Kaohsiung Harbor

Kaohsiung's harbor is the fourth largest container port in the world and it plays an important role in Taiwan's economic development. Over the past month, many of our travels have involved the harbor in some way: it comes up in conversations about international trade, tourism and agriculture. We've ridden in boats across it, stood on the beach beside it, and eaten incredible food atop a tower in a revolving restaurant while watching the ships arrive and depart. The harbor is an ever-present reminder that Taiwan, despite being a small island, is an important player in the global arena. It also reminds us that we, as individuals, are part of a larger global community. Whether we want them to or not, the effect of our individual actions ripple across the globe.

I think this idea is one of the driving forces behind Rotary International's mission as well: each individual has the capacity to impact our global society. Rotary enables individuals to join together and make those positive contributions have an even bigger impact.

Therefore, it was very fitting that on the last day of the GSE program, our team sat on the deck of a restaurant and watched the sun set over Kaohsiung Harbor before walking to our final Rotary Club meeting with the Kaohsiung Southern Star Rotary Club.

This iPhone photo does not do justice to the beauty of this sunset or the location, and I will never be able to fully convey the impact the GSE trip has had on me to my family and friends. I will have to be content to store the image of the sunset in my mind's archives and to share the impact the GSE experience has had on me through my actions in the future.