International Blog 2010
Welcome to the Intenational Blogs page!
Here you can read about all the exciting trips that members of Girlguiding Anglia have been on this year. If you are interested in going abroad with Anglia - read about their experiences and see how much fun you could have!
The Great Guide Getaway to Switzerland by Emily
This trip was amazing I made so many friends and did some new activities.
The day started with the raising of the flag and the signing of the Our Chalet song. We were then split into four different groups; I was in the red squirrels. Our group's first activity was a tour around the Chalet. Next we had a WAGGGS wide game, there were four different stations which we went to in our patrols. The bases were all about International Guiding, in one you had to explain all the different aspects of the WAGGGS flag and at a different base we had to draw the five WAGGGS regions on a balloon. In another you had to take a picture of your group showing aspects of the Centenary and in the last base we had a small talk on the Millennium Development Goals and guiding's work towards them.
Our next activity was Snow Olympics where we played lots of games in the snow, had races and built Snowmen. The fondues snowman was called Heidi and was a teddy bear. Finally we had a campfire session, singing songs we knew, international favourites and some of the chalet staff's favourites.
The next day we got up at 7.30 and had breakfast. We had an earlier start as we were going off site. We had two activities today, igloo building and snow shoe walking. First we had the igloo building. I was the first person to use the door of the igloo, as I was standing inside as we built the first layers. In the afternoon we went on a snow shoe walk. The next day we went to Interlarken, in the morning we went shopping and visited a Chocolate factory and in the afternoon we went ice skating and had a scavenger hunt. We got back for dinner at 6 before having a WAGGGS beetle drive.
On our fourth day we went up the Jungfraujoch. This is a very, very tall mountain in Switzerland. There were amazing views and scenery. I liked the ice palace with its sculptures. When we came back to the Chalet we had dinner and then a Talent Show. The Chalet staff did a very funny song, their version of ‘If I was not a Girl Guide'.
On the final day we went into Früttigen, where we went swimming for two hours. The other units then went shopping but we went to the Woodcarvers. We took the bus to Interlarken for the Finale. At the Finale we were given tokens which we could spend on activities. I had three and half milkshakes! I also won a teddy bear which we named Otto after the really nice coach driver we had had on one of the days.
I really enjoyed this trip and hope I will have just as much fun when I go on the 22nd World Scout Jamboree.
Girlguiding Essex West trip to Disneyland Paris, January 2010
One Friday 29th January we took three Brownies and joined 750 other members of Essex West on our trip to Disneyland Paris. 6.35am and my alarm was sounding, is it morning already? We set off for the hotel restaurant to discover it had snowed during the night! In the park the first big fright came when we took the dragon's cave under the castle to reach Fantasyland. Moving on through the park we explored caves, saw pirate ships and mountains but all too soon it was time to queue for another ride. "Its ok Brown Owl", they all said, "it's just a train ride through a mine and the mountains" - what they forgot to say was, it was a run away train. I just about managed to stand upright when the ride was over!
On the Sunday night we went to the Fantasy Festival Stage, where members of Essex West were to put on a show for us. The show was based around 100 years of guiding and Girls in the Lead. Mickey and Minnie Mouse put in an appearance and we all had our photos taken with them, then we all sang campfire favourites. Unit flags were paraded and we all renewed our Promise too.
A thoroughly enjoyable trip that I will certainly remember for the rest of my life and I'm sure the Brownies will too.
Australia, December 2009 - January 2010
My highlight of Sydney was definately going on the tour around the Sydney Opera House, it was just spectacular. We also went to Bondi beach which was another highlight of Sydney, we watched the New Year in outside the Opera House, it was amazing and it will be something I will never forget. We spent four days in Sydney before we took a train to Geelong where we stayed at a barn before the camp.
At the camp we did all sorts of activities, such as hiking and we also went to Phillip Island and watched the penguins come out of the sea and waddle across the beach. There was also an International Day at the camp where the Australian parents could come and look round the camp, we did some British activities. The last day of ACE was very sad as we had made such good friends and we did not want to leave.
After ACE we took a coach to Melbourne, where we did a cruise of the river and went up the Skydeck. On our last day in Melbourne we headed to Melbourne zoo, I finally saw a kangaroo and a koala - they were so cute!
Overall I conclude Australia as being ACE, brilliant, out-of-this-world and would like to thank everyone so oo much who have made this possible.