Participating in the World Scout Jamboree is an adventure in itself, but if you happen to be all the way in South Korea and also have to deal with a heat wave and a typhoon there, then it will be very exciting. Janda, Mies, Stijn, Sanne, and Dante from Scouting St.
Family, friends and members of the scouts were already waiting for five Deurnese teenagers from the leaf weevil group at ‘t Hofke van Marijke in the parish of Saint Joseph. Several of them held up a letter with the name of the scouts, so that it would be clear to whom they had come.
Once in a lifetime event
Despite the heat and the forced relocation due to the incoming hurricane, Janda (15), Mies (15), Stijn (15), Sanne (17) and Dante (14) had a great time in the twelve days of the World Scout Jamboree. They call it a “once-in-a-lifetime event,” which they didn’t want to miss out on for the world.
The five-day trip through South Korea before the camp also made an impression on the Derneys teenagers. Exactly on the day South Korea signed an armistice with North Korea 70 years ago, members of the Scouts of St. Joseph visited the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ): “How special it was for us to go to the DMZ! You can visit the zone and we did! We had to get up early.” Exactly 06:00.
In the city of Seoul, the Scouts visited the Lotte Tower where they could admire the distant view. In addition, they also had the opportunity to stroll around Hongdea Street. “A trendy neighborhood with restaurants, karaoke and a nightlife street where we had a good meal, hung out and listened to music,” say Janda, Mies, Stijn, Sanne and Dante.
41 degrees
To learn more about the country and its inhabitants, they also visited Suwon. “A city fortified with a 6-kilometer wall,” the Scouts members explain. Also on the program was the National Folk Museum of Korea: “An open-air museum combined with a small amusement park. How cool it was there. We could use that day feeling like it was 41 degrees outside. Some of us even wore hanbok, which is the traditional clothing of South Korea.” “.
Scout Deurnese also took a look at one of the country’s five royal palaces: “We saw the changing of the guard there and the place where the video clip for K-pop group NTS was recorded.” Of course, the country’s national sport was also introduced. “We had a great taekwondo workshop, where we were dressed like real athletes and allowed to break the board in half at the end.”
rice
The high temperature in the country was something the members of the Scouts had to get used to. “It was very hot every day. So we stayed inside a lot.” They also get tired of eating at a certain time. “Every day, of course, rice with something on the side, like Korean cheese balls, ham and a few other things.”
When Deurne’s group of leaf weevils was allowed into Seoul itself, she immediately seized the opportunity to put something else on the menu: “We had a delicious meal at McDonald’s, for once we didn’t want rice.”
Gangnam Statue
On the day the troops were allowed to present their own interpretation of the programme, four groups were created. The first team visited the dynamic maze: “An indoor playground for adults and children, including the Alive Museum where you can take funny pictures. Then we visited the Gangnam Statue, ”says the scouts.
The second group visited Namsam Tower: “We hung a leaf weevil lock there as a souvenir of our visit to Korea. In the afternoon we had dinner at a booth. Strawberry, Nutella and banana crepes. Then a nice stroll in the Korean shops.”
European food
The third group went to the Science Museum: “We saw many animals, but also halls where you can do different experiments with windmills and water power. Then we did some shopping at Coex Mall.” Scouts from the fourth group went to Changdeokgang Village and Bukchon Hanoik: “A small and special street in Seoul because it is very authentic.” There, too, the scouts managed to find European food as a variation on all kinds of rice: “a delicacy at Subway”.
Janda, Mies, Stijn, Sanne and Dante have many memories of the special trip to South Korea: “We also learned to dance in a K-pop workshop and went to a Korean theater. We laughed our butts off, it was really funny. We also went to a restaurant Where we did a Korean barbecue.”
tornado
In addition to traveling across the country, Scout members meet fellow Scouts from around the world on the grounds of the World Scout Jamboree. Despite the heat, they managed to keep it there, and were advised to wear a head covering and drink a bottle of water at least every hour.
However, the event ended at its original location prematurely due to the possible arrival of a tornado. That is why all Dutch scouts and supervisors were moved to four different locations near Seoul last Tuesday as a precaution. Janda, Mies, Stijn, Sanne, and Dante resided at Suwon University in Hwaseong, south of Seoul.
The adventure ended in South Korea last Friday for the Leaf Weevil group of St. Joseph’s Scouts and a grand closing ceremony took place at the World Cup Stadium in Seoul with many performances, photos and videos from the past week. During the official part of the parade, both the President of South Korea and the Secretary General of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) addressed all Scout members.
K-pop
Afterwards, all the participants were treated to an amazing show with various K-pop performances. Colorful lights swung in the air and everyone danced to the music. “What a great journey we have had,” concluded the members of Scout Deurnese.
Images: Harold van der Burgt/WSJ
