My Spring Break
I wish I had an picture now, but I don't own a nice digital camera. I'll describe my spring break with words.
I drove with 26 other people to a little town called Montezuma Creek which is in the middle of nowhere in the state of Utah. Montezuma Creek is a town in the Navajo reservation. I was excited because I wanted to learn more about Navajo culture---a culture I have never had experience with. The first two days were good. My van mates were fun and we were getting to know each other. The projects and activities were cool because I was doing service and learning more about the Navajos. I was even enjoying the scenery of the simple Utah landscape. I went to an elementary school full of Navajo children and actually enjoyed myself (I always say that I hate kids).
The kids at Aneth community school were the most enthusiastic kids I've ever seen. They cared so much about my culture and the culture of the other participants who were there that day. They were very curious and so sweet. I grew really close to Charon, a girl who had a speech problem, but by the end of the week, she began to ignore me. It broke my heart that I let her down. She is a sweet girl.
By the fourth day, I was tired of everyone. I've been on too many retreats this semester and I always hope that I form a deep connection with someone, but then I become very disappointed and angry when I see the other people form connections with others. I began to distance myself from everyone because I was so jealous of them. That feeling lasted for two days. I'm very glad that I was chosen to make frybread with the two older Navajo women because I don't think I would have been able to enjoy the hike with the other people. I talked to Jordan, which made me feel that I wasn't alone. I always feel like the downer because I don't know how to have fun sometimes. I become so caught up with my own thoughts and feelings.
Thursday was the greatest day though. We were allowed to wake up at 9:30am which is 2.5 hours later than the time we usually woke. We went to Aneth again and the children gave us a whole introduction to their culture. I fell in love with one kid, Anfernee. He's this overweight 5th grader. He gave us a presentation about hogans, and I was immediately drawn to him. I kept trying to get him to dance with me during the dances, but he always escaped to someone else making me think that he didn't like me at all. When we returned to Whitehorse, he came. He approached me and began to talk. The kid is absolutely hilarious. He is the cutest thing. Then my group had to go to the sweatlodge, and he decided to follow since he lived very close. His cousins were teasing him which forced him to enter the sweatlodge, but he hates the sweatlodge because it's too hot for him to handle. I hated seeing Afernee being teased, so during the entire duration of our time in the sweatlodge, I held his hand. He left after the first session and agreed to meet me back at the high school. When I returned to the school, he was chatting with Ashley. I wanted to spend time with him, but I couldn't be greedy. Then he talked to me. We laughed, danced, exchanged mailing addresses, etc. During the reflection, I spoke up for the first time to tell the group that I had no connection with that I had a sisterly love for my new little brother. I absolutely adore Afernee. I cry when I think about him because he had to miss school today, so his family could see a healer in Arizona. Both of his parents are alcoholics. All he wants to do is go to college but there are so many things against him. His mother has chased him out of the house before. He's only 10 years old! I told him that I would write to him as often as I could.
Remember to count your blessings everyday because I have witnessed a community that has so much less than some of us. Many areas of the reservation has no running water, electricity, or plumbing. Most of the families live in small trailers. The schools are subpar. Poverty and alcoholism exists in the community. Everyone and myself included believed that the reservation was a safe place for the Indians because we believed the government would repay them for all the wrongdoing they have done upon them, but we were so wrong.
I drove with 26 other people to a little town called Montezuma Creek which is in the middle of nowhere in the state of Utah. Montezuma Creek is a town in the Navajo reservation. I was excited because I wanted to learn more about Navajo culture---a culture I have never had experience with. The first two days were good. My van mates were fun and we were getting to know each other. The projects and activities were cool because I was doing service and learning more about the Navajos. I was even enjoying the scenery of the simple Utah landscape. I went to an elementary school full of Navajo children and actually enjoyed myself (I always say that I hate kids).
The kids at Aneth community school were the most enthusiastic kids I've ever seen. They cared so much about my culture and the culture of the other participants who were there that day. They were very curious and so sweet. I grew really close to Charon, a girl who had a speech problem, but by the end of the week, she began to ignore me. It broke my heart that I let her down. She is a sweet girl.
By the fourth day, I was tired of everyone. I've been on too many retreats this semester and I always hope that I form a deep connection with someone, but then I become very disappointed and angry when I see the other people form connections with others. I began to distance myself from everyone because I was so jealous of them. That feeling lasted for two days. I'm very glad that I was chosen to make frybread with the two older Navajo women because I don't think I would have been able to enjoy the hike with the other people. I talked to Jordan, which made me feel that I wasn't alone. I always feel like the downer because I don't know how to have fun sometimes. I become so caught up with my own thoughts and feelings.
Thursday was the greatest day though. We were allowed to wake up at 9:30am which is 2.5 hours later than the time we usually woke. We went to Aneth again and the children gave us a whole introduction to their culture. I fell in love with one kid, Anfernee. He's this overweight 5th grader. He gave us a presentation about hogans, and I was immediately drawn to him. I kept trying to get him to dance with me during the dances, but he always escaped to someone else making me think that he didn't like me at all. When we returned to Whitehorse, he came. He approached me and began to talk. The kid is absolutely hilarious. He is the cutest thing. Then my group had to go to the sweatlodge, and he decided to follow since he lived very close. His cousins were teasing him which forced him to enter the sweatlodge, but he hates the sweatlodge because it's too hot for him to handle. I hated seeing Afernee being teased, so during the entire duration of our time in the sweatlodge, I held his hand. He left after the first session and agreed to meet me back at the high school. When I returned to the school, he was chatting with Ashley. I wanted to spend time with him, but I couldn't be greedy. Then he talked to me. We laughed, danced, exchanged mailing addresses, etc. During the reflection, I spoke up for the first time to tell the group that I had no connection with that I had a sisterly love for my new little brother. I absolutely adore Afernee. I cry when I think about him because he had to miss school today, so his family could see a healer in Arizona. Both of his parents are alcoholics. All he wants to do is go to college but there are so many things against him. His mother has chased him out of the house before. He's only 10 years old! I told him that I would write to him as often as I could.
Remember to count your blessings everyday because I have witnessed a community that has so much less than some of us. Many areas of the reservation has no running water, electricity, or plumbing. Most of the families live in small trailers. The schools are subpar. Poverty and alcoholism exists in the community. Everyone and myself included believed that the reservation was a safe place for the Indians because we believed the government would repay them for all the wrongdoing they have done upon them, but we were so wrong.