The Bahamas

THE BAHAMAS! Yes, The Bahamas.

It was on a sunny Tuesday when we set off to the airport. We arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson and soon enough we were on the plane, but not without our fair share of excitement. First of all, our ride to the airport was in a Limo. Yes, a Limo. Which to me was incredibly exciting but my American comrades were not quite as excited, this was just life for them. Next piece of excitement was that Dave, my host dad, managed to bring the wrong passport... bad start. He didn't realise this until the check-in lady said the words "Is she travelling too?". Luckily after breaking the speed limit Pam managed to get the right passport to Dave in time.
We got to our resort and oh my goodness, this place was something else. The hotel was HUGE and the situation was incredible. The island was aptly named 'Paradise Island.' We had the evening to settle in before our real work started the next day.
Our trip was mainly to help out the school children in Nassau with their eyesight. We had brought hundreds and hundreds of glasses with us to give out.
You may not think testing kids eyes and giving them glasses is that big a deal but just imagine not being able to see anything clearly or watch tv or read because of your eyesight. A lot of the time teachers in schools can think a child is not very smart when in fact the simple reason was that he can't see what he is supposed to do. So I'm extremely glad I could help out with these children and possibly change their lives.

We visited around 4 different schools and a community centre treating around 200 people in total, which is an incredible achievement. None of this could have been possible without the help of one outstanding woman, Dr. Anne Higgins. She was with us in all we did from the transport, to getting into schools and she also helped us get involved with many of the local activities which was great fun. She and her husband run a community centre in a very rough area of Nassau which had funding cut by the new government but still they keep it going through their own wages and the work they are doing is unbelievable. She is a truly inspirational woman.
Some of you may not know, but my mum was born in the Bahamas and she still has plenty of family there so one of my most favourite parts of the trip was getting to meet my great uncle and aunt, Jeremiah and Barbara Sawyer. They took me out for a fantastic meal, where we chatted lots and caught up with each other. Then they took me to their house and then to another one of my relatives Debbie, Brian and Stephen Nutt. I had an amazing time talking to them all and felt very blessed to feel part of a family even though I am this far away from my home. I really hope to see them all again soon and will definitely have to bring my family their next time!

As well as meeting my family I managed to meet two rather famous people. Errol Brown, the lead singer of Hot Chocolate and Sir Durward Knowles, the first ever Bahamian Olympic gold medallist.
My trip was unforgettable. The people I met, the people I came with, the weather, the food, the children, everything about this place was incredible. I really think this was one of my favourite and most rewarding trips I have ever been on. I am very thankful to Rotary for letting me experience this and am so grateful for everyone on the trip being so great to me!

The next few weeks bring quite a few activities. First of all is Mardi Gras in New Orleans which shall be amazing! I leave on Sunday and I cannot wait. Then there is the next Official Conclave with all the GRSP's which should be equally as good! After that I have St. Patricks day in Savannah which is supposed to be an amazing experience and because I am Irish this should be even better!
I am also hoping to go and see my cousins in North Carolina soon too which will be great as they are a really amazing family. So much to look forward to.
I CAN'T WAIT.

Sorry it's such a long one, hope everyone is doing well.

God bless, Andrew x