more PR and advertising agencies.

Overall the GSE experience was one I will never forget. I made great new friends with wonderful team mates and an excellent team leader. I learnt not only about a new culture but a lot about myself. I have identified areas in my life that I would like to improve both professionally and personally.

I am more motivated at work to take initiative and be creative. My vocational experience has opened my eyes to fresh ideas and challenged me to break boundaries.

On a personal note I feel the GSE experience has made me a more tolerant and patient person, and more positive, especially about our country. During our daily lives we are very much aware of the problems that we as South Africans face, but going away I had an opportunity to reflect and see how far we have come. Seeing what we have overcome and were we are going, makes me very proud to be a South African!

Thank you to my wonderful team leader, Viv de Klerk! You made this experience fun, thought provoking and meaningful. Billy, thank you for your guidance and motivation, you inspired us to be the best team we could be! And to my great team mates, it would not have been such a memorable trip without each one of your unique qualities and full of life personalities!

Thank you to Rotary for giving me this extraordinary opportunity to learn and grow. I will cherish these memories always!

TEAM MEMBER: GUNTHER MARX

Selection Process

My name was put forward by members of the Pam Golding group. I had previously not heard of the GSE program and in fact had very little idea of what Rotary was about. A trip overseas sounded interesting so I decided to attend the first interview.Questions were from an educational, political and social perspective. I found the interview to be interesting and a relaxed atmosphere prevailed because I knew most of the people present.

The next interview was a little more intense because minutes before I had found out that we had been burgled. Felt a little numb in the interview and concentration levels were not what they should have been. I obviously must however have done enough to get through to the final Colesberg interview.

I had heard that the Colesberg interview was going to be extremely tough so I was a little nervous. To be honest I did not find it all that intimidating once we had started the process, as my area of work deals with stressful interaction on a daily basis. I enjoyed it actually, and left feeling refreshed and invigorated. It was great meeting all the other participants and sharing experiences. There were times when I felt a little like I was back in a prefect’s camp, but overall it was a pleasant experience.

Preparation

I do not think our preparation could have been better! Considering the time constraints and distances to travel for some of the team, it was excellent. We had two weekends at Asante Sane and a final one in Grahamstown where we gave our first presentation. Asante Sane, with its wildlife and tranquil settings, was a perfect place to bond. Billy de Klerk gave us great insight into what we might expect as a GSE team and his advice proved to be invaluable.

Travel Arrangements

Getting the visa for the Netherlands was a little problematic with a trip to Cape Town on the cards, where we had to present ourselves in person. However once there everything worked like clockwork. Vivian, our team leader, organized everything else from insurance to tickets, and again arrangements couldn’t have gone better. We did have to wait at the Johannesburg airport for a very frustratingly long time before we set off for Schiphol but the flight was fine as I slept the entire way. Flight back was also comfortable and we were booked into a hotel in Johannesburg before the leg back to Port Elizabeth.

Itinerary

This is what I had hoped for. It was full and tiring but I returned knowing that a full experience had been had and that the visit had been worth it. To be honest I felt guilty leaving my work and family and I would have been disappointed if too much free time had been made available. We gave about 15 presentations and obviously had many dinners where interesting conversations took place. I really enjoyed this task and I think we had just the right number. The shorter presentations were less enjoyable.

My vocational visits were without doubt the highlight of the visit. I visited approximately 15 different educational institutions ranging from universities to junior schools. One of the reasons the visits were so successful was that the Rotary members taking me on these visits were almost all leaders in the educational arena. They spent most of the day with me, so I gained valuable insight into the prevailing educational system present in the Netherlands. I will certainly be able to make great use of the knowledge learnt in this process and will stay in touch with the many wonderful people I met.

Fun, fun, and more fun was also the order of the day. I saw hockey matches, soccer matches, stunning art and historic museums, celebrated the Queen’s birthday, had splendid dinners, drank champagne on boat cruises, listened to classical and rock concerts, watched operations on animals, smelt cattle sales, ate cheese and tasted Geneva, played golf, visited Keukenhof (flower farm) and the list just goes on and on.

Hosts

I learnt more about life in the Netherlands from my hosts that any tourist would ever have the privilege of experiencing. They were all very special in very different ways and they rounded this Group Study Exchange for me. I sported, laughed, debated, dined, and cried with my hosts. Their faces still remain clear in my mind and they all taught me to love their country.

The Team and Team Leader

I think that we all contributed well in our own way and we formed a tight group. There were times when we all felt the pressure but on the whole we all handled it well. It was a pity that we were not more representative of the different cultures in South Africa but that made it more of an interesting challenge. I certainly regard all members of the team as friends and look forward to seeing more of them in the future.

Vivian de Klerk, our Team leader, was excellent. She refused to get dragged into any whining or unnecessary complaints from the team and we soon realized that it was better to just get stuck in and to enjoy the ride. I enjoyed this no nonsense attitude. She also allowed us to cut our own path for a successful trip.

Evaluation

What an incredible experience! It far outweighed anything I could have hoped for before I left. It was an emotional experience for me and one that will stay with me for ever. South Africa is great and my pride grew with every presentation or simple discussion. I thank Rotary for giving me this great opportunity and I thank Viv, Carel, Jacqui and Francois for ensuring that the trip is so full of lovely memories.

Cheers!

TEAM MEMBER: FRANCOIS PRINSLOO

Reasons for participating in GSE. Did this exchange meet my expectations?

I participated in GSE to further my understanding of a different culture and the way they approach life. Exposure to the Public Relations and Marketing environment in a European context would give me a better understanding of the profession’s standing in a global context and how the profession in South Africa compares to the European standard of practice. I expected to gain new ideas and approaches to implement within my own professional environment.

The exchange to a certain extent did meet my expectations. Exposure to a different culture and social environment was fantastic. Interaction within my team gave me a new appreciation of group dynamics and taught me a lot about myself. The professional exposure did not however meet all my expectations.

Training and preparation:

As a team we met three times before our departure and were well prepared for the exchange. Receiving the full itinerary for the trip well in advance would have prepared me better for the professional exposure of the exchange. I think that the host district could also have done more to orientate the members of their clubs who organised the professional exchange program to make sure that there is not duplication of visits to certain institutions. (I visited four regional Rabo Banks during my stay).

It is also advisable to prepare participants better with regard to the emotional impact of the exchange. It might be a good idea to get previous GSE Team Members to give a talk on what to expect from a team dynamics perspective. We had a lot of exposure to the advice of a previous team leader, which proved to be valuable. The team member perspective could have made our preparation even better.

Impact of GSE experience:

Exposure to the deep cultural roots of the Dutch and their magnificent contribution to the art and technological advancement of Europe made a big impression on me. The wonderful holistic approach of the Dutch nation in placing equal emphasis on sport, professional life and the arts gave me a new perspective on the imbalances in the South African society. I found the directness of the Dutch people refreshing especially when measured against the background of political correctness in South Africa. I think South Africans can learn a lot from the Dutch in being less judgemental and more sincere in our interaction across cultural boundaries. Freedom of expression received new meaning for me.

Seen from a professional perspective, the efficiency of the Dutch banking system certainly impressed me. The system however caters for a first world environment. The level of professional training and exposure to external best practices by Public Relations Professionals in the country did not meet my expectations. South Africa has taken marketing and PR professionalism to a higher and much more advanced level then I experienced in the Netherlands.

Internal communication as an important aspect of PR is one area in which the Dutch can teach South African PR professionals a lesson or two. The concept of a cooperative bank, with clients as members who take ownership of their bank (as experienced in the Rabo Bank environment) and the high value placed on relationship management and customer experience training were valuable exposure to me. The emphasis of the Nederlandsche Bank on customer education and internal communication are aspects that are lacking in the South African context.

For me the most important insight was that in a group of seemingly similar white South Africans there were deep-rooted differences. We learnt as much from our own group dynamics and differences than from the Dutch. This realisation did a lot to change my White versus Black perception of diversity.

Itinerary:

Week One

This week was spent in the beautiful city of Haarlem. The visits to the Bravo Church, city tour (with a guide) of the old city and visits to the Teylers and Frans Hals Museums were highlights to me. A visit to the Cruquis Steam Pump station provided a whole new understanding of the Dutch struggle against water.

From a professional perspective I visited the regional Rabo Bank, Joh. Enschede Security Printers, the ABN Amro Dealers Room in Amsterdam and Ilse Web based marketing.

The highlight of week one was the visit to Keukenhof gardens where I experienced any gardeners’ vision of heaven.

The week ended with the Dutch Rotary Centenary Celebrations in The Hague at the Netherlandse Congress Centrum. Here my proudest moment was during the flag ceremony.

Week Two

This week spent in the Waterland and Zaanstreek was loaded with action. Highlights for me were a boat trip to Marken (an island in the Ijselmeer) and visits to private gardens in the region. A visit to the “ Koeie Mark” (cattle market) in Purmerend, the only remnant of the traditional cattle market in the Netherlands, was also part of week two. Town tours of Volendam, Monikendam and Edam were thoroughly enjoyed.

This week was also a lesson in Dutch cuisine and included tasting Haring and Paling and drinking young and old Jenever with the Dutch. A very special evening was spent at the house of Gosè and Evelien Adsera De Boer with Gosè’s father a famous Spanish artist, who did pen sketches of the team. A visit to a chocolate factory and the Zaanse Schans with Hans van de Velde was a real treat and highlight for all of us.

Week Three

This week was spent in the area of Hoorn, Medemblink and Enkhuizen. Highlights were: a free day spent cycling with the team, visiting rural villages, a visit to the Frisia museum in Opdam with beautiful works from the “Magiese Realisme” (Magical realism), a day tour to Friesland over the Afsluitdijk, a boat trip on the Friesland to Enkhuizen and the open air museum at Enkhuizen. A further highlight was an antique steam train trip from Hoorn to Medemblink.

The week ended with a train trip to Amsterdam to join the Dutch in celebrating “Koninginnedag”. Dressed up in orange, we had a wonderful day dancing on Museumplein and visiting the Flea Markets on Amsterdam’s streets. The evening of Koninginnedag was spent dancing with our host club and a visiting club from Saarburg in Germany.

Professional exposure during this week were; visits to the regional Rabo Bank, a visit to a Witlof Farm and visits to the Marketing & Communication Departments of Westfries Gastehuis (Regional Hospital) and Omring Zorgcentrum (home based care).

Week Four

This week was a wonderful cultural experience with visits to the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, City tours of the Jordaan and old Amsterdam and a visit to Anne Frank House and the Westerkerk. We also enjoyed a wonderful evening out with the Dutch GSE Team who visited South Africa, combined with a tour of the Red Light district or better known as the “Walle”. Our visit to Amsterdam was completed with a visit to the Museum of Modern Art, an Ajax match in the Amsterdam Arena and a classical concert in the Concert Gebouw. The team shared a deep emotional experience with the Dutch by having the privilege to attend the “Dode Herdenking” (Commemoration of the dead) on the Dam Square on 4 May and the 60th celebration of Liberation Day on 5 May.

Professional exposure during week four was a visit to De Nederlandsche Bank and Joop van Den Ende Theaterproducties.

Advice to future participants:

1.	Do not approach the exchange with predetermined goals or ideas but allow the experience to lead your learning.

2.	The group dynamics in the team is as much part of the experience and learning as the exposure to a foreign culture and your profession.

3.	Be honest about your personal experience and feelings within the group and handle frustrations immediately.

4.	Make sure the host clubs have enough information about your current professional level of exposure and what your expectations are.

5.	Be aware of the fact that you will mostly be in the company of older people, prepare for the generation gap as well as the cultural gap.

6.	Week two is the hardest part of the trip (team dynamics start to play out and the cultural shock and newness of the experience is something of the past)

7.	Be considerate of the individual differences in the group, even if all of you are of the same cultural background.

8.	Make space for each other – all free time need not be spent as a group.

9.	Treat team members as adults – GSE is not a youth exchange.

Ways in which I will share the GSE experience with Rotary

1.	By sharing my experience with my sponsoring clubs.

2.	By promoting GSE as a wonderful learning experience.

3.	By doing presentations at Rotary meetings and schools.

4.	By actively supporting Rotary initiatives.

5.	By offering my services to the GSE Coordinators of my sponsoring clubs in preparing GSE Finalists for selection and exchange.

If invited I will consider joining a Rotary Club. My current professional environment is however socially very demanding and it will be difficult to play a constructive role as a fulltime member. I will however endeavour to give back to Rotary what they invested in me. GSE was a wonderful opportunity and it played a major role in my personal development by broadening my self-knowledge and general worldview.

TEAM MEMBER: CAREL VENTER

Reasons for participating in GSE:

There is no substitute for the experience gained in travel. Many South Africans were previously in a situation where large parts of the world were inaccessible to them. As South Africans we established our own ways of thinking, capabilities, standards and conditions and accommodated ourselves accordingly. My objective for participating in the GSE programme was to come into contact with people and conditions in the Netherlands, where I would be able to gain an insight into their perspectives, compare them with our own and arguably learn from each other’s. This is applicable to my vocation and as a person. Secondly I believe there are far more possibilities and perspectives in life than those to which we are accustomed. By participating in the GSE, our own perspectives and values may change, with a resultant impact on our immediate community and society in general. Lastly it was to act as an ambassador for my province and the country as a whole. The exchange did meet my expectations.

Training and preparation:

Spending time with the rest of the team members away from “normal life” was a good idea. More time and effort should however be spend on orientating the team on group dynamics and role clarification. Having someone with previous GSE experience helping us prepare was very fruitful. It should definitely be repeated for future team preparations. Assistance given for the team presentation was very good and such support should continue. In general the preparation was very good, considering circumstances.

Impact of GSE experience:

Although we say and we want to believe that we are a non-racial society, we still need to work very hard on this aspect. Discrimination is happening in so many ways and has taken up so many different forms that we as South Africans need to continuously be aware of it and try to change it. Democracy and capitalism has its flaws. Netherlands proved that a country does not need to have poor people. A good social “net” exists and together with capitalism, it seems to work. After GSE I am more aware of the differences between classes in our country and believe we should do much more to try and prevent them. Being not overregulated like the Netherlands allows us, as South Africans, to be more creative and to promote initiatives and entrepreneurship. I believe it is a positive approach which will allow our nation to contribute to our country’s future and the rest of Africa and the world.

Vocationally I have gained a lot. Visiting various municipalities or “Gemeentes” in the Netherlands made me realized that although our problems might be different, the systems to resolve them are the same. This allowed me to actively participate in discussions on various municipal aspects, which motivated me to return and work even harder on my own performance. Visiting various housing projects allowed me to notice how planners and architects should work together, trying to use limited space to the optimum. Public art seems to be an interesting addition to housing developments, although in certain instances it was more degrading to the living environment, rather than improving it. I managed to spend a morning session with an environmentalist, sharing ideas and talking about his business in general. Being interested to further my career in this field, this exchange helped me to visualize my career and brought me closer to the possibility of providing international professional services, using South Africa as a base. As South Africans we have a lot to offer internationally, since we are prepared to walk the extra mile!

Itinerary:

Specifically we visited museums, did boat rides and enjoyed a number of sport events like hockey and football matches. The bulbs of Keukenhof were also a highlight as well as the tours in and around old cities like Haarlem and Amsterdam and the country side. From a vocational perspective I visited Municipalities, building and development companies, architect firms, waste incinerator plants in Amsterdam and Alkmaar, and the Chamber of Commerce in Amsterdam.

Advice or information for future GSE participants

Although it was mentioned to us, I think that it should be emphasized to all participants that they should prepare themselves for an active and very full programme. Make sure of what exactly you want to learn vocationally and be honest about it from the onset. Take time to consider the preliminary programme and advise the Rotarians if you are not happy with the planned vocational exchanges. Most importantly, enjoy it. It is a very unique programme and the best possible way to learn about a country and its people!

Possible future involvement in Rotary:

My town, Kuruman does not have a Rotary Club. The nearest club is located 140km away, making it difficult to be very active in Rotary events. However, my sponsoring club, Vryburg Rotary has already invited me to a number of functions and events of which I have attended some. I have also previously attended events arranged by other clubs like Upington Rotary. Should I be invited to become a member, I will consider it, basing my decision on my circumstances at that point in time.