From last Friday to Wednesday the CSBSJU and Gonzaga (aka Nick) group went to the West Kimberley region of Western Australia to stay with the Wundargoodie mob. This was probably one of the most eye opening experiences of my life. I am simply overwhelmed of where to start this blog. We flew out of Perth to Broome. The flight was about three hours and seemed like nothing compared to some of my more recent flights. The real trouble was with the temperature and humidity. The average day temperature was around 90 to 100 degrees and horribly humid. Broome and the Kimberley reminded me of an extremely hot version of South Carolina. Friday night we stayed in a hostel at the University of Notre Dame's Broome campus. Peta (the trip coordinator) took us out to Cable Beach that evening after dark and we saw a really old lighthouse. The tides in Broome are the second largest in the world (30 meters). We went at low tide and stood on rocks that, in six hours, would be covered by water. This was simply amazing. Saturday morning we hopped on a bus to head out of Broome and into the bush. The roads were composed of red dirt. It was crazy how red the sand was! I felt like our vans were the only ones on the road, and we drove for hours on a straight road surrounded by long grass and exotic-looking trees. The area was vast, open and completely undeveloped. Along the way we stopped a couple of times for pee breaks. We also stopped at Beagle Bay which was an institution for the children of the stolen generation. When we arrived we met Colin, Maria, Bruce, and Thomas. They were the members of the clan that we stayed with. All of them were amazingly friendly. Colin was the leader of the trip, and we had several great chats with him about several issues relating to aboriginal people including land, religion, culture, etc. Maria was Colin's wife who cooked for us every night, and all food was delicious. Bruce was the funny, chatty guy who spoke with us about the land. Thomas was the quietest of the bunch and perhaps the best hunter/fisherman of the crew. One morning we went searching for crabs in the rocks. We took long metal hooks with us and dragged fish out of the rocks. I caught one crab, and it was funny because he released one of his claws in the process as a defense mechanism. I was in a tent with Steiner, Quade, and Jaeger. I hadn't stayed in a tent for quite a while, so it was really fun chatting between tents before bed. Another day we went to another tribes land and made boomerangs and spears. One night we even had a competition to see who could throw the most accurately. It was great to go swimming because it was so unbelievably hot, but unfortunately it had only happened twice. The drinking water was always warm which was disappointing, but staying hydrated was so necessary. The last day we got to go into town and visit a convenience store which was amazing because we finally got to drink something cold and eat ice cream. There is so much to talk about from this trip, but I can't force myself to blog in so much detail. I have to write a reflection paper on the Kimberley trip for my history class, and ill post it on this blog when I finish it. Then you will be able to better gage my experience.

I'm one of the few people at the P&O right now because the majority of people are on a road trip to Ningaloo reef. I'm sure that they will have a blast, but I am going to Rottnest again this weekend.

Rottnest was great. It was much the same as last time only the group was smaller. The group consisted of four girls from cleo's (the other dorm), Nick, Jer, James, Sean and I. Camping was very fun. It was nice to only have to pack/camp for one night as opposed to about four in Broome. The weather was nice and cool, but it got hot staying out in the sun for extended periods of time. I'll be posting pictures of Broome and Rottnest as I compile them.

Here is my Kimberley reflection for class! Please disregard spelling errors, that's just how they spell things down here...they are crazy. haha

The Kimberley Experience

Travelling to the Kimberley in Western Australia was one of the most rewarding experiences of my study abroad journey. On this six day visit I was able to fully submerge myself into a culture that has existed upwards of sixty thousand years while gaining an appreciation for its extreme difference from my own culture. This trip to the Kimberly had been so highly regarded by previous study abroad students that, at first, it did not meet my expectations. I have been studying aborigines and their struggles in my aboriginal people unit here in Fremantle, so I felt that I had a solid understanding of what was going on in the Kimberley region. Some of the issues that my peers were finding so fascinating were simply a review for me. However, as the first couple of days passed, I became more and more fascinated by what was going on around me. The Kimberley experience influenced my life in a variety of ways that will never be forgotten.

Being a part of the Aboriginal People unit has broadened my view of aboriginal issues, but hearing about these issues firsthand has been a very effective part of my learning process. I had learned about white settlement, the stolen generations and indigenous rights prior to visiting an aboriginal community, but I was amazed to hear about some of these issues from Colin, the group leader. Probably most shocking were Colin's attitudes towards whites. In spite of all of the cruel treatment that his ancestors had endured, he remains very respectful of non-indigenous Australians. Colin is not concerned about getting reparations for past treatment and desires to see an Australian society where blacks and whites will be completely equal. His opinions are very mature and inspiring. Colin also told us not to believe everything that we hear from classes and read in textbooks. It is more important to hear the information and then interpret it because information can easily be manipulated to suit one party or another. I gained a lot of knowledge from Colin and the Wundargoodie mob that I would never have experienced in the classroom.

Every night we had a chance to discuss our experiences of the day as well as our thoughts and attitudes. I took a lot of meaning from these discussions because they helped put my life in perspective. There were a few questions that stood out in my mind including, "What is your dream job?" I was one of the last people to answer this question after everybody had already mentioned their dreams and ambitions. It started to hit me that I had no certain occupation that would really make me happy, but I realised that a dream occupation isn't necessary for happiness. I stated that I am a family man and that my dream job is to be a great father and husband someday. The aboriginal view of family is similar to my own. I have always been extremely close with the members of my family and would like to be able to continue this as I establish a family of my own. I have been starting to realise that although I don't know exactly what I want to do with my life right now, I will find something that makes me happy as time passes.

Another night we were asked about our likes and dislikes of Australia and the United States. I have been in Australia long enough to get a good feel for the difference in cultures, and I talked about the pace of life in both places. I mentioned how I enjoy the laid back culture of Australia more than the hurriedness of the United States, but I miss being able to do whatever I want whenever I want back at home. In America there is a lot of pressure to choose a career path while still in school, and I wish it wouldn't be so stressful. It seems like there is less of this pressure in Australia. One night we were asked to indentify an object and talk about its significance for aboriginal people and for us, and my object was dirt. I talked about how dirt has little significance for us in the United States, but for aboriginal people, it represents their appreciation for land and their struggles to maintain it.

My most powerful experience during my visit to the Kimberley occurred on Easter Sunday. We were listening to a speaker talk about her struggles over maintaining land that belonged to her people when we were offered the chance to attend a mass on the beach. I had grown up going to mass on every Sunday and consider myself to be a practitioner of my faith, but the past few years I haven't been going to mass regularly. I decided to attend this mass and I was moved by ceremony. It was amazing to be right on the beach with the waves crashing in, but I found the community aspect to be much more meaningful. The priest was African, and everybody else was either Aboriginal or American. It didn't matter what colour skin or background you were from. All that mattered was that we were a group of people sharing our faith. The mass was short, and the crowd was simple. However, our hosts really enjoyed celebrating Easter with so many people. After mass was finished we were sincerely thanked and were even asked to be in a couple of pictures. I had never experienced something as inclusive and diverse as this mass on the beach.

My time in the Kimberley was life-changing, and there were a lot of meaningful experiences on my trip. I learned to slow down and take things day by day. Aboriginal people tend to live a simple life and really appreciate what they have. I also learned a lot about myself and my aspirations in life. I hope to take what I have learned from the aboriginal culture and share it with people back at home. By taking a week away from structure and civilisation as well as immersing myself in the oldest world culture, I really enriched my study abroad experience.