Day 4

I slept surprisingly well last night considering how well packed in all the tents were. I think everyone was knackered so there was very little noise. Woke up about 7ish and got changed ready for breakfast. I then decided it would be a better idea to shower while everyone was queuing for the canteen. I was pleasantly surprised with the showers, there are about 8 shower cubicles and a communal area in the middle. The water was so refreshing, especially after days of pure sweat!
 
I headed back to the tent and we packed our bags for the day - so we could head to training straight from breakfast. I don't think I've ever seen a queue quite as long, it snaked all around the car park and it took us just over an hour to get to the front. The breakfast consisted of two different baguettine sized breads and two frankfurters. Also on our plate we had salad and cereal. Very interesting! I didn't eat the frankfurters but managed most of the rest.
 
Once we had collected our lunch (two different breads, vacuum packed meatballs, crisps and an orange), me and Alix went off to explore. We headed towards the beach, it's such a luxury to be so close to the sea!
 
Whilst we stood looking over at the sea (no pictures as my phone was out of power) we met two Japanese scouts. They were very polite and we swapped details.. to be honest I can't remember their names now but they were very sweet. We then wandered off with them and talked. We reached Southern Hub,  where we live, and one of the guys' mother greeted us. She too was lovely and was so happy to meet us.
 
Unfortunately, general training was at 11, so we had to leave our new friends. We did agree to meet tomorrow though, not sure what time but hopefully I'll see them again! We found seats in the dome and settled down ready to be trained.
 
It was very general training, with some interesting questions asked. The only thing that kept me awake was listening to the Spanish translator guy, at least he made it sound fun! We were then split down into our roles and queued for a necker and t-shirt.
 
J-14 was bigger than I thought, and there were more sessions to come! We made our way back to the canteen where we would be given our role. In fact, we just filled our details out several times and then I was told I was on trading. I knew this, but hoped I'd be told whether I was Scout Shop or plaza. We're meeting tomorrow at 1 o'clock for specific training and a trial of the shops. Looking forward to getting the first sneaky peak at the merchandise.
 
Me and another girl, Eve, thought it would be a good idea to check out where the shops were. We were told they were near the swimming pool, but we didn't know where that was either!! We found them in the end, and worked out the quickest route back to the canteen.
 
The wind was really picking up now and I kept being attacked by sand and grit. Walking back to camp, I found the tent full of sand. There was a layer of fine dust over everything in my pod! I shook all of my things, I was most worried about the bedding as didn't fancy sleeping in a sand pit.
Once I'd readjusted my possessions and tightened a few guy ropes I could hear Darren next door. I grabbed my bits and we went for a drink in the canteen. This time, I took my charger with me so I could charge my phone.
 
We had great fun people watching, but then we had to eave to queue back up for dinner. I lost Darren but joined Dylan and tucked into noodles and chicken with salad. It was quite nice but I didn't finish all of it. I then popped back to the tent and started to read the handbook. Most of it I already knew but it still made an interesting read. Opening ceremony was at 7 o'clock and Alix appeared just in time for us to head over.
 
Sitting on the astro we endured some interesting speeches and performances. The best part by far was learning the dance for the jamboree song, Spirit of Unity. It's so cheesy and the moves are hilarious. I'm looking forward to the full Opening Ceremony to see 32,000 odd people try it out!
 
Back to the tent we'd been warned of a tropical storm and winds that would reach 65km/hr. We battened down the hatches as best we could, moved all our bits into the pods and removed our ground sheet. Not sure if any of that will protect us from the wind and rain, but there's no way we're taking refuge in the dome. We'll see...

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