7 days!

In 7 days I will be en route to Heathrow airport ready for the journey of a lifetime! Today I am going shopping for any items that I have forgotten or need more on. Last night I also laid out all my clothes, shoes and toiletries ready for packing!
I can't believe Japan is nearly here!

In 30 days....

Today we reached the 30 day countdown! It feels so close now and I have started to accumulate a pile, of clothes, shoes and toiletries ready for the trip! Tomorrow I go to the final training weekend before the Jamboree and it seems more real than ever before. Sadly, I missed the last training weekend due to a family commitment however am so excited to see everyone tomorrow!

Last week I received my extra kit: 3 different tops and 2 pairs of shorts. The Jamboree staff have also released a plan of the campsites and excitingly we are in the Eastern Hub in the Gory sub camp. We have also found out the travel details: a direct flight to Japan from London Heathrow airport. We are one of the very few lucky units to have a direct flight!

A post will be updated shortly from the weekend and more details on kit!
Kyra x

Bear in the Air- meeting the man himself!

Today I attended the County activity day- Bear in the Air! It was an amazing day and I was privileged enough to escort Bear around the site along with Tom, Thomas and Melissa, my friends from the unit. Together we got to talk to him about Scouting in and around Lincolnshire and our amazing opportunity to attend the Jamboree in Japan. 

When the helicopter landed we went over and met Bear, taking him to the minibus for the short journey to the site. Here, we grasped the opportunity for selfies and pictures before taking him around to meet over 1400 Scouts from districts across the County.

It was very surreal at first sitting next to the Chief Scout himself and leading him around the site taking part in activities here and there. However Bear was so down to earth and we held a very good conversation with him about the most interesting places he has camped before including a lion enclosure! 

After we took Bear back to the chopper we said our final goodbyes and took our final pictures
I feel very proud to have met Bear, a credit to the Scouting movement and an inspiration to many young people across the world.

Training Weekend 9!

At last the April training weekend arrived and four Boston Scouts loaded into the car ready for the Highflyers 9th training weekend! This weekend was particularly special due to the presence of our kit! This included our holdalls and rucksacks as well as our especially designed sweat towels and hats!
The welcoming campfire also brought along a feast with marshmallows (of course!) and doritos with salsa with loads more to snack on whilst we all caught up. It always feels so long since the last month!
Bright and early the next morning we tried to enjoy the confusing combination of products for breakfast. From Japan, we saw two different kinds of miso soup, and from England we saw rashers and rashers of bacon and croissants! (Technically they're French, but lets skip that small detail) However there was a twist- if we didn't eat a bowl of soup, we could have any bacon or croissants.

Spoonfuls of miso soup were swapped from one bowl to another and some even went into a few drinks of tea! However finally we all enjoyed a good breakfast.
The morning activity was to create a sketch or piece of entertainment that could be used at the jamboree. This meant we couldn't speak much English as other Scouts may not understand us.
True to our name, we came up with an aeroplane sketch that we hoped would be perfect for the jamboree. After a quick lunch in the sun, we split up into our patrols for a drop hike! Each patrol was dropped off into Melton Mowbray, given a map and told to get back to camp with a picture of a pork pie. We thought it was going to be easy- however we didn't realised we were going to be blindfolded! If you peeked Ali and Kev took you further, unluckily Harry, from the other patrol, peeked and they got taken another mile out from the site! 

After a lovely hike back to camp, we had a little rest period before the TV challenge began. The TV challenge was four famous television challenge programmes with adapted challenges for the four patrols to compete in. 

The first: to sew a kimono. It had to fit and be modelled by a unit member and any extra appliqué was allowed. The second: to make a specialised Japanese honey cake. Any specialised moulds or decorations were allowed. The third: to decorate a tent with the theme: Japan. And the fourth was to make sushi with the given ingredients, and present professionally. We had two hours as a patrol to complete these challenges.  After a busy two hours sewing, cooking, baking and decorating as well as squeezing in time for a quick piece of Steve and Kev's special bbq chicken. Judging commenced shortly after each round being judged out of 25. Sadly my patrol didn't win but came in joint second. 

After another peaceful night KIT DAY OCCURRED! This was the day we received all of our issued kit for the Jamboree and another post will be uploaded shortly discussing the kit we have gotten in more detail. 

In one of the pockets of our main suitcase, however, were 6 cards each with possibilities of flights, airports and home hospitality destinations. We had to work together to work out which were correct. Finally we found out that excitingly, we have a direct flight from London's Heathrow to Tokyo Narita airport and for Ho-Ho we are staying in the Kanazawa area!

Before we knew it, that was the end of the weekend and once again the Highflyers are one weekend closer to Japan!

Bear in the Air!

In May the county are holding a huge activities day called Bear in the air to celebrate Scouting and a visit from the chief Scout himself bear Grylls . As part of the day our unit were asked to run some activities throughout the day to all of the participants from the Japan in a Box. This includes origami, the chopstick challenge and learning Japanese. Of course this sounded really fun so I put my name down and thought this was the end of the matter. However at my last training weekend (#8) Steve and Ali (my leaders) called me over and asked whether I would lead Bear Grylls around the site and talk to him. This was an opportunity not to be missed so I eagerly agreed! I will be posting the event in detail so keep an eye on this space!

Train Weekend #8!

Sadly i couldn't make the February camp as I was on holiday with my family however the March one was a little different again because this time we would be meeting another 40 Scouts going to the Jamboree with us!

This camp was held at Drum Hill Scout Camp in Derbyshire where we met up with Unit 36. After setting up our tents, we headed into the hut where we played a rapid game of bingo! However this was no ordinary game of bingo- this was people bingo! We had to find someone in the room that could do or fit the description in the box. ( For example in one box it said: 'Someone who has been water skiing' ) This brought us out of our shells and got us mingling learning names and making new friends. After a busy night meeting new people the Highflyers went to bed exhausted and ready for the next two days. 

The next morning everyone gathered for breakfast in the hut then split up into activity groups that contained a mix of Scouts and Guides from both units. We spent the day measuring  tents and setting a plan up of our camp for the Jamboree, discussing what we were going to take in our crate and coming up with designs for our gate and enjoying each others company. 

For tea we were given the instructions to collect fire wood start a fire and cook the recipe provided. However Archie- our patrols talented chef- decided recipes were stupid and decided to invent a new dish for our dinner so instead of a chicken casserole we enjoyed pan fried onions, carrots and chicken legs. After a peaceful night in front of the streamed 6Nations match and the campfire once again we were all ready for bedtime. 

The next morning saw a delicious breakfast kindly cooked for us by the Leaders followed by the finalisation of the gate design and what kind of things we are going to put in our crate. We also had a discussion on where we wanted our reunion and what we wanted to do. In the end the majority of votes went towards a mystery tour where the Leaders put together a trip and don't tell us anything. 

After tidying up camp, and saying our final goodbyes training weekend #8 was over as soon as it had begun. 

Training weekend #7- The countdown has begun!

Now less than seven months away from the ultimate Japanese experience, the Highflyers once again met up for a shorter break than usual in the Winter month of January. Unlike the usual structure of the weekends, this one was slightly more relaxed. After a catch up and sharing excited pieces of news of what we had all been getting up to in the past few months, we ate an interesting lunch which involved doughnuts and sushi on the same plate! 

The afternoon followed in suit with a food hygiene quiz with prizes and us making cards to help us explain to others about England and the Scouting movement. After a chilled afternoon the heat picked up as it was time to cook a Japanese Curry for tea. Turns out when you have an Archie in your patrol you will be sitting down to a feast every night! Archie is a talented cook who surprised us all when he led us in this activity- I'm sure this will certainly become handy in Japan! 

After a delicious dinner and quality time washing up together we headed out to start the campfire and perform the sketches and songs we had come up with during the day and just enjoyed each others company before heading to bed. 

The next morning after breakfast we sat down to a thoughtful Scout's own. We discussed the difference between two videos and their effect of social media on our lives. This led on to what kind of things should be posted on social media when we are out there and how much our lives revolve around social media and networks.

 After a quick lunch and a tidy up of the camp, it was time for a meeting explaining all of the interesting details that the leaders had discovered at their weekend in November. 

In Tokyo, we found out that we are:

• climbing the Sky Tree tower
• Spending an evening at a Japanese virtual theme park
• Spending our last night in Japan at a huge party with the rest of the UK contingent

In Tokyo, we will either be staying in a Youth Hostel or the Prince Hotel in the centre of the city. (Most of the unit want the Hotel though because it has free Wifi!)

We also found out that we are heading to the prefecture of Hakusan for Home Hospitality, an area known for it's natural hot springs and picturesque landscape. 

We also learnt a little more information about the Jamboree itself. While we are there we have 8 gas rings to cook on as well as 4 dining shelters. There are 3 main sections of the Jamboree Site: Northern, Eastern and Western Hubs which all have four sub camps in. 

However this information still doesn't make it seem real- we have know about this trip for over a year and yet it still hasn't sunk in!

After a relaxed weekend we are all looking forward to seeing each other again soon. 

Kyra

Training weekend #5- London bound!

Excited and eager,the Highflyers reunited for a training weekend with a twist!  Instead of meeting at a campsite, drop off point was Newark Train station! From there,we embarked on a journey to Gilwell park using two trains and a tube- probably not the best idea to try and get all 40 of us on a tube from Kings Cross Station to Liverpool Street station at 9 O'clock at night with baggage! We finally arrived weary eyed, to be assigned a room and a quick snack before bed in our luxury bunk beds with en suites!
Bright and early the next day, we set off for a great day out in London, visiting Christmas markets and meeting with the whole unit and certain times and places throughout the day. First stop of the day: Buckingham Palace for changing of the guard! However instead of watching the parade we may have gotten a little bored and switched to taking selfies for our unit twitter account! (@LincsScoutWSJ15)

Our first meeting point was at the Japanese Embassy which, coincidentally turned out to be just down the road from Buckingham Palace! As the best patrol we arrived a few minutes early and dished out housekeeping duties to the late patrols!

Our next adventure took us to Winter Wonderland, the huge Christmas Market in Hyde Park. However we kept getting split up because of the large crowds so settled on a meeting point before splitting up into groups to wander around. The girls and I decided to have a look at all the small stalls buying presents and gifts for family and friends. After we had met up again with the rest of the unit we revealed that we had something very special. When we were standing deciding which way to go next, a very nice gentleman gave us tickets for the rides- we thanked him religiously and counted them up- overall we had been given £20 worth of tickets!

However the boys in our patrol had decided that they had had enough and decided to go to Hamleys, whereas we stayed for a little longer. Our meeting point was decided: Oxford Circus at 2:15 to make it to Greenwich in time for a unit photo.

After using the tickets gratefully received, we arrived at the meeting point expecting to meet the rest of the patrol AND STEVEN (he had gone to find Kev in Covent Garden).However Dan told us Archie and Andrew the two youngest members of the unit had gone to find a toilet and that Steven was nowhere to be seen. After about half an hour Andrew and Archie found us and a further 15 minutes passed before we caught sight of Steven coming with Kev behind. Off to Greenwich we went!

However that didn't go very smoothly at all! Firstly, we stayed on the train too long so it took us an extra 20 minutes just to get off at the right station. By this time we had missed the photo by an hour and it was starting to get dark and spirits had started to drop. After passing one of the other patrols,we were about to start the long walk up the steep hill to the Observatory when Maddie, our patrol leader, asked us to review the situation. We still had to go to the Imperial War museum for the Holocaust exhibition and be back at Gilwell for Christmas dinner promptly at 7. After much deliberation, we ditched the photo. 

You'd think that that would be the end of our problems. Wrong.

Arriving at the museum we took the lift to level four where the exhibition was, to be met with a security guard that said we had to pre-book. Steven looked like he was about to kill someone and sent Maddie down to sweet talk to manager. Finally we were allowed in. 

We all met up and the mood had completely changed, no one spoke and there were no smiles anywhere. This was meant to be preparation for Hiroshima. 

With aching feet, we hurried back arriving just in time for Christmas dinner and the secret santa! The dinner was amazing and it was fun trying to workout who got who! Turns out Catherine had got me and I had been sat next to her all along. I received a lovely glass filled with all the necessary ingredients for hot chocolate! 

We cleared the room up and the tension between the patrols rose as we started playing for prizes in Family fortunes! It was a tough battle but the overall winners: STEVEN'S PATROL! ( We didn't cheat.....promise!)
After a busy day everyone breathed a size of relief when we were told breakfast wasn't until 9 the next morning. After a delicious breakfast, we began our journey back to Newark train station but not without another test of teamwork and planning. The leaders decided it would be funny if they got off the train several stops early! This left us to find them at the correct meeting point without missing our train.
Finally we gathered together for our last few hours as a unit on the train back to Lincolnshire.

I'm sorry for the late update- I have been so busy with school! I hope everyone had a good new year! Tomorrow is actually the next camp #6, and from here on, we have a camp once a month leading up to the Jamboree JUST SEVEN MONTHS AWAY!
Kyra x