Lemons, Moosibou, Jungle Grub and the Glove
Wow, a full day of pretty much sticking to our schedule… wild! After a few tears leaving the church we hit the highway and everyone’s spirits were high. The Scouts spent most of their time singing (as per normal) and carrying on like this was just a normal bus ride to a normal camp. Hard to believe we were in the first moments of a trip we will remember for the rest of our lives.
For the first time EVER we have no bathroom requests in Gander and managed to keep slightly ahead of schedule through to Clarenville. We gave everyone 20min to get what they could in C-Ville and I have never seen the kids run so fast… well, it was nothing compared to how fast Scouter Amanda ran to Timmies for her coffee though 😉
As we neared the Goulds Charlie and I realized that we really had no idea where we were going, so we ended up taking the “scenic route” with an assist from Google Maps before finally finding Naveah’s Lemonade Stand. The parking lot of the sports arena was BEYOND packed, but Charlie once again proved that he’s the best driver on the island as he wove between cars and pedestrians.
This was certainly like no lemonade stand I have seen before, it was more like a full blown carnival! There were easily thousands of people there, all out to support a brave little girl who, when faced with death, decided to spend her remaining time helping others. The Scouts made us all proud by donating generously, and it turns out that the lemonade was pretty awesome, so all in all a great experience. As we gathered outside to board our bus Naveah and her mom came out to personally thank us for coming. What a sweet, lovely little girl – truly an honour to meet her 🙂
The next stop in our adventure was Bowring Park… and once again, none of us had a clue where we were going, lol! Fortunately our map reading skills are at least adequate and we found our way to the Caribou Memorial. This memorial is an exact replica of the memorial at Beaumont-Hamel and is the first of six that we will visit on our pilgrimage.
As Devin called us to horseshoe and the Ode to Newfoundland was sung it all suddenly became very, very real; “Better than the Best”. Before dismissal we all reaffirmed our Scout Promise and our commitment to peace and fellowship. Being members of the largest peace movement in the world is a pretty powerful thing as we tour the remains of the “great” wars.
Despite an earlier locked-washroom tragedy we found an open washroom… and a HUGE playground, so life was generally good!
After some fun and one injured Scout (nothing serious, just battered pride) we made our way back to the big blue bus.
It was about this point that we all collectively realized that we were STARVING and VERY excited to pull in to Jungle Jim’s in the Goulds. The staff at Jungle Jim’s were awesome and the food delicious. To top off an already awesome experience the manager offered us all a 15% discount discount. Jungle Jim’s in Grand Falls-Windsor has always been a great supporter of Scouting, and it was great to see the Goulds location be just as generous. Huge thanks to Scouter Lawrence for making the arrangements!
With bellies full and excitement high we boarded the bus for one last ride, this time to the airport. Checking in was a LOT smoother than expected, even though Zack M somehow missed the 300 times we mentioned that you could only take ONE checked bag :S Once again though we were shown the generousity of others as the folks at WestJet waved the fees for Zack’s bag as well as for the two bags of troop gear. Every bag (including Scouter Tracey’s!) were underweight (seriously Scouter Derek, she even took a picture to prove it!). Since luck seemed to be with us we decided to head straight to security to get the last hurdle behind us. The kids were awesome and efficient and we passed through in no time (despite some random swabbing…)
With a fresh coffee in hand and the kids in tow we boarded our flight after a short 20min delay. After finding our seats we had some fun discussing the various ways in which we could crash and what we would do about it… (seems Eric has been doing his research, and Steven spending a bit too much time watching Mayday). As the plane taxied towards our runway the flight attendants repeated the safety speech in french… this only served to reconfirm that I am totally screwed in France! Thank God most of the kids in my patrol have their French Language Award! Before we knew it the plane stopped… and we waited…
Then we were off! Like a rocket the plane jumped to motion to the cheers and applause of the Scouts (and Scouters)! After 19 months we were truly on the way. I cannot even begin to describe the feeling when the wheels left the runway. It’s finally real. Bring on the adventure!
God guard thee Newfoundland!
Posted in Expedition Europe 2015 by Scouter Jason with no comments yet.
And We’re Off!!
After a surprisingly good night sleep it was go time – 19 months of planning and hard work and there I was putting on my uniform and getting ready to leave. I of course made a quick stop at Timmies on the way to say goodbye, lol! As Scouter Erica and I walked to the church for 10am, Eric was already waiting – seems someone was excited to hit the road! The kids (and parents) were awesome, and we had everything tagged and organized in no time. Devin, our Troop Leader, called us in to horseshoe for a last minute pep talk, and then it was time to parade into the Sanctuary.
While we waited for our turn to enter, Rev. Kim asked the congregation if there was anyone special that should be included in their thoughts and prayers (as she does every week); Devin turned to me and said “How about us?”, lol! Couldn’t have put it better myself! Devin led us into the sanctuary with our heads held high and our hearts heavy with emotion. We lined up at the front looking ahead at some of the people who made this trip possible, and Shanlee, our Youth Spokesperson, bravely took the microphone and delivered a heartfelt thanks to the congregation. As we led the congregation in the “Ode to Newfoundland” I think each of us choked up at one point or another (I know I did!) but together our collective voice stayed strong and proud. “God guard thee Newfoundland!” Before we left Rev. Kim offered us a blessing, and as we walked out humbled and grateful the congregation offered us their applause and well wishes.
Without wasting a moment everyone quickly emptied the gym and dragged our 1000++lbs of gear to the lawn. When our good buddy Charlie arrived with the big blue bus he was greeted with cheers and shouts. “Holy crap – it’s seriously go time!”. Scouter Rhonda arranged us all for one last picture (as only she can do!) and we boarded the bus with some tears.
After 19 months the planning was done; the training was done; the packing was done; and all we had left to do was start our journey with style => “Every where we go – people always ask us – who we are – so we tell them – we are the Scout Group – NEWFOUNDLAND SCOUT GROUP – and if you can’t hear us – well that’s too bad!”
Posted in Expedition Europe 2015 by Scouter Jason with no comments yet.
Expedition Europe…A Poem
‘Twas the night before Europe
And all through the town,
All the Scouters were panicking
Not one had laid down!
All the bags were packed,
Left in the church with care
In hopes that nothing
Would be forgotten there
The Scouts were all nestled
Snug in their beds
With visions of the Eiffel tower
Dancing in their heads
The morning arrived
All lovely and bright
Not a single Scouter
Had slept through the night!
Down in the parking lot
While waiting for the bus
All of a sudden from no where
There rose such a fuss!
“I don’t want to leave home!
I’ll miss you so bad!”
Said one little Scout to
His mom and his dad.
“Don’t worry, you’ll go
And be happy!
Now get on that bus!
And make it snappy!”
When everyone was loaded
Who boarded all bossy?
It was Scouter Jason
Holding a coffee!
He checked all the passports
And I.d. With a tick
And then nodded to the driver
“Close those doors, quick!”
More rapid than eagles
In those doors came
And he whistled and shouted
And called out by name
“Now Dan! Now Gerry!
Now Lawrence and Amanda!
Now Tracey! Now Erica
And the amazing Rhonda!”
His arms swung around
Spilling coffee with the gesture
“Let’s go! Step on the gas!
Bring on the Adventure!!”
Posted in Expedition Europe 2015 by Snowy Owl with no comments yet.
1,007lbs and Counting…
So with 27 of 29 bags accounted for we are at a total of 1,007lbs of “stuff” packed and ready to go! Some youth (and even some Scouters) did an incredible job with their lightweight packing skills with our lightest bag at just 20lbs! …well, they either did a great job… or they forgot some things, lol!
Tomorrow we’ll be packing the group gear into a couple extra bags, as well as our gifts for our friends in Europe, the supplies for our “Newfie Night”, and some extra “just in case” food… and that’s it, all done!
By 8:30pm tomorrow everything that can be done will have been done, and after more than 18 months of hard work all that will be left to do is wait.
BRING ON THE ADVENTURE!
Posted in Expedition Europe 2015 by Scouter Jason with no comments yet.
Bring on the Adventure!
Welcome to our Expedition Europe adventure journal! Many youth and Scouters will be posting here regularly as we journey across Europe and the 2015 Haarlem Jamborette in the Netherlands. Follow along at home and be part of our adventure!
Posted in Expedition Europe 2015 by Scouter Jason with no comments yet.