“Australia” was used to be a just a word in Geography textbook and a miracle palce where people wear T-shirt and skirt on Chirstmas to me, until I “met” it in the Southern Hemisphere. Spending the first week to visit places, I found that even eating sandwiches on the beach, having loobster at Circular Quay or sitting along the beach is a kind of recreation.

When I visit, I have the feeling that it doesn't matter if I'm there or not. However, by volunteering I feel that I could communicate with nature.  We spend the first day planting trees along the seaside, which is like cultivating guardians for the sea. In the wildlife park, we dig and plow the   earth, preparing a better place for echidna babies to live, mowing and cutting the tree to make a fire belt to provide the wild animals a safer accommodation. We gain happiness by doing such minor things for these cute creatures. Besides all the work we've done, we also learn about plants and animals. I met a lot of friends here and feel like we're families after working together. It's truly a wonderful experience to participate in the Volunteer In Australia program. 

Student Zhang