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Report about the trip to Germany and Holland

The BIG Four

Report by: Sandile Mbuyazi
27 August 2002

Purpose

The purpose of this report is to give feed back to all members involved in the trip to Germany. Also to give a little bit of experiences we had with the whole program.

Background

Uwe Bothur arranged the trip to Germany and Holland. The program for the trip and all other arrangements were made via e-mail by Uwe. The trip started on the 6^th of July 2002. I took a taxi from Newcastle to Johannesburg where I had to meet with the Girl Guides from GGASA – HQ in Randburg and sleep over for the plain we had to take in the morning at 8h00 a.m. We woke up at 5:30a.m and got to the airport on time to book the plain to Namibia. At Namibia we met with three Girl Guides from Windhoek who had lunch with us and stayed until 17:30pm because our next flight to Frankfurt was to be at 20:00pm. The plane to Frankfurt was approximately 11 hours flight. When we got to Frankfurt Amon’s luggage had been tempted with and his push-ins were stolen from his bag, Amon reported to the Lufthansa – airline bout the incident he got papers to claim.

Tour Arrangement

• Training

• Meting with the Coordinator (Uwe Bothur)

• Depart to assigned Camp Sites

• Working on camp sites as Camp staff

• Departure

• The whole tour in brief

Training – as Camp staff

Christian Mackels (scout from Germany) was already waiting for us at the airport. We drove with Christian to Westernohe (international campsite in Germany) where we had to have our preparation for the next coming weeks on different Campsite (Holland) as Camp staff. We met with a great camp staff with other scouts from France. The guys from France took us around the whole Campsite showing us different groups and camping areas in the site. There was a little problem with the communication between the German scouts and South African for the first few days. But after three day we were all a team, we had breakfast, lunch and dinners together even got involved with some groups in their daily program. Like the group I had to go to ”The Mad Dogs” were very friendly and fun to be with even though the language problem was there we still understood each other they even asked for South African dinner and we tried to make with the few spices and verges we could find and they enjoyed.

MAD DOGS Group Leaders

Camp staff in Germany were scouts like:

Camp Chief - Sascha Braun, Aichach

Staff:

Markus ”Widdy” Widman, 86179 Augsburg Laurent Pignal, Viroflay (France) Karl Hoffman

Birgit Frenz , 52074 Aachen Marie Degrand-Guillaud, Bruxells (Belgique) Christian Mackels, Berlin

At the end of the week we had information and a little bit of experience of what was expected off camp staff.

Meeting with the coordinator – for briefing on the Program

On Friday of the same week in Germany we went with Christian to Bonn to meet Uwe. Uwe took us around Bonn and had time to tell us what was expected of us. He also explained that at the end we had to know that what we say about the whole tour would mean the start or stop of the program that they were introduce to South African Scouts and Girl Guides. We stayed two days and on Sunday we had to leave for Holland (Amon and Sandile). The other two Girl Guides (Olga, Lina) had to go back to Westernohe.

Departing to assigned Camp Sites

The two Scouts (Amon, Sandile) had to go to Holland in a town called Baarn. We had to ride three Trains from Bonn – Koln –Utrecht Central – Baarn (he ICE train was amasing). In Baarn station Sandra (from Buitenzorg Scout Center) was already waiting for us and she took us to the campsite.

At the Campsite we were welcomed by the camp chief Robert with his wife Ingeborg his two children a boy of 2yrs a newly born girl of two weeks also we met Peter and his wife Joanne (Canadian lady) and there was two American scouts Andrew and Courtney who were also international camp staff and were leaving in the two coming days. Courtney (the American staff member) who had been camp staff for past four weeks took us to our tent, which we were going to be sleeping in for the coming five weeks and also gave us a little tour of the campsite.

Departure with ICE 501 to Holland

< picture to come>

Working on camp sites as Camp staff

Week 1

The first week we were placed with one camp staff to show the way things were done around the campsite and her name was Magtot. She helped us to know how to do some of the tasks in the daily duty list. We were acquitted in the campsite after three days we even asked to organize a campfire for the four groups (all Dutch) we had that week and it was a success.

Week 2

The second week was a bit hectic with 15 groups in the campsite with other new camp staff Max and Mano. We were used to the way to running things at the campsite so things were a lot easier than the first week but we were still trying to get the green badges for our yellow scarf’s (exclusively for fully trained staff). We also proposed a campfire (Dutch groups, Irish group, German group) and it was great. On the last day before Max and Mano left, Mano took us to the North Sea where we called it ”the end of the World”.

Week 3

We had a few groups at the campsite and one camp staff joined us that week, his name was Michael. He offered to take us to Amsterdam to see the city by boat and we had great time floating in a boat and going through the canals of Amsterdam. As usual we organised a campfire and had fun with the groups (Dutch, English, Swiss) with our famous Gumboots Dance and Masilo We song.

Week4

A couple joined us on this week they were Gert-Jan and Sitske. The first police officers we’ve met and they were scouts. Henning a scout leader from Germany on a bike hike to Harlem also joined us that week. Cooked African food for them as every week and they enjoyed it very much. They spoiled us with gifts from the scout shop. Another campfire was put together by the two of us with a lot of Dutch songs (Dutch, French, USA, German). During the weekend a group from Bogolth (which have visited South Africa earlier this year) invited us for the weekend for a little bit of relaxation and to see more of Bogolth and we had a entertaining weekend, very relaxed outside the tent.

Week5

The last week another couple joined us as camp staff with two children Bas and 9 months old boy. A day before our departure to Germany we had a bike hike from Baarn to Amersfoort to see the beautiful town they were living in (the couple - staff) and it was very nice. We also put together the last campfire involving one Dutch group and Canadian Staff singing South African songs.

Departure

On Saturday morning we had to catch a train to Enchede where we met Frank (from Bogolth) and he took us to Bonn where we met Uwe who lastly took us to Frankfurt airport. We had to fly on the plain to Windhoek at 22:15 pm. We flew the whole night got to Windhoek airport in the morning and a Girl Guide lady called Cecilia was waiting for us at the airport as planed on the first arrival. The two Girl Guides we were with from Germany were taken to the Girl Guide Center and we (Sandile, Amon) visited Cecilia’s home where we met her English husband. Brian as a scout has been living in England and when he met Cecilia got married moved to Windhoek. They offered us a choice of taking a rest or taking a little tour around Windhoek. Obviously we chose to tour around and it was worth it. We noticed that Windhoek is a lot like South Africa even the currency is the same. We really enjoyed time in Windhoek but had to leave for South Africa for the plain at 18:15pm Namibian time. We got to Johannesburg airport again the luggage problem and we only could report it the following day because it was Sunday it was closed. We has a nice rest at the GGA-SA HQ for the trip back home on Monday.

The whole tour in brief

We think the whole tour was a big success. Hoping that it wont stop with the four people to participate in a program like this one. A lot of experience and a lot insight of different cultures was gained from this program by all of us, some of the other cultures we met felt and saw a little bit of what South African Scouting is made of. We met groups and people from Holland, Germany, England, Ireland, Switzerland, France, USA and Canada they were all interested in coming to South Africa because of what they know about Africa and of what we had told them about South Africa. And the fact that we were sitting and talking to them, it was also possible for them to be sitting in South Africa and chat with South African Scouts threw this program. So we trust a lot more South African scouts are still going to be able to participate in this program and promote the Partnership and Brotherhood of scouting.

We would like to thank Uwe Bothur (Coordinator), Indonsa (SASA - KZN) and Elvis (SASA - MP) for also allowing us to go and represent our provinces, Christian Mackels (Preparation Germany) and Sandra (Buitenzorg) and all those behind the whole tour. God is with you watching over you may H

e bless you for everything you have done for everyone of us. May you grow stronger in this movement of Scouting and keep on helping the struggling countries ”We are all one big Family”.

Thank you

Yours in Scouting

Sandile Mbuyazi

Troop Scouter - 1^st Ndabanhle Troop

A brief notice from Nangu Thina
Our network puts in a lot of effort to enable people from Southern Africa to prticipate in our exchange program and have a unique experience in Europe. At least friends, supporters and sponsors have to be convinced to support this program
Nothing can convince somebody better than a report from the participants themselfes. So we ware a always very happy to receive reports from groups that have joined our program.
This report here is a splendit example how a report should be. Congratulations to group leaders.