Everyone kept telling me that fall at the Sioux YMCA would be a 1000 times slower than summer, but I feel just as busy! It seems like summer day camp just ended yesterday. I can't keep up with everything that I have to do out of the office, so I have a lot to fill you in on. I've decided the best way to catch up is to share anecdotes in the order I've recorded them in my journal. So here goes about another month on the rez....
9.5.14
Whelp, they've made me a coffee drinker. When I first got here my coworkers made fun of me for not drinking coffee and teased that I'd be drinking it soon enough. I tried to hold off for as long as I could, but come September, by all means, I was a coffee drinker. Anyone who knew me in college understands how big of a deal this is. I can't believe how easily coffee goes down now!
Today for lunch Medina ran to LTM [Lakota Thrifty Mart, the tribal run grocery store in town] and picked up salad fixings. We all had a plate, but also had to make sure to make a "spirit plate." You put a plate out with a dollop of everything you have to appease the spirits and keep them happy.
Andy and I went to the basketball game at the high school in Eagle Butte tonight after work. Even in Eagle Butte, there were dogs running everywhere--even on the football field during the game, which I thought was hilarious. Andy joked that everyone in Eagle Butte probably thought that we're dating because we were the only two white people and we came together. That's just the way people think out here.
Today for lunch Medina ran to LTM [Lakota Thrifty Mart, the tribal run grocery store in town] and picked up salad fixings. We all had a plate, but also had to make sure to make a "spirit plate." You put a plate out with a dollop of everything you have to appease the spirits and keep them happy.
Andy and I went to the basketball game at the high school in Eagle Butte tonight after work. Even in Eagle Butte, there were dogs running everywhere--even on the football field during the game, which I thought was hilarious. Andy joked that everyone in Eagle Butte probably thought that we're dating because we were the only two white people and we came together. That's just the way people think out here.
9.9.14
I can tell from the multitudes of compliments I received on my Lakota beaded earrings that beautiful beaded earrings are something to be proud of out here. In just one day I received compliments on a pair from all the women I worked with, a handful of little girls, and even JR and John.
I think I mentioned that I moved into the director of the Y, Carol's, house. She's 64, so we get along well (cuz you know, I'm kind of an old soul). Usually Carol cooks and I wash the dishes, but sometimes I cook for her too. She also lets me use her kindle and passed on a lot of nice hand-me-downs like a NorthFace jacket!
The community garden idea has been ixnayed until spring, but I may be teaching a beginners ballet class this fall once it's too cold for soccer. We just need to build a barre and see if we can use the community hall for the class.
After school programming has been pretty hectic. We've had between 20 and 30 kids every day, which is much more than I experienced this summer.
I think I mentioned that I moved into the director of the Y, Carol's, house. She's 64, so we get along well (cuz you know, I'm kind of an old soul). Usually Carol cooks and I wash the dishes, but sometimes I cook for her too. She also lets me use her kindle and passed on a lot of nice hand-me-downs like a NorthFace jacket!
The community garden idea has been ixnayed until spring, but I may be teaching a beginners ballet class this fall once it's too cold for soccer. We just need to build a barre and see if we can use the community hall for the class.
After school programming has been pretty hectic. We've had between 20 and 30 kids every day, which is much more than I experienced this summer.
9.11.14
It's been raining and cold (40s) here for the past four days, so we switched up after school programming today and took the kids to the middle school girls' basketball game. Basketball is HUGE out here on the rez. Kobe (6 or 7 years old) held my hand all the way to the school. He pointed out all of the "rainbow spots" [oil spots] to me in the road. At the game Catrell asked me for a $1 for popcorn, but I didn't have any money and said so. Isaiah, a six year old boy sitting next to me overheard and stated ever so matter of factly, "no one does." I told this to Carol and she said people out here would call him an "old man," which is similar to our saying of "old soul" or "wise beyond years."
9.12.14
Today was my two month anniversary out at the Y. JR started telling me his life story today. Carol says that means he is comfortable with me. I'm not from here so I don't know everyone's stories like every else in this town does. By sharing his story with me he's trying to connect. The other day he told Trisa and Maria [two 12 year old girls] that I was a long-term volunteer doing this out of the goodness of my heart, making $50 a week. I think he told them this because they sometimes give him attitude and it was his way of buffering me from that. Trisa asked me if I saved all of my money and I told her that I use it to buy food. She said that she felt sorry for me. I told her not to--I'm happy.
9.14.14
Yesterday (Saturday), we took some of the kids on a hiking trip to Bear Butte. Bear Butte is actually a lone mountain and is a sacred site of the Lakota. There were prayer flags everywhere and little tobacco bundles hanging off the trees. We told the kids that they could not touch them, but LaShayne (7 yrs) took a tobacco bundle. I told him that he needed to put it back because it was somebody's prayer and Josh, a 9 year old, overheard and echoed me, saying that what LaShayne did was going to bring him bad luck. The crowd on the trail (2 miles up and 2 miles back) was a little strange--it ranged from normal hikers, to white hippies, and us. The kids had a blast and they all made it to the top. It ended up being a great way to bond with the kids. I walked most of the way up with Catrell. I think he felt left behind because all of the other boys his age went up ahead in the fast group with Andy. I made Catrell stop and take breaks so I could "drink some water." I could tell that he was tired, but didn't want to take breaks--he said, "never give up." We really bonded when a prairie tarantula (that's what I call them) crossed our path. Not two steps before I was teasing him about them when he had his finger down a hole. This one was the size of an orange. We both ran away like babies but then returned to throw rocks at it because it was still in our path. I think Catrell finally squished it. I got the girls in my car for the ride back. We had the music blasting and were dancing in our seats and singing. When we got back, I cooked stir fry for Carol and we had a good dinner chat. She told me that there are spirits here but to remember that not all of the them are bad. She said I probably won't see any because I'm not Lakota. That's fine with me. I think if I saw the dripping wet little girl that people have seen in the back room of the Y I'd run all the way back to Wisconsin.