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The International 4-H Youth Exchange (IFYE) programin the United States is conducted by CD International Program Services,L.L.C., in support of 4-H programs of the U.S. Department of Agriculture- Extension Service and the U.S. IFYE Alumni Association. |
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Australia is treating me well, hope all is as well in West
Virginia. I am getting to the last part of my stay in Australia. In my
last letter, I was staying with apiarists (bee keepers). From there I went
to the western part of South Australia, where I stayed with a family that
lived near Wudinna. It was harvest time so I spent most of the week in a
Case harvester, reaping barley, or in a semi-trailer truck (tractor trailer)
hauling barley to the silo. Each day started early making preparations
such as checking and cleaning equipment. Then we went to line up to unload
the barley. Each load had to be checked for moisture and graded. This was
done by taking a sample and then putting it in a screen tray that was shaken
back and forth automatically for 30 seconds. Then it was weighed to make
sure there was less than 50% screenings. If it had more, it was downgraded.
After that, the truck was weighed, the load was dumped, and then the truck
had to be weighed again. We then returned to the paddock (field) to obtain
another load. During the week, we had a couple days where not much work
could be done.
One day the temperature climbed to 47 degrees C (about 118 F) and we had to stop reaping because of the hazard that a fire could be started. So we just tried to stay semi-cool. The next day a bunch of dry thunderstorms came through and started a fire about 5 miles away so farmers got on the CB radios and went to fight the fire. You could see three fires burning on the horizon. They were far away; this was the time when more than 136 fires were burning in New South Wales. Everything is so dry I can see where fire would take advantage of the conditions. Most of the vegetation of Australia is dependant on fire for seeding and regenerating, so when fire does not go through for a couple of years, it can create a real danger. While I was with this family, I was taken to the second highest monolith, Mt. Wudinna; Ayers Rock is the highest. I then left and went back down to Auburn where I met up with a friend, whom I then traveled with to another B&S (Bachelor's and Spinstersball). This one was up at a place called Glendambo. It was a wonderful time. I met up with heaps of people I had met on my travels and met many more people while I was there. I even ran into a person from my hometown of Burlington. He was stationed at Woomera, the American Air Force Base located about an hour away--so again it's a small world! The weekend was too short. A couple of my best mates met me at the ball; we had a fantastic time. When they went to leave, they said their good-bye in a special way. Somehow they found John Denver's "Country Roads" and blared it on the radio and sang along. It was funny. Everywhere I went, when I mentioned where I was from, I was serenaded with "Country Roads." We always chuckled about the association. From there I went back over to the western part of Australia to a place called Smoky Bay. There I again did harvesting, this time in a John Deere. There were a few days when moisture delayed the reaping. This harvester had a neat feature: a digital tracking system that recorded the paddock, how much was reaped that day, the yield, etc., and then would show it on the computer. It was all very technical. I was |
surprised at all the figures that had to be calculated and kept track
of.
I also had the chance to work on an oyster farm, since the location was near the coast. I learned how oysters are raised. They start out about the size of an eraser, and grow until they are ready to eat. It takes about three years. I also had the experience of eating raw oysters right from the sea. Interesting! Everywhere I went there were oysters. I figured I'd try new things, ‘cause that is what you do on exchange. From there I went to my last host; she was a rural youth who worked in a plant nursery and was also a lifeguard. I spent most of the week working in the nursery, which was good fun. I had always wanted to work in a nursery. I had met my host earlier when I attended the exchange dinner, where Rural Youth announced who would be the exchangees from Australia. My host is coming to the United States in February. She is the opposite of my exchange.We had a great time together, and did things like attend the first cricket match under lights at the Adelaide Oval. Cricket is another big sport. That day Australia was playing New Zealand. We went with two blokes from New Zealand, so it was even more fun to pay them out when Australia won on the last wicket. We all had a good day with the spirit of competition. I left from there to meet up with an exchangee from Ohio in Melbourne. From there we traveled up the coast through New South Wales where the road had been burnt. It was an incredible sight to see how much was burned. We traveled into Queensland, to Airlie Beach. We decided to go there because we would be near the Whitsunday Islands and could also go to the Great Barrier Reef. I spent more than a week sailing around the Islands, snorkeling, camping and scuba diving. I went out to the Great Barrier Reef and was snorkeling, looked down into this lagoon I was over. I was watching some fish when I saw something that startled me; it was a white tipped reef shark! I was worried because the boat was very far away. I then thought, "This shark is not interested in me." However, I did go closer to the boat. Later, while I was scuba diving a shark came within about six feet of me. It was a really exciting experience. The coral was beautiful and the water was warm and a glorious shade of blue. I then traveled back to Adelaide, and stayed with my good mate who had been my first host. I spent my last night with all the people I had met when I first started my exchange. It was very hard to leave, and I will miss all the people I met. I look forward to traveling around the state and telling more about my trip. I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday season, and I look forward to seeing everyone on my tour. See you then! Your 4-H mate "down under," Ali |
