Only a few hours left…

Just came back from my last pre-jamboree-meeting in Olten. We talked through the whole journey which will be made by the participants. We talked about what is needed and to be prepared when the train arrive in Zuerich and the people will board it.
It is going to be quite a challenge and we really need everyone, troop leaders and especially the participants, to cooperate and work smoothly.

Now, hours left until I will check in at the airport in Zuerich, I get even more nervous.
At about lunch time three of us are supposed to take off and arrive about a hour later in London Heathrow.
The thing that comes next actually causes me physical pain only thinking about it. We will get one of the two hired cars. And guess who will drive on the “wrong” side of the road from Heathrow to the camp site? Yes, you guessed right…it will be me.

After that I hope we can pitch up our tents, prepare ourselves a bit and then head for the contingent tents to check out if and how their are build.
On the other hand, tomorrow will be surely full of surprises. I am looking forward to it…

And we wait some more…

I just found the new photos which have been taken by one of our Swiss IST (or actually Swiss JDT).
I must admit that those pictures did not help to ease my pain of waiting and made me even more nervous.
Nevertheless I got informed that everyone is well and things are going as planned so far. Even the food (which sounds somehow unbelievable) is said to be…good. This is indeed rather surprising.

You see, there are hard working IST trying to present us a well built and prepared camp site as soon as we arrive.
My last day of work (today!) before I can fully (or at least more or less) concentrate on the Jamboree, comes to an end and I will hardly miss it for the next three weeks.

Lets see how thinks work out tomorrow at the airport, when the next bulk of Swiss IST will join the build staff in England. Hope everyone checked their passports and put the pocket knifes into the checked luggage. I have been told that there was already one Swiss knife about to be destroyed by airport security because someone left it in his pockets. Fortunately someone noticed in time and saved it…;)

And we wait….

While our first scouts help to get things ready in England most of us are still here in Switzerland waiting for the things getting started. I am sure that all of us are eager to get into the plane or train and start this adventure called Jamboree.

Do not worry at all.
In January 2005, when I started working for the Contingent, it seemed to be an eternity until things will get real.
Well, here I am now…not quite sure if I am ready for this and sometimes I secretly wish we got some month more left to organise and clear things up. But guess what, we do not.
There are not month or weeks left, there are only days left until we will get our backbags ready and head for either the airport or train station.

So…do not be impatient, there is no time left to be…;)

Nevertheless, those few days do not give me much time to think about that too much. Either I am challenged at work or by mails and phone calls loaded with questions for the Jamboree.
Not only members of the Head of Contingent (HoC) who seek to inform me or even ask me for advice, there are still parents as well trying to get hold of me.
Whilst I just have to answer some few simple questions, my friends of the HoC suprisingly get questions which are related to the first dispatch send out in February 2006 to you.
Seems that the nervosity makes people forget a few things.
Never mind though…the same happens to me as well. So no hard feelings…;)

First few steps…

As of yesterday the Swiss Contingent has over thirty people (member of the IST) in England helping the organising comitee to build the camp site.
They left Switzerland from Zuerich and should NOW be very much working…;)

Those members of the build staff (who happend to be IST as well and will stay for the Jamboree do to some more work) will get some backup in a few days. On the 18th of July another fourty people or so will leave Switzerland and join them.
They will help to build up the camp site, too.

We all appreciate that they sacrifice their holidays not only for the Jamboree and their IST-jobs but also to help to pitch up tents, getting the showers and toilets ready and help to make sure that everything is in place when we arrive.
I surely hope that will have some energy left for the 24th of July when they become officially IST…;)