Canada 2011  

Hi, we’re a group of six girls, aged 16 and 17, who went with two leaders to Canada between the 8th and 22nd of August this summer.
Our trip started at 2am on Monday 8th August when we met at Stafford station to get the bus to Heathrow and then fly to Toronto.
In Toronto, despite the boiling heat, we had a fantastic time. On the first day (9th) we faced torrential rain on the hop-on hop-off bus, and enjoyed the sites of Toronto as well as a trip to the shopping mall and in the evening a visit to the CN tower, which was fantastic.
The next day (10th) we enjoyed a bus tour to Niagara Falls. We went on the Maid of the Mist boat trip, which resulted in us getting very wet, and admired the Falls from a distance as well. We also went on a bus ride along the Niagara River to Niagara on the Lake, which was a very pretty town with a lovely view of Lake Ontario.
The next leg in our journey took us to Nova Scotia, and to the airport in Halifax. We waited for the camp bus to pick up and made friends with the group who had come from Ontario. At the camp, we pitched our tents and got a bite to eat. In the evening, the girls did our swim and boat tests in the lake, which was fantastic.
The next morning (12th), we got breakfast (I assume Jo, Emily and Heather found their love for Fruit Loops at this point). The camp was fully catered all the way through which was brilliant because it meant we had more time to chill out and talk to the other patrols, because we didn’t have to do any cooking. It also meant that there was a wide variety of foods every day, I think everyone loved the bagels.
Our morning activity was called Good Sportsmanship., in which we created an obstacle course, played parachute games, football baseball and had a go at archery. We had great fun during the activities and managed to mix with different patrols and make new friends.
Our afternoon activity was Nova Scotia Greatness. We had a great talk by a mi’kmaq woman who explained their culture. Mi’kmaq was the original tribe in Nova Scotia before those from the West intervened. We all found it very interesting and made medicine pouches, which was there equivalent of wearing a cross. We also did Scottish dancing and made tiles for a lighthouse. We designed a tile with our personality and then added them to a mini lighthouse which was lit at the closing ceremony. The lighthouse is also to be placed in a predominant position in Halifax once the camp had finished.
In the evening, we went for a quick swim and then to the opening ceremony, where we were introduced to the core crew. The mi’kmaq ladies played their drum and there was also a man playing bagpipes and a drumming group called Squid.
On the 13th we celebrated Culture Day. In the morning we met at the stage and the mi’kmaq ladies played some pieces on the drum before letting some of us play as well. The afternoon was a chill session so most of us went to the lake.
That evening was Heritage Night Part 1. During the camp there were two Heritage Nights, during which every patrol did an item to represent where they came from. After that there was a star gazing session which a few of us went to but couldn’t understand what the guy was saying so we left after a while.
On the 14th, we had to get up a bit earlier as we had a 20 minute walk to our activities in the morning. We enjoyed an archaeology dig, during which we found items from the kitchen area of a 1911 camp, and we tested water from the lake to see how clean or polluted it was (it was very clean, which was probably a good job since we were drinking the water from it).
It was also Daisy’s birthday today so we sang Happy Birthday at various points in the day and after morning activities, she opened the presents from her family.
In the afternoon, we did Lights Camera Action, during which there were activities of Flying Robots (which didn’t work), theatre games and tinkling sticks which was good fun.
That evening was Guides Own, during which we sung many songs, and we all had good fun.
The 15th was a day trip off camp. We first went to the Glooscap Heritage Centre, where we learnt more about the traditions of the mi’kmaq culture. We also went to a lighthouse which possesses the highest tides and is trying to become a world wonder. Finally we went to a glass workshop where we made patterns from the off cuts of glass. We had great fun and came up with some brilliant ideas.
Then in the evening there was a campfire (albeit without the campfire bit), and we had great fun singing songs that were both familiar and new to us.
On the 16th, we were let loose in Halifax on the Amazing Race. We had a trail to follow and had to find the landmarks of Halifax. We had great fun, and had a lot of ‘planking’ moments. It was a brilliant insight into Halifax, especially as it gave us our bearings for when we returned after camp.
Both that night and the next day (17th) were free days for us. We had a lie in in the morning and then painted our nails and relaxed all morning. After lunch we practised our presentation for Heritage Night and then went for a little swim in the lake.
That evening was Heritage Night Part 2, and we were the first group. Our theme was British Films, and we did dances from Mary Poppins, Harry Potter and Singing in the Rain. There were also some other brilliant performances from the other patrols that evening and we all had great fun.
The next morning was the 18th and we had Sisters in Guiding. We had activites on the HAM radios, learning about the environment and discussing travelling around the world and communicating when we didn’t speak the same language.
In the afternoon, we had Dolphino, which was water sports and we had great fun both in the lake and in canoes.
Then, in the evening, the Canadian army came onto site to carry out night manoeuvres which was a bit of a treasure trail (without the treasure).
The next day (19th) was our last full day at camp. In the morning we built fires, catapults and rope bridges which was good fun and there was an element of competition all the way through between the two teams which added to the excitement.
In the afternoon, there were crafts. We made friendship dolls to give to a friend we had made and capes to give to the children at a Women’s Refuge which was extremely rewarding.
In the evening, we had the closing ceremony which was really nice and we sang quite a few songs. There was then a birthday cake and we left.
The next morning (20th) we left camp at 8.30am. It was sad to say goodbye to everyone because we had made some brilliant friends on camp. We got on a bus with the Ontario girls who were dropped off at the airport and got to our hotel in Halifax. We then wondered around Halifax for a while before coming back to the hotel in the afternoon. The joy of double beds and a shower was brilliant. We also had a swimming pool with a hot tub and a sauna which Claire, Philippa and Emily went in for a while.
Sunday morning came and we had our last day. In the morning we went whale watching and although we didn’t see any whales, we had a whale of a time. In the afternoon, we sat in the park and listened to a band which was very relaxing and in the shade!
That evening we left for the airport and after three bus rides and a plane journey, we were back in Stafford and our fantastic journey had come to an end.






 

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Girlguiding Staffordshire, County HQ, St Peter's School site, Church Lane, Hixon, Stafford, ST18 0PS
Tel: 01889 270757

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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