Uluru

           Over the Easter Break this week I traveled to Alice Springs and then Uluru, a large rock formation in the Australian Outback. The size of the rock is impressive, in part due to the level surroundings void of other tall structures. When planning this trip, I was under the impression that I would be able to climb the rock. I did not, however, because the guide explained it is disrespectful to Anangu, the Aboriginal people of the area. Under the certain weather conditions, the rock is open for climbing and hundreds of tourists have climbed it. Some have even died doing so. The Anangu request that visitors do not climb Uluru because it is a sacred site to them and they feel responsible when visitors die. Certain areas are used for important ceremonies and only full members of the Anangu are allowed to view them.
        Rather than climb the Uluru, the tour walked on the 10k path around the it. The path is this long in order to put distance between hikers and the rock at set points which are sacred sites so hikers could not see them. There are other points on the walk that bring you right up to the rock and the sheer size of it is awe-inspiring. In some of the small caves and overhangs are paintings that map out where one can find water and hunting grounds.
        I am very glad to have learned all this about the Anangu culture. The idea of a sacred site is not new to me, but most that I am exposed to are man made: churches, temples, cemeteries, etc. However, it is the Anangu’s ancestors that make Uluru sacred rather than something the people built for them. They believe Uluru was shaped by their ancestors beings at the beginning of time and that is why it is sacred.

Catholic Culture

This week it was not Australian culture that made me stop and think but Catholic culture.  It expands beyond international borders and plays a vital role in many people’s lives. Last night I went to a Good Friday service with some other members of COSDU (Catholic of One Spirit Down Under).  This group, though is made up of mostly international students from Asia, has made me feel the most welcome in Australia out of any other group.

After the Good Friday service we went to one of the member’s house and watched The Passion of Christ, which is very graphically violent.  At the end of the movie, everyone was checking in with each other to make sure we were all alright. When I spoke with another new member after the movie, she expressed how nice it is to have the instant connection of the shared Catholic tradition with this group. I must say that I agree. I can bond more easily and quicker with other Catholics from different nations than even other Americans. Perhaps this is because Catholics have the same, or very similar, morals and beliefs as well as what we consider acceptable behavior whereas any two Americans may have a very wide range of beliefs. Catholic culture is an international one, and for that I am grateful because it has been a doorway for me to connect with others.

Kayaking and Scavenger Hunts

Last night I went on an awesome kayak tour. It was off to a rocky start when it took about 15 minute to find the correct dock, but once we found it there were not more issues. The instructors were friendly as well as the other kayakers. We practiced paddling around the harbor and then ate fish and chips in our kayaks. After everyone was done eating, we headed out of the harbor and into the Yarra River. Seeing as Melbourne is a cosmopolitan area,  we  paddled under lots of bridge. My buddy and I, who is also an American, whistled “Yankee Doodle” while paddling under some of the underpasses. This trip allowed me to see the city from a new angle as well as made me realize how much of the Melbourne I have yet see, which is exciting.

        On a less exciting topic, a scavenger hunt that I was really looking forward to this week was canceled. However, I still ran into the leaders of the club who were having a planning meeting and had some nice conversations with them, most about Game of Thrones and the Stations of the Cross. Though the day did not work out as I plan and I was disappointed about the scavenger hunt being canceled, it was still a good day, especially since I suddenly had time to finish my mid-term paper.

Support Systems

The best part of my week was not an adventure or a new experience. Rather, it was simply talking with friends whom I have not been able to catch up with since coming to Australia. It was good to experience that support system again and be reminded that it is still there, even if those in it are no longer in the next room over.

       On the other end of the spectrum, a negative experience this week was realizing I missed a get together with some of the few people I know in my building. I was at rugby practice during the BBQ. Though I am glad I went to practice because I am closer to my teammates than those I live with, I still had a sense of missing out. Though I already knew before this trip that commitment to certain groups and organizations means not participating in others, the feelings of missing out were not diminished. Regardless of this, however, I am happy in my decision to involve myself in the rugby community rather than others. It has proven to be a place that I can more easily connect with people and feel a part of a community in which I might, over time, develop another a support system.

Fried Ice Cream

One of the really great things about Melbourne, at least in the warmer months, is that there is almost always a festival on the weekend. Today’s festival was focused on Thailand. There were dance performances on the main stage, stalls to buy traditional food, and crafting tables. One table had an amazing display various fruits carved into beautiful flowers. In another, three women were making a paste which they then hardened and  sculptured into small fruits and imitation rubber ducks.

        Wanting to try something new but unsure with so many options, I chose to eat something I have heard of, but did not understand how to make: fried ice cream. Though I’m not at all sure it is a traditional Thai dish, it was very good and the presentation of it was certainly different than if I were to order the same thing at home. It was presented in a triangular shape, the ice cream in a paper like sugar case that was fried. The ice cream was served with almonds, roasted coconut and a caramel sauce on the side as well. It was all quite delicious.

        Sugary sweets aside, I could have used my time at the festival better. I did not learn much at all of Thailand culture. I can tell the difference now between their clothes and some dances from other Asian cultures that I have also been exposed to and before today I could not have. However, I do not know why the styles of dance and dress are the way they are. Nor could I tell you if fruit carving or fried ice cream are unique or original to Thailand. Really what I learned today is how much I do not know, that and how to fry ice cream.

Highs and Lows

The highlight of my week was the Women’s Rugby Information session I attended. It was great to joke with veteran players and hear the questions of the new ones. I have played rugby for five years now and what I love most about the sport is that community feeling I get from players, even when they are my opponents. For me, being a part of a team is about being committed to others who are also committed to you. It is a promise to watch each other’s backs on and off the field, to show up, and to become better at the game. The community feel is just as big of a draw to the sport for me as the game itself. This meeting being the highlight of my week speaks, I think, to my desire to find a community to really be apart of it.

        My least favorite moment was when I attended the Science Fiction appreciation club. Though I started off adding to the discussion, as well as introducing myself to the people near me, soon I found the conversation hard to join in on. At first I was alright with simply listening, but as the conversation veered out of my area of expertise, I lost interest and became disengaged. I stayed for ten or fifteen minutes to see if the conversation would turn again, but after noting that I had been there for almost an hour already I decided to leave. I figured I had put enough effort for the time being into trying to connect with others and I really did not want to be there any more. This being my low point of the week I think speaks again to my desire to connect with other and feel like I am a part of a community once again.

The Melbourne Museum

Today I went to the Melbourne Museum, which contains exhibits on the human body, WWI, evolution, the history of Melbourne, and Aboriginal culture. The Human Body exhibit had actual human organs on display as well as an audio section of a medical school professor carrying out the dissection of a convict who had been sentenced to death.  I do not consider myself squeamish and I am perfectly fine with carrying out dissections on animals in biology classes. However, upon hearing that audio clip, complete with the sounds of sawing and bones breaking, I was suddenly very happy with my decision to be a psychologist and not a psychiatrist because I could not make it through a cadaver lab if I were in medical school.

The other exhibit that left the biggest impact on me was the one Aboriginal culture.  The tragedies they have suffered are similar to those ordeals the Native Americans in the United States underwent.  As with Native Americans, many children were stolen from their homes and placed into white families or communities. These lost generations, as the exhibit referred to them, were taken from their communities and cut off from their culture. Despite being in a different country, I am finding the culture very similar and it is easy to find parallels. Besides that, I cannot seem to escape the American culture completely. There are more American TV shows and movies here than native ones as well as music and brands. These children, however, who were uprooted from lives in their Aboriginal communities, I think did not have an easy time with the differences. Though technically they never left the country, they certainly left their cultures and were placed in a new one. From the first hand accounts in the exhibit, these lost generations had to deal with many more barriers than I have come across and due to Americanization and Westernization more than I may ever encounter.