Two Morgan Hill Girl Scouts troops had a unique opportunity to host some of their counterparts from Indonesia for a Thanksgiving dinner, gift exchange, games, singing and dancing.
The festivities took place the evening of Nov. 17 at the east Morgan Hill home of Barbara Conly, troop leader for Girl Scouts Troop 60009. They were joined by Girl Scouts Troop 62224, also based in Morgan Hill.
They were visited by both a girl scout troop and a boy scout troop from Indonesia who won the island nation’s East Java Scouts Challenge. The winning prize for this challenge was a visit to the U.S., where they spent a week taking in a variety of sights and experiences in the Bay Area.
At Conly’s home, the two groups of scouts strived to break their cultural and language barriers by singing, eating and dancing. The meal consisted of traditional American Thanksgiving fare as well as native Indonesian foods. The group even performed a “mannequin challenge” together.
“It’s lovely to have the children sit down and have a dinner, and sing and play,” Conly said. “Our Girl Scouts are future leaders. It’s wonderful to get the opportunity to be good hosts and embrace other cultures.”
Karen Ann Crane, the organizer of the annual Fourth of July Morgan Hill Patriotic Sing, led the group of children—numbering well over 50—in the singing of well-known American children’s songs. Ari Sufiati, a Morgan Hill resident and the U.S. organizer of the East Java scouts’ visit, led the Indonesian children in some of their culture’s songs.
“Through this competition, we give (the scouts) a significant multicultural life experience and exposure that is not taught in the classroom to reach their dreams,” Sufiati, a former scout whose daughter is now a Morgan Hill Girl Scout, wrote in an email. “For the kids, this trip to the United States is the most unforgettable learning experience to see how other people with different culture, language, religions and all the attributes live and interact with each other.”
During their stay in the Bay Area, the scouts visited numerous sites in San Francisco, including Pier 39, the Exploratorium museum, the Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard Street and the NASA Ames Research Center. Before they left Nov. 21, they also planned to tour Britton Middle School in Morgan Hill, visit Yosemite Valley, learn about “country living” in the small mountain town of Murphys, tour a local fire station and visit Gilroy Gardens. Trips to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Natural Bridges State Park and Google were also on the itinerary.
They ate at Denny’s and In n Out, where the classic American cuisine was met with mixed reaction among the children.
The competition in East Java, a province of Indonesia, was sponsored in part by the newspaper Java Pos, the largest publication in the province. The newspaper sent multiple representatives to travel with the scouts as they toured the Bay Area.
With the help of a translator from Jawa Pos, East Java Boy Scout Dimas Dwi Wibowo, 10, said Nov. 17 his favorite part of the trip thus far was the airplane ride to the states. Many of the East Java children had never traveled by aircraft before.
He added he enjoyed a cruise under the Golden Gate Bridge, and he appreciates that American drivers seem to “respect the rules” on the roads.
East Java Girl Scout Yasa Hilda An Faza, 12, said in Javanese that the trip will provide “wonderful memories.” She said the weather was too cold for her preferences, but she enjoyed seeing world-famous sites in San Francisco before they got to Morgan Hill Nov. 17.
After dinner, the East Java scouts performed a “welcome dance,” which included a mix of traditional and contemporary chanting. The American Girl Scouts offered them friendship bracelets and patches decorated with the slogan “Friends Around the World.”
Morgan Hill Girl Scout Molly Paul said she was impressed by the Indonesian children’s “dance moves.”
“The dances were unexpected,” added Morgan Hill Girl Scout Elizabeth Conly. “It was fun to experience.”
