It started out a poopy day...

Sorry folks, that I missed the blog yesterday. I had a problem with copy/ paste and lost it all and it was way past time to go to bed. So I'm going to be a little more succinct today and just list a few things.

This morning the team traveled to Currumbin wildlife sanctuary to learn about all of Australian animals. We walked in and were offered a pie plate full of nectar. This nectar attracts lorikeets who gather on the plate, your wrists, shoulders, and head packed wing to wing so that there are approximately 20 birds on your person feeding until the nectar is gone. Quite fun and lots of pictures were taken. If you have a fear of birds this was not for you. Lorikeets are bright green with a bit of color on their heads. You will get pooped on, but what comes out of the bird is as clear as what goes in so it's not as bad as you think.

Then we all posed for pictures while holding a koala. Very docile creatures they are. Koalas only eat from Eucalypt trees which have a wonderful lemony aroma to them. Because of the specific diet, even the droppings and urine from Koalas actually smells pretty good.

Then it was off to the mob...the mob of Kangaroos. It was like a petting zoo only with roos. As with any other zoo, there are droppings. I'm not quite sure how much roo poo I stepped in, but it didnt' really matter! We were feeding and petting and observing kangaroos up close and personal.

I got to play a digiridoo at the park as well and that's where we met up accidentally with the other GSE team from Arizona who is also visiting the district but on a different itinerary. It turns out the AZ members have ties to MO. One went to Mizzou, and another is from MO originally! MO is well represented!

After the sanctuary we walked...along a short stretch of beach of course...to Currumbin surf club for lunch on a high deck over looking what else...but the ocean. I had Cajun Calamari Salad and ate my whole meal the proper way. Fork in left hand tines down, knife in right. No cutting and scooping like back home. And I ate nothing with my fingers and never put down the utensils the whole time. Try it back home sometime...it makes you eat slower.

Then tonight was a welcome dinner at the Tumbulgum Tavern founded 1887. The dinner hosted both the AZ and MO teams and both teams made presentations. I met one of my future hosts and I'm crossing my fingers...she may have a book binder lined up for me to visit with! I will know in three weeks whether or not this happens!

All team members received Australian survival kits from the District Governor John. There was an AUS ball cap, Vegemite snack pak (like the cheese ones we have back in the states with the little butter crackers only instead of cheese it was Vegemite), Jaffas (chocolate orange candies), TimTams which are biscuit (a biscuit is a cookie down here), a bottle of insect repellant for flies, a stubby holder (what they call a koozi cup), and a book of Australian translations.

Tomorrow is handover day for our team to the next group. We're leaving the wonderful people of Tweeds Head South and heading for Coomera a little to the north. I'm already going to miss these people, but hope to see them all again at the district conference at the end.

As I proofread I see I'm not very succinct am I? I'll leave you with this, we had to sing the national anthem tonight and all the Aussies joined us. My voice is still too hoarse to hit any relatively high note in our anthem. Not like my normal voice would sound much better...but I will have to learn the words to Advance Australia Fair before I leave.

G'Day Mates because it's morning where you are. And good night because I'm going to bed.