At the end of 2008, I’m logging my experiences and thoughts on countries I’ve visited. Visiting Australia was in summer (their winter) 2001 so my memory of this place will be somewhat minimal. I do, however, have some unforgettable experiences, so here goes….
Australia, home to cute koala bears, kangaroos, poisonous spiders and snakes – well, this was my initial thought. I had just turned 17 when visiting this country so this was the first time I had been so far away from home alone. Preparing to spend 6 weeks away from home when the longest I had done up until that point was 1 week was a little daunting! I went with two fabulous guys, Robert Wilks (yes, he’s now my husband) and Jonathan Dunham. We were away for 6 weeks, spending about 5 weeks in Australia with four weeks working in Melbourne and the rest of our time in Sydney. My poor Mum, having her little girl whizzing off to the other side of the world when the longest she had gone without seeing me had been a week or so. Nevertheless, it was an absolutely fantastic experience resulting in several cherished memories.
What can I say about Australia? It is certainly as good as they say. There is a great relaxed atmosphere which you can feel the moment you arrive. The air is so clean and fresh and the Australians immediately come across as laid back and friendly with a carefree attitude. My only disappointment is that we only had the opportunity to visit Sydney and Melbourne and the places surrounding each city. There is so much more to this amazing country and I’ll be back one day. My next visit will ensure I visit Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef, Ayers Rock and Perth, just to name a few.
The purpose of our visit to Australia was to do voluntary work with the Australian Trust for Conservation Volunteers (ATCV). It was a good way to see Melbourne and it allowed us to do something without being completely out of our comfort zone. ATCV is now more commonly know as Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA). We successfully had funding from the Jack Ashley Millennium Awards (JAMA) to fund this trip. JAMA was a scheme run by the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS). So basically, I was given a fantastic opportunity which didn’t cost me penny, simply because I am Deaf. Cool eh?!
Tags: Australia