Back in the summer of 2023 and in the month of August, my Venturing Unit–Crew 1004–has been invited to join the 2023, 25th World Scout Jamboree in Saemangeum, Korea. This event would bring venturing scouts from all over the globe to meet together in Korea, giving me and my crew members a chance to meet scouts from each and every country. Jamborees are typically held every four years, and as this was my first time ever going to one, I was more or less nervous than I was excited at the time.

My original unit split the scouts who were going to this jamboree and joined another unit for the time being; Crew 14. All units from the U.S. and who were asian were brought into this new unit, as our crew for the jamboree would represent Asian-Americans from the U.S.A. I had no idea who these other scouts were except for the ones in my original unit, so I was a bit stiff at first. However, the more we bonded through shakedown camp and online meetings, I began to feel comfortable with them, as if I’d made a whole new group of friends. 

Then came the flight.

My two weeks to pack after school ended was a rough one, since I was only allowed to bring one duffle and fit everything in there for the 2 to 3 week trip. The plane flight was roughly 13 hours from the LAX Airport to Incheon Airlines. My 1004 crew and I didn’t meet the rest of the scouts until we landed and met inside Incheon Airlines, and once we were taking bags outside to the bus, the humidity slapped me right in the face. It was already near night time, the sun was down, and yet it was still hot and humid as ever. Even though we were given a weather warning, I didn’t expect to have to use my electric fan I packed.

We spent 3 days touring around the cities of Korea, seeing new sights every day and meeting scouts outside of our own country. Visiting many shops, stores, and even restaurants, I was sauntering in the extreme heat and humidity of the place, always having my electric fan on me. Yet, I managed to strive and still have the best time of my life with Crew 14. Even within the first three days of touring, I’ve learned some basic Korean language, such as how to say hi: “Annyeong!”

For the three touring days, we stayed in a Youth Hostel and traveled by bus. The transportation buses were entirely different from buses back in the U.S–they had unique and intricate designs, and lights trailed along the roof of the bus that could change colors, from a deep night blue to a sunset red-orange, along with the colors of a shining rainbow. The time spent on the buses was sometimes extended into the long night, and my crew and I would turn on some music to vibe along to. It brought a bit of light along with the dragging ride.

When it was finally time to pack up and head to the campsite, I felt mostly anxious at first. I knew the weather was going to be daunting, trying to force me down from the exciting activities in camp. However, when my eyes caught the amount of scouts, some of them waving to our bus as we passed, that anxiety gradually settled down and vanished. I was about to experience a world side scout event that was only held every four years, and not everyone had a chance to go. I decided that, since I can’t magically change the weather anyway or make it feel better for myself, I won’t allow it to drag my mood down for this trip.    

We only managed to stay in camp for about 3 days before having to evacuate on the 4th day because of extreme heat and low precautions of sanitation, health, and protection from the weather. Only the start of the Opening Ceremony and already hundreds of scouts fell ill into a heat stroke from the alarming weather. Some units were forced to leave the campsite early, and others on the 4th day. The next two days, the entire campsite evacuated because of an incoming typhoon, leaving most of the scouts not able to fully enjoy the activities provided for the Jamboree camp.

Even though the last days were spent inside a base camp and not really with every scout from around the world, I still cherished the memories I had with those whom I met. Back at camp, I traded and conversed with scouts from Japan, Vietnam, Salbador, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, and many more. I made memorable moments with each and every scout I met, and every one of them had their own story.

On our last day, we stopped by a hotel to spend the night before departing our own ways. Crew 14 felt like a new family though the time I spent with them. Most of us couldn’t sleep last night, or refused to sleep, me included. The last few hours were spent over tears being poured (literally, some of them began to cry), and hugs being exchanged. I couldn’t help but feel sad myself, as I knew it would be a while until I got to see them again. 

The World Scout Jamboree was undoubtedly the best pet and most extraordinary thing I’ve ever done in my entire life. I didn’t even know how I got to the point where I would be traveling to Korea to meet scouts from all over the globe. First, Venturing was just a small part of my life, as I only planned to join for the Jamboree and go back to being a Girl Scout after. Since then, I’ve become more active in Venturing, and I hope to see Crew 14 again in the next four years when the 26th World Scout Jamboree starts, in Poland.