Hello Everybody, David Horwitz here. We are all back in Adelaide after our group split in two to go and do separate CVA projects. I am here reporting on behalf of my group which was, me, Gordon, Lucy, Dylan, Christine, Kelsey, and Cliff. We traveled 8 hours in a little van/bus to Streaky Bay, where we set-up camp in a trailer park. Our leader on the trip was Geoff a silly Australian man who was very helpful and a lot of fun to hangout with and talk to. Our group, similar to the other group, had the tedious task of planting new trees. In the end we planted around 800, but the last few that we planted we didn’t have enough tree guards to put around them so they are probably all dead by now. We also had a day of cutting down pine trees which in Australia are an invasive species so they had to go. It was also very tedious and hard work, but we got it done fairly quickly and by the end it was quite satisfying.
Outside of work our adventures in Streaky Bay were fairly limited. The city is more of a pit stop so there wasn’t much there but we went to the store everyday and bought meals to cook for dinner each night. Our first night Dylan and Kelsey cooked a delicious chicken stir-fry even though the rice was a bit overcooked. The second night Lucy and Christine cooked Mac & Cheese which we all had been craving and it truly hit the spot. The third night Gordon and I whipped up pasta with a chili marinara sauce that I must say, not to toot my own horn or anything, but he and I need to start bottling and selling the stuff. Any ways, the last night was Cliff’s night, but I ended up barbecuing the kangaroo burgers and steaks that Geoff bought for us and I think we would all agree that the kangaroo hopped deliciously from our mouths to our tummies. It was a nice barbie to finish off the hard work that we put in.
We also had a few adventures, or more learning experiences outside of our work. One day after work we traveled down the coastline until we hit a sea lion hangout. They were a bunch of lazy bums and we only got to look at them from a far, but it was cool to see them in their natural habitat. One night after work we also went out searching for kangaroos, but we ended up deciding that Australia has made kangaroos up as a tourist attraction because we didn’t see one….I shouldn’t say that on our second to last day we caught a glimpse of the last kangaroo in the wild…so that’s something to be proud of. And as a group we decided that it was one rugged kangaroo, or at least it sat about 5 foot rugged. We also learned our new favorite Australian word, 13. But in Australian it’s pronounced more like thir-dane, it’s a tricky one but once you get it down you can’t stop saying it.
Other then the fact that we saved Australia this week I think we are all relieved to head out into the outback where we can just relax and see the sights. I think maybe the biggest thing that we will take from the week, mostly Dylan, is that bird poop is one of the most frustrating things ever! Overall though it was a great time and rewarding experience, but it’s definitely nice to be back with the entire group so that we can finish these last three weeks together. Until next time…Adios…or whatever goodbye is in Australian..I’m being told it’s pronounced goodbye, but I don’t believe it.
