Sharjah 7th International Scout Gathering A report by Beeju The 7th International Scout gathering was held at Sharjah from February 1 2016 to February 10 2016. To represent India I travelled from New Delhi to Sharjah on the 31st January 2016. A total of 92 countries participated in this event which was aimed at highlighting Scouting and National tourism. It was an honor to represent India at this international event. Day 1: After completing the registration formalities the participants were divided into four groups and were assigned tasks like ice breaking activity, setting up sub-camps and exhibition area preparation. Day 2: ArRo enlightened us on the Objectives, program and working methods followed by a session on “Why is Sharjah the capital of National Tourism”. As the theme of the gathering was promotion of National tourism each participant was allotted 10 minutes to highlight the tourist places of their countries. My presentation “Brief tour of India” was highly appreciated by all, the presentation was followed by a question answer session in which a number of scouts participated. Day 3: Visit was organized to the center of Arabian Peninsula, Museum of Natural History, and Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization. We also participated in tree plantation. Day 4: The fourth day of our International gathering was spent on aquatic activities such as rowing, diving cruising and sailing. The evening was for leisure activities. Day 5: Morning session was spent on discussing energy conservation. A field visit to eastern part of Sharjah Emirates was organized followed by scouting evening. Day 6: On this day we were taken on a tour of the Khalifa tower and later the Dubai Mall. In the evening a visit to World village (Dubai) was organized. Day 7 Aquatic activities and beach games folled by camp fire was the highlight of day 7. Day 8: On this day we had an open meeting with H. E. Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohamed Al Qassimi the governor of Sharjah. Day 9: We had a fabulous experience of the desert safari. It was not only educative but also very entertaining. Day 10: The early part of the day was spent in preparing for the International evening that was held prior to the closing ceremony where we exchanged scouting souvenirs Personal experience: When I reached Sharjah I was unable to meet the concerned person. As this was my first trip abroad I was very nervous but finally mustered courage to speak to a local who helped me contact the host and I reached my destination. During the registration process we were enquiring with our co participants about their respective countries. It was a once in lifetime experience to represent my country and talk to all the scouts about the different places in India. My presentation was well accepted by the participants and they had a lot of questions especially about the Taj Mahal. On the International evening I displayed the traditional dresses of India along with the National flag of Scouting and the proudest movement was to display the National flag of India. It was a pleasure to educate the participants on the traditional foods of India through brochures and charts. I also learned about the different customs and different cultures of the participants. It was a very proud moment for me to explain to all the participants the different languages different cultures and different regions of our motherland India and tell them about the Unity in diversity of our great country.