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It was the first meeting of Grand Toastmasters Club in 2010. Be it chilly and rainy, we had twenty-three participants, including 6 guests. During the intermission, a full table of desserts and auspicious fruits, pineapples and dates were served, along with a big Chinese word "Prosperity" in red, for the good fortunate of the year.

The tabletopics session was special this evening. Tabletopics Master Gina Cheng prepared several questions written on lucky draws. After the first speaker answered the question, he or she was entitled to draw another question and assigned a member to answer it. Being a senior member, I was called upon to tell what made me stay in Toastmasters for a long time.

It was my lucky evening. The question was tailor-made for me by Gina. I told the audience that life was like a river of no return. After I joined Grand on March 18th, 1986, I began a versatile life, meeting interesting and positive people from all walks of life in Toastmasters. Take this evening for example, I made acquaintance with a 15 year-old French boy sitting next to me. He advised me to see "La vie est un long fleuve tranquille" directed by Étienne Chatiliez.

Of course, in my 24 years Toastmaster journey, I didn't deny I got bored from time to time. But Toastmasters always provided me with a friendly and positive environment where I could meet new friends and learn new things. Whenever I traveled abroad, I tried to visit local Toastmasters Clubs, and I felt at home instantly.

I chartered Kyoto Toastmasters Club when I was an exchange student in Kyoto in 2001. And I would be going to Mongolia in the middle of January to seek for the opportunity to charter the first Toastmasters Club there. Be it an ordinary Toastmaster, I had a quite unique and exciting Toastmasters journey till now. That's why I stayed in Toastmasters.

Before President Yvan Chu announced the adjournment of the meeting, she gave me the banner of Grand Toastmasters Club to carry to Mongolia Where Grace Lu and I visited for the first time with Grand's banner in August 2004. Time flies and I am glad I shall set foot on the Great Mongol Empire for the second time soon.