From camping in Canada to hiking in the Swiss Alps to fine dining in the Big Apple, GSCTX Girl Scouts are on the move this summer going on whirlwind ADVENTURES! Following along on their journey here on the Cookie Bites Blog and our other social media platforms!
Arriving in Canada, ay
We arrived at Camp Woods in Alberta, Canada in the dark
and had to walk so far to our campsite we thought we were going to get lost. We
were assigned a buddy patrol from Alberta and they set-up our tents up for us
which was really nice. The sleeping mats were helpful but didn't help enough
from the rocky terrain. The first day of camp activities was a great way to
start off the week. We started with Izzy Dolls, our service project for the
week. Izzy dolls were crocheted dolls named after a Canadian solider whose
mother made them. The Canadian soldier took the dolls when him on his travels
and gave the dolls to children who had
been through war and disaster. They are still given out today to children who
have experienced same types of tragedies. The dolls were also used to protect
medicine while it is being shipped. Erin, didn't know how to crochet before
attending camp and now she knows how to sew and crochet. Later that day we went
voyager canoeing. Voyager canoes are really long canoes that can hold 10 to 12 men
and all their belongings. These canoes were a used to ship furs and explore
along the Canadian waterways during early Canadian settlements. Even though we got really wet while canoeing,
it was fun to learn about the early explorer culture. At opening ceremonies
that evening we got to see all of the flags raised and Emma raised the American
flag. In total there were thirteen Canadian provinces and territories and
twelve countries represented. Each countries' national anthem was played while
the flag was being raised.
It takes a village...
There were over 2,700 campers and we were divided into 13
villages and colors. All of the villages were named after the peaks and ridges
of the Alberta Canadian Rockies. Our village was Grizzly Peak and the color of
our bucket hats was Aggie maroon. Throughout the week there were challenges to
compete for the village cup. Even though it was a competition with the other
villages you still made friends. Mackenzie made many new international friends
and got a new pen pal. None of us had been to Canada before and we really
enjoyed our time in this melting pot of scouts.
Every evening we went back to our village and sang around
the camp fire and played games with the other girls. Erin liked hearing
different variations of songs and learning new ones. It was also very fun to
see all of the other people and their cultures displayed at international
marketplace. The international marketplace was in the commons area, a place
where people could gather to play games, buy postcards and learn about Canada. We
played card games a lot! When it was our turn to display Scouting in the USA at the
International, gave away, tattoos and stickers. We also traded SWAPs and
patches with the guides who would visit our table.
Canadian Camp Life
The rest of the week was packed with great program
activities such as fencing, learning about Canadian culture and history, and
assorted crafts. For our out trip we went to Calgary Heritage Park. During the
morning, we spent time touring the historic houses of the park to wait out the
rain. Such houses included the famous five Canadian women who fought for
women's suffrage, and Peter Prince a major industrialist of the 1800's. Another
feature of the park was Gasoline Alley which housed restored vintage cars from
as early as 1890. In the afternoon when the rain let up, we went from shop to
shop and bought souvenirs. The park was divided into different periods of time
in Canadian history. Our favorite was the fur trade center. Ainsley learned
that beaver skins were used for Abe Lincoln's hat and that hat makers used
Mercury while making hats. The Mercury got into their bloodstream and made them
crazy, which is where the term mad-hatters comes from.
It rained at least once a day. We all decided we would rather be wet and
cold than hot and sweaty. One day, when we were building rafts by the
waterfront, it started to thunderstorm. We had to find shelter and wait until
the storm passed. Some girls were scared and cold but we sang songs to get
through it. Emma learned some new songs and loved feeling clueless about the
ones being sung in French. The whole camp became so muddy they had to lay down
wooden pallets for everyone to walk over because whenever you stepped in mud
your foot got stuck. By the last day of camp everyone was calling it "mud"saic.
Saying Goodbye
Kate was the only one who had never been out of the
country before and loved that Guiding Mosaic was her first international trip.
Closing ceremonies brought the week of camp to a close. A live band, video
montage, presentation of the village cup and the last good-bye's to our new
friends created wonderful memories for us to remember forever. The friends that
we made will never be forgotten. Although we had to travel less than other
Canadian groups who came there it was fun to be considered international. We are
really glad we went on this trip. We wouldn't have had the opportunity to meet
the friends that we did and can't wait to get in touch with them after camp.
Overall we had an awesome time and would 110% do it again!
Our Guiding Mosaic adventure has given us experience to
share with other girls who are looking to travel in the future. Here is our
advice:
Emma - If you ever have a chance to go to an
international camp, do it!
Mackenzie - Be prepared for weather, always!
Kate - Bring rain boots, you won't regret it.
Erin - Bring lots of SWAPs.
Ainsely - Make sure you are prepared for all types of
weather.
Sincerely,
The Guiding Mosaic 5
Emma J., Mackenzie N., Kate H., Erin N., Ainsley E.
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