The entire exchange experience is incredible, but I think that I may have had the best experience of all: I was able to take part in a 10-day camping trip with Outward Bound. I was able to see Australian bushland, and live in it. The trip was incredible as well, since I was able to bond with the group of 17 kids that I was with, some of which I didn’t know at all beforehand! Although the trip may have been tough, with lots of hiking, the experience was worthwhile without a doubt, and I will take home experiences and memories that will last a lifetime.

As my time in Western Australia comes to an end, the Hales family brought me one last place, before I head home this Saturday: Perth, the capital of WA. The first afternoon was spent in Fremantle, with a visit to the markets, followed by a picnic in King’s Park, and watching the sunset. The next day, we visited Adventureworld, an amusement park, where I first went upside-down on a roller coaster. The following day, we went to the Perth Zoo. The Perth Zoo had an entire section called “Australian Bushwalk”, where the animals weren’t entirely in cages, and could run across the path if they so chose to. That afternoon, we did an “Eye to Eye Encounter” with Tasmanian Devils, where we got to feed and learn about the species (they don’t really run around in circles creating tornadoes, unlike Looney Toons led me to believe!). Once that was done, we returned to Margaret River, where I will spend my last days Down Under! — Michael Hamilton ’16