Although the conference was a good opportunity to get to know the world of Rotary here in Argentina, the Sunday following the conference was an even better opportunity to get to know its members. Humberto Gilabert, a member of my club, invited fellow members and their families as well as us scholars to his quinta for a picnic. The first question that comes to mind is what is a quinta? A quinta is house located country outside of the city where families go on the weekends to relax and escape the busy city life, and that is exactly what we did. We all gathered at Willie's house and we headed to the countryside of Escobar where Humberto's quinta was located. Early afternoon we arrived to one of Argentina's quaintest areas. Humberto's quinta was a beautiful wooden cottage surrounded by a fruit orchard, garden, green house, pool, and plenty of space to play soccer.
The scene was just as breathtaking as the genuine friendliness of the members and their families. For lunch we gathered around a picnic table filled with delicious empanadas (an Argentine staple which is a small bread pastry filled with meat chicken, corn, or cheese), sandwiches, and deserts like flan, medialunas (sweet croissants) and cookies. As the mate was passed around, we all shared stories about ourselves, our experiences with Rotary, and our adventures in Argentina. Afterwards a friendly game of soccer (futbol) was played by all, of which the star defender for the other team was a pile of dog poop directly in front of the goal, making it nearly impossible for my team to advance. Players and spectators shared both on and off the field a few laughs.
At the end of the day the Rotary principals of service and friendship suddenly had a new meaning. Having arrived in this country alone, the feeling of family was omnipresent that afternoon. Counselors and fellow Rotary members went out of their way to make it be known that they are here to support us, help us, and above all be our friends. Interesting enough along side the garage was a sign that read the following: El que no vive para servir, no sirve para vivir. The literal translation is " He who doesn't live to serve, doesn't serve anything in life." Looking back on that afternoon, I realize that sign has a much deeper meaning: what good is life if we don't have any desire to share it with others.
A special thanks to all the Rotary members and their families who went out of their way to make this very special day happen, especially Humberto and his wife for sharing their quinta with us, and Willie for organizing everything. Fue un verdadero placer!!!! (It was truly a pleasure.)
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