VENTURER CREW 1608 MONTHLY MEMO NOVEMBER 1998

Every day it's a gettin' closer. Now is the time to ensure that you have all of your uniforms and equipment. You won't be able to get any BSA uniforms in Chile. You should have at least two of the Venturer/Explorer green shirts, two USA contingent T- shirts and the olive BSA shorts. I will not go through the entire recommended equipment/uniform list since it has been discussed many times. I dislike being redundant, but I must since I'm still getting questions on the subject. WE WILL NOT BE WEARING GRAY SHORTS. BSA supply has not obtained them and as a result there are no official Venturer shorts. If you have any questions as to what is required or recommended, please contact me.

Flight information should be coming out shortly for all flights to and from Chile. As of yet we do not have info on flights in Chile for those taking the Villarica tour after the Jamboree. The info on Houston/Chile flight (West only) is: Depart Houston on ATA Charter at 9:30 PM, 26 December; and Depart Santiago on ATA Charter at 9:30 PM, 7 January, arriving Houston at 5:30 AM, 8 January. The rest of the flight information has not changed.

Western Venturers Only: Airline tickets are scheduled to be sent to me in early December. If BSA is purchasing a ticket to get you between your home and our departure point, I will also get that ticket. I will distribute all tickets to you when I get them. There are several items I will be distributing so you will get one package. Your package will include the BSA issued bags, pins (if ordered) and the tickets. This will be distributed as soon as possible.

You may have heard that there is an entry and an exit fee when we arrive and depart Chile. Do not worry about it. It was included in the total jamboree fee. One person on each of the flights to Chile will have a check with which to pay these fees. Entry and exit fees are not uncommon and are found in many countries.

We have lost two and gained one so that there are now 34 youth and 5 adults in our Crew. Our new member is Jason Herman; 3060 Belden Drive; Los Angeles, CA. 90068: phone (213) 466-3874: e-mail grfxoverord@geocities.com. He is in the Charlie Patrol. (For reference purposes I have designated the patrols, Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta. You may rename them as you desire at the Jamboree.) Justin Soehngen and Jacqueline Autrey will not be going with us.

The quota for shoulder patches, pins and unit numerals are filling up fast. You will need a shoulder patch for each of your class A uniforms. Unless you got unit numeral elsewhere you will also need a numeral patch for each of your class A uniforms. Extra patches and pins are great for trading or gifts. You will be unable to obtain any of these items once we have sold our planned quantity. These items will not be available after the Jamboree. Do not be left out; get your orders in now.

Food preparation at the Jamboree will be different from what we are used to from having attended previous US and World Jamborees. I have read several items on the Jamboree web page that relate to this subject. Each patrol will prepare its own breakfast and dinner, and maybe its lunch, depending on what you are doing that day. (I will admit I don't understand what this means.) When a patrol arrives at the jamboree it will be given a supermarket credit card, denominated in "condores", the jamboree currency. It is valid only in our village supermarket where all food can be procured. Each patrol decides when to go shopping and what to buy. However, I don't think this means that we will have Fruit Loops for breakfast and hotdogs for dinner every day. Other non-food items will also be available at the market and can be purchased by individuals. We will find out much more about how the system works when we get to the jamboree.

The web page I just mentioned is full of useful information. Among other items, it talks about equipment we will use and the program at the jamboree. I recommend that you check it out. The address is http://www.jamboree99.cl.

I previously recommended that you take a credit card to the jamboree. All sales points at the jamboree will accept VISA, MasterCard, and Dinners Club cards. There will also be ATMs at various sites throughout the jamboree. When you use a credit card you must have an identity document of some kind, e.g., driver's license, passport. According to an article in the 23 November Wall Street Journal you get a better rate of exchange using credit cards and ATMs.

I have heard that many of you are contacting the other members of your patrols. That is very encouraging to hear since when we arrive at the jamboree site we will not have a lot of time to meet others and select tent mates. There will be two in a tent and if you already have an idea as to who you want as a tent mate, it will help us setup our campsite. The "Ultimate Survey" that is floating around seems to be a good method of finding out about others in our Crew. I suggest that each survey be posted to our web site so it can be read by all. Ben Cook now has our web site online. The address is http://bcn.boulder.co.us/community/scouts/wrventurerswsj/.

I wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving.

Yours in Venturing,

Dick Tennent