Date:  Nov. 8, 2014

Location:  Loop 499

This project will also be held in conjunction with the Keep Harlingen Beautiful 2014 Fall Litter Bash.   Lunch will be provided for all of the volunteers afterwards at McKelvey Park starting at 11:30AM.

Those interested in volunteering are encouraged to contact

Eddie Bartnesky – 245-2299

Joanne Settles was the guest speaker  at our last meeting.  She is a member of the Victoria Sunrise Rotary Club and was here to speak about the Polio Plus Program. Rotary launched its PolioPlus program, the first initiative to tackle global polio eradication, in 1985. Since then, Rotary and its partners have helped reduce the number of annual cases from 350,000 to fewer than 250 and remain committed until every child is safe from the disease.   The polio cases represented by the remaining 1% are the most difficult to prevent, due to factors including geographical isolation, poor public infrastructure, armed conflict and cultural barriers. Until polio is eradicated, all countries remain at risk of outbreaks.

Dear Rotarians,

Well nearly another month has gone by, and the adventure continues. School is in full swing, and every Saturday morning I cry on the inside. I don't think I'll ever get used to Saturday school. It's a terrible, terrible, thing. Speaking of education, there's more differences I'd like to take note of. Everyday is basically a lecture, with homework every other lesson. The only things that you are graded on are tests and "interrogazioni". Tests are rarely given, if at all. An interrogazione is when the teacher calls upon one to three students at a time and orally test them on what has been taught so far. Depending on how much information and how well the student has answered, they are given a grade between 1-10. I've noticed that 6-8 is the average grades throughout. 9 and 10s are slim. Their expectations are quite different from ours, but it's more rigorous and difficult compared to the U.S. School comes with its pros and cons. One pro is field trips. In early December, I'll be going to Greece with the seniors!

Food. Food never ceases to amaze. Pizzetta is still my favorite, but gnocchi linguine is a close second. Something interesting is that tuna is a regular ingredient in pizza. Who would have thought? Here, crepes are a dessert. I don't know if any of you heard/tasted of the crepes in IHOP. Well, these are certainly to die for. The crepes are in a triangular shape and are filled with nutella. Topping choices are gelato, chocolate sauce, or strawberries. Finally, it's topped off with powdered sugar. Chestnuts are in season! The Christmas song popped in anybody's head? No okay. They're very good, especially roasted over an open fire. Jack Frost hasn't nipped me yet. Ha. Ha. Coffee is still delicious, and bartenders have been getting craftier with their designs. As you will see in the pictures, one wrote OK (or Calvin Klein) and Summer. It certainly put a smile on my face!

My host family is still as great as ever. We might go to the movies soon! My mom and sister are amazing cooks. I really like food. My father is always working, but when he comes home he gets us snacks and we eat them when mom isn't around! Also, my grandparents are just about the greatest things ever. My grandpa is a history buff, so he always has something to tell me. Also he has this huge book collection that is all on world history! I can't wait to read everything! Also my grandmother is so sweet. I went to visit one day, and all she could do was fuss and fret of how cold I felt! They seriously are my family.

Anyways, there's also some interesting history here. There are nuraghe, which are prehistoric monuments. I've visited some as well as a villa owned by a Scottish royal.

If you have any questions about the lifestyle here or anything else, go ahead and ask. I'll be happy to answer your questions. I've video chatted with some of you and it was nice to do so. I hope everyone is faring well. The pictures will be in the following email due to space limits.

Your exchange student,
Elia Law

Classification:  TBD

Sponsor:  Kathy Preddy