Hey all...I'm back from my fabulous travels around this area of the world. For a quick recap I visited Singapore for 4 days, Thailand for 5, and then camped in the Kimberly region of Australia with a group of Aboriginals for one of my classes.

I've never spent so much time out in the sun! I now have a lovely tan...not much compared to some people I traveled with, but pretty good for me.

The last trip I was on, with the Aboriginals, was simply amazing. While the accomodations were less than enjoyable at times, the opportunity to learn first hand about their culture and hear their stories was something that I will never experience anywhere else. I heard stories from the family we stayed with about their dreamtime tradition, their family and tribe structures, their law, the effects of the stolen generation (when Aboriginal children were taken from their families and raised in white society)...the list could go on and on.

I learned how to make a boomerang and a spear...if I were left to my own devices out there I'm certain I would starve! An interesting fact: boomerangs aren't really meant to come back to you. I mean...they're made that way for tourists and stuff, but in reality the aboriginals use them to hunt and in ceremonies, none of which involves the boomerang coming back.

And I even have a queer-related happening from this trip...we talked around the campfire every night, and my professor liked to pose 3 questions and have everyone answer them. One night one of the questions was "What's one thing most people don't know about you?" When my turn came around I said that most people don't know I have a girlfriend back in the US. The other professor (who's from my home uni) that was on the trip came up to me afterwards and we had a really good discussion about all kinds of things, including the atmosphere for gays at my home university. 2 of the girls even found me later and gave me a hug saying I was brave. It was pretty cool... I haven't experience any negative responses yet. (All the people on the trip with me are the people I live with here in Australia.)

I wasn't hiding the fact that I am gay before that, but there just hadn't ever really been any reason for me to tell people. I'm glad that I was able to just get it out in the open, that way I know if I mention my girlfriend the person I'm talking to won't be shocked, lol.

Anyways...I'm sure I've been rambling on long enough. I have a formal ball tonight and should get some stuff done before then. Hope everyone's had a good couple of weeks!

~Tiffany