Photos from an alley in Rapid City that's devoted to street art and one of the things I love most about the city
All appointments must be made day of, but when Medina calls in her son with flu symptoms at 8:07 in the morning, the day is already filled up. A sixteen year old girl tries to kill herself, and she can't get in for counseling for another three weeks, which is long enough for her to try again. Rather than filling cavities, adult teeth are pulled. IHS can't set bones or perform surgery, so if you come in for anything more dire than stitches or pain meds, they send you two and a half hours to Rapid City, provided your paper work checks out. And that's only if they have room in their budget. If you break your arm on the 30th of the month, forget it. Insanity, right? How can this occur in 20th century America? For one, IHS is heavily underfunded (it's controlled by the BIA and the federal government). Not to mention, there's two doctors at IHS for the reservation's 8,000-9,000 residents. They're doctors who are here for a year or two to pay off their loans and then they are are their merry way. Sounds a lot like the teachers too. Be thankful today for what you have, and if you're as outraged as I am about the conditions that are in your backyard, spread the word. The government is still fighting the Indian WarsMy first day back to the Y went smoothly though I just keep adding things to my to-do list: grant writing, recruiting volunteers, making email lists, starting our compost etc etc. It's just me besides the after school staff--Courtney's at a conference for a week and Andy is in Africa until February. It feels strange with them gone, but I'm being put on the pay roll this week, so I'll be rolling in the dough (comparatively). One of the 12 year old girls who always hangs out with me in my office came into the Y today, realized that I came back and exclaimed, "Oh my god, Amanda's back," came barreling towards me and almost knocked me off my chair with a ginormous hug. It made my day, especially since it turned out to be a hard one. Word on the street is that a family of kids who are Y regulars were taken by the state today. This will make a total of six kids who have been taken away since I moved out here (which was six months ago to this day by the way--can you believe it? In some ways it feels like I've been out here forever and in some ways it feels like I just moved in). This is one of the hardest parts of the job--connecting with kids who are here one day and gone the next, with no warning. Some return when their parents finish parenting class or are taken out of foster care to live with extended family, but only time will tell. Words of WisdomWhen we give cheerfully and accept gratefully everyone is blessed. --Maya Angelou
If you judge people, you have no time to love them. --Mother Teresa I do it for the joy it brings, cause I'm a joyful girl. 'Cause the world owes us nothing, we owe each other the world. --Ani Difranco |
AuthorFear, uncertainty and discomfort are your compasses toward growth. ArchivesCategories |