The Rotary Foundation's Group Study Exchange (GSE) programme is a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for business-people and professionals between the ages of 25 and 40 who are in the early stages of their careers.

The programme 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.

On Saturday, April 24, Rotarians from District 1290 (West Devon and Cornwall) greeted participants of just such an exchange with the arrival of a visiting team from district 4370 — Venezuela.

The team beat the travel chaos caused by the recent volcano in Iceland flying via Miami to the UK and for the next month, they will live with local Rotarian

families and experience everyday life and the work done by people of similar professions to their own.

As well as this they will also visit many of the historic sites and places of natural beauty in our area. During their time in the district, the team will also visit several of the local Rotary clubs giving presentations on life in Venezuela.

The first stop in their tour was at the Launceston Rotary Club where they arrived on Saturday, April 24 following a very long and tiring journey. Despite that they all attended the 'In the Pink' Big Band charity event at the Eagle House Hotel in the evening. The

following day they enjoyed a relaxed day with their host families and they all met up for a typical English Sunday lunch at the Sleepy Hollow Farm, Harrowbarrow, Callington.

On the Monday morning they were taken to Duchy College for a talk on Cornwall and a tour of the farm before having lunch and taking a local sight seeing tour in the afternoon.

That evening they all attended the normal Launceston Rotary Club's weekly dinner meeting where

rotarians and their partners were treated to a presentation by our visitors on their lives and their country.

During the evening one of the visitors Corina Sotilla Koifman was presented with a birthday cake to

celebrate her birthday the following day. Their

presentation was extremely interesting and generated a number of questions.

Rotary President Paul Smith thanked them and wished them well on the next stage of their visit where they will be entertained by the Rotarians of St Austell.