My First Rotary Meeting

The other day I went to my first Rotary meeting here in Coimbatore, and, like everything else here, it was quite different from the Rotary meetings that I'm used to. We got there late (about a half hour)- and they hadn't yet started the meeting. So, we mingled around with some of the Rotarians, and I also met the two Indian boys who went to the US last year and just returned! When we started the meeting, us three exchange students got to sit up on the stage with the president, secretary and past president. They went through the formal proceedings, and then Khartick, Vicknesh (two boys who went to the US) and I made short presentations. Me about where I'm from, and the two of them had made a slide show about their years abroad. It was great to finally meet them after corresponding with them a few times before I left!
After the presentations, the past president Pratap Gokuldas got up to the podium and said a few words about the Rotary Youth Exchange program and how he has had a hand in it for over thirty years! What he said made a bid difference in my outlook- not all of you know, but I've been having a bit of a hard time getting used to it here, and after he spoke, I realized how wise he was. He told us that it wasn't going to be easy, and that every day has new challenges that we have to face. He told us that we have to just get through it- fight through it, until it gets better because it will.
After listening to that I decided that he was right- his speech was exactly what I needed to hear and at the right time. I realized that of course it's going to be hard- much harder than I would ever expect (because it has been), and that I have to fight through it, because there is always light at the end of the tunnel.
Thank you so much for that advice Mr. Gokuldas- I would love to talk to you more, and hear more of your wisdom sometime!