Broome

Hello everyone!  I just realized I hadn't posted in a couple months...woops.  But honestly, not much exciting is going on-going to class, doing homework, going to sleep, repeat.  That is basically it.  However, about a month ago, we went to Broome, up north in Australia, to spend 5 days with Aboriginal people, and it was amazing.  I am going to post what I wrote in my journal because that is in much more detail than what I can actually remember from that week.

The first day we were up there, we had to leave at 4:45 in the morning, way too early for all of us.  We finally got up to Broome in the afternoon, and went to Cable Beach, a famous beach up there.  It started pouring, however, but we didn't care at that point, and played games and ran around in the rain.  It was a lot of fun, and our group bonded a lot that day.

Day 2
Today was a lot of fun and I was filled with knowledge from Colin (the Aboriginal host for our trip).  He leads such a simple life and is completely happy-no money, no technology.  I am not sure, however, if I could live like that, unless I grew up that way.  Also, learning about the Dreamtime was cool.  I like the analysis of the dreams, and how you have to tell someone if you dreamt about them, and it is significant to tell them so that what happened in the dream doesn't happen to them.  It was fun to play didgeridoos and hang out as a group.  I also really liked riding the camels-it was fun to see Shane (our "professor")'s face as we got up on the camels, which was kind of scary.

This picture is us on our camel ride!

Day 3
Today, we went to a park.  While we were there, we heard about the spiritual views of Aboriginal people, such as the totems they have when they are born, including the birthmarks and the fact that they go back into the animals after they die.  We also discussed the fact that we don't really know much about what happens when we are born in our culture, which is interesting.  We learned how to throw spears, which was a lot harder than it looked.  It was amazing to think about the precision Aboriginal people must have to throw them accurately.  At night, we discussed U.S. and Australia likes/dislikes as a group.

Day 4
Today was amazing.  We went to a beach in an Aboriginal community.  The drive was pretty long and bumpy, but it was fine.  We were at a beach that less than 50 white people had ever been to.  It was like a place from a dream-the sand was super white, with lots of cool shells, and the water was very blue.

This is the beach!

At the beach, we learned how to fish with just a line and no rod.  We also talked with Aboriginal people from that community.  It was very hot, but the experience was worth it.  We heard stories of spirits on the ride home, and I am not sure that I believe in ghosts, but I am more open to believing than I was before.

Day 5
Today, we went crab fishing.  It was a fun day, but it was REALLY hot.  I did not really like the mud either.  You had to walk around in the mud to find the crabs.  It was a good day for a swim, and we did go to the pool after.  It was a day of hanging out, pretty much.  At night, Colin talked about spirits with the entire group, and we thanked everyone for a great week.

Day 6
This morning we discussed Stolen Generation a bit more, and packed up the tents.  We drove to the airport, took a group photo, and said goodbye to Colin and Maria.

This is us with Colin!

We boarded the plane, but were unable to take off due to electrical problems, and the plane was delayed for 5.5 hours...that was not very much fun.  However, I wrote my reflection for class during that time, so that I could get ahead on it.

My next post will probably be about spring break/scuba diving because that is what has been going on the past couple of weeks!