Rotary Club of Visalia


How you can spot a Youth Exchange Scholar a mile away
	A Rotary blazer is the heaviest article of clothing you can wear. Yes, it's covered in hundreds of pins from almost as many countries, and yes, you definitely don't want to put it in your checked bag if you're cutting it close on the weight limit, but the real weight of a Rotary blazer isn't in the things pinned to it.
Wearing that blazer is an honor, bestowed only on those who were brave enough to jump head-first into the unknown. The pins were collected through meeting people from places far different from your home, and from going to places you'd never even imagined. The weight of all these people and places grows heavier and heavier with each new person and experience, and it all comes rushing back the moment you put on that blazer. And this is the heaviest part. You don't know if you'll ever see these people again, or visit these places. You don't know if you'll ever again be the person you were when your blazer was empty. But if you wear a Rotary blazer, it means you're strong enough to carry the weight. It means you've said goodbye to the greatest friends you've ever made, and you kept going. It means you left a place that you learned to love, and you kept going. It means that you learned a new culture, a new language, a new way of life, and that is a weight that you will carry with you forever. Steve Adams – Germany D1810 2013-14