peke's Xanga

Wednesday, July 31, 2002

Wed, 31 Jul 2002 04:39:30 GMT

wow, it has been almost a month since the last time I posted. Time just went so fast this last weeks.

first I had my job interview, after that I had to get ready for camp, then we had the camp and back at home I found myself with a teenager to look after.

The job interview went just fine, I stil have to send in my CV and find out some stuff with our lawyer, but normaly I will start working half time in september.

Getting ready for camp took a lot of time, I had broken my campping backpack so I had to look for another one, I also needed to get all the material ready for the 24 hours game and the activity we organized for the cubs to learn the cub's prayer. It might not seem so bad, but I had to do all that with Patrick being sick and me beginning to get sick as well.

Finally it was time to go to camp. The first day was without the cubs so we could get things ready. the day went quite fast and soon the first cubs began to arrive and our spy camp could really get started.

We had some objectives during the camp which I am happy to say we reached. We tried to get into the pack a jungle spirit, we also wanted each six to become more indepenent and over al for the kids to be more responsable for what they did.

I will not say everything was easy, we did have some problems but ended up figuring them out. the kids were not angels all the time and more than once they did got into our nerves, but after having the casino night canceled most of them learned the lesson.

The best part of it all was to see how a child can change in only one week if you put your heart to it. I was amazing to see some cubs that were really shy during the year and at the beginning of the camp suddenly become so sure of themselves. It was great to see how the gap between girls and boys faded a little bit by the end of the camp and how the difficult kids suddenly became great partners to work with.

If you want to see some of our camp pictures just go to our website to take a look at the album http://benedikto.tripod.com .

Anyway a major event also arrived at the middle of the camp. On wenesday Patrick went to pick up my little brother to the trian station (he took a flight to paris and then a train to brussels). He will be staying with us untill August the 15th.

I came to live to Belgium when he was 10, at that time he was a sweet and cheerfull little boy. now three years later he has become a teenager, and as a teenager he is not always easy to live with.

To begin with he is WAY too spoiled by my parents. He is used to have everything he wants when he wants it and it is hard for him to figure out that the lifestyle here in Belgium is not the same that in Mexico.

The first week with him was the hardest. He left a mess everywhere, took things without asking, took for granted that he could take anything he wanted from the frindge, etc..Little by little he has understood that we expect him to ask if he wants something and that we expect him to clean after himself. I was also sad to figure out how impolite he has become. Last weekend we went to the sea side (Knokke) to visit Patrick's parents and it seems Alex does not know the word thanks or please.

But well despite all the problems I am happy having him around. I think that being aournd us is helping him. He is quite surprised not to hear arguments nor fights between Patrick and me and he hears all the time between my parents. He is also getting used to the fact that we don't have a house maid and everyone helps with the cleaning. He is happy to find himself more independent than he is at home and he is beggining to change his spoled self to a polite littly guy who it is becoming easier to live with. I just hope that he will be able to take home all those good changes.

I know I will be sad when he takes his flight back home but I have figured out that it is too early for me to look after a teenager... I guess that is why they come so little and cute when they arrive to life, that way you can get used to them and grow with them and even then it most not be easy either but it sure is more natural.

Monday, July 08, 2002

Mon, 08 Jul 2002 12:01:48 GMT

Hi, how did your weekend go? As you might know if you came by my blog lately I was on scout mater trining. I got back on saturday, but it took me all sunday to recover.

Acutally I had lots of fun. Yes the theory part was BORING, but we also spend lots of time playing and singing and learning new techniques to use with our scouts and cubs.

The only bad part of it all was the rain. For those living around Belgium I guess you know what I mean. We had 2 days of rain no-stop with big storms at night. It could have been ok if it wasn't during the first two night of camp.. belive me, it is not easy to sleep in a tent when all you hear is raindrops all night long and you try to warm yourself in a summer sleepingbag.

But at the end it was worth it, of course by the end of saturday it was imposible to stay awake and on sunday I stayed in bed all day long.

Today I would have gladly done the same but I had an apointment for a job offer. Yes, I am not even out of college and I have had a really good offer already... maybe the only one I will get since it comes from a company where I did my internship and it has nothing to do with the diploma I will be getting on september.. diploma that I am sure won't really get me any where (do you know of someone willing to hire a script wirtter and film analyst fresh out of college?) whaterver, the job I am offered is not really exciting but it is sure a nice title to put in my CV and a really nice envirenment to do it, so I might as well say yes...

Well now I am off to get some more rest, I have to get my stright back since Iam off for camp with my cubs on thursday 11 and I will be staying there for 10 days this time... and when I get back to brussels it thre will be no rest since my younger brother is comming spend his summer with me, and I also need to get myself to work on my thesis.

Well have fun evryone and have a nice summertime.

Tuesday, July 02, 2002

Tue, 02 Jul 2002 03:07:01 GMT

I am off to training for scout masters for 4 days.

Even if I have been a sout for a couple of years now, i have to admit this is going to be my first real camp.

How can that be possible?

Well I have two over protective parents that did not like me going camping when I was a scout... wait they did let me go one... but the campm was held in our summer house, so I guess it doesn't count.

I have been to many inside camps, but I don't count those ones either since we slept in beds and there were no mosquitos to bother us.

Well I will tell you how it goes when I get back. After this camp I will have a 4 days rest before I head for my cub's big camp.

Take care everyone and happy 4th of july for those living in the USA.

Wednesday, June 26, 2002

Wed, 26 Jun 2002 06:53:15 GMT

If you have any time I have udated the pack's website... you are welcome to take a look around. (Be warned that it is in french).

Tuesday, June 25, 2002

Tue, 25 Jun 2002 09:12:28 GMT

Hi, well I have been gone for more than a month.

Exams, getting camp ready, exams... and then some more exams.

The bad part is that my exams are not over. In september I still have 5 more and I also have to hand in my thesis... great isn't it? no vacations for me this year.

But exams will not stop me from going to camp. But before heading for 10 days of life in the forest I have to go to take the first leavle of scout leader training for 4 days. I guess it is going to be fun... at least lots more than my books are at the moment.

As for preparations for camp I am in charge of the 24 hours game. seems it is a tradition in every big camp.

The game is going to be just in the middle of the camp. The theme is spys, so the first day, saturday we are having some mini-olypics to see who can make it to spy training. then monday and tuesday morning the kids are going to learn all sorth of spying and surviving techniques. tuesday morning they are going to have a peliminary mission that is going to get them ready for the big day. Fianally on Wenesday they are off to stop the enemy. And that is where the 24 hrs game comes.

We are going to drop the kids on groups of 6 at different spots about 3 kilometers from the place where we they are going to meet the operation leader.

The kids will have to find they way and while doing so they need to find the different part of a map of the enemy zone and they also have to gather some wood for construction building.

When they reach the gathering spot they will hand out the different part of the map to the operation leader who will tell them that after studing the map he thinks it is not safe to return to the camp, but that to protect the map they will have to build a camp on the spot, and they will need to keep their eyes open so the map is not stolen.

After having done some constructions it will be dinner time. But since we are on a survival mission each cub will need to haunt his dinner. (hidden sasages that will be later cooked by the fire).

Once dinner is over and games have been played and songs have been sang by the fire it will be time for the leaders of each six to get together to decide how turns are going to be taken to protect the map during the night.

Next monrning they will discover that dispite the fact that turns had been taken to protec the map a part of the map has been stolen. The camp will then go on alert and all adults near the camp will need to be hunted.

After having hunted all the chefs the cubs will find in the place of the map a new puzzle. A secret message that the kids will need to figure out to discover that to save the world they will need to stop an attack that is planned for next day.

But that is another story that another chef is taking care of.

to be able to survive the mission each cub will take with him his sleeping bag, some dry meat, an apple, some cookies, water and a lamp.

also each six will have some cord, a compass, a map and a first aid kit.

And of course the kids will be looked after all along the game by the chefs.

So, any sugestions?

Wednesday, May 22, 2002

Wed, 22 May 2002 07:39:19 GMT

A wonderful birthday

Yes, I had a wondeful birthday yesterday. And as Patrick pointed it out I didn't get anything "material". But I got some really great presents: A call from my mom and my little brother, two mails of my dad who never writes more than once a month, a call from Patrick's parents that made me feel that belgium is begining to be my home, a mail from my best friend and another one from a friend I hadn't heard of in about two years. Also Patrick took care of every meal, not forgetting to take me to my favorite restaurant, and he also gave me a wonderful bouquet of flowers and asked me again if i wanted to marry him on December...one of the most simple and nicest birthdays I have ever had.

By the way the dinner was wonderful.. let me share the menu with you:

I began with a glass of redwine with a cassis syrup and some nuts

Then as entrance I got a Mousse de chèvre et caviar d'artichaud, grissini au jambon cru (I really don't know how to explain this one but it was great)

Then came the main dish: Aiguillettes de magret de canard aux fraises, galette de légumes (duck breasts cutte really fine with a strawberry sauce)

Then as a dissert we got a huge plate with all kind of goodies and a cnadle in the middle, among the goodies there was some chocolate mousse, a nice chocoate cake, an apple pie with speculoos icecrem, some creme brulee... hmmmmm I am getting hungy thinking about it.

Well I really had a great time and once more if you ever come to Belgium you have to go eat to the Ventre Saint Gris and I would be more than willing to come along.

Well I really hope everyone is having a nice day. My cold is getting a little bit better, unfortunatly the sky is doing the opposite, after more thana week of a beutiful blue sky we are retourning to our usual rainy days.

Tuesday, May 21, 2002

Tue, 21 May 2002 03:46:42 GMT

AACHuuuuu......

Yes, I have a cold, wich means staying in bed, which I really don't appreciate. but as long as it does not turn into an asthma attack I will just stay in bed.

The day has started nicely, breakfast in bed and a mail from my dad... and the day is just starting.. maybe despite the fact that I am sick I am going to have a nice birthday.

Monday, May 13, 2002

Mon, 13 May 2002 03:12:19 GMT

I hope everyone had a nice Mother's day.

At Mexico, as some of you already know, it is celebrated the 10th of may. So i sent my mom a card for the ocation.

In Belgium it is the same date as in other places. So yesterday we celebrated it with Patrick's mom.

As usually we had a nice day. We held the luch at France's place. Patrick and I took care of the entry, his dad was incharge of the main dish and the drinks, Oriane bought the dessert ... i can say we ate really well.

As for the presents, Patrick, his sisters and his dad offered a day in a SPA. As for me i gave my future mother in law a bouquet of flowers and some chocolate, wich she really apreciated.

Nothing spetial went on... just a normal mother's day.

As for scouting, I had another meeting last saturday. On it we discussed the next unit meeting which is the last one of the school year. For it we are going to get cubs and boy scouts together to do an activity to reinforce the Unit's spirit.

We also discussed aboutg the big camp. For the cubs it is going to be a 8 days camp. For us chefs it is going to be 10 days sicne we have to arrive before to get stuff ready. We alredy decided th theme.. Spys! and we will work from there to think about the different activities. We will have another meeting the 22nd to get more specific.

Anyway today I have to work on my finals, and this evering we are attending the festivities for the visit of the Mexican President to the European Parlament.

so I think I better leave the net for now... but i don't think I wil be able to saty away long.

Saturday, May 11, 2002

Sat, 11 May 2002 04:41:40 GMT

Give me your opinion on the site I just did for my cub scouts pack it is still on construction, and in french, but you guys can still give me your opinion about the look and the organization.

Monday, May 06, 2002

Mon, 06 May 2002 01:58:48 GMT

It hurts all over.

yesterday I had my first pack meeting. I have to admit I was exited about it, just like a little kid that know he is going to get a present the next day...so I didn't got much sleep. Anyway I had to wake up much early than I usually do on Sunday morning, find the only dark blue pants I have and hope that they would do seen I haven't bought my unifor jet.

I arrived thre about 9.15, while we waited for all the kids to be there I got to talk a little about the organization of the pack... with the boy scouts chief. And I soon relized why.

As I told you the group has only two years, and the pack has changed chefs 3 times already. The actual chefs are not complitly engaged. One of them is at the same time chef of the pioneers group, the other guy is not there all the time and the two pioneers that are candidates to become group chefs.... they are just too young (16 and 17). So as you can imagine the cubs don't have much respect for the chefs.

There is also the fact that girls and boys are together. Usually that should be good... but not if the chef does not encourage that they work together.

Yes they are a lot of things that need to be solved... and I think it will be possible so I am not giving up.

Anyway enough about complains, because mostly I had a great day.

after gathering we took the metro, and then the tram to go to the forest. There we played some games, one of them that consisted on the kids hunting me down so I would give them my jungle name.

Yes I got my jungle name... if you have been in scouting or have read the jungle book try guessing.

I am a wolf with white hair, I helpped rased mougly and am allways looking after the cubs, I am really sweet but I want the cubs to be fair... mostly because I am thieir mother....

and for those who have naver been cubs and never read the jugle book... my jungle name is Raksha. And actually I am given such name because I am supposed to become Akela next year, and it seem logic that akela who is the master wolf has been the mother wolf before.

Anyway after hunting me down and getting my name we finally had lunch... and it is then that it began raining a little bit more. And even if they were complitly wet the kids wanted to stay to build a log cabbin...and of course between the chefs opinion that we should return to the headquarters where it was dry and warm, and the kids opininon of staying... the kids wan. but it was the chefs who were working on the cabin becaue the kids were too cold...of course we never ended the cabin and we made our way back once everyone was wet enough.

We spend the rest of the day playing and discussing about how the kids should try speaking french and stop speking italian among them.

Besides the problems that there are in the pack for the moment I think it can become a really nice pack. ANd I am sure the effort is worth it. The kids are great..like in every group thre is one or two trouble makers, but mostly they can be controlled. All the kids are full of energy... and that is what counts. Now it is up to us chefs to make the best out of that energy.

As I write this I hurt all over... I think I exercised some muscles I had forgotten ever existed. And now I am off to look for games on the net for our next meeting... I really want to make this work.

take care everyone...