| Friday, August 24, 2007 |
| Guides International Camp |
by Mrs Tan.
It was a grueling sixteen-hour long plane ride that tested our minds and bodies. Yet, the thoughts of twelve days of cultural exchange propelled us and finally landed us, in good health, on the soil of the world’s second largest country, Canada.
I was in British Columbia, Canada, with one guider from St Nicholas Girls’ School and seven girl guides from three schools, namely CHIJ Toa Payoh, St Nicholas Girls’ School and Tanjong Katong Girls’ School. We had met up several times over a period of three months in preparation for this camp in Parksville, Vancouver Island. However, no amount of preparation could replicate the real experience that was to come.
Like anything else, this trip had its ups and downs. The first “down” was a miscommunication that led to our contingent being alone in the airport for about eighty minutes before our Canadian counterpart finally arrived to pick us up. However, we were happy for this delay as it allowed us to recce the shops in the airport!
The chilly wind and rain of a bizarre summer, even for the locals, could not dampen our spirits for the thrill of an adventure and the warmth of our hosts far outweighed the former. For days, more than two thousand campers (girls and guiders) were actively involved in a wide array of activities that ranged from crafts and drama to sports and outdoor adventure such as horse-riding and cave exploration. We also went on fieldtrips to heritage sites, such as the BC Forest Logging Museum and Horseshoe Bay where murals that depict historical events and personalities are a common sight.
In all, eleven countries were represented in this camp, namely. Australia, Dominica, Canada, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Thailand, the United Kingdom (England and Scotland) and the United States of America. Everyone young or old was treated with respect and people were eager to know what Singapore is like and what it has to offer. And offer we did. The Singapore contingent treated them to a dance that combines the aesthetic and artistic flavour of our major ethnic groups, presented them with curry, kaya and other local titbits, and did henna on them using traditional and contemporary designs. We were very happy and by the positive response and feedback given by campers from the other countries.
It was with much reluctance that we packed our bags and waved goodbye to Canada that had extended to us warm hospitality and shown us what empowered girls and women can achieve with the support of the community. Thank you, Girl Guides Canada, for the experience and friendship. But not forgetting everyone in Zhenghua Secondary School… thank you for having supported me in one way or another so that I can learn from the exchanges in this international camp.
 Labels: Guides Achievement |
| posted by Our Guides Family @ 10:28:00 PM |
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