Club Meeting September 10th, 2008
GUESTS: Willemijn Nuboer-Haverkorn van Rijsewijk, Wilma Vanderlugt, Carolina and Andrew Sutherland and Dan Schmelzer
MEMBERS: Dietrich, Janice, Lew, William, Candace, Michael, Karen, Loic, Bart, Bob P., Sandi, Janet, Ben, Lisa, Diane and Bernie
It was a great night for guests and fellowship and for the debut for our President-Elect, Candace Cramer to shine as she called the meeting to order and presided at the podium for Bob.
Since a Dutch theme was being woven through the evening, Janet gave us "A Rotary Minute", highlighting the Netherlands. Our club funds for Rotary International helped to sponsor six Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholars to a program in Leiden Univ., in Holland.
Bart was proud to be able to present two Paul Harris Fellowship Awards, one to his daughter Carolina Sutherland and one to her husband, Andrew. Bart acknowledged the quality of "Service above Self" that they represent with their devotion to their son, Connor, who has had many issues and treatments taking them even to Budapest, Hungary. Both Sutherlands exemplify the standards of the Rotary International Foundation.
Then Bart's sister, Willemijn Nuboer, shared with all of us, her perceptions of Russia. She became interested while learning its difficult language in school, in Holland. She was able to travel to Russia to further her studies. Trips to Moscow and Leningrad since 1972 have allowed her to witness the many changes and dynamics of this vast, multi-cultured, and complex country.
She took us on a chair- side virtual historical tour of this "Sleeping Giant" and we traveled from the first established inhabitants- the Slavs who founded Novgorod in the north, to the Vikings and their capital at Kiev. From the 12th through the 14th centuries, Mongols invaded, founded Moscow and kept Russia in 200 years of isolation from Europe.
Peter the Great learned sailing from the Dutch!!!! He modernized built St. Petersburg from a swamp and opened his backward nation to the West. Catherine the Great continued these Westernizing reforms and introduced French language and culture into her court.
Today, the country still recoils from the open and closed policies of its many invaders and leaders. Khrushchev-closed, Gorbachev-open, Putin-closed...Also the problem in Georgia is the fact that so many different cultures have populated the country and claim control of the energy-source, pipeline. We shall wait to see the outcome!!!!!!
We were totally stimulated by the information that Willemijn provided and hope she can speak to us on a return visit to the U.S.
Don't forget that next week on the 17th, we meet at the home of Eric and Cheryl Foote to share a BBQ and Kaitlin St. George and her Scituate High School Service Learning Course students.
MEMBERS: Dietrich, Janice, Lew, William, Candace, Michael, Karen, Loic, Bart, Bob P., Sandi, Janet, Ben, Lisa, Diane and Bernie
It was a great night for guests and fellowship and for the debut for our President-Elect, Candace Cramer to shine as she called the meeting to order and presided at the podium for Bob.
Since a Dutch theme was being woven through the evening, Janet gave us "A Rotary Minute", highlighting the Netherlands. Our club funds for Rotary International helped to sponsor six Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholars to a program in Leiden Univ., in Holland.
Bart was proud to be able to present two Paul Harris Fellowship Awards, one to his daughter Carolina Sutherland and one to her husband, Andrew. Bart acknowledged the quality of "Service above Self" that they represent with their devotion to their son, Connor, who has had many issues and treatments taking them even to Budapest, Hungary. Both Sutherlands exemplify the standards of the Rotary International Foundation.
Then Bart's sister, Willemijn Nuboer, shared with all of us, her perceptions of Russia. She became interested while learning its difficult language in school, in Holland. She was able to travel to Russia to further her studies. Trips to Moscow and Leningrad since 1972 have allowed her to witness the many changes and dynamics of this vast, multi-cultured, and complex country.
She took us on a chair- side virtual historical tour of this "Sleeping Giant" and we traveled from the first established inhabitants- the Slavs who founded Novgorod in the north, to the Vikings and their capital at Kiev. From the 12th through the 14th centuries, Mongols invaded, founded Moscow and kept Russia in 200 years of isolation from Europe.
Peter the Great learned sailing from the Dutch!!!! He modernized built St. Petersburg from a swamp and opened his backward nation to the West. Catherine the Great continued these Westernizing reforms and introduced French language and culture into her court.
Today, the country still recoils from the open and closed policies of its many invaders and leaders. Khrushchev-closed, Gorbachev-open, Putin-closed...Also the problem in Georgia is the fact that so many different cultures have populated the country and claim control of the energy-source, pipeline. We shall wait to see the outcome!!!!!!
We were totally stimulated by the information that Willemijn provided and hope she can speak to us on a return visit to the U.S.
Don't forget that next week on the 17th, we meet at the home of Eric and Cheryl Foote to share a BBQ and Kaitlin St. George and her Scituate High School Service Learning Course students.
