MIDDLESEX TWP — A young Mars High School student got a look at the other side of the Earth when he was accepted into the International Sea Cadet Exchange program.

Mars freshman Ian Sleigh traveled to Australia for two weeks in April as one of only two American Sea Cadets who made the trip.

Ian explained that the Sea Cadets program is the Navy's youth program, similar to the Army's Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program.

Ian is a member of the Sea Cadets' Pittsburgh Battalion, which includes young men and women from West Virginia, Ohio and Southwestern Pennsylvania.

He traveled to Sydney with a cadet from Chicago on April 10, and arrived on April 12 after a 16-hour flight.

“It wasn't as bad as I originally thought it would be,” Ian said. “I watched movies and slept most of the time.”

After landing in Sydney, Ian waited for three hours with a group of cadets from the United Kingdom and Australia for the Canadian and New Zealand cadets to arrive.

The group then traveled by bus for three hours to the town of Nowra and the Australian naval base known as HMAS Albatross, where they stayed for several days and participated in a variety of activities.

It was in Nowra that Ian observed Australia and its differences from the U.S.

“There were not as many big, massive pickup trucks like there are here,” Ian said. “They were more moderate sized, and they all had snorkels and roo bars.”

He explained that snorkels are a feature on Australian cars that allow them to drive through the oft-flooded roads in the outback without swamping the engine. Roo bars are strong metal bars mounted on the grill that will push away a kangaroo and prevent the vehicle from being damaged.

Ian said there are many more kangaroos in Australia than there are deer in the local area.

“Kangaroos are pests there,” Ian said. “They're everywhere, and they dig up grass at the roots so it doesn't grow back.”

He said although he saw a video of a kangaroo jumping on a car and smashing the windows, the hopping beasts were docile if humans stayed more than 50 feet away.

He said 'roos were present even when the group went to the beach. The largest ones he saw, known as “gray backs,” were three or four feet tall.

“They weren't on the actual beach,” Ian said. “They stayed in the scruffy area before you get to the beach.”

Ian even tasted kangaroo meat at a barbecue thrown for the cadets.

“It was actually not that bad,” he said. “I liked it a lot.”

In Nowra, the cadets visited helicopter squadrons and “flew” helicopters in a simulator.

“It was awesome,” Ian said. “You really feel like you're in a helicopter flying, but you're not.”

The cadets also competed in a swim test and an obstacle course over a pool.

Ian is proud to report that of the 14 cadets to attempt the obstacle course, he was one of only five or six to complete the course.

The group also visited Shoal Haven Zoo in Nowra.

“I got to pet some koalas and get pictures with them,” Ian said. “It's illegal to hold them.”

After several days in Nowra, the group traveled to a new base in Sydney known as HMAS Penguin. There, Ian saw the more developed side of Australia. The group visited an aquarium and took a nighttime sightseeing tour, which offered a unique view of the Harbor Bridge, Luna Park, and the famous Syndey Opera House.

“It was beautiful,” Ian said.

During the day, the cadets used canoes and played common Australian games that were unknown to Ian. They also swam in the ocean.

“I caught a lot of jellyfish,” Ian said. “You could just reach down and pick them up. They didn't have (venom.)”

The group also visited HMAS Waterhen, which is a mine and ammunition facility where Australia's military minesweepers and clearance divers are based. They boys toured the base and enjoyed a ride through Sydney on a landing craft.

The stay in Sydney also included rescue activities with lifeguards on Bondi Beach, paddle boarding, a trip to Chinatown, and an aboriginal harbor cruise that took the cadets to Cruz Island for a demonstration of aboriginal culture.

“I got a video of them doing their dances,” Ian said. “It was really cool.”

On the last day of the visit, the international cadets proudly marched in the Anzac Day March for Sydney.

“It's like their Memorial Day,” Ian said of Australia's Anzac Day.

He said the parade included military units and marching bands.

“It was huge,” Ian said of the event. “There were an estimated 10,000 spectators.”

Ian said the amazing and very different view in Australia brought him to a realization when he returned home.

“I'm appreciating the things we have more, landscape-wise,” he said.

Ian's father, Mike Sleigh, is a Navy veteran but was unaware of the Sea Cadet organization until Ian's friend told the family about them.

“Ian recruited me after he got started,” the elder Sleigh said.

He said he and Ian's mother, Anita, were elated that Ian was accepted for the Sea Cadet Exchange Program. He explained that cadets must fill out a lengthy and stringent application, and then be chosen by Sea Cadet top brass for the trip.

“We were very excited,” Sleigh said. “There are 8,000 to 10,000 sea cadets in the country, so we were happy he was accepted.”

He said the sea cadets traded items among one another for souvenirs, including an entire Australian Sea Cadet uniform for Ian's American version.

“They were about the same size, so it worked out well,” Sleigh said.

He said Ian has been on 16 sea cadet trainings in the US, but none compared to the exchange program.

“This is completely different,” Sleigh said. “He was on his own in a different country.”

He said he and his wife provided Ian with a good camera for the once-in-a-lifetime trip.

“He came home with about 1,500 pictures and a bunch of videos,” Sleigh said.

Ian said in addition to all the new sights, smells, sounds and tastes, the exchange program has provided him with a new group of friends.

“I'm hoping to take a trip to the U.K. soon and meet up with some of them.”