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International Cadet visit to London
OCdt Biruta (Rwanda)
The International Cadets were gener- ously offered a free trip to visit the city of London, which was accommodated by the International Cadets’ department. The aim of these trips is to expose and edu- cate the International Cadets with various aspects of British culture, history, important landmarks, and more. The OCdts that par- ticipated included Kipchumba from Kenya, Muhammad from Brunei, Nurlan from Kyr- gyzstan, Chavez from Paraguay and Biruta from Rwanda; and they were led by Major Deane.
The trip from Camberley train station to London lasted a little over an hour, where we discussed our careers in our respective militaries and learnt about Major Deane’s vast career experience and his advice was insightful. We arrived in Waterloo a little after 1000hrs and snaked through the busy crowd. After a few steps, we stopped to admire the new Windrush monument which, as Major Deane explained, was erected less than a year ago to honour Caribbeans who emi- grated to Britain on the Empire Windrush ship.
Our first location was the London Eye. Despite the gloomy grey skies, the walk across the river Thames towards the London Eye was an enjoyable scenery. We climbed up the London Eye and slowly started spin- ning upwards towards the top. The stunning views of skyscrapers, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and others were a true delight.
We then strolled the streets of London heading towards Downing Street. We briefly stopped at the Horse Guards Parade and witnessed two mounted cavalry troopers. We made our way through the gates to the
parade grounds where important ceremo- nies are held, and also serves as the official entrance to Buckingham Palace.
Following that, we went to 10 Downing Street, the British Prime Minister’s resi- dence. We observed from afar alongside other tourists while Major Deane spoke to the very intense security guards across the highly protected gates. We all correctly assumed he was asking permission to have us go through the gates to have a closer look but kept our hopes very low. Suddenly, he looked back at us and swung his arm, asking us to follow him which was thrilling. After several minutes of what was very simi- lar to an airport security check, we were in. It was surreal standing in front of a build- ing that many world leaders have walked through and/or lived in.
We then made our way to our next desti- nation which was the Ministry of Defence building. On our way there, we crossed the street and took a moment to admire The Cenotaph, the site of the National Service of Remembrance which happens every November and holds significant impor- tance in the UK. We arrived at the Ministry of Defence, where Major Deane described the different activities that take place there.
Our visit to London was concluded at Big Ben. We were welcomed by a Scottish bag- piper who happened to be performing for a crowd and it made it even more enjoy- able. Overall, the trip was a great way to spend time together. Our thanks go to Major Deane and the International Cadets’ depart- ment. We highly encourage more OCdts to attend. You will not be disappointed!
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