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From: jabryant@artsci.wustl.edu (Jonathan Adams Bryant)
Newsgroups: rec.scouting
Subject: World Jambo advice
Date: 7 Oct 1994 04:21:19 GMT
Organization: College of Arts and Sciences -- Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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I attended the 1991 World Jamboree in Korea and it was the most amazing
experience of my life.  Hopefully I will be attending in the Netherlands
as an ASM.  Here are my few bits of advice (although I really should be 
studying right now).


*  The absolute most important thing to do at the World Jambo is meet other
people.  Knock on the doors of other campsites.  Invite members of
another troop to swap a few members for a few of yours at dinner every night.
The opportunity to learn is incredible, but you will not meet anyone if 
you go to an activity during the day and spend the rest of your time in 
your campsite carving a stick.

*  Things like snorkeling and archery are activities you will most likely be
able to do at your council's summer camp (for USA scouts, at least).  Why
devote an afternoon to this when there are a whole bunch of other
activities that are more interactive and you may never have the chance to
do again? (In the case of the 1991 World Jambo, there were tons of 
traditional Korean games and skills being taught.)

 
*  Singing songs is not lame!  This is a complaint of many scouts, and 
maybe singing can seem lame when it is just your local troop at home, but 
there is nothing lame about singing with boys and girls from dozens of 
countries.  You may even get into a little battle to see which troop has 
more national pride and sings best!

On this note, two events really stand out in my mind about my experience
in Korea. One was one of the most fun nights I had at the Jamboree, which
was a Subcamp campfire.  The Dutch contingent stood up and everyone did
the chicken dance.  I later went to their campsite and we spent most of
the night sharing songs and stories.  The other was while we were on the
train from Nikko to Tokyo in Japan.  Our troop had decided that we would
be the American troup that all other American troups should measure up to. 
(425, NE region if anyone is wondering) We got together on the train and
started singing.  While we did, the ends of the train car filled up with
Japanese businessmen, families, even train employees, who just stood and
listened and *smiled*.  The opportunity to touch people from entirely
different cultures, and brighten their day, is a very magical thing, as 
cheesy as it may sound.  


Well, there is much more I could talk about, but midterms loom on the 
horizon.  I am relatively new to this particular group, so I'll be 
watching for interesting conversation in the near future!

To those attending the Jambo in the Netherlands:  Keep an open mind, be 
prepared to spend more energy than you ever thought you could, and ALWAYS 
WEAR A SMILE :)  !

Jon

*********************
Jonathan Bryant
jabryant@art.wustl.edu
School of Art
Washington University in St. Louis