Christmas Party and New Generations Update

Monday, December 10 by Donna Wood

Much has been said of late in the paper and elsewhere about how important it is to shop locally.  Monday Jeanne Brovelli and Dee Dee Driscoll shared information to support that appeal.  Speaking both as business owners and members of the Quincy Chamber of Commerce and merchants’ association pointed out how shopping locally is about “nurturing locally owned businesses which use local resources sustainably and employs local workers.”  For every $100 spent with local businesses, $73 stay in Quincy while for every $100 spent with non-local business, only $43 comes back to the community.  Apart from the obvious stimulus for the local economy so important in the current economy, there are other important reasons to shop locally.  It is important to remember as Rotarians often dependent on community support for service projects that local business owners donate more to local charities than non-local owners.  And if you enjoy living in this unique community as I do, remember the character of the community is defined in large part by the local businesses.  And certainly the ‘rudeness’ factor is much lower when you are served by locals you see every day.  Overall, it just makes sense to support local business, not just during the holidays, but year round.  Remember, local businesses are owned by people who are a part of our community and who are more invested in the community as a whole, it’s welfare and its future.  We are in this together.  Let’s support our local business!

A note from Ethan, our Exchange Student to Brazil

Hello Quincy Rotary! 

It’s been awhile since my last email, so here an update for you. This last months have been incredibly eventful. I went on the first Rotary sponsored trip. It was so amazing! The trip was to the Pantanal, a region in southern Brazilian notable for its remarkably sized swamp. So many stories and new friends that I made while I was there, too many to tell you all about, but to give an overview: I made a large number of new friends especially that of a group of incredibly nice Thai kids. I also became good friends with a number of Germans that were also on the trip. We went piranha fishing, and rafting and water tubing and swimming and say waterfalls and jumped off a 50 foot platform into water below, which was a lot fun. We all thought it crazy when we went swimming in the same spot we went piranha fishing the day before. I let someone else get in first. 

I have also become a bit of a celebrity here, everyone here knows me. I have been in the newspaper numerous times for various things which has only increased my fame. Just walking down the street I encounter numerous people that I know, and I am regularly invited to various outings with friends. The school got out a week ago now, so I have been invited to and attending numerous graduations and graduation parties, including those from other schools in the city. 

My relationship with my host Rotary club is extremely good. They all love having me at the meetings, and I go much more often than I am required. I also participate in Interact events, and was a part of Miss Socorro, which was an incredible experience. I spoke for the crowd briefly, just about myself, that fact that I am exchange student, etc, for some 500+ attendees. 

I have had no problems to speak of. I am speaking the language fairly effectively now, and can participate in day to day conversation, though I do still have to stop and ask for words as my exposure to words is still fairly limited. I have incorporated a decent number of the verb conjugations and can express most anything I desire, though I may have to slow down to think about the verbs. Everyone is impressed with my language learning skills. I can also write and read, albeit with minimal effectiveness. 

Estou aprendendo muito rápido escrever e ler. Coisas mais difícil são as palavras com acentos. A outro coisa que me deixa frustrado é que as palavras não perecem o som que eles tem. Por exemplo, quando eu olho uma palavra em inglês,  eu tenho uma ideá como falar este palavra, em português não tenho nem uma ideá. 

Translated that says: I am learning to read and write very quickly. The harder parts are words with accents. Another thing that frustrates me is that the words don't look like their sound. For example, if I look at a word in English I have an idea how to say it, but in Portuguese I don't even have a clue. 

So there is an update for all of you! Feel free to ask any questions you have, just email me at this email address and I will answer you as soon as I can. 

Thank you much,

Ethan Skemp