World thinking day

By Mary Alice Garrett

This story originally appeared March 20, 2008 in the News Journal of Wilmington, Delaware.

More than 250 area Girl Scouts had a whirlwind tour of 21 countries recently — all in one day.

The occasion was 2008 World Thinking Day, an event celebrated annually by Girl Scouts around the world. The local event was held at St. Catherine of Siena Church Hall near Prices Corner. The object was for the Daisies, Brownies and Girl Scouts to think about their sister scouts and to learn about their countries.

Of the 29 troops represented, 21 had a table representing a different country. Each scout received a passport, which she had stamped at each table.

"We ran out of passports," said Pat Merritt, chair of Service Unit 45 of the Girl Scouts' Chesapeake Bay Council. Service Unit 45 takes in the area from Kirkwood Highway north to Hockessin.

Table displays featured mult-cultural artifacts, activities and ethnic foods. In addition, there was Irish, German and Egyptian dancing, plus Korean music and martial arts demonstrations.

The folk dancing, music, costumes and unusual foods went over big with the young girls. Several dance groups taught the Scouts new dance routines.

Troop 133 invited participants to see their names written in hieroglyphics at its Egyptian table. Bernadette Davis of Newark printed copies from her laptop. There were also Egyptian "princess bracelets" made from gold-painted toilet paper rolls trimmed in sequins. The food was pita bread, honey, raisins and lemonade.

At the Indian table, Padma Doppalapudi and Nipu Shah demonstrated henna body painting known as mehandi. The mothers along with their daughters, Sai, 9, and Priya, 8, of Troop 1234, wore festive Indian clothing. Facts of Asia, flags, an Indian rolling pin, jewelry and dolls were displayed on the table.

Troop 706 had a table on The Netherlands. Julia Szymanski, a 9-year-old from Newark, stood in front holding a framed reproduction of "Sunflowers," by Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh. When Julia left her spot, Addie Rose Best, an 8-year old from Hockessin, stepped in, saying, "I have to guard this painting." Addie Rose had made a poster depicting "The Diary of Anne Frank." Wooden shoes, Delft pottery and a vase of red tulips were among the artifacts.

Fortunes based on the Chinese zodiac were dispensed at Troop 956’s table on China. lt was coordinated by troop leader Patty Derick of Mill Creek. Daughter Erin, 7, wore a pink sarong. Chinese dolls and artwork were loaned by Angela Woo of Hockessin, whose husband, William, is from China. Their daughter, Mindy, 8, is a troop member.

England was depicted by Troop 732. Famous people listed included William Shakespeare, Princess Diana, John Lennon and Queen Elizabeth. English teacups and English currency were diplayed. There was also a noughts and crosses board (similar to tic tac toe.) "I love it," said Dani Zimmerman, 9, who lives in Wilmington.

Irish potatoes from Troop 782’s table on Ireland were one of the most popular food items. They were not potatoes but rather a sweet confection of cream cheese and coconut rolled in cinnamon. There were Gaelic blessings and sayings on the table.

Troop 784 had the French table. There were pictures of Napolean Bonaparte, Claude Monet and Louis Braille, inventor of the Braille system for the blind. Tiny Madeline cakes were a hit with Hanna Martin, 10, of Hockessin who declared it her "favorite table" because of the food.

They ran out of shrimp crackers at Troop 664’s table on Korea. And the chocolate candy attracted a crowd to troop J360’s Brazilian table.

Pizzelles and biscotti were featured at Italian table of Troop 53. Maple leaf cookies were the attraction at Troop B26’s table on Canada. Small hot dogs and sauerkraut were offered at Troop 1224’s German table.

Many were captivated by the Egyptian belly dancing of Alimah Amani, who wore a purple outfit 'embellished with rhinestones and sequins. Seven year-old Abbey Thompson stood on the sidelines wiggljng her hips and imitating Amani’s movements. "She’s a very brave Brownie,” said Elise Buonopane, 8. When Amani finished dancing, Elise shouted, "encore, encore."

Irish dances by the McAleer School of Dance were also popular. The group was clad in bright-colored costumes. In deference to the hardwood floor, members wore soft shoes.

German folk dancers from the Delaware Saengerbund included boys, girls, men and women. The first dance was a "broom dance" by four girls in blue bodice outfits, white aprons and long lacy undergarments. Next up was a French polka. The men wore brown lederhosen, green vests and hatsi A second lively polka followed. Dancers created sounds that mimicked the noises of a blacksmith shop. As the girls struck metal percussion instruments, their male partners smacked their thighs and feet and stomped — all to accordian accompaniment.

Lastly, the German folk dancers invited the Scouts and partners to join in. Addie and Julia joined as partners. "It was kind of easy," said Julia. Johnette Graf had more trouble with the steps than her niece, Givanna Degli-Obizzi, 9, of Hockessin.

Korean instrumental music was performed by members of the Delaware Korean School in Hockessin. All wore colorful costumes loaned by Gowoon Choi.

Muhammed Mabrook gave an impressive demonstration of Korean martial arts and involved a small group of Scouts. For his finale, he jumped over five Scouts crouched on the gym floor.

A Mexican hat dance was performed by five Scouts from Troop B746. "They worked very hard on this," noted Merritt.

Scouts from Troop J53 closed by singing "Happy Birthday” in Italian to Lord Robert and Lady Olave Baden-Powell, the founders of Girl and Boy Scouts in England. "World Thinking Day" is held around Feb. 22, the birthday of both Baden-Powells.

When asked her favorite thing about World Thinking. Day, Brownie Grace Davis, a 7-year-old from Newark, had this to say: "That’s hard, because I liked a lot of things."