2004 OUTBOUND TEAM 

District 7010 to District 5010

"To Russia with Love"  

From May 4th, 2004 to June 5th, 2004, District 7010's Outbound Team will be in Siberia, visiting the cities of Irkutsk,  Chita and Ulan-Ude.

The team will be led by Don Watkins (seated) from the Rotary Club of Peterborough-
Kawartha.  

The team members are sponsored by Rotary Clubs from the communities in which they live and work. Standing left to right are Eric Bacon (RC of Sudbury), Sheryl Loucks (RC of Haliburton), Petrina Howe (RC of North Bay) and Anne-Julie Lippé  (RC's of Midland and Pentenguishene).

Click on the images below to view pictures of the team and alternates.  These pictures were taken during the team's first training session in December 2003 at the restored Huntsville train station, a project of the Rotary Club of Huntsville. 

 If you view picture #1, the team members and alternates are:  front row left to right -  Andréanne Joly, Alternate, (Kapuskasing); Stéphane Bellemare, Alternate (Nipissing). Back row left to right - Lisa Smith, Alternate, (Lindsay); Don Watkins, Team Leader, (Peterborough-Kawartha); Petrina Howe, Team Member, (North Bay); Sheryl Loucks, Team Member, (Haliburton); Eric Bacon, Team Member, (Sudbury); Anne-Julie Lippé, Team Member, (Midland and Penetanguishene).

Meet our team, Up Close & Personal

Don Watkins, Team Leader
Дон Ваткинс

Pharmacist
Фармащевт

• Retail pharmacist for 40 years
• Rotarian since November 1974
• President Rotary Club of Tillsonburg, Ontario (D7080) 1981-82
• District Governor D7080 1991-92
• Currently member of the Rotary Club of Peterborough-Kawartha
• District Chairman The Rotary Foundation Annual Giving
• Don and Sharon have been married since 1965
• Two married daughters and two grandchildren
• Hobbies: grandchildren, home maintenance, gardening, stamps, Rotary
• Membership assistant Peterborough Concert Association
• Volunteer Telecare Distress Centre of Peterborough

Anne-Julie Lippé, Team Member
Анжюли Липэ

Social Worker
Работник

• Born and Raised in Toronto
• French Canadian
• Studied Social Work at the University of Waterloo
• Studied Early Childhood Education at Sheridan College
• Social Worker with the Children’s Aid Society
• Has been working in Child Welfare for the past 7 Years
• Volunteer for BUNN’S Kids which helps pay for athletics for disadvantaged child
• Currently lives in Midland with my two dogs and enjoy the shores of Georgian Bay in the summer and the wonderful skiing in the winter.

Eric Bacon, Team Member
Эрик Бэкэн

Teacher
Учитель

• Born and raised in a mining community called Sudbury
• French Canadian
• 11 year old daughter named Paige
• Studied History and Education at Lakehead University
• First year teaching was in a remote northern community called Attawapiskat
• Teacher with the Rainbow District School Board for the past three and a half years
• Teach grade 7 & 8
• Enjoys the outdoors and playing sports

Sheryl Loucks, Team Member
Шерил Лаукс

Journalist
Журналист

• Fifth generation Canadian, fourth to be born in Trenton
• Bachelor of Journalism and History, Carleton University, Ottawa
• Travelled from Nova Scotia to Florida along North America's east coast and spent 8 months backpacking across Australia and New Zealand.
• Enjoys theatre and all music and has participated in amateur productions.
• Volunteered for various environmental conservation projects and children's causes.
• Adores animals, is veteran owner of crazy pet cats.

Petrina Howe, Team Member
Петрина Хау

Registered Nurse
Медсестра

• Was raised by my mom in a small northern Ontario mining community, Elliot Lake
• Studied nursing at Georgian College in Barrie and graduated with honours in 1999
• Been working as a Operating Room nurse for 5 years
• Took part in the world's first hospital to hospital tele-robotic laparoscopic surgery in February 2003
• Very close to my family and friends, spending as much time with them as possible
• Hobbies: Camping, Reading, Organized Sports and Travelling

On April 24th at District 7010's District Assembly held in North Bay, the team was presented to those assembled by team leader Don.  The following photo of the team includes RI Director John Eberhard and Governor Carl Dickson.

Bottom row l to r: Petrina Howe, Sheryl Loucks
Second row: Anne-Julie Lippé, RI Director, John Eberhard
Third row: Eric Bacon, District 7010 Governor, Carl Dickson
Fourth row: Team Leader, Don Watkins

The team has arrived safe and sound.  Even their luggage arrived with them.

Team Leader Don writes, " Here I sit in my new Russian home for the next week. We have just finished supper and I have been offered the chance to use the computer. It has been a truly amazing experience thus far - and it has only just begun.
The days at Lake Baikal were wonderful. We always ate alone at our own table at the far end 
of a large dining room. We never knew if anyone else ever ate at all.
To-day we came into Irkutsk to begin things in earnest.  It appears that our Visa registration problems were solved this afternoon.  Those of you who know my frustration about this issue will understand my great relief.
We toured around the city after having lunch in a pizza restaurant!!  The traffic and driving conditions are unbelievable. My host, Mikhail, was on the Team to Canada.  He can put his little old Lada through the smallest spots.  We came home and I met his wife and 2 young children at supper. His wife, Irina, and the youngest son have moved out to her parents during my stay.
To-morrow evening we make our first presentation to Irkutsk No. ! Club. It seems they have no equipment available for showing our presentation, so we are trying to arrange an overhead projector since we also brought the program on transparencies. Irina tried to insist that we all use some Russian, but was finally calmed when we told her that several of the slides have Russian explanations on them - family, work, etc.   The rest of our week here will be exclusively with the Irkutsk-Baikal Club which Irina and Mikhail belong to.  All the Team are well. We are enjoying each other's company very much.
Everyone seems to have survived the time transition.
I'll write again when I can."

Arrival at the airport in Irkutsk.

This photo was taken at the hotel where the team rested up (jet lag) upon their arrival in Irkutsk.

Canada meets Russia. 'Chandler', 2nd generation PolioPlus Bear and the team mascot meets 'Bilka' the Russian squirrel.

The team and Elina (who has been helping us the first two days) at a scenic lookout.  The scene in the background is beautiful lake Baikal and the mountains.

Members of the Rotaract Club.

Petrina and Anne-Julie
presenting a gift to Bogdan V. Gorodisky who is the
president of the Irtkutsk Club #1.

Eric giving a Canadian pin to
a small child (6 years old) at a private linguistic school after the Team made their presentation in both English and
Russian.

An autograph fan is getting Eric's autograph.

Is this our Team Leader?
Don is playing hopscotch with some young Russian friends.

Petrina with a child on our trip to a
children's hospital.  The child is wearing a vest which the staff at the hospital uses for teaching at
travelling clinics.

Team Leader, Don  presents Chandler, the Canadian Bear to the Rotary Club of Irkutsk-Baikal.  As we were explaining what the purpose of
Chandler was, one of the Rotarians put him back in the bag and passed Chandler around and people put money in the bag.  They raised 1600 roubles.

Eric writes........

Hello all,

Well I survived my first real weekend in Russia. Over the weekend, we had a chance to spend some time with our host families. I had a chance to go to a Dacha (cottage and have a bania (Russian Sauna).   It was one of the most unbelievable experiences of my life. There are many details which I will share when I get back, so please remember to ask me about my first Dacha.

We were back on track with our visits today.  We visited the newest school in the city, and it was quite beautiful. The students were so well disciplined. From there, we continued onto an orphanage, which was actually an institution for mentally and physically disabled students. It was again very interesting and quite shocking at the same time.


Talk to you soon,
Eric

Week 2 Report from Team Leader Don

Sorry about the delay. I think you have already heard from Eric about the lack of readily available internet access here. We were so spoiled in Irkutsk with all the high speed...  Week 2 was a week of transition from Irkutsk to Ulan Ude.  We went from hugging our friends to say goodbye to hugging trees at Lake Baikal to absorb the energy of the Lake.  From holding on while our hosts played dodgem cars in the traffic to slowing down and even stopping for cattle and horses that wouldn't move out of the way.

We finally stopped eating pizza and Greek salad for lunch at Zar Pizza and moved on to the famous unique Omul (Siberian Salmon) of Lake Baikal.  We said tearful goodbyes at the railway station and woke the next morning to be greeted by a swarm of strangers all of whom had memorized our bios and new exactly who we were even in our dazed, rumpled state.  We left behind the nightclub event and traded it for a bonfire on the beach on this eastern side of Lake Baikal.  We left behind the rush of going from place to place in Irkutsk to a 3 day - 2 night- stay in Enchaluk Lodge.  We left the constant presence of police and crowds and wandered at will around the grounds of the lodge.  Everything and everyone is well.  It is hard to believe that our trip is now half over.  We are now in the Buriyat Republic and our schedule includes many visits related to the Buryiat culture.

We are here until Friday, May 28th and then we leave about 7:45am for another train ride - only about 3 hours sitting up this time - towards Chita where we will begin with a visit to an Old Believers site and then continue on into Chita by car/van later in the day.  The food is very similar to home except for the usual continental breakfast of cheese and meat.  Sheryl is staying with Olga who was in Canada.  

We all thank-you for this wonderful opportunity.

Don

May 28th

Eric sent the following photos and wrote ...........

We have met with Rashid (a team member from the D5010 team that visited our district in September), and after 8 hours on the train, we are all settled in with our host families.  Our last week will be a busy one, but one we are looking forward to.  The team is well, and we will be home soon,

Eric

Don with children at an orphanage in Ulan-Ude.

Anne-Julie at an orphanage in Ulan-Ude.

Sheryl with some children at an orphanage in Ulan-Ude.

The team at an  orphanage in Ulan-Ude.

The team is greeted in Chita.

Week 2 Report from Team Leader Don 

 I reported last on our stay in Ulan Ude.  While there, we were each given time to experience different activities related to our occupations.  We did tour a juvenile detention centre which has been supported by the Rotary Club, and also an orphanage for which the Rotary Club is purchasing a new commercial washer and dryer. All of the clothes are ironed for the 100+ children by hand!!  

We were introduced to the Buryat culture. This indigenous group comprises just less than 30% of the Ulan Ude area population.  Baikal Lake is the mystical birthplace of the culture.  We were introduced to Budhism at the Ivolginski Datsan and were even fortunate enough to meet the Lama.  He was much more interested in knowing about Rotary activities than talking about his datsan.  

We left Ulan Ude and had a 9 hour daytime train ride to Chita.  We were welcomed by a large sign in English!!  My host here, and the local co-ordinator, is Rashid who was on the Team to Canada. He hopes to be a Rotarian soon but has not yet been accepted.  He travels so much with his business.  

Rashid arranged the schedule so we will be away overnight Monday at a sacred Buddhist location. There was time left for us to choose from a list of about 10 options to fill 1 1/2 days of program.  He then made separate arrangements as requested.  This was very thoughtful.  He obviously remembered that although we do like to be all together, we have different interests.  Last night we went to a folklore presentation.  Afterwards we were taken backstage and had pictures taken with the cast. The local Rotarians and hosts have become very successful entrepreneurs since Perestroika.  

To-day is the city of Chita Festival.  We will be going to the stadium  at 3pm for the celebration, and  then to-night there will be fireworks.    We now realize that we are on the down slope of our time.  There are a few head cold sniffles but nothing serious. Everybody is doing well.  

Don

The GSE team at the Sapsan hotel dressed in traditional
buryat clothes.

Don giving an interview at the
orphanage.

This is a picture of the team at the alhanai mountain.  It is a sacred buddist place and was a four hour hike up and down the mountains.

We were visiting the city celebration on Sunday when we were stopped by some soldiers.  Turns out the were
watching us and wanted a picture.

Final Report from Team Leader Don

Don

THE TEAM RETURNED HOME SAFE AND SOUND ON JUNE 5TH, 2004

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