自從大約八年前我加入扶輪社(RC Loyola Heights ,RI3780地區)以來，在過去的國際扶輪活動中，我曾經有和三或四位國際扶輪社長見面與握手的機會。而且沒有太多的交談，僅保持平常的〝嗨〞，〝哈囉〞和〝我們可以一起合照嗎?〞等等的話。

Ever since I joined Rotary (RC Loyola Heights, RI District 3780) about eight years ago, I had the opportunity to meet and shake hands with three or four RI Presidents during past Rotary International events. Not much conversation transpired, save for the usual “Hi!”, “Hello!”, and “Can we have our pictures taken?” sort of thing.

雖然如此，幾天前，地帶研習會主席Mel Salazar和前地區總監Bobby Viray通知並指定我在Westin Plaza 飯店舉辦的三天會議期間，擔任國際扶輪社長Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammer的一位侍從時，我很緊張但也興奮期待這天的到來，因為我終於將與只有在扶輪月刊與網路才能讀到的人物見面。

Nevertheless, I was stunned when a couple of days ago, Zone Institute Chairman Mel Salazar and Past District Governor Bobby Viray informed me that I was designated as one of the close-in aides of RI President Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammer during the three-day Institute at the Westin Plaza Hotel. I was quite nervous but excited as I looked forward to the day that I will finally get to meet the man who I have previously only read about in Rotary magazines and the Internet.

我被通知在10月20日下午三點前到達Westin Plaza飯店，並且直接向PDG Vince Carlos報到以接受指示。我提早至少兩小時抵達好讓自己適應環境與人事物。我終於與PDG Vince見面並且簡要的告知我所要做的事。大約半小時後，我見到國際扶輪社長Carl-Wilhelm朝我們的方向走來。我鼓起勇氣接近他並介紹自己，他與我握手、給我一個大微笑、並且感謝我在地帶會議擔任的角色，那種態度使我立即放鬆下來。

I was told to be at Westin Plaza before 3:00 pm on October 20 and to report directly to PDG Vince Carlos for further instructions. I arrived at least two hours early, in order to “acclimatize” myself to the sights and sounds of the venue and participants. I finally met with PDG Vince and was briefed on what I had to do. About half an hour later, I saw President Carl-Wilhelm walking towards our direction. I mustered enough courage to approach him and introduce myself to him. He shook my hands, gave me a big smile and thanked me for my role at the Zone Institute. That gesture made me feel at ease instantly.

當等待進入會議廳時，我們有許多機會可以談話。他問有關我扶輪社的事，我們談到他來菲律賓之前的旅行(大部分是商務上，尤其在民答那峨島)。我很好奇想了解有關他的職業，因為就像Carl-Wilhelm社長，我也相同從事在食物配銷與出口的領域。我問到有關他的太太，他說她在瑞典的家中，大概在〝剷雪〞，因為那個地區現在正有暴風雪來臨。

There were several instances, while waiting to enter the plenary hall, that we had the opportunity to talk. He asked me about my club and we talked about his past trips (primarily on business) to the Philippines (particularly in Mindanao). I was quite curious to learn more about his profession, because like President Carl-Wilhelm, I am similarly involved in the field of food distribution and export. I asked him about his spouse and he said that she is home in Sweden, probably “shoveling snow” as they are currently going through a snowstorm.

與Carl-Wilhelm社長相處的第一天並不能真正充分瞭解他這一位領導著我認為最古老也最偉大的民間組織。但就算是這麼短暫的相處，我已經發現他是溫和、友善、與容易溝通。他非常聰明且作風簡單的風格，這一點已經由國際扶輪的理事泰國Noraseth Pathamanand於開幕儀式上對他的敘述與介紹中被進一步證實。

The first day with President Carl-Wilhelm was really not enough to learn more about the man who heads what I believe as not just the oldest but also the greatest civic organization in the World. But such a short exposure and I already found him to be generally warm, friendly and easy to talk to. He is definitely very intelligent yet simple in his ways. This was further re-affirmed by the way he was described and introduced by RI Director Noraseth Pathamanand of Thailand during the opening ceremonies.

從現在之後，我希望更了解這位每一位扶輪社員在今年都要看齊的人，不只是因為他團隊帶來的榮譽，更重要是他所代表的理念與信仰。這也許是我一輩子一次的經驗，所以我期望從裡面盡量得到並且享受其中的每一分鐘。

From hereon onwards, I hope to learn more about the man who every Rotarian looks up to this Rotary year not only because of the prestige that his office brings but also, more importantly, because of what he stands for and what he believes in. This is perhaps a once in a lifetime experience for me so I intend to make the most out of it and at the same time enjoy every minute of it.

我期待未來兩天與Carl-Wilhelm社長繼續相處。這早已超過我所期待: 一個夢想已經被實現。

I look forward to two more days with President Carl-Wilhelm. This is already more than what I expected: a dream that has come true.