An Eye Opening Experience in Fitzroy Crossing...

Hello readers:

Again, I want to thank you all for reading my blog. I will keep this one short.

As you may already know, I am currently in Fitzroy Crossing, a remote Aboriginal community in Western Australia. I finished up my semester at the University of Notre Dame Australia- Fremantle about two weeks ago. The semester went by super fast, but it felt like final exams would never end. Instead of heading back to Minnesota (which I miss very much), I decided to stay in Australia a little bit longer. Quite frankly, I want to make the most of my time here.

Fitzroy Crossing has a population of about 1,000 people. It is one of the larger communities in the area. It is about 60% Aboriginal and 40% "white fella (kartiya)". Without a doubt, Fitzroy is very different than Perth and Fremantle, let alone Minnesota. Quite the experience.

In 2007 (I believe) the government implemented alcohol restrictions in Fitzroy Crossing. There are no bottle shops (liquor stores) here, the two bars can only sell full-strength beer at certain times, etc. From what I have heard, such alcohol restrictions have proven beneficial in bettering the community. As a whole,  alcoholism continues to be a problem for the Aboriginal population. 

Nearly 80% of the Aboriginal population in Fitzroy Crossing is unemployed. I do not know the exact figure, but I do know it is pretty high unfortunately. Every other Thursday is known as "payday." This is when many of the people in Fitzroy Crossing receive their money from the government. First arriving in Fitzroy, I was told about "payday" and the environment during the day and night in Fitzroy. I was told many people are at the local bar, The Crossing Inn, on "payday."

Yesterday was "payday." Some "mates" and I decided to head to The Crossing Inn for a "cultural experience," as they put it. Walking into the bar around seven o'clock at night, we saw about 50 Aboriginal people at the bar having a good time. There were few "kartiya" people. I was not uncomfortable whatsoever. Actually, I loved it.

This is where I was shocked...

Talking with some of my "blackfella mates" (no, that is not a derogatory term here), I was approached by some random Aboriginal guy. Very nice man. We talked for about two or three minutes. It was pretty random how he just came up to me. No worries though. 

At the Crossing Inn, there are a few different bars/places to order drinks. There is the bar located in the restaurant. Anyone can drink there. There is a "dodgy/sketchy" bar, where there is a cage between the bar and the general public. Anyone can drink there. And then there is a separate small room area with a little bar. Two pools tables and one juke box. That is all. Nothing special whosoever.

Anyways, the random Aboriginal man, Jason, asked me "Hey can me and you go into that room?" referring to the small room with pool tables. I replied "Um... yeah, sure that's cool I guess." Confused why he wanted me to go with him, I reluctantly walked into the small room with my new "friend." Once in there, he kept reiterating "You are with me. I am with you. Do not leave me." Looking about the small room, I noticed mostly "white fellas" with a few "black fellas." After about 15 minutes in the small bar, I said to Jason "Hey man, I am going to head back with the rest of my friends. You will be alright." I was confused. 

Socializing with one of my friends, Jonas (a very neat Aboriginal guy), he asked me "Hey Tony, can you bring me into that bar?" again, referring to the small room with two pools tables and juke box. Not knowing what exactly was going on, I had to talk with the "white fellas" I was with. I had to figure out what was going on. A very sketchy situation.

Talking with Scott, Ewan, and Cobey, three of my "mates," they shed some light on the whole situation. Apparently, to my complete surprise, the small room with pools tables and juke box is known as the "member's bar." From my standards, by no means was that a "member's bar." In order to go to the member's bar, pretty much you have to either have a job, be a white person, or pay a stupid/expensive "member's fee." Quite frankly, since not many of the Aboriginal people have jobs, this "member's bar" is used to discriminate against the Aboriginal people. Absolutely sickening.

There is pretty much no formal rule of the "member's bar." People just know. They know who belongs. They know who does not belong. You don't talk about it. You just know. I was allowed into the bar because I was white. It would be very strange for a "blackfella" to go into the bar. 

Once I heard about this and saw this, I was absolutely sickened. Do we not live in the 21st century? Is Australia not a Western Society? 

Phuket, Thailand Experience

Readers:

I am happy to say I am safely back in Australia. Quite the experience! If you had asked me five years ago about my plans for the future, I would have never imagined being in Thailand riding elephants and experiencing Thai culture with my classmates. Like many of my other experiences here during my study abroad semester, words, pictures, and videos do little justice in explaining my time here. Quite frankly, I am incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to do these wonderful things.

We flew from Perth, Western Australia to Singapore to Phuket, Thailand. All in all, we flew for about 6 hours or so. With layovers and transportation, the entire way there seemed to take all day. Flying and adjusting to new culture can really take a lot out of people. Once we landed in Phuket, we were tired and hungry, but ready to get the week going.

We stayed at an incredible hotel- The Marriot Beach Resort. One of our friends has a time share there, so we were able to get a good price. 100 dollars for all week! Five star hotel! The closest thing to Heaven I have ever experienced. First arriving, we were greeted with lays, virgin mojitos, and warm smiles. Very, very friendly people. Our place was beautiful.

We did so much! I will try my best to list it all. 

• Rode elephants
• Rode oxen
• Played with monkeys
• Ate Thai food
• Met awesome Thai people
• Toured James Bond Island (the James Bond film in the 1970s was filmed there). Tour consisted four separate islands.
• Toured Phi Phi Island. Tour consisted of three separate islands
• Canoed in caves
• Snorkeled
• Went to Big Buddha Temple high up on hill overlooking Phuket City. Incredible view.
• Shopped at markets and bartered with workers.
• Rode in taxis on crazy Thailand roads. Seems like they literally do not have any road laws.
• Went to Petong one night for the clubs/bars. Very crowded, very different, and very fun.

We had some very long days. Woke up at 6 in the morning and returned to the resort around 10 at night sometimes. On average, we got about 4 hours of sleep a night. There was just way TOO much to do. None of us wanted to sleep.

Without a doubt, Thailand and Southeast Asia was quite different than Australia and the United States. Although the Marriot was very Westernized, the real Thailand was quite different than what we were used to. Very Easternized culture.

Please feel free to look my my pictures on Facebook. That will do a little more justice.

Take care everyone!  :)

Coming to an end...

Readers:

I apologize for not posting in a while. I have been staying incredibly busy with numerous assignments. Luckily I turned my last assignment before finals (a Theology paper describing the significance of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ according to St. Thomas Aquinas, John Duns Scotus, and Karl Rahner) on Friday. These past three weeks have been busy with presentations and research papers. I can now take a breath! :)

Where has the time gone? We are already in week twelve of the semester, with next week being the last week of classes. Although I believe I have learned a lot over my time here, there is so much more I want to learn and experience.

Next Saturday (June 4th) a group of Americans and myself are flying up to Phuket, Thailand for a few days. We will leave Perth on Saturday and return on Thursday. I have never been to Asia, let along an Occidental (not Westernized) country. I have heard a lot of things about Thailand, both good and bad. I will keep you all posted with my next blog. It will indeed be quite an experience.

Also, even though the semester is coming to an end, I am not coming back to the states for a little while. Instead of coming back to the states and "bum" around for a while, I have decided to stay in Australia for the month of July and volunteer in a remote Aboriginal community. My lecturer for my Aboriginal people course has hooked me up with a group up there. Likely, I will be working with the Yiriman Project and the Kimberly Aboriginal Law and Cultural Centre. Here is the link:

http://www.kalacc.org.au/


I will likely be staying in Fitzroy Crossing for a portion of time in a house with other volunteers. I will also be staying in the "bush" (the outback/desert/nothing, etc.) for a period of time. I will probably be working with at-risk youth. The project hopes to bring Aboriginal children into the bush to reintegrate them into the culture to show them where they came from. I will be driving the kids around, as well as helping with the different events. Should be an eye-opening experience. Again, I will keep you all posted.

Here is a picture of me after surfing. I just got a new tattoo on my right shoulder blade. Its a cross in a heart in a cross. The symbol has much meaning to me. In eighth grade I received a little "cross in my pocket" at church. It is simply a little piece of wood with a prayer on one side and the symbol on the other. Each morning and night I kiss my little piece. Since I have had the chip for about seven years, the woods is becoming very faded and cracked. I cherish it very much. Also, the tattoo, in a sense, marks my time here in Australia. I am very happy with it. No doubt.

As you can tell, I have had a wonderful experience here. In all honesty, I really do miss my family and friends back at home. I try to call my parents whenever I can. 

Well that is it for now. I will post later. Bye.  xoxoxo

An Incredible Easter Holiday Break!

Hello readers:

I cannot even describe the past week. Unfortunately I can barely do any justice to my experiences while here in Australia. No matter how hard I try to convey my thoughts, it is near impossible to express the emotional feelings behind my times here.

As you may know, I have been on my Easter holiday break. One word. Incredible. My break was from April 22nd to today (May 1st). A lot of the other Americans here went roadtripping up north for the entire week. Unfortunately because of my work schedule, I did not have the luxury in joining them. Although I could not go with the whole group up north, I definitely made the most of my time.

While everyone was gone, there were not many people around the dorms. I spent a lot of time with Kyle (from Iona) and Greg (from Cabrini). They also did not go on the long road trip. I also spent a lot of time with my host family, the Bakers. Oh how giving they are!

I spent most of Easter with the Baker family. They took me to church at the local Basilica and then we all went out for a nice lunch at a great restaurant in Fremantle. Meeting up with all of the aunts, uncles, cousins etc., we ended up staying at the restaurant for about four hours, eating, drinking, and socializing. Quite the treat. After the time at the restaurant, we all decided to go to a bar near by. Again, such a giving family. I am blessed to have them.

On Monday was ANZAC day, which is Australia New Zealand Army Corp day. This holiday is like a combination between Memorial Day and July 4th.  I woke up early (4:30 AM) to attend the dawn service with some other friends. There were about 2,000 people at the Fremantle dawn service. Later that day, the Bakers brought me down south to a family member's barbeque, again eating and drinking plenty.

On Tuesday me and Kyle and Greg went to the Orient, the bar right below our hotel. I met an absolutely incredible Australian girl. Very nice indeed. We talked, drank, danced, and had tons of fun. Hopefully we see each other in the future again. I am sure we will.

Worked Wednesday at the Australian souvenir shop. That night we all went to Clancy's Fish Pub for Bingo Night. Out of the three games, the Americans won two! We won 50 dollars in gift vouchers, two bottles of wine, two bottles of cider, and a bunch of candy. Best part: Bingo was free.

Worked Thursday. Went to Fast and Furious with some friends at the local cinema. Took it easy that night.

Here is where it gets really good: Margaret River. We took our coach bus down to Margaret River Friday afternoon. Forty dollars round trip! Margaret River is the most visited tourism place in Western Australia. Margaret River is known for its many wineries, vineyards, breweries, and massive waves. We pulled into Margaret River late Friday night and got settled into the hostel. Quite a nice hostel too! We then went out to a local bar. Great, great fun! In the end, we didn't get back to the hostel until 3:00 AM. Good fun!

On Saturday the wine tour company picked us up. We toured and tasted three wineries, one distillery, one brewery, one chocolate factory, and one cheese factory. We ate and drank a lot of good things indeed! Got done with the tour (pictures to come later), took a nap, ate dinner, and met up with some other people from the hostel.

We met two fascinating girls from France, one Canadian girl, one girl from New Zealand, two girls from Japan, one guy from Germany, one guy from Ireland, and one super cool guy from Melbourne, Harle.

Our group really clicked and had such a great time. Harle, being on business in Perth, was so generous. He really showed us a great time. He drove us around in the company car, bought food and drinks for us, and just was so hospitable. We hope to meet up next month once he gets to Perth again.

Today we went on a little road trip to about three beaches at Margaret River. The waves were huge, being about 12 feet high! Just a few weeks ago actually Margaret River hosted some premier surf competition for the professionals. I haven't seen many waves, but these are by far the biggest. We also went to a little national park, followed by another winery for afternoon tea. Harle was so hospitable he drove us back to Fremantle from Margaret River. Having said that, we can get a refund for the bus!

I am now back at school getting ready for the rest of the semester. I have many assignments due. I think I will manage though.

Thanks for reading. Bye.

Half Way Done

Readers:

Thank you very much again for following my blog. I try to blog at least once a week. I have been doing well, but without a doubt, I could be doing better.

Right now we are in Easter holidays break. The past few weeks have been pretty hectic with papers and tests. I had three papers due on Thursday! I am definitely looking forward to this time off. Going into my study abroad program, I thought academics would be more chill and relaxed. That is what a lot of people told me. This is definitely not the case. The next academic week will be week number nine. Before I know it, final examinations will be right around the corner, being in middle of June.

For my Easter holiday, I will be hanging with my host family for a portion, working a few shifts at the Australian souvenir shop, and going on a weekend wine tour down at Margaret River. Margaret River is about a four hour bus ride south of Perth. From what I heard and researched, Margaret River is quite a beautiful place known for its big waves and many vineyards and breweries. I will be traveling with two other friends. We will go on a tour through a company. We will tour four vineyards and one brewery. Should be good fun. Here is the link to our tour if you want to take a look at it:

http://www.bushtuckertours.com/bwinerytour.html

We will be staying two nights at a hostel in Margaret River. Here is another link to our place if you want to take a look:

http://www.margaretriverbackpackers.com.au/backpackers/index.htm

I am not going to lie. Although I have had great fun here in Australia, I do miss home at times. Being in Australia for over two months now, I have noticed we have been living in a routine. To some extent, the initial gleam and glamour of Australia has began to wear off, if you know what I mean.

Last night after a long week of papers, we decided to go out to a bar. We had a few drinks and it was an okay time. After a while, going out to bars and drinking can get old. I usually go out once or twice a week. Without a doubt, other people do go out more than me. In a sense, last night I had a brief realization that there is plenty more to do. Also, I have really noticed some people can get mean when they drink. Very, very unfortunate.

In my opinion, I have really tried to immerse myself in the Australian culture and lifestyle as much as I can. Right now I have one host family that takes me to plenty of places and treats me super well. I also have another family that has been looking after me. Great people. I have also been working, meeting many great people. My classroom is a very great experience as well, being able to see how the Australian education system runs.

Talking with other people who went on the same study abroad program, many of them said they wished to integrate with the Australian culture more, considering we are about 35 Americans living in one building. I do not want to look back at this experience and wish the same thing. With that said, I have really tried to reach out. I am super happy I am too. I am experiencing many great things. 

Unfortunately I can guarantee some others will hope they had associated with the Australian culture more. Quite frankly, the Australian people and culture is there. People just need to reach out for it. That simple. They may do as they please.

Me with Colin, the Aboriginal gentlemen we stayed with

 Me attempting to play the didgeridoo

Beautiful sunset at Campeonth (?) Point

Brooke (Notre Dame in the states), Brad (St. John's University), Myself, Josh (St. John's University), Martha (Part of my host family. From the Notre Dame Australia)

I hope you enjoyed  the blog. Take care everyone.

Tony

Here is my Broome reflection I am going to turn in later this week.

Introduction

            Going into my study abroad program at the University of Notre Dame Australia, I knew very little of the Aboriginal culture. Having said that, I was uncertain what to expect by immersing myself in an unfamiliar culture. Although I have been all across the United States meeting many different people, I was truly looking forward to my time “experiencing the people” of Australia.

            When I first arrived in Fremantle I met two fascinating female backpackers. While we were walking about Fremantle in the evening, we saw many shops and historical sites, such as the Round House and Town Hall.  Taking in all of the sights, my two friends pointed out a group of dark skinned individuals making a ruckus on the sidewalk. They went on to say, “See those people? Those are Aborigines. Watch out for them. All they do is get drunk and randomly yell at white people.” This first impression of the Aboriginal culture was not ideal. Unfortunately this first negative encounter tainted my initial view of such a rich culture.

            Along with learning more about myself, my experience in Broome in the West Kimberly truly gave me a better understanding and appreciation of the rich tradition of the Aboriginal culture. Without a doubt, it is quite difficult to put my emotional experiences into words.

Defeating the Stereotype

            From my little time in Fremantle, I noticed a rather negative view towards the Aboriginal culture. Many of my Australian classmates, as well as my current manager, see the Aboriginal people as obnoxious, drunk, and, at times, dangerous. Because of my initial ignorance about Australia as a whole, I decided to listen and consider the negative viewpoints of the Aboriginal tradition. These negative perceptions were only reinforced when I saw drunken Aborigines yelling obscenities in the street. Although I saw many of these drunken individuals in Fremantle, I knew all Aborigines were not like this. I saw my Broome excursion as an opportunity to defeat the negative stereotype.

            I wanted to meet the Morgan family with an open mind. First meeting Colin and Maria, I knew I was in for a special experience with some fascinating Aboriginals. Talking with Colin, I noticed his tremendous amount of knowledge. Right from the beginning, the drunken stereotype of Aboriginals began to dwindle. Being very proud of his rich Aboriginal tradition, I could tell Colin was more than willing to share his experiences and insights with us. Quite frankly I felt privileged to hear his testimony and be accepted into the Aboriginal community.

            Not only did the Morgan family defeat the negative stereotype of the Aboriginal culture, they taught me many positive traditions of their lifestyle. Colin enlightened us with the rich tradition of the Aboriginal dreamtime, which ultimately made me understand how interesting their culture really was. They made us look past the initial perceptions and not judge by skin colour and lifestyle. They acknowledged that actions speak louder than words, proclaiming that whites and blacks ought to come together to create peace. Even though I have always been taught to work together as one human race to create peace, the Morgan family’s rich words really made me realise the importance of just this. The Morgan family’s willingness to listen and reach out to the white community really showed their desire to achieve societal tranquility among all.

 Learning about Myself

            Reflecting on this experience with an Aboriginal community, I learned many things about myself. For example, my first encounter with Aborigines in Fremantle made me quite reluctant to associate with the Aboriginal culture. Although I knew all Aboriginals were not like this, I still decided to take extreme caution around them. Looking back at this, I was wrong to stereotype the Aboriginal people as such. Because of this initial reaction to the Aboriginal actions, I see myself as susceptible to outside influences attempting to mold my ideologies, which in turn I hope to work on in the future.

            Interacting with the Americans in the group, I realised that we all have some very different viewpoints about immersing ourselves in different cultures. I believe some people took far more out of this experience than others because of their willingness to try new things. As expected, I believe some peoples’ close-mindedness really inhibited their chances of really experiencing and understanding the Aboriginal culture.

            On the contrary I believe I tried to immerse myself in the culture as much as I could. First meeting the elders at Whistle Creek, I knew we were going to have a very insightful afternoon. During the first ten minutes there, I decided to sit down and fish with Kathleen, one of the elders. After some brief informal conversation, Kathleen decided to discuss how the Stolen Generations affected her. Simple because I sat down and talked with her, I was able to really “experience the people” of the Aboriginal culture. In my opinion, I was able to get a lot out of this experience because of my willingness to extend past my comfort zone. My interactions with the Aboriginals reinforced my desire to meet and understand different groups of people. I feel extremely privileged to have the opportunity to meet such fascinating people. Having said that, I aim at taking advantage of all of these opportunities in order to make the most out of my experiences here in Australia.

Conclusion

            All of us clearly had different experiences in Broome. Without a doubt, I believed I was able to really experience as much as I possible could. Because I aimed at immersing myself in such an unfamiliar culture, I believe I broadened my viewpoints about Aboriginal people, as Colin hoped for us to do. Prior to the Broome experience, I had very little background of the Aboriginal culture. After this meaningful experience in the West Kimberly, although I hope to still learn more about such a rich culture, I have a better idea of the cultural diversity of Australia, as well as myself as a person.

Living in the Outback

Hello followers!

Thanks for reading my blog. I am not going to lie. This will probably be a short one. I have been staying super busy with papers. Oh professors like 2,000 word (8 page) essays.

I just got back from Broome in the West Kimberly. The West Kimberly is like a region of Western Australia. It was about a 2.5 hour plane ride up north. All of us from St. John's/St. Ben's went for one of our classes. We lived with an Aboriginal host family for five days. Quite the experience. I had little knowledge of the rich tradition of the Aboriginal culture before this excursion.

During this trip we went spearing, crab hunting, swimming, played footy, saw beautiful beaches and sunsets, and had many interactions with the Aboriginal people. Without a doubt, I could have stayed longer there. The elders that I met (Rosy, Nancy, and Kathleen) really loved me. In a sense they took me under their wing and really accepted me. Apparently this is a very rare occasion. Also, they allowed me to take video footage of them singing in their native tongue. I guess this is SUPER RARE. I am so blessed.

Living with the Aboriginal people I now have a better understanding of their culture. Although primitive at times, I really enjoyed immersing myself with them. Please look at my pictures and videos for a better idea. Honestly, I cannot do any justice to my experiences there.