ARCHDIOCESE OF BALTIMORE DELEGATION JOURNAL

Andrew from St. Ann's: Today we went to the Aboriginal Cultural Center. Technically the WYD activities are over, but we still went and had a good time. The first half of the talk we had was all about the history and culture of the Aborigines. Did you know that there were hundreds of tribes and languages throughout Australia? The talk was very cool and very informative.

After the main part of the talk, we learned about the weapons of the Aborigines. It was mostly different types of boomerangs (go figure) but it was all really cool. After that a handful of us tried the face and body paint they typically use, and then heard some mad didgeridoo playing. Later on, we also got to throw a boomerang. I failed miserably, but a few of us actually did really well. I blame the wind for my failure. All in all, the cultural center was really fun.

Later that evening, we went for dinner at a nice Italian restaurant with the Archbishop. At first, I was expecting to order from a menu, but surprisingly they just served a large selection of food to all of us as a group. The food was very good, and so was the desert. Real Italian food is a real treat. Anyway, I guess that's it. I'm going to miss this WYD week, but I still can't wait to get home.

Amy from St. Louis: Today was our last day in Sydney. It's sad, but at the same time, everyone is excited to get home. After waking up to a hearty hotel breakfast, we met up with Sue in the lobby (we missed her this weekend!) for an hour long bus ride to an aboriginal village.

At the village, a young man named Ramb showed us all sorts of aboriginal weapons and hunting tools, including boomerangs, and showed us a map of all the aboriginal tribes in Australia. There are over 500 tribes and 700 languages and dialects. After we learned about the boomerangs, we got a chance to throw one- some of us better than others! We replenished our energy with a meal that included kangaroo and emu sausages (both actually tasted very good). We finished the trip with a final visit to the gift shop.

In the afternoon, we divided into parish groups and did different things. Many visited the beautiful cathedral and then hit the streets of Sydney for a little gift shopping for those back home.

Finally, we ended the day with a delicious meal at an Italian restaurant with the Archbishop. The food was fantastic and it was great to have one last meal with everyone together especially with our special guests Steve Angrisano and his son and Archbishop Edwin O'Brien.