Deeper Understanding

Good evening dear followers.  

As I'm blogging, in the semi-darkness which constitutes the first floor of the Regal Airport Hotel, the background is a curious cacophony of people watching a football match (are England playing? I've lost track), the humming of air con, distant music, aeroplanes taking off (we're still in The Terminal, remember) and cleaners variously chattering and cleaning.

Today has been productive.  We are not yet in full swing, as the conference has not yet officially opened, but the sessions have begun and we spent parts of the day variously learning about Quota; the Fifth World Centre; and the Governance Review, in our 'Deeper Understanding' sessions.

At breakfast, I bumped into my friend Doryne, Chief Commissioner for Burundi, whom I haven't seen since July 2012, when we met at the Girls' World Forum in Chicago, when Amy (UK delegate) and I spent a memorable francophone evening doing a treasure hunt around the city with many of the African delegates.  That's what international Guiding is all about - meeting a friend in one continent, when you're both from another, then meeting again two years later, on the other side of the world.  I also connected with Hazel from Zambia, with whom I planted a tree in Chicago in 2012.  It's a small world after all, it's a small, small world.

I am shooting video footage for various purposes, which is a fun thing to do and a great way to chat to people.  My target is to do a short interview with a candidate from every country represented here.  I went to chat to the Hong Kong Guides about the crafts they are making with the delegates and the symbols which we have been given.  Here is what they said...

Night has fallen and bed is calling.  It's been a great day of mingling, meeting people and starting to think about the things we are going to be voting on later on in the conference, so I hope you've read the papers?! If not, don't worry, as UK readers are about 8 hours behind, so you've got all day.

Farewell for now, au revoir.  It sounds as though the football has finished - did England win?