Swedish Rotarians on a Friendship Exchange Trip with Los Alamos Rotarians gather for a photo with statues of Robert Oppenheimer and Gen. Groves in downtown Los Alamos Tuesday. Photo by Carol A Clark/ladailypost.com
Los Alamos Rotarians Linda and Skip King toast with Rotarians from Sweden during a potluck dinner Wednesday at the home of Rotarian Chris Sierk. Photo by Carol A Clark/ladailypost.com
Staff Report
The Rotary Club of Los Alamos hosted a Friendship Exchange this week with 14 Rotarians visiting from Sweden. The Rotary Friendship Exchange program gives Rotarians and their families the opportunity to experience other cultures firsthand, by participating in reciprocal visits with Rotarians from other countries and their families. Introduced in 1984, this program aims to advance international understanding among Rotarians.
The Swedish guests arrived Monday and left today to travel to Farmington. During their stay in Los Alamos, the contingent toured the Bradbury Science Museum, Bandelier National Monument and Santa Fe and several played golf at Los Alamos Golf Course before gathering for a potluck dinner with more than 40 local Rotarians at the home of Chris Sierk.
There are two main types of Friendship Exchanges, the visitor exchange and the team exchange. The visitor exchange gives individual Rotarians, who may be accompanied by family members, the opportunity to spend a few days in the home of a Rotarian in another country. The typical visitor exchange ranges from three to seven days. The team exchange provides the opportunity for several Rotarians or Rotary couples to travel to different communities in a host district for a period of up to one month.
A unique aspect to incorporate into either the team or the visitor exchange is the univocational exchange, in which both guest and host Rotarians are of the same profession. A univocational exchange gives the Rotarians involved the opportunity to expand their views on a common interest.
The Rotary Club of Los Alamos meets every Tuesday at 11:45 a.m. at the Dixie Girl’s banquet room in downtown Los Alamos. Meetings are free, and lunch can be ordered off the menu at the meeting. Attend a lunch and learn how the Club is working to build community, bridge continents, and grow in vocations and friendships.
Rotarian Susan O’Leary, center, chats with Rotary President Jim Nesmith as Rotarian Chris Sierk speaks with guests at her home Wednesday evening. Photo by Carol A Clark/ladailypost.com
Local Rotarians Janet Tallman, Rosmarie Frederickson and Bev Cooper mingle with Rotarians from Sweden. Photo by Carol A Clark/ladailypost.com
Photo by Carol A Clark/ladailypost.com
Rotarians Judy Goldie and Mary Burns chat on the stairs during Wednesday’s party. Photo by Carol A Clark/ladailypost.com
Photo by Carol A Clark/ladailypost.com
Rotary Immediate Past President Linda Hull holds up banners presented to the Los Alamos Club from Swedish visitors during Tuesday’s Rotary meeting at the Dixie Girl Restaurant. Photo by Carol A Clark/ladailypost.com
Swedish Rotarian and Group Leader Jan-Ake Engvall presents a talk about Sweden during Tuesday’s Rotary meeting. Photo by Carol A Clark/ladailypost.com
Swedish guests take turns introducing themselves during Tuesday’s Rotary meeting at the Dixie Girl Restaurant. Photo by Carol A Clark/ladailypost.com
