21st World Scout Jamboree 2007
In the summer of 2007 I attended the 21st World Scout Jamboree in Hylands Park, Chelmsford, Essex with 40,000 other Scouts from around the world.
It’s All Over
Well it’s officially over, I took my Jamboree neckerchief off for the last time last night and it’s now sitting next to me on my desk. I read the section in the IST handbook whilst there on the Post Jamboree Blues and thought that I would probably be OK, but I am starting to feel a little disappointed that it’s all over now.
The people I spent the sixteen days working with in that cramped set of little white tents held together with ratchet straps where we shifted 10′s of thousands of little blue tokens, sold stamps, sorted post, helped people with mobile phones, phone cards and Internet time, and sorted some really smelly lost property came from all over and turned out to be the best guys and girls I’ve had the pleasure to work with.
I’m going to miss you all, well at least until the reunion.
Day Sixteen – IST Depart
The majority of the service team departed today myself included. The only people left on the site are the delivery team and the build team who now get to dismantle what has been our home for the last 16 days.
There were a few tearful goodbyes and a promise of a reunion when Katies baby is christened in the winter and then we went our separate ways.
Day Twelve
Well it’s almost over, in two days time the closing ceremony wil be held at the arena and the world scout flag will be lowered and sent on it’s way to sweden.
Even though my job allows me time to get plenty of sleep, im starting to feel a little drained now. Thankfully it’s my day off tommorow and I intend to head to Chelmsford so I can see the Simpsons movie and get away from the hustle and bustle just briefly enough to ground myself.
Mat, Becky, and Beth came out to visit yesterday unfortuantly I was working in the afternoon so our time was short.
The Swedish contingent have bribed me with a few goodies so I may well be off to Sweden in 2011.
Day Eight – Sunrise
Today was the official birthday of Scouting, So the Jamboree was closed to day visitors.
The sunrise ceremony was much better than the opening and I may have been slightly emotional.
We were handed yellow neckers to get our new Jamboree friends to sign, the challenge was to get 100 people but by taking ours to work most of us in facilities have filled ours.
Day Six (II)
Steph, Pete, and Katie came to visit the Jamboree today. As I was on the late I met up with them and had a spot of afternoon tea at the Austrian kaffehaus. Before I had to head back to work we took a turn round the one world garden with it’s underground water feature.