June 1st

Throughout this course I hope to gain knowledge about rural areas and the way of life in these areas.  In our area, we are so used to being close to everything we need.  It will be interesting to learn about the different types of lifestyles within the communities we visit.  I am also very excited to learn more about the people I will be spending a week with!  One of the biggest apprehensions I have going into this week is how to speak to the elders within the community.  I of course always try to be respectful, but certain things that are acceptable in our day-to-day life may seen as disrespectful to them.  However, I am very excited to see how their family systems work, as many of them seem to be close knit.  I feel pretty open about the people within the Native American community and overall I am just so ready to learn from them!  I think that everyone has an idea of what a Native American "looks like," and I am eager to see how different the community is as opposed to what everyone thinks it is.  I cannot wait for all of the learning moments to come!