"Nothing that we do in Rotary is more fulfilling than a successful youth exchange." That was part of Past President Myron Fehr's introduction Aug. 18 of Beki Howard, who returned in June after a year as Portland Pearl Rotary's long-term outbound to Portoviejo, Ecuador.

And in a 20-minute presentation in words and images, Beki demonstrated that the experience was life-changing. "When you're a Rotary youth exchange student," she said, "the world just shrinks."

Beki, who turned 16 on her exchange, attended a year of high school (she's soon to begin her senior year at Molalla High School). Her trips with 126 fellow exchange students in District 4400 took her to the Amazon ("it was gorgeous," she said of a boat trip down the river) and to the Galapagos Islands (she showed pictures of hugh turtles and giant iguanas). Her host club of 40 Rotarians, amazingly, hosted nine students and sent 11 abroad through Rotary y.e.

She came home with "a new mindset," Beki admitted. A slide show revealed a year of smiles, travel experiences, new friends from throughout the world and a concluding image written in the sand of a beach: "I Love Ecuador."

"You can't experience this on any other program," she concluded. "I can't thank you guys enough."

Aug. 18, by coincidence, became "Ecuador Day" at PPRC. Also attending were two participants in the 5100 short-term youth exchange program.

Elise Zeidman of Portland spent five weeks on Quito on short-term y.e.; Ximena Viteri Gaibor, her host sister in Quito, is here now to complete the exchange.

"An overwhelming experience," expressed Elise, who attends Cleveland High School and was one of three short-term exchanges sponsored by Pearl Rotarians. "It was different than anything I had ever known."

Echoing Beki, Elise aded: "I got to do so many things I never get to do; it can only happen in a program like this."

Ximena also spoke in Spanish. Among her memories: Discovering how cold the Pacific Ocean in Oregon is compared to what she knows of the same body of water in Ecuador. "Muy frio," she said with a smile.

No doubt Beki Howard had the same experience last year, in reverse.

Caption for picture:

Ecuador was on the agenda at the August 18, 2009, meeting (from left): President Don Smith; long-term youth exchange returnee Beki Howard; Elise Zeidman of Portland, who spent five weeks on Quito on short-term y.e.; Ximena Viteri Gaibor, her host sister in Quito (now in Portland to complete the exchange); and club officer Dave Bangsund.