Leicestershire Girl Guides - Our Chalet, Switzerland

After less than a year of fundraising, departing on a plane, catching a train and a tram, spending a night in Geneva, rushing for four trains, travelling on a bus and then a hard walk up a hill, I arrived with fifteen Girl Guides and four leaders at Our Chalet on Monday 20th July at Our Chalet in Adelboden, Switzerland.

Girl Guides were selected to represent Leicestershire abroad after the International Opportunities weekend in September 2008. I was selected with fifteen other Girl Guides to represent Leicestershire at one of the four Girl Guiding World Centres called Our Chalet in Adelboden, Switzerland. We all had to raise £1000 each (plus spending money) and I found that part of the experience of visiting a world centre.

I didn’t know what to expect when I arrived at Our Chalet, but I know that I was in awe. The scenery is outstanding and my finger must have gone numb from taking so many photos. The view from my four person room called Wildstrubel (one of the mountains surrounding Adelboden) was engulfed in snow covered mountains and trees. Some mornings white clouds covered the town of Adelboden and completely submerged the mighty mountains. Every day was a packed fun day including activities and a lot of hiking.

Almost every day involved new experiences for myself and all the other Girl Guides, not just from my group but from Canada, California, San Diego, Boston and Northern Ireland. Some of these new experiences were holding on for my life while abseiling down a bridge and two gorges, crossing a river on a zip wire and tasting the best milk chocolate in the world made by a chocolatier in Interlaken. I visited the St Beaus Caves near Thun and the Trummelbach falls nearby Interlaken. They were both quite breathtaking however, what I found most breathtaking was fulfilling the two hour sunrise hike to a waterfall called Engstilgenfall. Unfortunately, the overnight hike up Bonderspitz had to be postponed due to weather conditions. So instead, a group of us left at 5am to hike to the waterfall and then we hiked to Adelboden, where we ate cream cakes. Another breathtaking experience was submerging myself fully in a man made lake after (guess what?) hiking for 2 hours; the lake was very cold!

Everyone at Our Chalet was so friendly and I met some nice Girl Guides. During my stay, I swapped some UK Girl Guiding badges in exchange for badges from other parts of the world. In fact, we met a woodcarver whose ceiling in his shop is covered in badges from all over the world; I had the opportunity to purchase a badge with my own name engraved on it. On the final night, everyone sat around a campfire and we sang fun songs, even with actions and lots of flashes from cameras in the dark (including a nearby thunderstorm).

 So after emotional farewells, walking down the hill, catching a bus, running for 3 trains and returning on a plane, we all returned safe, sound and very tired on Tuesday 28th July. I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I arrived at Our Chalet, but this trip has bought me lots of wonderful memories and experiences that I will certainly never forget.

I would like to say a very special thank you to all the leaders who took us to Switzerland and for their amazing work in making the trip enjoyable and to all the staff at Our Chalet for their support in new experiences. Finally, thank you to everyone who helped in any shape or form in my fundraising for Switzerland, for now I will be expecting the unexpected!