Rotary hosts Danish exchange group

Members of the Rotary Club of Sisters had the pleasure of hosting a group of visitors from Denmark as part of the Rotary Group Study Exchange (GSE) program. Their tour also included visits to Rotary clubs in Eugene, Grants Pass, Roseburg, Coos Bay, Brookings, and Bend.

The GSE program in Rotary District 5110 is financed by district grants, and is a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for young business and professional men and women in their initial years of professional life.

It is designed to develop professional and leadership skills so that they can address the needs of their communities and an increasingly global workplace. It allows them to observe vocations as practiced in another country, its people, language and institutions, and promote an appreciation of cultural diversity worldwide. A reciprocal team representing Rotary clubs from Oregon cities will visit Denmark in August.

This group, ages 24 to 52, included a real estate appraiser, two translators, a teacher of language and reading programs for special-needs children, and a signage sales person. All are English-speaking, and these translators don't deal with language, but decoding international documents. Jette Flach Bundgaard is their team leader; other members are Ole Vive, Michelle Andresson, Nina Suensen, and Kirsten Stadil Bose.

At each stop, Rotarians housed and hosted the members of the team. Accommodations in Sisters were provided by Gil and Roberta Achterhof, Michael and Leoti Richards, Jim and Debbie Barnes, and Hal and Francie Kibby.

The Achterhofs and Rick Judy took the group on a sightseeing tour, starting at Belknap Hot Springs and concluding in Sisters. The group was in awe of the snow-capped mountains and beautiful scenery as they drove over the pass. Ted and Edie Jones introduced them to the community with a potluck dinner in their honor - one of many concepts new to them.

The group gave an informative PowerPoint presentation about life in Denmark, including family, business and cultural activities. An evening event combined Sisters and Bend Rotary clubs to share ideas, and there was a Rotary District Conference at the Bend Riverhouse with 500 people in attendance. There were plenty of opportunities to ask questions and talk about our different and similar perspectives.

School Superintendent Jim Golden showed the group around Sisters High School. He said, "They had never seen a school that offered so many innovative projects." In Denmark, schools are strictly academic. Students have to go to an athletic-type club for sports, and take private instruction for arts and music.

They were especially impressed with Rick Johnson's Americana Project class, with students writing original American music; the arts program; and the luthier program. They were also very excited about Bill Rexford's AP History class and Rob Corrigan's STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) program. They found the 3-D printer fascinating, having never seen anything like it before.

Michael Richards, Rotarian and general manager of KZSO 94.9 LP-FM, welcomed Bundgaard, the team leader, into the studio for an interview about her experiences in Oregon so far and to discuss the exchange program.

The Achterhofs and Barbara Turner took the group on a walking tour around town. They especially enjoyed Beacham's Clock Co. and Leavitt's, where they became enamored of Stetson hats and purchased several. They wore them proudly as they waved the orange traffic flags to cross Cascade whenever they could.

In the towns they came from in Denmark, including Roskilde, Maribo, and Copenhagen, cycling is one of the most common means of transportation, and there are more than twice as many miles of railway tracks as there are "motorways."

After a few days in Bend, the group headed south on our motorways to visit with Rotary clubs in cities in California as they continue to explore our culture and expand their horizons.