by Lorine Parks
“I had the pleasure of going on this train trip with 43 Rotary Youth Exchange teen-agers and four other chaperones.”
Diane Davis took us with her on a cross-country train trip, the culmination of their stay in the United States for the Rotary Exchange Students. They visited 13 cities in 33 days. The trip was made possible by donations of Rotarians to the Foundation, and our Rotary Club of Downey got to sponsor their first “family style dinner” on the road.
Rotary’s purpose in having the annual trip is Point 3 on the 4-Way Test, and the Fourth Object of Rotary: to promote world peace through better understanding, one student at a time. These young people, ranging in age from fifteen to eighteen, represented eighteen countries. That they all spoke fluent English after their stay in this country was a plus in communicating with each other on the trip.
The journey began in Los Angeles, where a picture at Santa Monica Pier shows the youngsters enjoying the beach. They then entrained at our classic Union Station, Amtrak’s Pacific terminus for their trans-continental odyssey.
Once on the train for San Francisco, pictures showed the chaperones at first maintaining a strict “on watch” posture,” walking up and down the train aisle. Two of these chaperones were Melody St. John of the Hollywood club, who is to be our District Governor in 2019-20, and her husband Paul. Once in San Francisco the group rode the cable cars, and had the first chance of many all across the country to unfurl all their countries’ flags for the group picture.
Melody St. John, who has spoken to the Downey Club about humanitarian trips to Mexico and Guatemala.
After a “polar bear” plunge in the Bay near the Golden Gate Bridge, the group had their first family-style dinner. The chaperones made spaghetti and grilled San Francisco sourdough bread, and the German contingent provided the dessert. Picture showed a big banner, “Thank you, Rotary Club of Downey.”
In Portland, which is within sight of snow-clad Mt. Hood, the group over-nighted in private homes, and on this “rest day” kept busy with an early morning run, and then doing laundry. On to Seattle, where they went to the top of the Space Needle and then took the ferry across Puget Sound to Bainbridge Island, the better to look back and see Seattle silhouetted by a spectacular sunset. By now everyone was wearing the group train-trip tee-shirt. Diane wore hers for her presentation to us.
As the train arrived in West Glacier Park, some were surprised to see a sign advertising “bear repellant.” At Lake McDonald they appreciated the view of the majestic Rocky Mountains, and in the annual volleyball game, the Chaperones beat the Students.
Next up was a 36 hour scenic ride, across the Rockies to Chicago. There at “One Rotary Place,” in Evanston, Illinois, their visit had been planned to coincide with the ceremony when new Australian Rotary International President Ian Riseley took over the gavel from Tennessee’s John Germ. Pictures with flags again, and Presidents John and Ian graciously took time to welcome the group and pose for pictures with them.
In Chicago the group produced their second “family dinner.” Not really satisfied with the way the pasta had been cooked in San Francisco, the Italian contingent volunteered to give a “lesson in pasta cooking,” and this time the Brazilians produced the dessert.
Next stop in iconic America was Niagara Falls, the American side, where the group had a wet ride on the Maid of the Mist steamboat which goes right into the powerful spray at the base of the Falls. A six hour ride which was an additional five hours late because of a delay on the tracks, brought them into Boston, and by now it was the Fourth of July.
The group experimented with face painting, having the flags of their nations decorate their cheeks and foreheads. Then they walked the Freedom Trail in Boston, which features the rich history of colonial America, and the Old North Church, which played a part in Paul Revere’s Revolutionary ride.
While they were watching the dazzling fireworks display over the Charles River, the delegate from India said to Diane, “Why is everybody saying ‘Happy Independence Day, Happy Independence Day?’ Who did you get your Independence from?”
And Diane had the pleasure of enlightening her, “From the British. The same as you did.” Showing how much these Exchange Students still had to learn about us. The purpose of the trip.
Next stop, Times Square in New York City, and a visit to the Statue of Liberty. Here Diane left the group, but pictures showed them next in Philadelphia seeing the Liberty Bell on Independence Mall, a National Historic Park. The final city on the itinerary was New Orleans.
“I would do this again,” said Diane. Why? “Friends for life.” Melody St. John and her husband were co-chaperones, and they have had Rotary exchange students stay in their home for twenty consecutive years. And in bonding with the young female students, Diane said, “curly hair knows no borders.”
The trip represented many stops on their Bucket Lists of ambitions for the students. For example, the young Frenchman Gary, was deeply interested in the visit to the American Red Cross Headquarters in Washington, D.C. In World War I, our Red Cross worked in France, with headquarters in Chateau Thierry.
“I didn’t want to say goodbye to my babies,” Diane said. They may be gone but not forgotten. Thank you, Diane, for the program and for making the journey.
As to the greater purpose, Diane closed with a quotation by Paul Harris, “Whatever Rotary means to us, to the world it will be known by the results it achieves.”