Spanish National Jamboree

[ianwilkins]

Last year we were the only British group at the Spanish National Jamboree on the Canary Islands (a bit less than 100 miles off the coast of Morocco, west Africa). I've just written up the text below for our annual report, and someone thought more uplifting pictures would be nice, I dunno about uplifting, but they're to hand so...enjoy...

In total there 57 of us, 11 Scouts and leaders, 35 Explorers, 4 Network, and 7 Explorer leaders. There were around 3000 attendees and we were the only British group there. It was obviously mostly Spanish groups, but there were also groups from Argentina, France, Georgia, Mexico, and Peru.   The entire week was frankly crazy in places, and full of new experiences. From the sheer logistics of travelling on planes and coaches with 57 people, to being on a ferry with 600 Explorer scouts, a ferry with a swimming pool. We attended the Spanish National Song Festival, imagine a County Eurovision and you won’t be far off. We thought we might have caused diplomatic incidents in the parliaments of Gran Canaria and Tenerife, but everyone was far too nice. We ran around Santa Cruz. Two of our Explorers got to climb to the summit of Mount Teide for sunrise. Yes, we spent a some time relaxing on beaches and in the sea, we did some bodyboarding, and we almost literally drew a the line in the sand when asked to pick litter on a nudist beach. We learnt that ear piercings are much cheaper in sleepy Spanish towns than the UK. We partied. We got dust everywhere. We disliked portaloos. We ate our own bodyweight in bread rolls. We sat around waiting, a lot. Mostly though, we met an awful lot of really really friendly Scouts from all over the world, and we made the best of it and had an awful lot of fun. Some of it was hell for the leaders, but the young people we took had such a positive attitude to everything, they got us through it.
 

Clockwise from top left:

Our custom badge on our international necker. Both were very popular
All of the Explorers and leaders.
He won a bet, or lost a bet, I'm not sure. We had a mini-carnival parade laid on for us.

 

Clockwise from left:
Sleeping arrangements for two nights, and yes, it does look like a disaster relief effort
Teamwork on the beach
On top of a hill, because it was there.
 

Clockwise from top left
At the Spanish National Song Festival. Later on it was a sea of dancing and whirling neckers. Much fun.
Waiting for a coach, we made some new friends with a spanish group
In the Gran Canaria  parliament, French, British, Georgian (no, the country), British, Argentinian
One of mine talking to a scout from Georgia (no, the country)
One of our leaders managed to get a turn on the bodyboards we hired one day at the beach

 

Edited May 10, 2018 by ianwilkins

[David CO]

2 hours ago, ianwilkins said:

...and we almost literally drew a the line in the sand when asked to pick litter on a nudist beach.

It makes perfect sense that they might ask you guys for help. Nobody wants to see them bend over to pick up trash.

But seriously, I did lifeguard duties at the YMCA a few times when a local naturist group rented out the pool. It is really not very exciting once the novelty of it wears off. Before you ask, lifeguards are required by code to wear their traditional red/white lifeguard uniforms while on duty, regardless of how the swimmers are attired.

 

Edited May 10, 2018 by David CO

[Jameson76]

13 minutes ago, David CO said:

It makes perfect sense that they might ask you guys for help. Nobody wants to see them bend over to pick up trash.

But seriously, I did lifeguard duties at the YMCA a few times when a local naturist group rented out the pool. It is really not very exciting once the novelty of it wears off. Before you ask, lifeguards are required by code to wear their traditional red/white lifeguard uniforms while on duty, regardless of how the swimmers are attired.

 

If you have seen one shirt that needs ironing...you've seen them all

ALSO

What is seen, can never be unseen

[David CO]

1 minute ago, Jameson76 said:

What is seen, can never be unseen

That's why lifeguards always wear dark sunglasses.

[SSScout]

Jamboree Espana ?  (phonetics) yamboree?  

I hiked the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain 4 years ago with a buddy,  wonderful trip, even if it is kinda touristy, I recommend it for what it is (do not compare to the Appalachian Trail).  We never saw, met, heard of (we asked!) , any Scout or Scout reference or Scout anything..... On the Camino, We did meet folks , young and older, who admitted to being Scouts from Finland and  Norway (SeaScout), Germany (PfandPfunder), England, America, Denmark and Australia.  But no Spanish Scouts.   

Before we left for Madrid, we did not do any research into such subjects, we just assumed we'd meet some, someplace, but none. Nada. I would be interested if you'd care to comment,  Ianwilkins.  

[ianwilkins]

On 5/12/2018 at 4:05 AM, SSScout said:

Jamboree Espana ?  (phonetics) yamboree?  

I hiked the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain 4 years ago with a buddy,  wonderful trip, even if it is kinda touristy, I recommend it for what it is (do not compare to the Appalachian Trail).  We never saw, met, heard of (we asked!) , any Scout or Scout reference or Scout anything..... On the Camino, We did meet folks , young and older, who admitted to being Scouts from Finland and  Norway (SeaScout), Germany (PfandPfunder), England, America, Denmark and Australia.  But no Spanish Scouts.   

Before we left for Madrid, we did not do any research into such subjects, we just assumed we'd meet some, someplace, but none. Nada. I would be interested if you'd care to comment,  Ianwilkins.  

It was called esJamboree. I think they did say it a bit like yamboree, but slightly more anglicised, thanks to the words BP roots.

Well, I've no idea if I'm honest why you didn't see any spanish scouts on the camino. There certainly is scouting all over Spain, as the camp had a group from most regions I believe. Ah, scouting isn't huge in Spain, 56,000 in 2011, from a population of 46 million. And that's split into Mainly because it was mostly banned, sorry "tolerated" under Franco, and was only re-legalised in 1977. And the largest chunk of that 56k belong to an interreligious scout organisation, ASDE, so I'd guess they wouldn't pick the camino, and the Catholic association would be more likely to.

Or maybe walking the camino is something those outside of spain see as more important or interesting than those inside spain.