Archive for 2012
MIC 2012, Day 18
August 10th, 2012
Not too early a start today, we all got up at about 9.30am, had some breakfast and got ready to meet Mike. He arrived at about 10.30am and we were all ready to go. He brought us into the White Plains train station where we would catch a train into Grand Central in New York City. We also met the rest of the New Yorkers and the Hungarian contingent at the train station. The journey did not take very long, only about 45 minutes and then we got to see the main sites of Grand Central station, with many references to Madagascar of course!
During the day we visited many sites of the city including Mc Donalds, the Empire State Building, Times Square, the Nintendo Store, and the Rockerfeller Centre. The Empire State Building was truly amazing, as we waited in line there were presentation boards outlining how recent changes across the whole building have made it significantly more energy efficient, and in fact a beacon of energy efficiency. I found this very interesting and most of the guys read the boards as well. The wait wasn’t that long, only about an hour and we were in the elevator to the 80th floor. This floor had presentations on the history of the building and how it is important for many reasons, not just its height. Then another short elevator ride to the 86th floor, this floor had an outdoor observation area where spent quite a while, at half an hour or 45 minutes. We took lots of photos and looked down on all of the sites New York City.
After that was Times Square which was interesting but also very busy. WE split into smaller group here, but most groups visited the same places, the MandM store, the Hershey’s store and Toys ‘R Us. These were all good to see and certainly an experience for those who have never visited Times Square before. Next we wet on a bit of a walking tour and saw some other sites on our way back to Grand Central station.
By the time we got back to the cabin it was quite late and everyone was very tired, so we all went to bed very quickly after a thoroughy interesting and enjoyable day.
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MIC 2012, Day 17
August 10th, 2012
Our first day after camp, me and the girls had a lazi-ish morning, we took it easy and just got up whenever we felt like it. Although Anthony (our host) said he was so used to getting up at 7am on camp that he had woken up at that time and couldn’t go back to sleep. When I got up I spent some time on the computer and we all watched some more classic american television (Log Tuckers and Alligator Wrestlers).
At about noon we decided we should really start re-packing our bags. I went first as my stuff seemed to be the most scattered around the room. Somehow )and I was the most amazed) I managed to get everything back into my bag. The two girls had no difficulty at all and soon we were all ready to go.
We said our goodbyes to Anthony and Reese and Rob gave us a lift to the Church where we met the rest of the group. At the car park we said Thank you and goodbye to Rob and moved all of our bags into Scott’s Van. Once everyone had arrived we all jumped into cars and vans and were on our way to the airport. It onlt took 15 minutes or so to get to the airport and then it was time to say our last goodbyes and thank you’s.
Once into the airport I went to investigate the check in process which unfortunately was all electronic. This meant that each person had to be checked in individually on a computer screen which was a little time consuming. Then we had to go through a bag drop and passport check. After all of this we were running a little late and hurried on to the security check. Surprisingly this was not as efficient as in Dublin Airport but eventually we were all through, belts and shoes in tact. We more or less ran on to the departure and found that we were just in time for check in. Within about ten minutes we were all finding our seats on the plane and I was settling down for a nap.
Once of the plane which arrived about 10 minutes early we proceeded through JFK very fast and found to our delight that all of our bags had made it too. I rang our New York contact Mike and soon he met us with his minibus and trailer for the bags. It took us about an hour and a half to get to Mikes house where we met all of the Llamas (Belle, Juiliet, Gideon, Sheeba and ). We gave them some food and also met Mikes wife Gail. After a while though it was time to hop back in the Mini bus and head to the cabin where we would all be staying.
By the time we arrived at the cabin it was about 11.30pm. We had a quick look around, it is a very nice cabin with two small rooms, one bug room, a large common room and a kitchen (the toilet block is also very close by). Once we were settled everyone headed to bed.
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MIC 2012, Day 16
July 30th, 2012
The last day of camp has come and I think that most people have found that they really don’t want to leave, we have all made such good friends and it feels strange that we won’t wake up to see them all tomorrow morning.
The morning was spent packing the trailer, taking photos and saying our goodbyes. With alot of team work we were on the road by 11am and n our way back to Garden City, where we started getting things out of the trailers and we all had a troop dinner which was delicious and a great way to end an amazing week. We also presented our host group with their gift and one of our embroidered kneckerchiefs. After dinner we really didn’t want to say goodbye to some of the friends that we had made, but eventually we all had to go our separate ways.
The girls and I went back to the Hodson household for one last night in Michigan. We emptied our back and got lots of washing done. I went for a swim as it is supposed to help mosquito bites, I don’t think it did much for them but the long hot shower afterwards was very nice.
We spent the evening just chilling out playing cards and reliving the evens of the last week. We also made a preliminary start on our packing, because we head out to New York tomorrow.
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MIC 2012, Day 15
July 30th, 2012
The International Festival day/Visitors day has arrived and all too quickly for my liking. But the sunshine and heat has also returned. With some help from the rangers we got all of our materials to the parade field and then set everything up for our display. I have to say that it looked pretty well. After some editing of the mixture we got the potatoe cakes under way. Everyone loved the smoked salmon and brown bread and the potatoe cakes. We taught them how to tie a turk’s head woggle, let them sample some sweets and introduced them to Irish sports and music.
We were right next to the Canadian stall and had a lot of fun during the day, some of the scouts parents also came up for the day and it was really nice to get to meet them all.
Once the visitors had left we had a flag lowering ceremony and a presentation of gifts to Bruce, the camp organisor. He really liked our gift and thought it was beautiful. After a campwide dinner of Chicken and baked potatoe we headed back to the site to get some tidying up done and get a start on the packing. We Irish also went to the fox subcamp to meet the Ventures from New York that we will be staying with next week. Soon it was time to head over to the campfire bowl for the Interfaith service and Closing ceremony. Both were very enjoyable and again would have only been improved if the seats were a little more comfortable and their had been less mosquitos.
When we got back to the site there was just enough time for a quick snack before all of the Scouts and Ventures were sent to bed for the last time. The leaders stayed up a little longer just to get some of the organising and packing done .
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MIC 2012, Day 14
July 30th, 2012
Breakfast today was basically Sausage Mc Muffins, it was tasty although Conor B may have taken it a step too far when he attempted to eat one with 15 sausage patties in it.
This morning we had Service to Northwoods, this involved trying to remove invasive species from the woods around the camping grounds. What actually happened instead was that it rained and rained and rained despite the weather forecast of a clear and dry day. We even had a few injuries, one of the Americans Anthony got a pretty nasty thorn in his thumb, but Scouter Chris did manage to get it out eventually. After a quick lunch the guys were ready for shooting sports 2, which involved Archery, Paintball guns, and Air Rifles. Unfortunately the paintball was cancelled because it was too wet.
During the afternoon open programme session most of the guys went back to shooting sports and some even won prizes like MIC 2012 pen knives and carabiners. After dnner the programme areas were open again and fortunately the rain had finally stopped. Some went to patch trading in the dining hall, but most simply went to mingle with the other scouts from other campsites.
We then visited the Huron campsite for a campfire. This was a lot of fun and they even served us some “puppy chow” which is kind of like Chex cereal covered in Peanut butter and Icing sugar. It doesn’t sound great but it was actually really good.
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MIC 2012, Day 13
July 30th, 2012
Half way through our camp week and half way through our entire trip, wow the time has flown.
Pancakes for breakfast, my favourite. Our first activity was Geocaching in the pouring rain, which was well wet and of course half of the Irish scouts did not have a rain coat with them even though it rains ninety percent of the time at home. So everyone came back to site a little early and very very wet.
Next on our programme was plastic barrel rafting, so at least for this it didn’t matter that it was raining as they were all going to get wet anyway. Each patrol made their own raft, designed in their own way. Some of them worked really well and some did not work quite some well but all made it around the rafting course no matter how long it took them. The winning patrol was the Curlews, Conor B’s patrol. Some people even managed to stay clean and dry which was very impressive.
There was no second afternoon activity today in order to allow us time to prepare for the international meal. When we got back to the campsite all of the scouts were sent to their tents for a 30 minute rest, as some people had been getting very cranky.
Once they were up again we started to make dinner, this involved a lot of peeling and chopping and stirring. Canadian Andrew was very helpful we stirring as we needed to keep improvising tools that could make it all the way to bottom of the pot. We ate dinner at about 6pm and everyone loved the stew, especially Conor G. On our site we also tasted some rice and soup from Uganda, Pumpkin Pancakes from Bonaire and Poutin from Canada. The pancakes were delicious, I may even try to get the recipe from them at some point. The Poutin was also yummy although I have to say I was a touch sceptical at first. It is composed of French Fries covered in gravy with cheese on the top.
After dinner it was time to go and see the Kwahadi Dancers. This was a really great performance which could only have been improved if the seats had been a little more comfortable.
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MIC 2012, Day 12
July 30th, 2012
Today breakfast was comprised of a Breakfast burrito, which was yummy. Our first activity was at the water front again, and even though it was a little cloudy and not as warm as it has been most of the scouts got in the water or went out on one of the boats. First though I had to make a trip to the Medical centre with a few of the kids who were not feeling too well. I also got some cream for all of my mosquito bites while I was there. WE then got a lift in the golf buggy back to the water front and a few went back to the campsite for a well needed nap.
After the water front we headed up to Native American Lore, While we were on our way up it started raining pretty heavily so luckily all the rest of the days activities were inside. At Native American Lore we had lunch and the learnt about a few native american crafts. These included making dream catchers, jewelery and weaving with small strips of wood..
Next we headed to handi craft, which I really enjoyed. They had lots of things that you can make most of which I am sure that you will see when all of the Scouts and Ventures get home. Among the things that they made were paracord bracelets, key rings, walking pole covers, sit mats, glass painting and wood brandings.
Time for dinner and we were finally allowed to cook on our own site as clean drinking water had returned. We had Walking Tacos which we found out are pretty much just Nachos. And the most delicious brownies for dessert.
The evening activities comprised of Card Games in the dining hall and patch trading beside the trading post. The patch trading room was packed, you could barely move and the heat was unbelievable. Everyone had a good time and even got some pretty cool patchs. they were also serving ice cream and pizza in the dining hall and we managed to get one of the rangers to deliver some ice cream all the way to our site for the leaders, it was yum if a little malted. At about 9.45 everything was shut down because there were warnings that a thunder storm was on the way.
After a quick patrol check we worked out that two scouts had not returned to the site. We worked out that they were on one of two sites and had them both back on site in no time. At this point the rain was thundering down and there was some really impressive Thunder and Lightening.
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MIC 2012, Day 11
July 30th, 2012
Tuesday morning and everyone was woken bright and early when Mr. Hickling played Revelie on the Bugle, although some of our heavier sleepers did sleep through the whole thing. After a delicious breakfast of Pancakes and Sausage we got ready to head out for activities.
The first on the list as back to the parade field for more team and initiative games. This time the groups swapped so I visited initiative games, and it was alot of fun. The group I followed started with the spider web, then moved on to an “A-Frame” challenge, the also had a other challenges which they needed to solve as a group. Then the whole group got together to play Rock, Paper, Scissors and two of the Irish Scouts managed to convince the person organising the game that they had never heard of Rock, Paper, Scissors and had no idea how to play. It was hilarious watching everyone try to teach them how to play, but eventually we did tell them that the guys were just messing and had of course played Rock, Paper, Scissors before.
Next we headed to Global Scouting to find our lunch. After a good feed we were introduced to some traditional dress, songs and dances from the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao). After a reluctant start the guys all got into the spirit and had a lot of fun with this. We took lots of photos and I will hopefully get them uploaded soon. Next we went to play a game which come from Costa Rico. This is played with a small ring of rope which you pass among your team kind of like a frisbee, then you have to throw it onto a broom handle which is being held by someone on your team. Everyone really enjoyed this game and want to play it when we get home. The last thing in global scouting was a game from Egypt which involved lots of water and so was much appreciated.
After Global Scouting we headed for Shooting Sports 2, this involved Shotgun, Rifles and Black Powder guns. Most of the group enjoyed this although there was quite alot waiting around in between stations. Most of the guys concluded that their favourite was the clay pidgeon shooting, which some found they were very good at.
After that it was time to head back on site to get ready for dinner. Again we were having a campwide dinner in the dining hall. It was bar-b-q chicken with rice and was very tasty. After dinner it was time for the international night, which is where all of the international groups do the performance that they have prepared. Conor wasn’t feeling the best this evening so we decided that Stephen would introduce the group in Irish and Conor B would be his translator. The performance actually went really well and everyone enjoyed it, but I was definitely glad when it was over. All of the other performances were excellent, a good evening was had by all. Except maybe for the Canadians who for some reason or other had been forgotten all together and didn’t get to do their performance, this was on top of the fact that yesterday at the waterfront all of their paper work had been lost, they were not happy campers.
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MIC 2012, Day 10
July 30th, 2012
This morning was devoted to campsite improvement which we mostly achieved by getting to know all of the other scouts we would be staying with for the next week. The Canadians also decided to put little Canadian flags all around their tents, so that area is now referred to as Canada Corner. All of the groups of scouts started getting on really well with each other and we all started becoming one big group.
At about half eleven we headed towards the parade field again for our first activity. But first and more importantly we had lunch! The group split up and half did team games while the other half did initiative games. Scouter Dave (from Canada) and I went with the group doing team games, this involved Ultimate Frisbee and Giant Basketball. Everyone enjoyed the activities although it was really too hot to be doing anything at all. It was all ok though because our next activity was swimming down at the water front.
This was brilliant, the water was lovely, the sun was beaming down and they even opened the blob for a little while. All of the Irish Scouts did need to be introduced to the American buddy system, which was a bit of an adjustment for some. Basically everyone has a small tag which is on a board outside of the water front area. If you wish to go swimming or boating etc. you must have a buddy and you both then get your tag off the board and you bring it down to the waterfront area and then put your tags together in the appropriate section of the board that is situated there. The life guards then do a buddy check about every ten minutes to make sure that everyone still has their buddy and no one has disappeared.
While we were swimming we got a message to say that the main water pump for the campsite had broken and because of this we could no longer drink the water from the taps. This meant that we would all be having dinner together in the dining hall again. This time it was something called lasagna soup, which actually tasted really good. Especiallly when followed with Cake and chocolate pudding.
We then headed back to site, sorted out name tags for all of the tents, this makes it easier when you need to wake people up. We played some more cards and the guys collected wood for our campfire with the Iroquais sub camp. This was also an open programme time, so some of the Irish headed down to check out some of the activities that we hadn’t done yet.
The Iroquais scouts arrived a little late and were all starving, but luckily we had managed to get an entire extra tray of dinner (because no one got enough at dinner time), so we fed them all pasta along with cookies and snack mix. This meant that we never really got to the camp fire part of the evening, but everyone had a good chat and a good feed none the less.
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MIC 2012, Day 9
July 25th, 2012
So on Sunday we all met up to go to camp. All of the bags were packed so this helped alot. The bus ride took about 3 hours which wasn’t too bad alot of people had a nap but some decided to regale us with there entire musical repertoire. When we arrived on the Northwoods campsite, we found that they were behind schedule and so because we were on time for our check in time we were actually too early. This was ok we all just sat down and chilled out in the sunshine for a while until they were ready for us.
Once we were all checked in, we headed to our subcamp to get out of our uniforms and sort out tents. The Americans and Canadians went about pitching there tents while us, Bonaire and the Ugandans dropped our stuff off in ours. There are two in each tent so this didn’t take very long.
Once everyone was sorted we headed down to the dining hall to get Dinner and get ready for the opening ceremony. Fionn and Conor G had the honour of carrying the national flag on behalf of the group. for dinner we had pizza from Dominoes, they actually got Dominoes pizza to bring all of their stuff to the campsite and cook it all for us. It was delicious and everyone got more than enough.
Next we had to line up outside the parade field, we were number 11 in the procession, just behind Hungary and in front of the Isle of Mann. Funnily enough our scouts got on with the Isle of Mann very well from the word go. In turn off the contingents walked into the parade field with their flag. Conor and Fionn brought ours to the flag pole and once all of the contingents had arrived the flags were all raised at the same time.
After a few photos we headed back to our subcamp and all of the scouts continued to mingle and play cards. We also had Cracker Barrel (or Supper) of various different types of cookies.
All in all a great first day on camp.
P.s. I won’t be able to upload photos this week but will upload some next week.
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