dc [and surrounding areas]

After our fantastic time in the wilds of Maine, the DC area came as quite a shock to our small town selves. While the city is impressive, city living is not for everyone. We are not city people, and this became quite apparent during our brief stay in the greater Capitol region. Though, I will say that cities that have public transportation figured out do have that going for them. And DC seems to have it figured out (based on our limited interactions with the transit system).

We did manage to merge one of our joys - camping - with the big city. The city of Greenbelt is home to Greenbelt Park, a nice little NPS parking that boasts affordable camping and a couple of nice trails just a mile and a half walk away from the College Park metro station. We camped, did some trail running, and eventually made our way to the metro. We rode into the city and walked the day away, taking in the sights.

sculpture garden

Throughout the day we meandered through a variety of Smithsonian Museums and through the National Mall. We saw the popular monuments and memorials that are scattered around the mall and then hopped off of the Mall walkways and checked out MLK, FDR, and the Jefferson Memorial. For future visits, I think I would be happy just seeing MLK and FDR. Both really strike me as being memorials that our lives are modeled after - working to provide opportunities for all, regardless of their life circumstances. 

MLK memorial

The following day we made it to Teddy's Island and added a third site in the city that we would be happy to return to. Theodore Roosevelt helped to expand the National Park Service and for that we are forever grateful. We think of him every summer when we travel, and try to live a lifestyle that promotes conservation and ecological awareness. 

our friend teddy

Our time in the DC area ended with some time with friends. We had a great lunch with our former country director from Peace Corps and then made our way north to Baltimore (which took far longer than it should have - really, city people, if you have public transportation, use it!) to visit friends that we met during Peace Corps. It was a nice way to break away from the overstimulation of the city.

from our wanderings at ARTSCAPE in baltimore

and so it began

Once upon a time I said I would write about spring break happenings. Then it never happened. The school year ended and the mister and I did some contract work for our schools and before we knew it sumer began with a fun-filled week of exploring and showing our family around the Gallup area.

We were blessed with a week of amazing weather when Bruce and Linda came to visit. We were able to spend long days in the sun seeing all that the southwest has to offer.

We started our time together on Saturday with one of the best breakfasts you can find in Gallup (if you've never been to the Plaza Cafe and you're local, you're missing out) and a trip to a garage sale that some of our friends were having. We were lured there by the promise of lemonade being sold by cute kids, and that promise was met (with an added bonus of being PINK lemonade, something that I have a weakness for). I also managed to walk away with some great new-to-me scarves and a new book, Chris picked up a bolero tie, and Linda scored big with a whole new library for her daycare and some new noise-making toys. Our shopping for the day wasn't complete though, as every visit to Gallup should also include a trip to the local flea market. I finally purchased some earrings that I have wanted for about two years and Linda found a horse to take home!

Linda's new horse

On Sunday we made our way into Arizona where we spent our morning exploring Petrified Forest National Park. With the painted desert surrounding us, discoveries of petroglyphs and pictographs, blue mesas, and an abundance of petrified wood we relished the beauty of the natural world (I particularly enjoyed chasing lizards) and contemplated the lives of generations past. What would it have been like to live in the open desert? Where would the people have gotten their water? What brought people to the area and made them want to stay? The National Parks Service has a way of making you think about things in a new way, and for that I am always grateful. 

one of my lizard friends

petrified wood

We stayed in Gallup on Monday and did the touristy things that the mister and I typically overlook, but have secretly wanted to do during our time here. We visited the Storyteller Museum, checked out new trading posts and did the city mural walk. Gallup has a rich history and an abundance of talented residents and this was a the perfect opportunity to take all of that in. We also made a point of visiting another landmark in Gallup, Glenn's Bakery. Chris brought me donuts from Glenn's once upon a time after a run, but we really haven't eaten there, even though we had heard that we should. We had a great lunch and it will certainly be a place that we go back to (don't worry, they sell more than donuts!). 

Bruce and Linda with a Code Talker

Chris, our ever faithful tour guide

On Tuesday we went back to Arizona, this time to Canyon de Chelly. Since moving to the southwest, I have found Canyon de Chelly to be one of the most beautiful places that we have visited. It is majestic, full of history, and peaceful. There is something about visiting this place that is just relaxing, even when making the trip down into the canyon and then climbing back out of it. We hiked to the bottom of the canyon to show Bruce White House Ruins and then spent the rest of our day going to the overlooks. One of the things about Canyon de Chelly is that it is a living monument. There are still families that reside in the canyon, therefore visitors are not allowed to explore on their own (unless you are willing to run a long way). From the top though you are able to meet artisans from the area, learn about their families that reside in the canyon, and of course buy beautiful artwork (which we all did). On our way home from Canyon de Chelly we stopped in at Hubbell Trading Post for another glimpse of life in days gone by.

replica hogan 

the four of us at spider rock

white house ruins

Wednesday was a day of recovery, to some extent. We returned to Arizona (though just barely) and visited the Navajo Nation Zoo and the Nation Museum. The morning was nice and mild as we made our way through the zoo, and then we escaped from the heat of the day by visiting the museum. It was a relaxing morning, followed by an afternoon of Chris and I playing catch up with grad school (yes, even though it is summer, we are still working a little bit).

Linda petting animals at the zoo

window rock

We wrapped up our time together with a trip to Zuni, Ramah and El Morro National Monument. We were fortunate to find the A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center open in Zuni. This is a great little museum of the history of the Zuni people; the mister and I were introduced to it as a part of our new teacher orientation with the school district, but had not been able to go back on our own. The museum covers the long history of the Zuni people in a small space with unique artifacts and images. Our history lesson did not stop with this trip to the museum though, as we ventured down the road to El Morro. Here, travelers made their mark as they passed through on one of several trails heading west. There are marks from ancient tribes, western settlers, and railroad men, all stopping for a break from the hot desert sun and to refill their canteens from the spring that made the place noteworthy. While one would't want to drink water there today, the shade is still a welcome respite during the heat of the day. Instead, water is consumed, along with delicious food at the Ancient Way Cafe, one of our favorite eateries in the southwest. 

the pool at el morro

the story of antelope passing through

the marks of spanish conquistadores 

Our week was full of adventure, good food, and of course Nightly Indian Dances. It is always fun to show people around, and it's even better when it is family that comes to town. We were sad to say goodbye, but fortunately it is summertime which means we'll be able to squeeze in another visit before the school year begins in August. 

one of my favorite dances of all time, the hoop dance

the buffalo dance

six is six

When it all comes down to it, six year olds are simply that - six years old. It does not matter where they are from, what their background is, or what language they speak. They all want to have fun, make new friends, and explore everything in front of them. 

Today my new Nepali friend joined my classroom and my above statement fits her perfectly. The day started with two of my kinders coming in and saying "We're going to have a new student!" I had not told anyone yesterday about our incoming classmate because you just never know for sure if someone is going to show up. It turns out that my newest kinder's grandparents live next door to one of my students and they had spent some time jumping around on the trampoline together. Friends were made before my classroom even came into play.

My new kinder is simply amazing. She is a sweetheart and is excited to learn. She has lived in the United States for a whole 23 days and despite any worries about culture shock, she seems to be adapting quite well. While she has a thick accent, she has a solid base in spoken English and her written understanding of the language is quite phenomenal. While she may not be reading yet, she knows a lot of her letters and some of the sounds. She knows a lot of basic three letter words though and shocked Mrs. S today during centers by writing the entire word for each image on a worksheet when all that was needed was the first letter. I think we'll be getting along quite well.

As I mentioned earlier, friends were made rather quickly so my only real concern now is keeping the chit-chatting of new best friends to a minimum and to squelch the constant hand holding among said friends (the group reached six today) as it makes forming a line and walking through the hall rather difficult. If these are my biggest concerns right now, I'll take it.

assembly

Today our school sponsored an African Dance and Drumming assembly in the afternoon. There was a troupe of four brothers from Senegal that were energetic, entertaining, and engaging. They danced, teachers danced, and students danced. We all had a great time. (And yes, I was one of the teachers pulled to dance.)

Dancing Duel

Getting the teachers to jump (I'm the one in teal).

After the assembly came to a close, I seized the opportunity to answer my students questions about Senegal and Africa. Then they did a journal writing entry about what they saw. At the end of the day the conversation turned to a more serious note when one of my students told me that she liked the dancing but she didn't like the Africans. When I asked her why she told be because they were black. I asked why it mattered and she wasn't sure. I asked her if she would like me if I was purple and she said of course. I said good, because I would still be the same person. Our skin color doesn't matter, it is who we are and how we act that matters. We were on our way out for parent pick up at that point and her mom got her right away, so we couldn't talk for long. Hopefully a seed of equality was planted though.

inspiring

Today we had parent teacher conferences at my school. It was a busy day, with parents missing appointments then squeezing in later in the day so that I had a line down the hall. In the grand scheme of things though, 15 out of my 18 students' families showed up for the big day (I even completed my final conference in Spanish - always exciting for me). My other three students ended up having to go out of town for family emergencies and so I will check in with them tomorrow afternoon since they are all pick-ups.

When I was talking with my neighboring teacher during a break from the madness, she told me one of the most incredible stories ever. Below is my paraphrasing of this story.

My student's grandmother came in today for her conference and expressed how excited she was that her granddaughter was learning how to read. The grandmother had gone to school and struggled to complete the third grade. When she stopped going to school she also stopped reading.

Now that this woman's granddaughter wants to read, she is needing to learn how to read once again. She pre-reads all of the stories that she will read to her granddaughter and then walks the 1/4 mile down the road to ask her neighbor what the words are. Then she practices so that she can read her granddaughter a bedtime story. The woman expressed that she is beginning to remember the words now and that she is learning how to read again.

How amazing is it that a kindergarten student can inspire an elderly woman to take an interest in reading and re-learn this valuable skill? I feel inspired, to say the least.

success

On Friday we left town and began our Navajo adventure. We began our journey by stopping in Window Rock, AZ, the capital of the Navajo Nation. We walked through the zoo and enjoyed seeing some of the animals that live in our area - porcupines, owls, elk, mountain lions, black bears, wolves, and bobcats (to name a few). The Navajo Zoo has done a good job of providing the animals with the space and natural environment that thrive in as the park is build into one of the numerous canyons in the area.

Porcupine!

Horned Owl

After leaving the zoo we continued our journey to Chinle, AZ, the home of Canyon de Chelly. The mister checked in for the race and then we set up camp. Thanks to dual management of Canyon de Chelly, we were still able to camp near the mouth of the canyon and the start line of the race. Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation has stepped up in this time of the government shut down and has kept activity in the monument running smoothly. We were able to explore the north side of the canyon after setting up the camp, enjoying that none of the overlooks had been closed as we have heard happening in other areas managed by the National Parks Service.

After our quick tour of the north rim, we returned to the park for the pre-race meeting and an introduction to the Navajo culture by the race director, his father in law, and a resident of the canyon (at other times, a park ranger, but for now, just a resident he pointed out). The Navajo tradition of running was explained to the race participants and their families, a brief history of the canyon and its significance to the Navajo people was described, and a fair number of jokes were shared, and everyone had a great time.

We all retreated to our tents, campers or hotel rooms and prepared for race day. The mister and I ran into town to get some food and then climbed into our tent for a fantastic night of sleep in the cool fall air. When the alarm went off in the morning we were ready to roll. 

The race began with a blessing and prayer ceremony around a bonfire. The racers gathered around to keep warm and to receive a blessing to stay with them throughout their journeys into and out of the canyon. The race course went 17 miles into the canyon, ending at the top of bat trail, and then came back out of the mouth where racers were greeted with mutton stew and fresh fry bread.

Preparing for the blessing and prayer ceremony

At the starting line

The race began at roughly 7:00AM, with the rising of the sun and a great yell by all of the runners. In Navajo tradition, the Gods come out with the sun, and so the people run to greet the Gods. The great yell is a way to clear the lungs after a night of sleep and to present yourself and say, "I am here."

After the runners took off, I drove out to White House Ruins, and hiked down into the canyon where I would be able to see the mister as he came through mile 5.5. He was looking good as he ran through the water and subsequently through his clothes from the cold morning start at me. He continued his journey into the canyon and I stayed at the Ruins for a while talking to the family members of other runners and cheering as more people splashed through the muddy water at the bottom of the canyon.

The mister running at 5.5 miles

White House Ruins

After I while I climbed back out of the canyon, only to hear Shaun, the race director finish up a conversation with two of his cross country athletes - the truck for the next aid station had gotten stuck trying to go up a hill and was only about halfway to where it needed to be. He quickly made a plan with his runners and sent them running back to the truck to execute the plan for providing aid to the runners as they progressed through the canyon.

I climbed out of the canyon and drove further down the south rim and pulled into the Spider Rock overlook. I hiked down to the edge of the rim and stood with a Navajo family for a long time, cheering on the ant sized runners as the passed the base of Spider Rock. I believe that cheering from this location was one of the most enjoyable cheering experiences that I have had at a race. From the top of the canyon you cry out your support and then hear it echoed back about 10 seconds later as it makes its way into the canyon and to the runners. It was fantastic!

Spider Rock

After spotting the mister's bright red cap running back from the turn around I returned to White House Ruins. The hike is so beautiful that it was hard to resist another chance to descend into the canyon. My efforts were blessed with these views:

As I waited at the bottom of the canyon for the mister to come running back through, I kept checking my watch. Based on the times that I had seen him running earlier, his pace had fallen off. At first I had thought that perhaps I had been too slow and missed him coming back through, but I checked with the Navajo family that I had been cheering with earlier and they said that all of the runners that they had seen come through were wearing shirts, so I knew the mister was still out there. He eventually came through, but was hobbling along thanks to an old knee injury that had flared up. However, he pushed on, and eventually made it out of the canyon, rounding out the top third of runners.

The mister coming through the finish line

Receiving his hand beaded turquoise finisher's necklace from Shaun, the RD

After the runners crossed the finish line, they received hand beaded turquoise necklaces. Shaun's (the race director) grandmother made all of the necklaces, with some help from Shaun and other family members. All of the prizes were created by family members and included moccasins, star quilts, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and photographs of the canyon. After all of the prizes were handed out there was a traditional toss out of other gifts to the runners, including magazine subscriptions, runner's vests, posters, and t-shirts. Not to be forgotten, all of the runners also received their fill of homemade mutton stew (or vegetable stew) and fry bread. Family members could also enjoy these delicious creations by giving a donation to the local cross country programs.

All in all it was a fantastic event, culturally rich and centered on the community. All of the proceeds from the race are going to the local cross country programs, and thanks to some amazing sponsors, I believe that the programs have been really blessed by this event. We cannot wait to go back next year, and I am already thinking that I want one of those finisher's necklaces too. We'll see!

As a follow up to my post prior to our trip, the federal government shutdown has not been able to shut down the Navajo Nation. In this we were truly blessed on this adventure, and look forward to exploring many more cultural landmarks throughout the nation.