Ex Wallaby: The Beginning

Greetings from Rockhampton!!! It's a cooling Sunday morning over here. There’s a drizzle approximately two hours ago, the first time that I experienced rain after two weeks in Australia. Due to the nature of my job and affiliation to the military, I guess it is not advisable for me to upload pictures of or share what I worked on in this overseas exercise.

Nonetheless, I will still talk about the non work-related stuff. The weather undergoes drastic changes throughout the day. You get to enjoy a cold breeze while enduring the scorching sun in the morning. It felt kind of bizarre to me during my first week here since one doesn't get such an experience in Singapore.

Afternoon, between one to four, is arguably the most punishing time of the day. It would be a magnificent feat if you are able to stay in your tentage during that period for more than ten minutes. The tentage is literally an oven (and I really mean it) that is capable of turning a bottle of iced water into warm liquid.

I bet only Africans will be able to endure such conditions.

At the stroke of four in the afternoon, temperatures start to drop and you would begin to see people jogging around the compound. Four to seven is the so-called perfect time in my opinion, neither hot nor cold. Any time after seven and things would start to chill.

I still recall the first night when I arrived at the camp. It was almost midnight and there I was, together with the rest, complaining about how freezing this place can be. Summer is around the corner (or maybe it's already here) and the last couple of nights weren't as cold as before.

For my first week here, I always thought that there was aircon in the tentage every night. There is a safari bed and a sleeping bag and everybody used the latter as their blankets. I had to put on gloves and socks before going to bed at first but have since eliminated them as I get more used to the environment.

The toilets here look decent except for the taps. Throughout the day, hot water, really really hot, flows out of the taps. So, it doesn't matter if you want to cool down in the afternoon or wash your face in the chilly morning, you only have hot water.

I couldn't tolerate the heat on my first night; it was burning my face and hands that I gave up after ten seconds. In the end, I went over to the showering area, where there are two taps for hot and cold water, and used the cold tap there.

As the days go by, I start to get acclimatized to the heat of the tap water. Although I still can't put my hands under the tap for more than three seconds, I am now able to brush teeth and wash my face easily. Wonder what will it feels like then when I turn on a tap back in Singapore.

The food here is awesome as compared to the standard of cookhouses in Singapore. Highlights of what I ate so far include lamb chop, assam fish, kiwi fruit and their scrambled eggs which I believe can rival McDonald’s.

The service by the cookhouse staff is also commendable as you will never get rejected if you ask for bigger portions. Sometimes, they would even put three drumsticks on your plate when you did not even utter a word. The fruits, especially the apples, taste uniquely different from what one usually munches on in Singapore.

We had a cohesion on Friday evening and there was buffet and bbq. Honestly, although I think that the veggie (luo han zai) was the best dish among all the meat there, the highlight of my dinner that day has got to be savouring crocodile and kangaroo meat for the first time in my life.

I had always wanted to have a taste of crocodile meat but never expected that I would actually try it out in a foreign country. It tasted exactly like chicken but slightly sweeter. If I was blindfolded while eating, I would guess that it's some sakura chicken.

As for kangaroo meat, never in my life had the thought of tasting it cross my mind. During its raw state, it looks similar to beef. Kangaroo meat has an exclusive taste that my tongue just can't explain to my brain. It doesn't feel strong like mutton yet tenderer than pork.

Overall, my first two weeks here have been rather positive. A lot of "first in my life" things occurred ever since I touched down in Australia. That's all for today, I shall post my updates when I have time again.