The residents of Hotel Cleopatra at the University of Notre Dame during the clean-up day
Two residents gather collected rubbish
Paper was just one of the items collected Over 20 bags of rubbish was collected during the cleanup
The residents of Hotel Cleopatra at the University of Notre Dame during the clean-up day
Cleaning a Country Not of Their Own
Picture this: a group of twenty students from a different country on the other side of the world cleaning one of the beaches of a country they’ve only been in for five weeks. That is exactly what the residents of Hotel Cleopatra did on Sunday the 4th of April 2018.
The residents of Hotel Cleopatra are all students from the United States studying abroad for a semester at the University of Notre Dame. The volunteer event, that was organized in partnership with the University of Notre Dame’s volunteer network, is something the students wanted to do with their spare Sunday. With only a limited time of sixteen weeks in Australia, why spend time cleaning Coogee beach? Resident Elizabeth Prosser explains the day:
“I would describe it as a uniting experience, because we did it on Clean Up Australia Day, so I felt united with this new country I’m living in. It was [interesting] to see all of the crazy [items] people liter at the beach :a tricycle tire, [multiple] bottles and an old metal sign.”
The residents of Hotel Cleopatra have inspired other residence halls to get involved in the community and volunteer as well. “It was a bonding experience between us and our new home” Prosser states. The students gained a positive experience from the clean-up day, as did Coogee beach and the community.
By Julia McAldindon