by Melissa Barker, Rosemary Penna, Carrie Sloan, and Melanie McGarry,
3/14/97... from Queensland
In two weeks, we have a spring break for 6 days and we will all be traveling to
different places that we want to see. Some students are planning to go across
the country to the outback where they will see very dry country and experience
very hot weather. Other groups will travel to Hitchinbrook Island where they
will hike and see crocodiles, black sand beaches, and five different ecosystems.
Others will go white water rafting or sea kayaking, or have other adventures
around the country.
During our semester here we have every Sunday off and we take trips to places
around the area that are just a short drive away. Last weekend we all went to
Granite Gorge which is in the drier area out west. We got to see some rock
wallabies which are a lot like kangaroos but are very well adapted to dry rocky
conditions.
Is it hard to work on school stuff and sleep at night with all of the
noises of the forest? ...Neil A., Oklahoma City, OK, USA
by Clare Craven, Meg McKelvie, Allison Santoro, and Christina Bird,
3/13/97... from Queensland
When we first arrived it was difficult to adjust to the chatter of the birds in the
early morning, especially the Chowchillas. After a while we all got used to it,
and the chattering became background noise!
There are other noises in our cabins that we have gotten used to; for example,
the pitter-patter of rat feet running around the cabin floors and on the cabin
roof. At first it is quite disturbing, but like the bird noises you get used to them.
When it comes to school work, and noise, the animals don't really seem to
bother us as much as the people around the center. The cook crew (which is
made up of students) often plays music when they are cooking and that can get
loud. This noise along with all of the ping pong games being played can make it
a pretty noisy place. Sometimes it's harder to deal with noisy people than noisy
forest animals!!
