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Volume 1 (1999/2000)
Issue
1 (March 1999)
Issue
2 (Nov. 1999)
Issue 3 (Dec. 1999)
Issue 4 (Feb. 2000)
Issue 5 (March 2000)
Issue 6 (April 2000)
Issue
7 (May 2000)
Volume 2 (2000/2001)
Issue 1 (Sept. 2000)
Issue 2 (Oct. 2000)
Issue 3 (Jan. 2001)
Issue 4 (March 2001)
Issue 5 (April 2001)
Issue 6 (May 2001)
Volume 3 (2001)
Issue 1 (Sept. 2001)
Issue 2 (Nov. 2001)
Categories
Sport: 1
2 3
Lifestyles: 1 2
3
Commentary: 1 2
3
Review: 1 2
3
Writing: 1 2
3
Event: 1 2
3
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Scouts World Jamboree in Chile
1999
Rob O'Reilly
St. Paul's College
It was January 1997 when I decided I would go to Chile to
attend the World Jamboree. Myself and 61 other scouts and leaders from
all over the country made up the Irish Contingent A lot of work went in
to raising money by all the scouts and their home scout troops to send
them on this trip of a lifetime. Then, almost two years later, on the
22nd of January we left Dublin Airport and took a long flight path through
London Heathrow, Madrid, Sao Paolo, Buenos Aires, and then finally Santiago
Chile.
On arrival in Santiago the first thing we all noticed was
the great heat, which varied between 35C and 45C, a massive difference
between Ireland's wintry 5C or so. We arrived on the 23rd of December
and as the Jamboree did not open until the 26th, we spent Christmas camping
in a sports complex with Slovenians, Portuguese and Guatemalans who were
going to the Jamboree also.
On the 26th December a coach picked us up and brought us
to the Jamboree site in Picarquin. A World Jamboree takes place every
four years and there were 35 thousand scouts from all over the world attending.
There was a never a dull moment, with hundreds of activities laid on such
as over night hikes in the Andes, 'Community Service' and computer workshops
to name just a few. The Jamboree lasted ten days and everybody thought
it was not long enough. We had experienced lots of new cultures and made
lots of new friends from all over the globe.
For the second part of the trip we travelled to Montevideo,
Uruguay to stay with scouting families from two scout groups. For me,
this was the highlight of the trip. Montevideo is a brilliant city. It
is larger than Dublin but the population is still only one and a half
million people. Montevideo has a gorgeous coastline where we spent a lot
of the time doing a number of projects and day trips with our hosts.
On the 14th of January we returned to a drizzling wet Ireland
with the prospects of returning to school on our minds. I could safely
say I had the best three weeks of my life. I have memories that will last
me a lifetime and it was worth every penny. The next World Jamboree will
be on in Thailand in 2003 and I would advise anybody thinking of going,
to go - there's nothing like it.
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