Visit from Prince William

Prince William arrived by helicopter today along with the Duke of Kent who is the head of the British Scout Association. After touring for a short while, they attended the opening ceremony. Mike Ballato works in the headquarters and told me of the route William was to take so that we could catch a good view. I was officially working as a security person so it was my job to be up front and hold back the crowds as he passed.

The other 3 were able to see the ceremony but I was on duty at an entry gate to restrict people from entering without credentials. There are a lot of folks who just show up expecting to see their youth.

Our shift work begins in earnest as we will now be on very different scedules including the 11PM to 8 AM shift. They move us about every two hours to avoid the boredom.

It is hard to explain how many different outfits there are around here. It is a challenge to figure out where a person comes from. Today, I had extended conversations with people from Nepal, Nigeria, the Netherlands, and Thailand. I hope the young people from the States seize the opportunity to reach out and learn from others. They will experience few opportunities this rich and varied.

Scouting in all other countries is a co-ed program from the beginning. You can tell the young people are used to being together. There are nearly as many girls and young women here as the boys and men. It seems to work.

Mark