Cassandra's Japanese adventure
Posted by Stephen Rhodes
Cassandra Baccardax, a business advisor with Brampton's economic development department, spoke eloquently about her trip to Japan last summer as part of a Rotary Group Study Exchange sponsored by our club.
GSE promotes international understanding "by giving people of goodwill an opportunity to meet, talk and live together in a spirit of fellowship so that they get to know each other, their problems and aspirations, and makes such personal contact grow into lasting friendships," she told the club.
She said it was an "incredibly rewarding experience, full of rich emotions and memories." Cassandra listed her top 10 experiences:
1. The warm, caring people
2. Centuries-old Buddhist temples training monks
3. Finely manicured gardens
4. Hand-carved Stone lanterns
5. Being fitted in Kimono
6. 6 a.m. Pacific swim
7. Meeting a 20th generation Shinto Priest
8. 4 a.m. Switchbacks to the top of Mount Fuji
9. The art of meal presentation
10 Korafune Festival
"This cultural immersion is what makes the GSE program so successful. The intimacy of this experience was emotionally powerful for me; the warmth and generosity offered by our hosts, and our complete dependence on them during our stay, made for cherished lifelong memories," she said.
"I think the biggest take home lesson I learned is that people are more the same than different, despite being half way around the world. We are all just trying to muddle through our lives in a contributing and happy way, with common goals and challenges en route."
Cassandra said "The GSE has opened my eyes to the exciting diversity that the world has to offer, at the same time has demonstrated how close we all can be to one another if we choose to be. Most of all, I have stretched my personal boundaries of comfort. These expanded boundaries will serve to enrich my life, and I hope the lives of others; I will also not be afraid to challenge myself to continually expand them as my life rolls through its journey."
Cassandra thanked the club for making this journey possible.
Cassandra is pictured at the Tokyo Pagoda.
For the full text of her speech Click here
She said it was an "incredibly rewarding experience, full of rich emotions and memories." Cassandra listed her top 10 experiences:
1. The warm, caring people
2. Centuries-old Buddhist temples training monks
3. Finely manicured gardens
4. Hand-carved Stone lanterns
5. Being fitted in Kimono
6. 6 a.m. Pacific swim
7. Meeting a 20th generation Shinto Priest
8. 4 a.m. Switchbacks to the top of Mount Fuji
9. The art of meal presentation
10 Korafune Festival
"This cultural immersion is what makes the GSE program so successful. The intimacy of this experience was emotionally powerful for me; the warmth and generosity offered by our hosts, and our complete dependence on them during our stay, made for cherished lifelong memories," she said.
"I think the biggest take home lesson I learned is that people are more the same than different, despite being half way around the world. We are all just trying to muddle through our lives in a contributing and happy way, with common goals and challenges en route."
Cassandra said "The GSE has opened my eyes to the exciting diversity that the world has to offer, at the same time has demonstrated how close we all can be to one another if we choose to be. Most of all, I have stretched my personal boundaries of comfort. These expanded boundaries will serve to enrich my life, and I hope the lives of others; I will also not be afraid to challenge myself to continually expand them as my life rolls through its journey."
Cassandra thanked the club for making this journey possible.
Cassandra is pictured at the Tokyo Pagoda.
For the full text of her speech Click here