Exploring Oz: Belonging

As I prepare for the second part of my journey (I’ve officially started my malaria tablets- mm mmm), I reflect on the many amazing experiences I’ve had the opportunity to have here in Sydney these past three weeks. If there’s one mantra that has resonated with me, it is the idea of ‘belonging.’ The wide variety of programs I’ve had the chance to visit with and engage in (from refugee support groups and special education schools to interfaith communication and Aboriginal education) have challenged many of the things I take for granted. Over the past few nights, I have fallen asleep reflecting on and being incredibly grateful for the seemingly simple privileges in life –my health, shelter, food, education, family and friends. Yet, even more basic than these is the sense of belonging –belonging to a community that has been able to provide these fundamental needs. I come from a background where my race, gender and religion all are accepted and I am made to feel that I am cared for and belong in my own society. Ultimately this sense of belonging becomes a part of who we are.

Photo courtesy of Bangarra Dance Co.

However, for some, this identity can be challenged, damaged, or even shattered. As I have seen in my interactions with some of the Aboriginal population, they have spent years fighting to reclaim pieces of their own identity. On Friday night, Rachel, Sarah and I went to see Belong (appropriately fitting), a modern dance performance by the Bangarra dancers who are part of Australia’s famous indigenous performing arts company, at the Sydney Opera House. The first segment of modern dance portrayed the natural connection to the land by symbolizing the winds moving across land, sea, and sky signifying key moments in time. Later choreography was based on people tracing their bloodlines and re-connecting with traditional culture while facing contemporary struggles in today’s society. It was a beautiful performance (I had special admiration for the costuming!) and at the same time brought to life the challenges to personal identity that I had spoken to Kerry, Daisy and Rhonda about over the past few weeks.

On Sunday night I had the opportunity to participate in Nigh Patrol and travel into the city with a truck full of coffee, sandwiches, and volunteers to serve some of the homeless and poverty-stricken men and women in the community. Because of the drug/alcohol addictions and economic challenges they face, these people, too, are many times made to feel as if they do not belong in our society. Some of them are forced to experience the hardships of being on the outside –one or two of them were without shoes, many were asking for blankets and almost all were simply looking for company and someone to talk to. I befriended a pair of outgoing entertainers that evening –Frank ‘Sinatra’ and John ‘the Baptist.’ Frank, upon hearing I was from the states, broke into a lively rendition of “New York, New York” (complete with the can-can leg kicks!) while John serenaded me with “Tomorrow” from the musical, Annie. Just like my visit to the soup kitchen Thursday night, these men and women proved that their homelessness or socioeconomic status does not define who they are. Rather, each one has an identity and personality apart from the situation they are currently in, as my two entertainers showed as they shared their musical talents with the volunteers that night.

Although in a different setting, this idea of identity and belonging was also evident in Saturday morning’s lecture on Dominican Mission Today back at Santa Sabina College. Srs Trish Madigan and Jill Shirvington both lead engaging discussions on the shifting trends and current struggles of the Catholic Church, the meaning behind our baptismal identity and what this means for living out the Dominican tradition in our own lives. Our small group talked about how our identity goes beyond the labels of religion and how we are called to balance the paradoxes we face and carry out the mission within our own sphere of influence, whether we be teachers, religious sisters, family members or students. Dominicans, it was noted, are “people with a passion,” and in that sense are in community with one another. I have been able to experience this first hand through all the lasting connections I’ve made with Dominican sisters and lay people here in Australia and have realized my membership of a larger, international Dominican family.

This sense of belonging would not be complete if I didn’t mention the amazing generosity and hospitality of the Pooley-Pow family. I am especially grateful for their warm welcome and everything they have done to bring me into their home these past three weeks. On Saturday evening, we got to celebrate this sense of community as I was bid farewell and we welcomed three Kenyan women into Australia after recently receiving their permanent visas. Each of us received a Dominican blessing before sharing a meal and enjoying the company: