My name is Matthew Johnson and I was fortunate enough to be selected to be a team member on this year’s Rotary Group Study Exchange team. The Rotary Foundation’s Group Study Exchange (GSE) program is a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for businesspeople and professionals between the ages of 25 and 40 who are in the early stages of their careers. The program provides travel grants for teams to exchange visits in paired areas of different countries. For four to six weeks, team members experience the host country’s culture and institutions, observe how their vocations are practiced abroad, develop personal and professional relationships, and exchange ideas. This year our Rotary District (7690 – Piedmont NC, USA) will be exchaning with District 9640 – Gold Coast, Australia. I will be spending 4 weeks “Down Under”, learning about Australian culture and urban planning! This blog will help me to document that experience! So, follow along as we voyage to the “Oz”, short for “Australia”!
