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Making Friends and Memories in the Azores Islands
For Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors, Girl Scout Destinations provide an opportunity for new adventures both in the United States and abroad. Sophia went on such a Destination last summer in California and was hooked on the experience.
“It changed my life,” she said. “I have friends from all over the United States now. It reaffirmed the idea that I’m going to do every single possible adventure. I know saying ‘yes’ to all the opportunities and adventures is the right thing to do, and it makes you have the most memorable time.”
As a result, Sophia applied for an international Destination for her last year of availability in the program. Although she considered the Mediterranean and Swiss Alps, she ultimately chose the Azores Islands Adventure in Portugal. “I saw something on Instagram, and I wanted to go,” she said. “It looked really cool. I ended up picking that one because it was totally different.” She said she loved that it combined city excursions with outdoor adventures.
Some of the highlights Sophia loved included taking a ferry to see a replica of Christ the Redeemer, visiting botanical gardens, and hiking. “We went on this hike where we were climbing down to a hidden beach,” Sophia said. “Portugal is known for having huge waves to bodysurf. Luckily, one of the people on the hike was an ex-Marine lifeguard. We got in the water, and it was so fun. We were bodysurfing the waves, and the water was super blue.”
On another hike, Sophia and her group went to a waterfall, where they were able to swim in the falls. “It was freezing, but it’s something you think of for a bucket list item,” she said.
During her Destination, Sophia enjoyed getting to know the other Girl Scouts. “We did a ton of adventure things together,” she said. “We connected because we wanted to do everything we could possibly do, such as jump in the ocean when we could and go on little adventures. It was fun to squeeze in everything we could.”
Sophia counts her Destination adventures as some of her top highlights of being a Girl Scout. “Traveling and learning about cultures and seeing different places is an incredible opportunity,” she said. “And, you get to do it with all these people you’re friends with.”
She highly encourages other Girl Scouts to go on Destinations if possible. “I think going on Destinations is the best thing you can do as Girl Scouts, especially as an older girl,” Sophia said. “Going on these Destinations is like camp, but meeting girls from all over the U.S. You can compare your accents and different things at school. A lot of things are the same. It shows you that everyone is different, but we’re all similar, and that’s powerful.”
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