2010 EUROPE TRIP – A GIRL SCOUT JOURNEY

(Kim)

Ten days in Europe was definitely the meaning of “time flies by quickly when you’re having fun”. This Girl Scout trip has given me the opportunity to travel to three different countries in Europe: England, France, and Switzerland. Although each country was interesting in its own way, Switzerland was my all time favorite. I enjoyed Switzerland the most mainly because of its natural nature feel. My first impression of Adelboden was of the film “twilight” because of all the trees and green hills. The village of Adelboden where our hotel was located was in a valley where we could see beautiful green mountains without crowds of tourists. On the first night of Switzerland, it was Swiss National Day and we were treated with a fire work show from the view of our hotel room. It was an amazing show because I was able to watch it with a few of the girls whom I had recently befriended. Another memorable thing about Switzerland was the hike to the waterfall. Despite of the rain and cold, the hike was not difficult and getting to see the waterfall really paid off.

Paris and London were also two very beautiful cities. What I loved most about Paris was getting to see the famous Eiffel Tower and the Mona Lisa. The Eiffel Tower was stunning and the experience with the vendors there was just priceless. It was a great privilege for our group to be able to watch the changing of the guards in London. I was able to learn a lot about parliament and the Queen of England. Both of these cities contain great monuments and beautiful ancient buildings. Although the London Eye is not ancient, it was what I remembered most about London. The London Eye is said to be the largest fairest wheel in the world in which you could see the entire view of London. I would love to return to Paris and London in the future, like Siggi said “with a fiancé”.

In Switzerland, we were also able to visit one of the Girl Scout’s World Center; Our Chalet. Just like the Pax Lodge in London, we learned some of the history of the world center and got to tour the area. Before each tour, there was a flag ceremony where we learned a song from the center. We were also given a special pin that was only given to Girl Scouts who visited the center. The volunteers at the centers were all very friendly and dedicated to scouting. Learning about the history of Girl Scouting really helped me to realize how important scouting is. Through this trip I learned that Girl Scouting isn’t all about selling cookies and earning awards, it’s about taking opportunities that will change your life and for the world. Traveling and meeting the Girl scouts from Canada and France showed me our differences and also what we had in common through scouting.

The best thing about this trip besides being away from home was the new friendships that I made. At first, it wasn’t easy to talk to the other girls because of our differences; but as we spent more time together, we were able to bond as sisters. Some of the girls that I made friends with that made my trip more exciting were Adrienne, Lorraine, Alessandra, Darian, and Angelica. These girls were fun to be around and I hope that in the future we will get the opportunity to travel together again. From this trip, I have taken home with me valuable life lessons, a taste of the world, and new friendships.