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.