good, I was always sure I was a woman, too not a soprano, though, I guess.. I am from Germany (recently moved back here), thought the accent would give it away... Hopefully I'll have that eureka moment you had some day! Are u singing in a band now?
I absolutely don't know why my throat hurts like that sometimes - I have read that one should keep the throat open and relaxed, and relaxing might be one of my biggest problems. It seems like a paradox to me to sing powerfully and stay relaxed at the same time..will need to ask the teacher about that.