Notes from Zambia

July 29, 2010

What a great day! After finishing trip details and reflections at the American Farm Bureau Headquarters, team members had the opportunity to explore downtown D.C. Newly armed with their flip cams, they spent time in strategic parts of the city, deepening bonds and experimenting with their new photographic technology. Our videographers surely proved themselves to be the creative ones!

After a quick lunch, we had the great privilege of traveling to Old Town Alexandria to visit with some great friends of the FFA. Corey Rosenbusch, a past national FFA president and the current vice president of Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA), and his wife, Dr. Katie Rosenbusch, provided some outstanding cross-cultural training to the group. Both Corey and Katie have extensive experience in international business travel and answered our many questions. All of the staff at GCCA were extremely gracious, and we all learned much. We also were fortunate to visit with Mark Blanchard, president and CEO of New Orleans Cold Sorage and Warehousing, one of the oldest and largest cold storage companies in the United States (he is also a Louisiana native and a graduate of Louisiana State University. Geaux Tigers!)

After this eventful afternoon, we had a small window of opportunity to walk around Old Town Alexandria and to visit a large wharf along the Potomac River. It was indeed a wonderful experience to soak up the beauty and history of the area. Our time in the area was capped off by a delicious send-off dinner at a lovely Italian restaurant. Our team is really gelling and well-focused for the mission that lies ahead in Zambia. We all look forward to a profound, life-changing experience.

It was then back to our hotel for final instructions for the evening. Many thanks to Marty Tatman, of the Collegiate FFA team, for his excellent work in organizing this orientation and the countless travel details. It is quite evident that he is an old pro at accomplishing such tasks. The shuttle picks us up at 5:40 a.m. tomorrow, so time to get things packed and some quality shut-eye!

See you in Zambia!

Brad Leger