Scouting the World

No luggage was required Tuesday night as four Jackson County Girl Scout troops learned about the food, clothes, customs and the Girl Scouts organizations in India, China, Jamaica and Mexico during the Girl Scout’s World Thinking Day.

Tasting food at the table about China, coconut and papaya at the Jamaica table and learning about piñatas at the Mexico table, girls from troops 6063 in Brownstown, 6161 in Brownstown, 6234 in Seymour and 1155 in Seymour quickly decided which countries were their favorites.

Brittany Ross, 11, of Troop 6161 of Brownstown, decided she likes China because of the food and the clothes.

Fellow troop members Haley Hall, 12, and Cynthia Edwards, 11, both said Mexico was their favorite country they learned about Tuesday night during Girl Scouts World Thinking Day in the Seymour-Jackson Elementary School gymnasium.

Ten-year-old Mary Abernathy said after learning about the country for the project, she would like to visit China one day.

This year, because of weather conditions last month on the actual World Thinking Day for the Girl Scouts, the celebration was moved to Girl Scout Week.

“Normally we don’t have a lot going on during Girl Scout Week, so I just thought that would be a little more introduction for Girl Scouts Week,” said Barb Barger, service unit manager and a troop leader.

“I think that World Thinking Day is the Girl Scouts’ way of saying, ‘We are a part of a bigger organization than Girl Scouts of America, USA,’” Barger said.

She said the importance of World Thinking Day is for the girls to realize they are part of a bigger organization and sisterhood.

“It just kind of gives them that scope that there are other places in the world where there are Girl Scouts,” Barger said.

This week is Girl Scout Week and on Friday the Girl Scouts celebrated its birthday.

Founder Juliette Gordon Low organized the first Girl Scout Troop on March 12, 1912, in Savannah, Ga., according to the Girl Scouts’ Web site.

Jackson County has a total of 18 Girl Scout troops and a total of 180 Girl Scouts, Barger said. The ages of the Girl Scouts range from kindergarten to seniors in high school.

Barger said she likes to see the girls display the solidarity between Girl Scout members.

“When they see a girl on the street that they know they are part of the sisterhood we talked about. They’re part of something that’s bigger and gives back to the community. Each one of them can do different things, but overall they are one group,” she said.

Barger, who has been involved with Girl Scouts for 20 years, said her personal favorite memories of Girl Scouts are those of camp trips.

“I have an older girl troop and we went to a councilwide event called Round Up and it was over in Bloomington. ... “Those were the best times. They really enjoyed it. It was a week of competitions.”