As the flags of every Rotary country in the world streamed through the Palau Sant Jordi stadium and I listened to the applause come from various areas of the 14,000 person crowd when their flag was presented, I sat surrounded by my new friends from Russia and thought, "This is incredible." This was my first Rotary International convention, and I admit that it made a lasting impression on me. From my viewpoint in interior Alaska, it is difficult to see Rotary's global reach, but seated there in that stadium, I quickly learned how deeply Rotary is woven into the fabric or our global community.

The convention featured five plenary sessions with topics ranging from "The New Generations of Rotary" to a very special keynote address and Presentation of the Rotary International Humanitarian Service Award to the Honorable Mikhail Gorbachev. Outside of the plenary sessions, the convention featured numerous workshops and social activities. Two large buildings featured special exhibits from local Barcelona interests to the long list of Rotary special projects and fellowships.

Although this year's convention featured a fully integrated convention for Rotaract, there was little mention of Rotaract in either the plenary sessions or the exhibit halls. Many Rotaractors voiced their displeasure regarding the apparent neglect of Rotaract and I am optimistic that this will be resolved before the convention in 2003. The Rotaract convention did highlight some valuable pieces of information for Rotaractors including; Special Project Grants/Resources, Public Relations, Fundraising, International Best-Project Awards, and DRR training.

Without a doubt, the very best part of this conference was the friendships and camaraderie that developed throughout the week. I learned first hand that across the globe, Rotaractors are a great group of young people. The convention provided a venue for a free exchange of ideas and information about how Rotaract clubs are organized throughout the world.

Barcelona also provided excellent opportunities for late night disco parties and the Rotaractors were happy to indulge. It was so fun to head to a disco at midnight with about 100 young people from all across the world with one common mission: drink, dance and have fun. It was not at all uncommon to return to my hotel room at sunrise just in time to have a shower and get dressed for the convention. Fun, fun, fun.

Joshua Horst