We began our trip at the Alice Springs Desert Park and had our first introduction to aboriginal culture. It was a good introduction into what we'd be getting to experience first hand. We learned about techinques for survival, and methods of finding water and learned a few of the "stories" of the people.
At the end of our first day, we stayed in a small, modern aboriginal town and begin to experience the culture first-hand. We ate our first traditional meal (rabbit, wallaby and kangaroo over an open fire pit) and many people got to meet a group of aboriginal kids. They were playing near where we were staying, and we're so excited to show off their playground. They were so proud of it. The next morning, we met our guide Nigel, and went for a hike through Wallace. Along the way were ancient symbols for watering holes, and ancient cave paintings. Nigel pointed out all the plants and animals that they would use for food and medicine, and told of stories about the old culture.
Throughout the rest of the week, we'd be getting to learn and experience more and more. We saw, we learned and we talked. We visited Uluru, the iconic Australian Outback image, and we understood it's significance. We met local artists, and bought artwork off them in the streets. We got to try painting ourselves, and learned the symbolism in their work. They paint the stories of creation, and of daily life and it's amazing to get to see all their artwork, and to understand it.
We all learned so much, and gained so much respect for these amazing people. One of our leaders, Lyndon, tried to teach us about the distinctions of being a tourist versus a traveler. After all we learned about this place, and everything we got to experience, I am proud to say that I fit into the "travelers" category, along with the rest of our group. The Outback is the kind of place where you would hope to fit that category too.
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