One month later...

Wow! Time passes so quickly. A few months ago I was anxious to get to Brazil. And a month after the trip I'm anxious to get BACK to Brazil. The GSE experience was an awesome one. I made so many friends and met so many people that I'm still putting information in my address book. But the best thing about this trip was what I brought back. I now have a small garden of my very own as I have learned how rewarding it is to have fresh fruits and veggies. I am more aware of my carbon footprint. When my clothes dryer broke, I was able to quickly adapt because I was used to "sun-dried" clothing. And for my coworkers, who wanted to know everything about my trip, I brought back...another TAX RETURN (just after the tax season ended here in VA). It was surprising to see their interest in the Brazilian tax form and how impressed they were by the literature I received from my vocational visits regarding teaching children (K-12) about taxes in school. Unfortunately the person I was most excited to share my information with, our Tax Commissioner Janie Bowen, passed away suddenly. However her legacy lives on in the Vision she had for the VA Dept. of Taxation and I will be giving information to the team that handles education outreach in our agency. Above all, I would like to say thank you once again to the Richmond Rotary, the 7600 District, to those who were in charge of the superb orientation in January, the 4600 District and Rotary International. Obrigada. Beijos. Tchau!