TINY CLUB, BIG HEART

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Today is not a very active day. We hang around, do some shopping and visit the Limari Museum.
I am not a museum fan, but this is another one of those beautiful, interactive ones. Where you can actually learn something and do something with the displays.

Most of the artifacts are from an exciting find during construction at the site of the Pisco Control Property, which is on the Inca trail. It contains many pieces of pottery, masks and tools from the Diaguita culture.

We go for a simple lunch at one of the fast food restaurants. Yeh, it’s Ramiro turn to choose. I am amazed by the type of food being consumed here. Not only adults, but also kids learn at a young age to “pig out”.


The main reason we are hanging around one more day in Ovalle is because tonight is the Rotary meeting. This is not nay Rotary meeting. The Ovalle Club was another one of the hosts for Ramiro’s GSE team and they really like to see him.

For a city with a population of close to 100,000 it is surprising that there is only one Rotary Club, and on top of that, a club with only 12, male only members.

They have invited the spouses tonight to make the meeting more meaningful for us. And it is indeed very meaningful. We meet the host parents of the 2007 exchange student who was sponsored by the Edmonton Rotary Club.
I join the women in their discussion about, what they know about Canada and the topic of frozen bread. They can not comprehend that we actually buy an entire loaf of bread and stick it in the freezer. Loaf bread is not used here all that much, but small round flat hand rolled buns, which are purchased fresh every day. What is not used up for the day, is either toasted on top of the gas flame or picked up by the farmer for the horses or pigs.

One of the senior members inquires about the possibility to form a sister club. He likes to learn more about Rotary in Canada.
This may be a very small club but a very friendly, warm club. Where Rotary Fellowship is demonstrated in a big way. I notice theyr unique Rotary bell, which is different from what I have ever seen. I learn that this is still the original chime from when the club was charted back in 1929.

The club house is only a 10 minute walk from our hotel and we enjoy the evening air for the walk back close to midnight. As we walk down the pedestrian shopping street, we hear loud scrubbing and notice a large crew of night workers scrubbing the sidewalk with soap and brooms. Others are picking up the card board boxes left outside by the store owners for recycling. The stray dogs are scrounging for left overs from the restaurants. It’s a totally different scene at night than during the day.