Cindy MacDougall
Northern News Services

Hay River (Feb 21/00) - In her 26 years, Eileen Hendry has lived all over the North, from Pine Point to Inuvik to Hay River. But with all that moving, she's had one constant.

"I've been in Guides since I was a Brownie," Hendry said from her Hay River home. "It's been 19 years, and I went straight through the program."

That straight path will soon take her on a world-class adventure. Hendry's on her way to India this summer, courtesy of the Guides.

She will work at Sangam, one of four World Centres run by the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGS).

"I applied to be the program assistant last summer," she said. "I had some vacation time saved up and decided to do it now before I had other responsibilities."

Sangam's two program assistants run every activity at the centre, which is visited each year by hundreds of girls and women involved in Girl Guides and Girl Scouts around the world.

Hendry said being offered the position, which is open to all Guiders in the world, was a complete surprise.

"When I first got the letter that offered me the position, I thought they'd rejected me," she said. "It was a thin little letter, and I was expecting a large package if I won.

"Then I read it and they were accepting me. I had to read the letter several times in order to realize it!"

International camping and visiting are an important part of world Guiding, and Canada has hosted several international camps.

Hendry said she got the bug for world travel as a teenager.

"My Pathfinder group (teenage Guides) went to Mexico and visited Our Cabana, another World Centre," she said. "The sessions they did with us were really neat, and we also did service work at a local orphanage.

"We did a craft with the children and the American Girl Scouts taught them double Dutch skipping."

The Mexican trip taught her about real poverty and need, Hendry said.

"It was one of the first times we were ever exposed to people who had absolutely nothing," she said quietly. "We were really in a state of shock."

Hendry also attended two international camps held in Canada. The last was held this summer, when girls from Canada and the world camped at four different sites across the country.

Hendry was a program assistant at the Alberta site.

"I did gigantic gadgets this summer with the girls, and that was fun," she said.

"I guess one of the things I enjoy most is orienteering and compass work. I like to be outdoors at camp, teaching knots and gadgets."

At Sangam, she will plan activities for girls and women age 16 and older. Hendry currently works with Sparks, the youngest branch in Canadian Guides.

She said the five- and six-year-olds can be a challenge.

"I love my Sparks," she said. "I was afraid of them at first because they're so little. But when they see me in the grocery store, they come right over and hug me, which is something the older girls don't do."

She said she chose Sangam, located about 200 kilometres from Bombay, because it would be a new experience.

"I'm really looking forward to the country and to experiencing the culture," she said. "That's one reason I applied to Sangam, because I thought India would have a really unique culture."

Hendry leaves for India in June, taking a three-month leave from her job as a computer-aided design technologist with NWT Power Corporation.

Until then, she'll be busy preparing for the trek and her new job.

"I'm going through immunizations and getting visa information," she said.

A large part of visiting a world centre is learning about other cultures. Hendry will be Sangam's Canadian expert.

"I have to teach them about Canadian culture, Canadian food ... since I'm from the North, I decided to do Northern things," she said. "I'll teach them how to cook bannock and I'll teach them a Northern legend.

"They've also asked me to bring the national costume of my country, if we have one. I'm still trying to figure that out."

Hendry will live, work and eat at the centre. And though her position is volunteer, she'll have little extra time to wander about the country.

"There are different types of events all summer. We'll work 10-12 hours a day, six days a week," she said. "We'll finish one event and then start planning for the other. Plus, we'll help with visiting girls between events."

Hendry will also supervise the daily duties of visiting girls, such as cleaning the kitchen. And she'll comfort homesick girls and be there if they have questions or concerns.

Is a trip to India worth all that work? Definitely, said Hendry, especially since she owes Guiding so much.

"The biggest thing Guiding has given to me is confidence," she said. "I believe I can achieve goals I set for myself, like going to India.

"Even in my career, the job I do ... the things I've learned in Guiding has helped me to get where I am."

"I just keep having fun. That's the simple answer. I really enjoy what we do and I've been able to do things I never would have done without Guides," she said.