Goodbye Lismore and the Soupie

During my time at homestay, I've been really fortunate to meet a lot of wonderful people. My study abroad program really places an emphasis on 'sense of place' as one of its tenets and I think I can safely say that I've developed this elusive sense of place with the town of Lismore - that is, I feel as though I've developed a deeper personal tie to the area.  It actually reminds me a lot of Easthampton, which is both strange and comforting.  I've gotten the chance to volunteer at the soup kitchen three times now - each one really special.  This last time, I was able to pass out cadbury chocolate eggs to the residents and clients, my way of spreading some Easter cheer (and not eating them all myself!).  The soup kitchen actually reminds me a lot of the Northampton Survival Center, the emergency food pantry I volunteered at every week in high school and where I interned full time the summer after freshman year of college.  There is just such a sense of community, humility, grace and caring at both the NSC and the Lismore Soup Kitchen. I am really grateful to have been able to share this experience with my homestay family and I've posted a few pictures below. Because the Soupie (as it is fondly known) is (unofficially?) affiliated with Christianity and takes place in the same hotel/building as the services, the presence of religion and spirituality is unsurprising.

I thought this was a really endearing poem.

An artistic representation of Jesus' identity.

Music was a big part of mass; a really beautiful part. These services are worlds different from the Roman Catholic masses I attended growing up - never mind the structure, even just the venue (these services at held in the Winsome Hotel, which was renovated and turned into accommodations for the homeless).

From the Winsome Hotel website

Goodbye Lismore, Hello Brunswick Heads!

Back in the Lis, one last time.

Happy Easter everyone! I didn't think that the next time I'd be writing was from my homestay family's in Lismore, but I've returned for the Easter holiday because we can't move into our rental until next Wednesday. I got a chance to go to church today and afterwards, I volunteered with my homestay family at the soup kitchen, which is always a real treat. I passed out my Cadbury eggs, which was a cause for smiles all around and we sang a lot! It was really wonderful. ISP (Independent Study Project) has officially started and most group members have parted ways (some went to Sydney, others to Melbourne, one to Tasmania, Brisbane, some stayed in Byron - basically all over the place!). Before I get into that, however, a [lengthy but hopefully informative] recap from last week:


We returned from our Aboriginal camping trip, which was just amazing. The following is basically a fulfillment for one of our paper assignments (without a works cited list), but I thought it might be interesting and useful for those wanting to learn more about traditional Aboriginal culture:


In the reading “What is Sustainability?” Richard Heinberg writes, “the concept of sustainability has been embodied in the traditions of many indigenous peoples...of the Iroquois...that chiefs consider the impact of their decisions on the seventh generation to come” (14).  This was one of the earliest moments in the semester in which sustainability was linked with indigenousness and since then, we have been fortunate enough to experience this connection first hand.  It was an honor and a privilege spending the last several days with Doug “Dougie” Wilson (and Pete) of the Bundjalung nation and Uncle Russell “Rusty” Butler of the Bandjin/Warrgamay people, a truly remarkable experience filled with many lessons in sustainability and life in general.  With a history spanning tens of thousands of years, it is both logical and imperative to draw inspiration and guidance from the Aboriginal way of life in building a more sustainable future.


Many Aboriginal social practices, behaviors, stories and attitudes are fundamentally sustainable and are rooted in their indigenous philosophical worldviews.  The dreamtime stories can serve as a basis for this culture and similar to the Bible’s Book of Genesis, they are a narrative of creation, which links people with their place on Earth.  Using creative beings, they describe how the physical landscape of each region formed and how these spirits still reside in the land today and manifest themselves in each individual.  "The Dreaming" provides a foundation for the human relationship with the land by creating a sense of inherent interdependence and obligation.  It serves as a form of “collective spiritual identity,” which generates the Aboriginal custodial land ethic.  Dougie and Russell gladly shared dreamtime stories with us by the fire, which explained features of the natural environment such as the black coloring of the crow.  Aboriginal musician Kerrianne Cox from the Kimberleys of Western Australia made a visit to our camp too. She also spoke of this interdependence with the natural environment, articulating how we all come from the Earth, should give back to the land throughout our lives and then once we die, our bodies return to it.  She also explained how we should be able to communicate with everything on Earth, from the rocks to the fire to the trees.


In addition to dreamtime stories, Aboriginal spirituality is rooted in two basic principles as described by Mary Graham: “the Land is the Law” and “you are not alone in the world.”  Together, these tenets prioritize the Earth and kinship: the importance of treating the land as a sacred entity and displaying loyalty to one’s own clan.  Furthermore, Aboriginal/Natural Law serves as both religion and science as it includes creation stories and rational explanations.  These various aspects of Aboriginal worldviews including the creation, spirituality, and law should be transferred to modern society to create a more sustainable world.  If everyone viewed our relationship with the land as something fundamentally deep and also valued interdependence and kinship, then we would be less likely to destroy our world. 


Aboriginal culture also views time in a fundamentally different way than western society.  Instead of portraying it as a linear or chronological entity, they regard time as something circular, multi-dimensional, and continuous.  Mary Graham instructed us to envision a large bubble in the center of the classroom to represent all of time – that is, everything that ever was in the past, exists in the present, and still is to come in the future, in all forms.  This was a perplexing exercise but it encouraged us to extend our current restrictive and conventional views of time to instead incorporate an entirely different model.  It was also interesting to learn that many Aboriginals view watches as tiny pieces of machinery that simply count their own ticks, whereas westerners often revere their time-keeping devices and display them proudly.  The fact that 9 am or 3 pm do not mean anything to Aboriginals, who can live with just dawn, noon, and dusk, which display their presence vis-a-vie the land, is intriguing to western culture.  It was refreshing and liberating to be free from electronics and especially watches, clocks, and cell phones during the camping trip, all of which symbolize the chaos and rushed nature of our society.  Aboriginal views of time are fundamental to the sustainability of their culture and should inspire us slow down and live in the moment.  Moreover, the multi-dimensional and perpetual time bubble emphasizes interconnectedness, which fosters responsibility towards the land and future generations.


From philosophical worldviews emerge social and political structures.  First and foremost, Aboriginal people operate within lateral societies instead of hierarchies.  They highlight diplomacy and collaboration in decision-making.  This emphasis on equality, social harmony, and cooperation are extremely important in creating a more sustainable society as we proceed through the twenty-first century.  Currently, our world exists within a destructive and oppressive hierarchy in which those on the bottom suffer immensely.  We could clearly benefit from adopting the Aboriginal sense of egalitarianism to promote social justice, human rights, and community.  Although no individual with immense power exists with an Aboriginal mob, the knowledgeable elders are respected and treated as authority figures.  In the west, we often send our elders to nursing homes or rashly write them off as dirty or crazy – hardly the way in which they deserve to be treated.  In order to promote both intra and intergenerational equity, we need to learn from those who came before us and the best way to do that is to foster a sense of reverence, genuine interest, and open communication – something that the Aboriginals have achieved.


Following larger social structures are accepted behaviors and other micro-customs.   In Aboriginal societies, people always introduce themselves by explaining where they come from, including the origins of their mother and father.  Unlike the simple western introduction of our name, the Aboriginal greeting provides a deeper context, informing about one’s land and thus their identity.   In conjunction with dreamtime stories and their spirituality, identity is also derived from the land.  Hence Aboriginal culture values sense of place, which is something from which modern western society could benefit immensely.  Scholars and writers often describe Americans as being a place-less people, a nation that is transient and homeless, always in search of the next best thing and never quite satisfied.  Because we are always on the move, many people are incapable of developing ties to the land and thus, their identities and cultural roots suffer.  Sense of place is crucial in developing a land ethic, so western society should learn from the Aboriginals in terms of relating land and identity.  


Transient people, however, are not always negative, which can be seen in early nomadic societies.  Aboriginals were largely nomads since the Australian soil and climate are unsuitable for agriculture.  The reading “No Fixed Address” by Robyn Davidson illustrates how pre-agrarian societies were in fact more sustainable in many ways.  For instance, they shared food, had egalitarian social orders, and their populations were low and under control.  According to Davidson, as a nomadic society, we treated ourselves, the environment, and the land/animals better than we do today.  There are several facets of nomadic culture that he believes we should adopt, including: humanistic virtues, the view that the world is a complex system of interactions instead of simple dualisms, comfort with uncertainty and contradiction, a diverse outlook and preparedness for differences, accommodating to change, a focus on gaining knowledge not wealth, and an emphasis on tolerance, practical wisdom, balance, and adaptability/flexibility (49).  Davidson acknowledges that while we cannot revert to a truly nomadic society, we can use it as a model for the future.


In addition to philosophy, spirituality, regional and group identity, more tangible aspects of Aboriginal culture can serve as inspiration for sustainability in the twenty-first century.  Camping at Minyumai exposed us to local and sustainable food, medicine, and housing on a small scale.  For instance, taking walks in the bush with Dougie allowed us to try wild edibles, and Kerrianne spoke to us about the importance her people place on seasonality in growing food.  We also used leaves and other natural remedies to treat scrapes and insect bites.  We collected branches and palm leaves for building, peeled off the bark to serve as binding, and constructed a small lean-to out of entirely sustainable, local, and biodegradable materials.  When discussing hunting and eating, we also learned that Aboriginal people reduce food waste by eating and using all parts of the animal or by sharing the surplus with others.  All of these concrete aspects of culture should be replicated as much as possible in western society.  Sustainable and local food should continue to be at the forefront of our minds and we should also prioritize natural medicine and eco-friendly housing.    


Our group also got the chance to experience art, song, dance, and oral tradition within the Aboriginal context.  At the Arakwal Welcome Ceremony, we listened to the didgeridoo, sang and danced.  We wove string made from local tree bark, which was a means of bonding for women as well as an art form.  We were able to use art at Minyumai as well; we crafted jewelry from handmade string and they encouraged us to paint stories onto our boomerangs.  In addition to painting stories, oral story telling also played an important role in our retreat, which fostered community and cultural exchange.  Modern society could benefit tremendously from a richer cultural experience, as we often underestimate the power of communal activities such as singing and dancing because we are too caught up in the rigidness of our everyday lives.


Camping at Minyumai was an insightful, unique, and emotional experience.  Reading about Aboriginal history, philosophical and spiritual roots, cultural norms, and modern day struggles in conjunction with learning directly from Mary, Russell, Doug, and Kerrianne was enriching and powerful.  There are so many aspects of Aboriginal culture that can and should be integrated into modern western society as we come together to build a more sustainable future.  These last few days have echoed the Traditional Indigenous Wisdom eco-philosophy, helping to bring the seminar full circle and to offer me more clarity in crafting my own vision of tomorrow. 


Unfortunately (or rather fortunately), I don't have any pictures of the experience because we were not allowed to bring cameras. I do, however, have my boomerangs to bring home, which are a nice tangible reminder of my time at Minyumai. Since then, I've spent the last two weeks in Byron Bay wrapping up the seminar portion of our semester. I celebrated my 21st birthday in Byron, which couldn't have been more special. I bought a birthday dress at an op-shop (thrift store), which was a good buy since I am trying to purchase less new items and especially frivolous things. However, I can feel OK about this dress since it was essentially recycled.  We had a beautiful potluck dinner for my birthday and I went out to a few bars. I also bought a boogie board, which was so much fun to take in the water.

Celebrating my 21st with delicious homemade chocolate cake made by my friend Ursula, who is a baking Goddess.

We had our social change workshop, for which we learned all about campaign planning, change theory, and the use of media in society (among many topics). 

I love our group so much. This was part of our feel good exercise for which we did word association with the group.

Photo credit for the last two goes to our lecturer/assistant academic director Eshana

We also took a trip to the Mullumbimby Community Garden and a woman's home in Mullum who has implemented an extensive permaculture system in her yard (complete with backyard chooks, ducks, fruit trees, water catchment etc.). At the Comm. Garden, we learned how to build a hot compost pile and at this woman's house, we built a no-dig (essentially a raised bed) garden.

They had a "Food for All" section from which we snagged a bunch of basil. I made some yummy pesto even though we didn't have a food processor. 

Friends stirring the poo for the compost.

Hacking with a machete.

Our hot compost pile.

Ducks in Sharon's backyard.

The day after our final exam, two friends and I climbed up to the rocks at the far end of the beach to see the sunset, which was really special.

Mullumbimby (the double mountains) in the background

We had to walk through a really strong current to get to the rocks. A stranger held my hand through it, haha.

Surfers out by the rocks.

Now I'm getting ready to move into my rental house in Brunswick Heads - according to the trusty source of Wikipedia:


"Brunswick Heads is a town on the north coast of New South Wales, Australia in Byron Shire. In 2006, the town had a population of 1,614 people.[1]


[It] is a small coastal holiday village situated at the mouth of the Brunswick River. Nestled within the breakwater there is the safe and peaceful Torakina Beach, while a white sandy surf beach stretches to the south. The north bank of the river hosts a protected rainforest and the southern bank provides a harbour and small marina for fishing boats and small craft. Mount Chincogan and Mount Warning provide a spectacular hinterland backdrop to the river that meanders up to the small town of Mullumbimby ("The Biggest Little Town In Australia").


Despite the surrounding coastal development, Brunswick Heads has retained its traditional seaside village atmosphere. Timber bridges link the riverside to the river and surf beaches." source here

I'm going to be living with three friends from SIT in a beach house in Brunswick. I believe our house is located in a park/nature reserve of sorts in between a river and the beach, so this is going to be awesome:

A satellite view of our house rental from Google Maps.

Furthermore, since I am doing my ISP remotely, I'm excited to be by the beach because I think I'll need some time away from my macbook. I've also finalized my project, which I can describe briefly. My research project titled, "The Eco-Potential of Farm Tourism in Australia: A Gap Analysis" aims to reveal how eco-friendly farm tourism is currently using the "eco-tourism guidelines" as a gauge. I plan to survey 50+ farmstay operations throughout Australia and intensively interview a few as well. I will also conduct content analysis of farmstay websites to explore how they are marketing themselves to consumers. Once I figure out how much (or how little) farm tourism is fulfilling ecotourism guidelines, I will try to figure out where they fall short and how this gap can be filled. I'm really excited because this is something I am passionate about, but I've never undertaken a project of this size and scope. We'll see how it goes - 5 weeks later!

Homestay: Week 2

In the blink of an eye, I'm already leaving my homestay family tomorrow. I feel like we just got to Lismore, yet it's already been two weeks and I'm packing my bags for the next leg of my Aussie journey. I've come to really enjoy living in this house with my host family and I might even be back for Easter weekend.  It's been a time filled with bonding over food, spirituality, family, and other life experiences.  Going to service with my homestay mom and aunt has made me realize that there is a serious spiritual void in my life that I am going to work to fill when I get home. We shall see how this goes!


For the first time since being in Australia, we've had a pretty calm last few days. We had three days of class and two work days.  In one of our classes, we watched a lecture called "Arithmetic, Population, and Energy" by Dr. Albert Bartlett of UC Boulder. Dr. Bartlett poses some really interesting concepts in his argument such as the significance of the exponential function as it relates to population growth and energy consumption; and despite the seemingly dry nature of the presentation, it's important stuff.  I plan on showing it to friends and family upon my return. For now, it can be accessed via youtube at this link.


We also had a great day with Mary Graham in preparation for our Aboriginal camping trip.  "Mary Graham was born in Brisbane and grew up on the Gold Coast, she is a Kombu-merri person and is also affiliated with the Waka Waka group through her mother. She has lectured and tutored on subjects in Aboriginal history, politics, and comparative philosophy at the University of Queensland and at other educational institutions around the country." (source here).  As part of this Aboriginal Worldviews Workshop, we discussed many different topics including Aboriginal concepts of creation/genesis, time, logic, language and social norms, political structures, and spirituality. Tomorrow we leave for our four day trip at the Minyumai Indigenous Protected Area, south of Evan's Head near Bundjalung National Park.  We'll be spending these days with Doug Wilson, who is the traditional owner of the area and a member of the Bundjalung nation, and Uncle Russell Butler who's coming down from Queensland.  We aren't allowed to bring electronics, cameras, watches, or notebooks - another first. It will be exciting to take in the next few days without having to worry about taking notes or snapping photographs; I think we'll really get a chance to live in the moment.


Here are some photos from the past week:


We briefly went to a coal seam gas protest outside local politician Thomas George's office.  The controversy surrounding coal seam gas in Australia is very similar to what's going on at home with hydro-fracking of the Marcellus Shale.  

"How can anyone knowingly poison our life source. Be on the right side of history Thomas."

"Coal seam gas is banned in New York - France - Bulgaria and fracking is banned in England.  What is our government doing?"

"Lock the Gate" - a campaign that is being run in an attempt to keep out gas companies.

A kid with an upside down sign. How endearing.

And on a happier note...

Last night (as another token of my appreciation) I made dinner for my homestay family: chicken tikka masala, steamed broccoli and rice. My (real) mom would be so proud!

After the Aboriginal camping trip, we're back to Byron Bay and then this component of our coursework is over (it's hard to believe).  Then we spend the last five weeks doing our Independent Research Project.  I'm already planning post-program activities including a possible road trip up the Pacific Coastal Highway from Brisbane to Cairns to see the Great Barrier Reef, which is both exciting and overwhelming.

Homestay Adventures: Week 1

I can't believe I've already been living with my homestay family for a week.  The time in Lismore is just flying by.  So far, we've had a few days of class, two field trips, and couple of days off as well (what a perk!).  I can't really say much about my homestay family/the details because of privacy reasons, but I will say that I love them!  My family is so sweet - they have the biggest hearts and I really enjoy spending time with them.  We've done some cool stuff including going to mass, volunteering at the soup kitchen, and spending an afternoon at the dog beach (where I went for a run and played in the waves).  We take turns cooking dinner and the other night, I made butternut squash (known as 'pumpkin' in Australia), sweet potato and carrot soup.

Our first exciting outing was the all day Natural Environment fieldtrip to the Border Ranges National Park.  Sometimes I feel like all we do is drive around on this program (it took about 2 hours to get to the park), but once we arrive at our destination, everything becomes clear.  The places we see are some of the most extraordinary in the world.  We drove by the Nimbin Rocks.

The Nimbin Rocks are made up of Rhyolite and are the product of volcanoes.

Photo source here

We climbed a significant amount of elevation in the bus, as we drove partway up the mountain.  While we were closer to the top, we stopped at a picnic area for a lecture and to have lunch.  We learned about the climate, geology/geomorphology, vegetation, fauna and human influences of the area.  This includes the fact that we could see Mt. Warning from our lookout, which is the best preserved erosion caldera in the world!! SO COOL.  (FYI - a caldera is a massive crater that usually forms when a volcano erupts/collapses).  So we were essentially looking at the remains of an enormous shield volcano.

View from the picnic area lookout

My friend Katie and I :)

After lunch, we got a chance to take a rainforest hike through Gondwanan, cool temperate rainforests (remnants of Gondwana, the southern super continent once made up of India, South America, Africa, Australia, Antarctica, and present day Arabia).  We learned that fire is the main control/determinant in this kind of climate and that the area is extremely high in diversity.  The Gondwanan rainforest of Australia is actually a World Heritage area (we've seen a few now) because it shows "major stages of the earth's evolutionary history" and "significant ongoing geological processes, biological evolution and man's interaction with his natural environment" and serves as habitat for "threatened species of plants and animals of outstanding universal value."  Very cool.  Earlier in the week, some of us even got the chance to visit Terania Creek near our homestays, which is the site of the first direction action taken to protect rainforests..in the world!! (and a success).

Hiking through Gondwanan Rainforest

Walking out to one of the lookouts

Views from the top

Group photo :)

Our next awesome fieldtrip was to OrganicForrest, an organic farm outside of Nimbin run by farmer Dave Forrest (clever name, eh?).  He talked with us about food systems, the local and organic food movements, building soil fertility, composting, integrating animals into farming, managing pests and all things that make me happy.  He gave us a tour of his farm including the orchards.  

CUTEST DOG EVER. Quite a lap dog too.

Palm trees on a farm...I could get used to this

After the organic farm, we made our way over to the Djanbung Gardens in Nimbin.  They are based in permaculture principles, which include:

1. Observe and interact

2. Catch and store energy

3. Obtain a yield

4. Apply self-regulation and accept feedback

5. Use and value renewable resources and services

6. Produce no waste

7. Design from patterns to details

8. Integrate rather than segregate

9. Use small and slow solutions

10. Use and value diversity

11. Use edges and value the marginal

12. Creatively use and respond to change

Basically, permaculture is a fusion of many different disciplines including ecology, engineering/planning, geography, and traditional indigenous wisdom among many fields.  It also aims to design gardens/food production systems that are modeled after the natural environment (E.g. using biomimcry to create food forests).  

The nursery

Really cool bamboo - this variety is one that's mainly used for furniture because it's so decorative in color.  The gardens grow a ton of different types of bamboo, much of it used for structural purposes.

Kookaburra in a tree!

"Singing and dancing with abandon is encouraged in this area..." one of the signs posted near the garden

One of my classmates with a piggy!

Seeing citrus grow is amazing.  I think these are oranges actually.

The readings we did in preparation for this day of fieldtrips (including "The benefits of organic farming," "Do food miles matter?" "Getting fossil fuels off the plate," "Growing community food systems," and "Following the food chain back to Iraq") in addition to the actual visits were some of the best parts of the program for me so far.  These are issues that I care so deeply about and the area in which I want to study in grad school/pursue a future career. So cool beans.

When I was going to sleep last night, I found a creature in my suitcase.  Ohh...it's just my homestay kitty Schedrick (aka Scheddy).  In fact, he looks a bit like Oliver (one of my cats at home).

Today was also a super fun day.  One of my friends and her homestay mom picked me up in the morning around 10 AM and we got a chance to go to the Channon Craft Market, which is held on the second Sunday of each month.  According to the website, "The market assembles over 250 stallholders to trade each month in a wide variety of goods which include art, craft, second hand, children’s activities, fresh produce and therapeutic goods and services. There are alfresco dining areas, food and coffee stalls and live entertainment provided by buskers and commissioned musicians.  The Channon Craft Market’s reputation, not only as the longest running in the region, but as the most colourful and vibrant market in Australia really is cause for celebration." It was such a cool experience - there were vendors selling everything, with a lot of the products being local, handmade, organic, second hand etc.  Needless to say, I spent way too much money.  I bought my homestay family some tea (Rooibos Chai - delicious!) and some peanut lime chili spread; I bought myself two headbands, a turquoise stone necklace, and a handmade Byron Bay magnet.  I have a weird obsession with magnets actually; I love buying them from places that I've traveled (my fridge at school is usually adorned with my magnets from Santorini and Rome to name a few).  I loved the Channon Market not only for all the goodies I could buy, but also for the sense of community, activism, and sincerity. 

There was a big anti-nuclear campaign going on (I am not sure if this happens all the time, but I think so).  The guy pictured below was walking around in this really intense outfit in protest of nuclear.  He was dressed in all black and on his head is what looks like a gas mask.

"Hiroshima Never Again"

"No more nukes.  Nuclear power industry is costly.  Contaminating the Earth"

We also stayed for the Drum Circle.  This was particularly awesome.  At one point, I joined in and it was such a fun and liberating experience.  

The guy climbed on top of the barrels in protest.  A fitting end to the day.