Traveling is always a joy. Traveling with a purpose is an adventure.

My adventure began last August 30, 1998, when together with other girls from the Eastern Mindanao Region, started our orientation as representatives of the Philippines to the First Commonwealth Camp held in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. There were six girls and one troop leader who had never met before but were supposed to function as a team and carry the message of scouting in the Philip­pines to the world.  

The Kuala Lumpur International Airport greeted us as if from a sci-fi movie. It was impressively enormous, ultra modern and futuristic. The whole edifice is made of glass and you could see the outside from all angles, even from inside the elevators. The toilet-flush, soap dispensers, hand dryers and escalators are all automatic. The place is so enormous, and gratefully there are horizontal conveyors to transport people from one place to another.

The representatives from the Girl Guide Associa­tion of Malaysia - or Pandu Putri met us at the arrival area. Upon retrieving our backpacks, we were transported to Seremban, where all international delegates were briefed. That night, after our dinner, we were sent on a bus to Kedah for 5 days of home hospitality. That bus-trip took us 7 hours and we arrived in Kedah, just before dawn.

Kedah, a Northern State of Peninsular Malaysia, is the birthplace of the Malaysian Prime Minister, Dr. Mohammad Mahathir. There we got to see his birthplace, the Royal Museum, Fort Kedah, which had actually sunk into the ground, and the Art Gallery. We were even brought to the Malaysian-Thai boarder for shopping. Unfortunately I wasn't able to buy anything, as I did not have much pocket money.

My host is a lady who owns a flower shop. She has a heart of gold. In her care are two old people, one, who had no one to care for her and another a cripple. She adopted them into her family so she could care for them. She also cares for a-teenager who has Down’s syndrome.

I also learned to eat with my hands like a real Malay and tried out strange and spicy dishes that turned out to be very delicious. Since pork is-forbidden by Islam, our daily fare consisted of either chicken or fish. We tried our hands in Malay cooking and learned some skills from them. We were also introduced to high tea.

Then it was off to camp.  It was a 10-hour bus ride to Ulu Bendol Recreational Forest in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan the site of our camp.  This time the troop from Kedah came along with us.

Together with 800 delegates from Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Maldives, United Kingdom, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Solomon Island, Brunei, and Malaysia. We the Girl Scouts from the Philippines made history, as the First Commonwealth Camp was opened. It was a colorful opening ceremony and the Queen of Malaysia was the Guest Speaker.

We were divided into five sub-camps each named after an indigenous Malaysian tree. We had to draw lots to see what activities we could participate in, as there were limited slots. I got to try out the blowpipe, the tribal way of hunting; Mountaineering, learning the Malaysian art of self-defense called the Silat, to try tradi­tional games, made handicrafts and learn a few local dances. I even got to join the "Love the River Campaign". We had this International Night were we all got to show off our dances. The people loved our colorful Balintawaks and wanted to take pictures with us. All International delegates were given a traditional Malay Sarong for the Sarong Night.

I really admire the efficiency of the Malaysian Guilders as they overseen the success of the camp. Everything went smoothly and all the needs of their International guests were looked after with great ef­forts. I had a slight eye injury the first day and they took care of me really well.

I hardly saw our troop leader during the whole trip, so I had to take care of myself. Fortunately, there were so many new friends to make and keep that the whole experience was exciting.

The day came when it was time to go. At the closing ceremonies, we had Dr. Siti Hasmah, the wife of the Prime Minister as Speaker. There was a colorful presentation and interpretative dance by the Malaysian Guides and finally the Commonwealth Flag was low­ered and handed to the Delegation from the United King­dom for the 2nd Commonwealth Camp will be held in Manchester England in 2002. That night, we had a campfire. We sang songs and watched presentations by the Young Leaders Association. We would have wanted to stay up later to socialize with our friends but were told to go back to camp by 1O: 30 pm and who ever remained after that time will have to clean up all the garbage in camp.

For the final day in Malaysia, the Selangor State Government feted us to a formal sit-down dinner. We were toured around Kuala Lumpur, the Capital City. We were treated to the Opening Ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games. It was a really spectacular sight and an occasion that I will never forget.

The two weeks had gone by-so fast and it was time to return to reality. We kissed our newfound friends goodbye and it was time to make the trip to he airport.

I know this Malaysian Scouting experience has made me see scouting in a different light and made me aware of its potentials and possibilities. I will always cherish and carry the wealth of experiences in my heart even as I look for opportunities to share them with my fellow scouts here in the Philippines.  

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All Rights Reserved 1999

last updated 11/14/99