Monthly Archives: June 2012

Tamara organizing the kids table–first aid kits, baby supplies, dental care, etc.

Jessica and Lindsay–prepping to do cholesterol checks out of the van (could not do them in the direct sunlight so they worked out of the van!)

Natalie braiding hair–giving these girls some attention and helping to make them feel beautiful!

Danielle and Sarah–doing dental care demos and practice on hard boiled eggs soaked in coke.  The kids loved this!  Ashlie with a new friend–had to find this little one a pair of shoes–that concrete was hot and she did not have any shoes on.

Ashlie, Tamara, and Taylor at the kids table

Caitlin brushing the boiled egg “teeth”

Emily and Candace prepping for blood sugars

After arriving in West Des Moines on Saturday night, we lost some students to family and friends coming to pick them up.  I don’t blame them–if I could have driven straight through to Peoria, I would have done it.  We decided to get up and hit the road earlier than the Wings Like Eagles’ contingent–we hit the highway at 0530.  I am sorry that we did not get to say goodbye to the group and Ray, but we will see them again, hopefully!  The last bit of the drive was uneventful, and everyone left in the vans got to stretch out and rest.  We got back to the college at about 0930-ish, and I was home by 1030.  A completely fantastic trip, but there is nothing like coming home!!!!!!!!  I slept for 4 hours after spending a bit of time with Jim and John.  I plan to do a whole lot of nothing this week–will be catching up on my beauty sleep, cleaning house, doing laundry, etc.  The one thing that I plan NOT to do much of is drive–we drove over 3000 miles during the trip (use the following as a reference–3000 miles is like driving from Peoria to San Francisco and half way back)!

White River Visitor’s Center:  Emily Bell being attacked by a mountain lion–oh no!

30 miles on a dirt/gravel road!!!!  This is where we found the dog on Wednesday!

Red Shirt Table Overlook

Group photo at Red Shirt Table

Well, no pictures for today, but that is because I will be at the helm of the 15-passenger van for the drive from Rapid City to West Des Moines.  I hate it that I am back to feeling impatient–now it’s about getting home.  I also am trying not to feel frustrated with the crankiness in the van….what can I expect though after having 14 females crammed together for the past week!  I spent a lot of the drive thinking about how I can make the trip/experience better–quality improvement is always the goal!  The health promotion activities could not have gone better, but I am already thinking about how I can give the students a bit more downtime, drive less, not get on the other group’s nerves when we hold them up during the driving, etc.  I talked to Ray during the lunch stop, and I am a bit rejuvenated after a quick discussion and hearing his viewpoint and that we will be invited back!

We also had van discussion about the week’s highlights.  We have decided that we will make a group Tshirt with the top quotes from the week (many of them are from me!).

Another night at the Hampton Inn in West Des Moines, Iowa then home in the am.  Thanks to my compadre, Lisa, for bringing me back a healthy dinner tonight–at the end of this trip, I am disheveled; my scalp is sunburned and hair is a mess; clothes don’t match and are dirty; have a skin condition on my face (same thing happened last year); and my ankles are extremely swollen from so much driving!  Wouldn’t have it any other way!

We left our resort accommodations at the Lakota Prairie Ranch Resort Motel this morning at approximately 7am or so–while I poke fun at the name of this motel, it is the nicest accommodations of the group.  Cabins and motel rooms that are clean, comfortable, and have very modern amenities, including sketchy and intermittent internet access (which is OK!), along with a restaurant on site.

We went to Rosie’s at Singing Horse Trading Post for breakfast and goodbyes.  I love Rosie, the German lady that owns the Singing Horse–she is very kind and generous in all that she does.  I so enjoy talking to her.  I did some last minute shopping for souvenirs, and she ended up giving me a “wopila”, which is a gift given by the Lakota in return for a service (not sure that I have explained this 100% correctly)–I received a beautiful bracelet made by Andrea Two Bulls.  I was so shocked to receive this–I did nothing for Rosie during this trip, but it is rude to not accept the gift.  Again, her generosity is very genuine, and I will need to think of an appropriate way to thank her.

After leaving Rosie’s, the very large caravan, left the reservation with a stop at Red Shirt Table.  So glad that the students were able to experience this beautiful spot–just amazing!

We visited Custer State Park after leaving Pine Ridge–the park has a wildlife loop where you have the opportunity to see many animals from the safety of your car.  This was a new experience and enjoyed it quite a bit.  We saw buffalo, prairie dogs, pronghorn antelope, and wild burros.  The burros were not terribly wild though–they come up to your car and stick their heads in the windows looking for free snacks.  Fun!  We made the requisite trip to Mt Rushmore and then stopped in Keystone for some brief shopping (rained during this time).  After that a nice dinner at the Golden Corral in Rapid City and on to the hotel for the night…everyone was ready to get out of the van and relax!  Today is Lindsay’s Birthday so there was an impromptu and unplanned get-together for this–I gave her a wooden horse to commemorate the horseback ride from earlier in the week!

Leaving for home in the am….will stop in Des Moines for the night…have to say that I am ready to see Jim and John, my dogs (one of which caught a bat while I was gone), and sleep in my own bed!!!!

Thursday…Our last day on the rez.  I can’t believe that this week has gone by so quickly.  The last day on the rez is always a hard day for me.  I feel the stress of having to keep everyone moving in a forward direction for the whole week…trying to stay on time, meet the needs of the students, and of course, meet the goals for our health promotion efforts.  Thursday is the day where I feel so tired and ready to wrap the trip up so that I can go home to my family who I have missed very much, yet I am also sad because what we do is NEVER enough.  I want to do more!!!!  Already thinking about the next trip and what can be done.

We went to our last block party today in Wounded Knee Housing with the Wings Like Eagles Block Party Group.  It was more of the same from Monday–our efforts were the same focus  safety for the kids and cardiovascular screenings for the adults.  The party was steady–more kids than adults, yet plenty of clients for us.  We had some strollers to give away–an identified need came from observations.  Many moms carry their babies in their arms and do not have strollers.  We decided to give some strollers away….I noticed a little girl of about 7 or so looking at our strollers.  I struck up a conversation with her, and asked her if her family needed a stroller.  She said that her name was L., and that she had a brother and sister–one 4 and one 3 and that they are always fighting over the stroller.  If we were anywhere else, I would wonder if this little girl had an ulterior motive–maybe wanting a stroller for her baby doll, but her I know that she is looking out for her family.  Family is so important-yet in a different way than what I am used to.  I am so impressed by this little girl and others that I have seen, who are looking after younger siblings in all that they do.  L. took the stroller and seemed to enjoy herself at the block party, taking other supplies (mostly clothes) for her younger siblings.  She also got her hair braided by Natalie.  We gave away ALL of our children’s supplies–which was absolutely our goal.  I will have to do a final tally, but I think we gave away something like 20 carseats, 5 strollers, cases of diapers, hygiene supplies, dental care supplies, etc.  Again, the students worked SO hard and were very engaged.  Love seeing them in action!!!!!

Our evening activity was to hear Emerson Elk speak about the Wounded Knee Massacre and then visit the burial site.  I have experienced both before, but I cannot help but to be touched deeply by both again.  The burial site is truly a special place–there is something in the air there.  Again, I found myself crying…very affected by the spirituality of the place.  The photo is of the entrance to the cemetery.

After the Wounded Knee visit, we went to Mike Her Many Horses’ ranch to have a traditional meal.  We had the most delicious elk, salmon, corn, and fry bread.  The food was outstanding!  Mike is very gracious and spent much time talking to us about Lakota culture.  We also had our evening meeting there–each night an eagle feather is given to a member of the contingent who has “went above and beyond”.  Well, I received an eagle feather–I was again deeply touched.  I do not deserve this honor–there are so many others who should receive it.  It means even more because the person who received the feather the night before chooses the next recipient, and one of my students chose me.  I had a very hard time with this recognition–I do not do this trip for any recognition.  I do what I do to introduce students to this amazing culture and to try to provide services to the people here.  However, I am very thankful for this honor.