Analyze This!!

After much thought, I have decided that the most intense discovery I found while I was in Australia was the culture and way of Australian life, in general.  First of all, the people are so friendly! When I learned that the country was originated on convicts from Europe, I was a bit nervous. Also, learning about the Aboriginal people that still live in their tribes scared me.  However, I was quite shocked when I first landed into Melbourne, the people were so nice!! We experienced mostly welcoming attitudes from the Aussies which was very comforting being on the other side of the globe, away from family, friends, and AMERICA! I learned a lot about the way of life for the Aboriginese people at the Tjapuki Culture center.  We watched a show about their culture and beliefs, followed by an outdoor show where they performed.  During the performance, they told us why and how they would interact with their environment, having to live completely in the wild. We also got to witness how they made fire from two sticks and some start-up dry grass.  The demonstration they allowed us to be a part of taught us how to properly throw a boomerang and a spear, their methods of catching their food. 

The architecture, especially in Melbourne, showed how sophisticated the atmosphere was.  I felt as though we were held to the utmost standards having such phenomenal buildings and scenery.  The city was very comparable of an upscale Chicago, I think.  Another part of the culture I found interesting was their drink choice. It seemed as though we always had to beg for water during meals.  Every place we visited, it never failed, would always bring us tap water in a glass or metal pitcher with very small glasses, without ice.  Some of the water they brought was even luke-warm, an idea that's thought to be very rude here in the States.  With this being said, Australians love their alcohol ice cold.  The group, as far as I know, never had a warm or even slightly warm alcoholic beverage.  Very interesting!

 

Yarra River running through Melbourne

 

 Architecture in Melbourne

 

Tjapuki demonstration making fire

Average water glass size

 On the way to the Reef!!!

I hope you all enjoyed my trip, and if you want any additional thoughts, don't hesitate to contact me!! I LOVE talking about the K-State trip Down Under! =)

Australia Pictures!

Hey friends! If you are still wanting pictures, friend me on Facebook!! I have uploaded most of them on my Facebook page. If you don't have Facebook, let me know via e-mail. I have heard a lot of people that couldn't comment on my blogs :( I'm sorry!! E-mail me with questions or comments you had when you were reading the blogs....if anyone actually read them! :) (Just kidding, I can see my total number of page views!) Thanks everyone for following my trip! I hope you enjoyed reading it!!

Much love,
~Kaycie

Here and There: JBS Around the World

After almost a week at JBS Corporate, I have learned so much about the beef industry already! I have had a few opportunities to share my experience with the guys from the US division regarding my tour of the JBS plant in Wagga. To explain it more in depth, I would like to break down the similarities and differences here.

First of all, the speed of harvest is much different between the two countries.  Australia was very slow and methodical, while US plants are fast and what we would like to say, much more efficient of time and resources.  Along with speed, their harvest count per day was much slower than ours is in the US. They only harvest around 900 head, while we are over 5,000! Moreover, their line on the "kill floor" was very methodical and specific, leaving more time for employees to complete their job correctly. 

Did you know that JBS USA also runs the Australia plant?! Weird, right?! JBS employees, here and there, all abide by the same mission statement, however: "To be the best in we set out to do..." I believe that with time and some 'Americanization' (as we called it), the JBS plant will be operating as efficiently and quickly as our plants back here in the States.  Granted, their cattle population is not nearly as large as ours so their demand to be quick is not that essential, but I think improving speed and efficiency definitely won't hurt the industry.  I can't wait to learn more about similarities and differences this summer, especially with JBS Beef.  I will definitely share all that I learn!

A Trip of A Lifetime!

Now that reality has definitely set in, I have had little time to reflect back to the two weeks I spent in Australia. As I sit here tonight in Greeley, a completely new environment for me, I realize just how blessed I really am! The internship at JBS Corporate office is going great, the Beef Sales team that I will be working with this summer has been more than welcoming the past two days! I will be sure to keep all of you updated as the summer goes by.

As far as my trip Down Under, I would like to just go back and hit the highest points that I took from the experience.  First of all, the feeling of independence I gained was a major part of the trip. I was almost 10,000 miles away from any family and the lack of internet connection made me have no other choice but to connect with the other students on the trip! I made some really good friends, and I really look forward to continuing that friendship in the fall when I go back to MHK!! Next, the culture of the Aussies was a much different experience.  I don't think I could prepare enough for all of the culture shock that was introduced right away!! Most importantly, the agriculture operations that we got to tour and learn more about showed me and the rest of the group how differences in processes can effect the outcome of the final product, as well as the country's industry as a whole. The beef plants we visited were smaller than our plants in the States, but for the most part they operated in the same order and fashion as we do here. The sheep plant was a first for me, and it was definitely an eye-opener! They can raise some sheep over there!! As we noticed, the sheep were much leaner than the sheep I have been exposed to in contests, workouts, etc for meats judging. The harvesting process was much more efficient than I would have thought it to be, too.

Visiting cattle ranches was another highlight for me, as I always enjoy looking at cattle! Spry's Shorthorn's were probably a standout favorite for me, as their stock was definitely top of the line. They showed us a $46,000 bull they just sold, as well as a show ring champion they had sold a few months previously. Trigger Vale sheep facility was a definite learning experience, as I am not very sheep-savvy being from the middle of Kansas! The quality of wool they are producing is absolutely phenomenal!

Overall, the trip to Australia with Dr. Schaake and his family, along with the other K-State students is one that I will always treasure. The memories we made Down Under will be talked about for the rest of our lives.  Thanks K-State ASI deparmentt, Mishelle, and College of Ag for allowing me to be a part of something so great!!!

Much love,
~Kaycie

Moving Day!

After a few hours of driving last night, Johnny and I decided to stop for the night. We have about 4 and a half hours left today!! I am beyond excited, not only because of my internship that starts Monday, but to get somewhat of a normal American schedule back in my life.  I just switched my car clock and my watch to mountain time, so I guess that's the first step in adjusting to my new life.

I can't wait to see my parents and second parents (The Wedel's) when we get to Greeley, because I'm not sure when I will see them next.  I will definitely update you tomorrow or the first part of next week with job details, living situation, and some interesting facts I learned from Australia! The first part of the summer of a lifetime has been more than I ever expected it to be, I can't wait to see  what JBS brings the next 10 weeks!!!

Love you all!
~Kaycie

Returning to the States

Today, I am sadly leaving Australia. We left at 3:30 from our hotel to head to Cairns airport for our 5:30 flight. I think we all slept during this 2 hour flight to Brisbane. Once at Brisbane, we had some time to spare and spend the rest of our Australia money. We got some more souveniors, and most of us ate a small sandwich at Subway. It was American tasting!!! Soo good! We boarded our plane at 10:40 local time. The flight began with a bit of turbulence, but then it was fine. The 12 hours were longer than I remember the 16 hour flight being.

We got into Los Angeles at 6:30 this morning and got to see our second sunrise on June 1st. We are now waiting to get on our plane to Dallas. Just a few minutes ago we figured out that the man sitting a few feet away from our group was Andy (Larry Joe Campbell)!!!!

Great Barrier Reef

Today was the day we all were waiting for!!!! I think it is fair to say that it exceeded all of our expectations!!!  We began by getting on a boat in the rain, it didn't take long for us to realize how choppy the sea actually was. After 20 minutes, I was feeling pretty rough. Luckily, Shilo and I got to the upper deck when we did, because I think we would have both ended up getting sick. Our first visit was to Green Island. Here we learned what to expect when we scuba died at the Reef, walked into the water, and tried to stay away from the rain.

After a short wait, we got on our boat to head to the Reef!! So exciting!!! This trip was much better! We docked by a pontoon where all the activities took place. Kara and I picked through a disgusting lunch, before getting into our lycra and wet suits. We decided to snorkel to practice our breathing...such a good idea!!  Even though the waves were terrible, I  caught on really fast and LOVED it!!!!!! I got to touch and hold a huge fish underwater and I even got my picture taken with it.

At 2:15, I started getting really nervous for our 2:30 dive!  The nerves got really bad when I got my air tank strapped on. We first went to a practice area under the pontoon to get tested on essential skills. We had to blow water out of our mask and properly put our air piece back in, in the case it were to fall out while we were down. I passed all 3 the first time!!! After the team passed all skills, it was time to go down!

My team was Kara, Brad, and Michael, and we were awesome under water! We all did really well with our skills, and we did well adjusting to  the pressure going down. While we were down, we got to touch another fish, coral, a clam, and a stringly, sticky thing. It was so clear and beautiful!!!! This was by far the most amazing experience I have ever had!

That night we ate at a Brazilian steakhouse that didnt disappoint. Our group was silent the entire meal, because we were all enjoying the meal. Most of us went to bed shortly after dinner to prepare for our 3:30 departure the next morning.

Cairns...Day One

Day 1: We had an early flight from Sydney to Cairns before heading to Tjapuki Aboriginal Culture center. This was kind of interesting, because we got to see different ways of life. We got to watch a culture show (I accidently listened to it in Chinese, so I didn't get much out of it!), boomerang and spear throwing demo, and a didgeridoo demo. The artwork was very interesting. The part I couldn't get over was the guys walking around in an oversized diaper looking thing......in the wind!!!! Yikes!!!

We had dinner at Tha Fish that night by the coastline. I went out of the ordinary and had Wild Baked Berimundi, asparagus, snow peas, and mashed potatoes. Delicious!!!!!! We followed dinner with a trip to Gilligan's, the recommended bar from our server. The was a blast!!! We finally ventured to our hotel a little before 3:00.  Late nights make the best memories!