It was so cool seeing familiar faces from the past few weeks! We sat in the big, main tent for the first two hours listening to opening speeches. Then we went out for a break and met up with the members of the Indian GSE team (who are coming to the U.S. in April) and hung with them for a while.
The Rotarians from Gadag were there and Mohan had brought me a beautiful letter from Poonam, as well as a gift: a gorgeous salwar kameez. He called her on his mobile and I talked with her for a bit. I was hoping she'd make it out to the conference, but it doesn't look promising.
Misty, Elizabeth, Rajiv and I wandered around Gokul Garden, checking out the cultural show and the expo. They were setting up for a big dinner in a separate tent and around the back, we found the "Fellowship Hall" (aka: Beer Tent). Much to our surprise [not] we found Team Leader Bernie sitting at a table, drinking beer and whiskey with the guys from Gadag. We joined them and ended up having an awesome time for the rest of the evening.
Enjoying the fellowship.
At one point, I looked around and realized the three of us were the only women in the tent. I don't think women are supposed to take alcohol, but I confess: I did take a little bit of wine.
Mohan makes sure Bernie doesn't lose his pants.
It was so much fun meeting all these crazy Indian Rotarians and dancing around like a goofball with them on the dance floor. Somehow Bernie ended up in a turban...
... and then I did too.
What an awesome evening it was. I think I'm supposed to go back to the conference this morning with my host, return home for some rest, and then go back again in the evening. This trip just keeps getting better and better!