A New Quarter...

And we are officially 1/4 finished with the school year. I know, that may seem trivial in the grand scheme of things, but I beg to differ...

Before I begin my thoughts concerning how I feel/what I've learned this far in, I wanted to mention my mailing address, in hopes that you will feel guilty and write me. :) Ha, no, actually a few people have asked for it recently....so here it is: 100 mission drive, Pine Ridge, SD 57770

Okay, I have realized a few things since being here, and I shall relay them in orderly fashion, for those who enjoy structured ideas:

* I am "turning over a new leaf for the new quarter" as I mentioned to a few of my weights students.... and Henry (always the funny guy) says, "Oh, so you mean you're going to be responsible?" Ha.... "Yes, Henry, I am now a responsible teacher." -which means that I am enforcing rules I did not previously enforce so strongly in the first quarter...basic things, really- which I am now more convinced are necessary for effective weight training (dressing in work-out clothes, remaining in the weight room, you know....slightly important details). :)

* I find my best connections with students, not only out of my desire and concerted effort to be a "reachable" faculty member, but moreso because I am genuinely interested in their lives... and ask questions because it matters to me what's going on in their lives.... what they care about, what they think- their ideas are amazing, and I am so fortunate to have the opportunity, time, and relationships to hear from them. Have I mentioned that this is a pretty great job? :) So many wonderful kids, so many brilliant/creative/cunning/charming personalities. And also a lot of pain. It's through conversations about normal life events that I am able to learn of their deep desires, but also of their deep hurts- expressed on the surface as 'ordinary' life issues. In many ways I find common ground simply by being honest with myself and the students. Honesty-(with boundaries)- it's been a theme word for me these past few months.

*My parents were out visiting me this weekend, taking in all the sights and sounds of Red Cloud, and the scenic drive to Rapid City. I felt fortunate to be able to introduce them to bits of the Lakota culture with I have encountered, in addition to showing them around my home, the school, and some of my bus routes.... :) Although in the plans, I was unable to drive bus with them, which would have been extremely cool. They met several of my students during the Halloween Festival, and they definitely got to experience a social event on the Rez- the Festival went off fine, with most everyone satisfied- therefore, I was satisfied!

As I look into this new quarter, I realize that time is flying by. WHAT? the first 9 weeks of school have come and gone? Although I would attest to the many developing relationships which have come thus far, it also seems as if I just got here....still much to learn, much to be grateful for, and much to share with you all. :) I shall keep this blog rather short, as I understand that really long blogs are occasionally difficult to handle in one sitting. :)

Thanks for being an interested audience...and for those who choose to post comments...I appreciate it, more than I often say. :)

Love, JOY, and peace on this BEAUTIFUL Monday afternoon. I shall take a walk- enjoy God's creation b/f the time comes when enjoying God's creation means bundling in several layers of cotton! :)

Sincerely your friend in Pine Ridge,
Emily

Day of adventure...

Okay, I know I just posted a few days ago, so please do not neglect that post, if you are only choosing to read one- however, today held quite the adventure for me, and I feel compelled to share....

I actually get out of bed on time. # 1 accomplishment. :) As I'm heading to the Jesuit Residence (Jes Rez) to pick up bus #14 keys, I see the sign which states another bus will be headed to Rapid (taking the seniors to a college fair).... AND no bus #14 keys, so I call for confirmation.... no Jenna (the transportation director). Awesome, okay- so I head out to the busses and meet a driver coming in from a morning run w/ bus #14 keys...saying he spoke w/ Linn (bus maintenance guru) who mentioned that bus #14 was IN FACT the bus we were to take (but needed to be re-fueled in order to make it to Rapid and back. Okay, so one more time to check w/ Jenna....still no Jenna. I decide to head to the HS, and mention to Lenny (who is a part of the senior trip) the bus situation. He confirms #14 and agrees to go get a gas card from Jenna (who is here by this time). Great! Problem solved, so after dropping off a few announcements, I pick up bus #14 and head over to the field house, back to my office to pick up some beloved fruit, and am ready and prepared when they ask me to take attendance for the senior class (not only bus driver, but chaperone also, evidently!)

We have (most) everyone and decide to head off to rapid...the ride seems to be going fairly well, and even as we enter Rapid, no big surprises- except OH CRAP. Railroads. They DO exist! :) Ha, a few screams later, I successfully stopped and opened the door, while some seniors say to me, "It doesn't matter- you passed by the ones before this!" Oh, right. Yeah, about that. OKAY. On to the Civic Center where the college fair is being held. I find a reasonable place to park, put the bus into neutral (wait- this is an important point to the story- I THOUGHT I put the bus into neutral)....and headed off to the fair...

The first booth I see is none other than.....you guessed it.... NORTHWESTERN COLLEGE. YES! I think to myself, "Hmm, perhaps I shall lure some students to check out the booth." so I begin perusing our brochures, and sure enough! one booklet has a big picture of ME on the Religion/Christian Ed. page....so I nonchalantly show a few students, who get really excited- but don't sign up. :( A few minutes later, I see some Red Cloud guys just standing around, so I come up to them and say, "Check out this page." They do, and say, "What? That's you? Wow, you're a celebrity! I need one of these.".... and after retrieving one, they both asked me to sign them....ha, wow, who knew college fairs were THAT great for posterity! :) I did actually show a few students to the booth w/out revealing my secret celebrity identity, and they were genuinely interested and signed up for more information, and later- while flipping through the booklet- came upon my picture and jokingly said, "Hey, that's you!" And I responded with, "Yep!" They look again and w/ disbelief in their eyes, Bailey say, "REALLY?" Chante says, "Yes, really, white people don't lie." HA, I enjoyed this comment, regardless of validity.

So, flying high on this celebrity status, I decide to go get the bus and pull it up, really smooth like, you know? It turns out the bus won't start. Great! I'm thinking to myself, what in the heck? When I tried to turn it over, a light flashed on saying, "water in fuel." My initial reaction was, "WHO put water in our fuel?" Ha, my second reaction was... CALL JENNA! And I did, although the call was lost somewhere in transfer....anyway- it ended up to be not necessary, because miraculously, I looked at my gears, and....hahaha....ummmm, yeah- I DO think I remember hearing something about the bus having to be in neutral to start....you know, minor details, really....

Luckily I had figured this out JUST in time, as the students all pile on, still probably marveling at the fact that I am a pretty BIG deal! :):) So, that secret's safe with you, right? You know, the whole, not-so-great-with-bus-common-sense secret? :)

As we head off to the Mall to eat, I might have- perhaps- clipped a curb on the way, no big deal, minus the ear-shattering screams from the back. Evidently it feels more uncomfortable to passengers in the back than to me in the front- who knew, huh? So we are at the mall, eating, nothing out of the ordinary- and we finally head back to Red Cloud- but I'm thinking- gosh, we're getting a little low on fuel here, perhaps I'll stop at the Water Hole, a convenience/gas station outside of Hermosa (great little town with- you guessed it- railroad tracks!) So I ask inside if my Shell card would work for fuel- and they assured me it would NOT. Great! I think to myself, perhaps there really is more fuel in there than I think! :) I can make it, surely.

About this time, a large man comes walking up angrily to my window and asks for the bus supervisor- um, I guess that's me? He says "We just got Clipped!" At first I think, "what is this guy talking about?" and I then seem to have a vague sense that perhaps he means "stolen from." yep, that's what he meant! :) So he demanded I come supervise my students (in addition to their just-implimented 3-at-a-time policy)...hmmm, which I learned from the girls who were strangely waiting outside the convenience store, even when I told them to hurry. The manager (who happened to be the large man) asked me to wait while he rewinds his security camera tapes- to prove that a guy stole a piece of candy. Okay, so I wait, and wait, and eventually he ushers me upstairs to their security center- yes, in a gas station- where I wait for him to flip through screen after screen, all having nothing to do w/ my students. Eventually he says, "Well, this camera is old, sorry I cannot find it for you, but I'm NOT making it up." I sorta stand there thinking- um, is he going to prosecute or something, b/c I'd really like to get going.

Of course I was generous w/ my apologies- and asked if there was anything I could do- so he says to me, "Well, just tell - whoever took something- you KNOW who you are- and your bus is NOT welcome here anymore." WONDERFUL NEWS. Okay, so I briefly relay the message to the students, emphasizing how unsure I am about this whole thing.... and then we're off, as the students yell out the windows of the bus, "RACISTS!!!!!!"

Ah, so, the fuel is slowing declining- and my attention to the gauge is slowing increasing- but apart from a few up-hill chugging battles (where the needle reaches an all-time-low for me at 'E') we were, cough, just fine! :) We arrived safely, only a few students commented on my curb check and railroad mishaps, and I returned the bus to come prepare for the after-school program (which, thank goodness, went really smoothly!)

Okay, that's a short story made long for you, thanks for listening. Trust me, many more days are filled with this type of extremely exciting adventure-ish-ness.... and today you have been a witness to one ordinary, eventful, humorous, and stressful day on the Rez. Yep, that's all she wrote!

Emily

Life in Full

Hello to my generous listeners and supporters,

I am writing once again from my school office. Makes me sound official, I know, but do not be deceived. It is actually one of my schemes to make you think I am all business and no fun. Ha, well, okay, since I'm an honest person, I'll let you know that I actually do have quite a bit of fun here at Red Cloud! Take today for example, a litte taste into the life of Emily.....

Red Cloud hosts our first FB playoff game today, which means we had a 12:15pm out, and had only 1/2 our classes (w/ the others being tomorrow).... so I had my 5th & 7th weights classes today. I digress... after coming in the morning, followed into my office by some sophomore guys hoping to relax in my chair, I wrote an announcement, spoke w/ several students, explained a few times why I do not yet have fruit (which mysteriously appeared later in the day), and headed to the office to drop off the announcement- on the way I saw several faculty, whom I greeted in my usual cheery way before heading to the weight room to open the fieldhouse for the girls. We had 1 hour of lifting weights (the girls are taking maxes this week).... so 1 hr was way too long, except for lovely time to chat....about all sorts of things- like the VB game last night, expectations for the b-ball teams this year, random stories about weight lifting mishaps, and the fact that our heaters are extremely loud and will not shut off.

The story continues.... second hour of the day, I took my time running a few errands, I spoke w/ several students in the hallways, and entered attendance from last night's after-school program, before it was time again to head to 7th weights...during which it took all the firmness in me to get a few guys to finish their maxes, while most of them scrimmaged the freshman VB girls. By the way- this is an entertaining experience in itself.... because most of the guys are trying to impress the younger girls w/ their mad VB skills, while a majority of the girls don't even need the guys to try- b/c they simply ARE impressed with the fact that several junior and senior guys are playing VB against them...so, in a mixed fury of passion and intrique, pride and mistakes, a volleyball game becomes an outlet for the energy that infiltrates the lives of high school students. (wow, sorry- that became a rather bold statement regarding the lives of adolescents- sort of reminds me of papers I wrote in college or something- the academic spirit hasn't left me yet!!!). :)

Another excitement regarding weight lifting involves the horrible-sounding alarms which evidently signaled the fact that someone from the weight lifting room pulled a fire-alarm. I SWEAR it wasn't me. Oh, wait, I'm the teacher...yeah- so, "Did any of you pull the fire alarm?" Of course that's a stupid question, Emily, who in their right mind will confess, particularly as the Dean of Students has currently come to assess the situation. Hmmm, outside to wait out the alarm....and back inside, to be sent out once again, darn alarm. As the teacher, I suppose it is in my power to reprimand the culprit- but I really have a hard time believing a student can pull an alarm from beyond 10 feet away. Hmmm.... mysteries of Red Cloud inveiled.

Now this blog might begin sounding like my hour by hour (okay, minute by minute) agenda typed out....and for this I apologize, but sometimes it's fun to relive a normal day, for the sake of appreciating the simple. Last hour of the day I spent covering Paddy's study hall, which was overall enjoyable (I even brought in the fruit that was delivered to my door. I love this job). Okay, let's be honest, the only reason I chose to recount this day, is because it is most fresh in my memory, not because of anything particularly exciting, so don't be disappointed that my story does not have an incredible end- except for this: Two guys wrote quotes on my quote board yesterday, which I am thoroughly happy about. One writes, "Darkness does not exist. It is just a lack of light." Wow! And a second writes, "Stand up for what is right even if you are standing alone." Dang! That's pretty impressive for two sophomore boys, huh?

Okay, so I'll summarize a bit here. I really like it at Red Cloud. Today is our FB playoff game, tomorrow is the Halloween Carnival, faculty meetings, and a bus driver (insurance-mandated) meeting. Thursday I'm driving bus for the seniors to Rapid City all day, in addition to after-school program, and Friday my lovely parents are coming to visit! Life is full, most definitely, life is full.

I also will be attending the staff retreat next weekend, the junior retreat the weekend after that, and the sophomore retreat the following week. Whew! I guess you have to love retreats to handle this job! :) (or perhaps Emily is overly enthusiastic about retreats and thus gets asked to attend- every time. That's most likely a more accurate statement). What else is interesting here....OH....the student council retreat went really well, I heard many positive responses, and I believe the students truly engaged in some meaningful reflection concerning issues of social justice on the Rez. Also, we brainstormed several ways in which community service could be realized through the Student Council, and ended our time together with a few ghost stories and a hike to Potato Cave! What is Potato Cave you ask? Well, it is none other than the cave in which Jesuits formerly stored potatoes (during their years of self-sufficiency). Interesting notes on Red Cloud history.

Actually, I invite anyone desiring to receive a more in-depth taste of the Pine Ridge Reservation to simply give me a call, or email- and I would be happy to host you.... I understand a few people are seriously thinking of it, so please accept my encouragement to make that a reality! :)

Well, I had better prepare my winning spirit for the game today- it should be a good one, and it's so beautiful outside as well!

Much love to you all, wherever you find yourselves, into whatever mood this extended blog entry led you. (I know it's let me into the realization that I am not the best blogger) May you experience the peace and joy of Christ which is most definitely apparent within my many experiences here.

Em

Here I am...

Ah, I say hello once again, from the extreme comfort of my after-hours office.

Whew, the past few days upon returning from Orange City, IA (which was a splendid trip, by the way) have been FULL. I am currently planning for our student council retreat for Thursday, a fan bus (which I'm driving) for Thursday's FB game against Todd County, and the Halloween festival which is coming next week! And I am continually hosting the variety of requests which are made to a student activity director- particularly one who agrees to accept a number of random tasks! :) I also spend a good deal of time correcting people regarding my actual role in various matters....

Example phone conversation: Bruce: "Yes, say, Emily, I have some Gates scholarship papers coming out of the printer here in the office....wondering what that's about." Emily: "Hmm, well Bruce, I have no idea about the Gates Scholarship papers coming out of the printer, but you may want to ask Gina, who is in charge of handling the Gates Scholarships." Example student interaction: Student, "Hey, can I come by and pick up the Upward Bound application from you Emily?" Emily, "Well, I have no idea about the Upward Bound application, but I wish I could help you." Student, "They said 'see Emily'." Emily: "Really?" Student, "No, JOSH." (at this point I will explain that on the Rez it is MORE than a fetish to say "JOSH" after everything- even when they are serious, but are unsure of the person's response. It's quite contagious as well- soon, I may insert an occasional "Josh." So, beware.

Ha, I actually look forward to those random encounters, because they remind me of how much I love this job- being involved in so many endeavors (either by choice or chance) and really feeling as if I am learning more about each department within the high school. Gosh, what did I do last week? Oh yes, I really enjoyed having a less hectic week in school (for the first time, I actually felt as if I had two minutes to spare- either to speak with and/or listen to students and faculty alike). The relational aspect of my job is my favorite. And those who know me probably are thinking I didn't even have to mention that...but I am, because I like relationships... :)

After leaving the football game at half-time on Friday (which my weights guys gave me heck for later), I headed toward Orange City, and realized it only takes about 6 hours from here. That's a random factoid which may never come in handy for anyone else...except for those lovely folks who are dying to come visit Red Cloud! :):) By the way, if anyone is interested in visiting- seriously- we have a guest quarters here and/or my cottage has guest rooms, so- no reason not to, huh? :) The tour's on me!

My time in Orange City was wonderful, seeing dear friends once again, catching up, and talking A LOT about my experience here- thanks to everyone who listened and at least seemed interested. :) I realized during my several discussions how much I love it here. I mean, I would seriously get giddy just speaking about the students, or my fellow volunteers, or the Rez in general. Obviously I have found Pine Ridge to be quite appealing- and I am beginning to think that it may have something to do with my innate sense of "relaxed timing"....or according to my family, "time in Emily's world."....ha, at least I have found myself using this excuse whenever I'm late...I simply say, "Well, it makes sense, considering I've been living on the Rez now for 2 1/2 months."

As if 2 1/2 months is a long time. I've only just begun! Gosh- in speaking with Matt Campbell today, I was reminded how quickly time does fly by here- with weeks full of school activities, and weekends full of weekend-filling activities, here we are in October. The middle, of October.

So much to look forward to. Another full slate of after-school activities tomorrow, the student council retreat and fan bus/game on Thursday, and Friday we have another huge Pow Wow here at school- for which I am prefecting. The weekend will bring adventures of its own, I'm sure. I feel inclined to mention that the most exciting part of any of my days in the simple fact that I am surrounded by so many wonderful people. Students kindly visit quite often (which my friend Mike suggests MAY have something to do w/ the fact that they don't like class, and my office is NOT class.)...so I'm working on that- trying to sort out which students should be in class. I guess it doesn't phase me as much as it should, yet I know other teachers need students in class. I just keep telling myself this, b/c as much as I enjoy their presence, they need to learn or something, you know, ...school.

A story for you, to follow up on the Jesse "You're my hero" story from awhile back. Today in my office he was trying to get a student to share the chair (while he should have been going back to class)- and he says, "You're my hero" to this student. And I say, "Jesse, it's time to go. I am already your hero anyway." He says, "No, that was just for that one day." :) Ha, I said...."alright, well, then you really have to go now." Guess what his response was... yep, he said, "JOSH." :):):) One example of the good times I have interacting with high schoolers.

My weight lifting class today was CRAZY. I could perhaps make that word even bigger to suggest the intense energy in the weight room. Some days I have to simply smile, remind myself that my brother definitely had similar energetic tendencies in high school, and pretend that they all remind me of my brother (whom I love and was able to see, along with my sister, brother-in-law, and parents last weekend). Anyway- each guy actually does remind me in some way of my brother- which I think has allowed me to have a healthy reaction to their 'antics.'

I am thinking this is most likely enough for today. Granted, I could potentially write forever, but I think that may in fact bore some of you, and I am interested in extending YOUR interest at least to next week's entry. :) Thanks for all your responses to my writing- in this manner, I feel closer to everyone who is far away.

Until the Great God of the Universe moves me to write again.

Peace, and Joy, and All those kind little gestures from friends and family that make living worthwhile,

Emily

Fall Winds

It's Fall!!!!

As the leaves begin falling from the trees in their array of golden colors, I am feeling quite content...sitting here in the cottage which (as of one hour ago) finally has heat. (hmm, funny how those thermostats actually mean something).

This past week has been a wonderful experience. Although Mon & Tues were rather hectic and I was feeling in much need of down time, I experienced great peace during the senior retreat (oddly enough, being a chaperone and all). We headed out early Wed morning to Storm Mountain Camp (affiliated w/ the camp I worked at this summer)...and, situated in the gorgeous Black Hills, this was an ideally serene setting to reacquaint myself with a positive spirit.

The senior class is great, and I especially appreciated getting to know many of them in a more personal light. We had a wonderful time with activities, challenge course, and games... in addition to the prayer service- which struck me as beautiful: each student and faculty member was encouraged to contribute their hopes and prayers for the coming year- and many of them oriented around concern for one another's fate in life in addition to the well-being of everyone's families... the Spirit was truly present, and I felt renewed and excited for the lives of each of these students.

I began my four day weekend on Friday- complete w/ working concessions at the home football game against Crow Creek. Our boys successfully tallied one more 50-0 victory last Friday, making them rise in the standings...(one more plus for my weight lifting class results??) :) :) Speaking of weight lifting, it's going pretty well, I will be having a conference w/ Nick about my class expectations, etc, next week... gotta lay down the law this week to have something to report... :):)

Oh yes, my Friday evening was spent at the Pow-wow (not sure why I occasionally choose to write in the passive voice)... the Rapid City Pow-Wow was quite big, held at the Civic Center, and was overall a good time. Another good time was the Saturday 'not-much-going-on' day.... during which I caught up on sleep, laundry, cleaning, eating (ha, okay, wasn't much catching up in need here)... and basically organizing life.

As you can imagine, my life (as described above) is incredibly exciting here on the Rez...everyday filled with the, er, eager anticipation for what will soon arise! :):) For example, we successfully unclogged our shower this weekend using the miracle cure called "Draino".... you might ask why we didn't unclog our shower sooner than months after we noticed the excessive water build up consuming our feet....well, I guess that's how we roll here at the Red Cloud cottage....

Yesterday and into today I headed back to Rapid City (hmm, running slightly low on gas, at the moment- contemplating how to fund my way to Orange City next weekend).... to visit Jared and Amy Oswald- and their adorable son Trey.... for the evening. It was time well spent, and I am excited it worked to see them!

My next big adventure is heading to Orange City, IA in four days for a wedding, in addition to visiting friends and mentors- AND seeing my family in SUFU for the first time since coming....quite an exciting matter, really. My next big event here at Red Cloud is the student council retreat we're planning for next week.... I shall be interested to know if you have any ideas concerning our time together (ha, I actually like posing that question for everything- that way my ideas are not solely 'mine'...and cannot be solely condemned. :):)

Okay, I think that's enough. I have a few pictures to share with you from around Red Cloud & the Senior Retreat. Don't be surprised if you are totally in awe of my fantastic photography skills. :) Oh, and thanks for keeping up w/ my blog- it makes me smile.

The Seniors experiencing a "trust walk"

The Spider Web Challenge Course

Will he make it? He's David Giago, of course he will! :)

Will I make it? My smile seems to say, "No problem!"

Scenes from Manderson Road

The Joy Bus Driving Brings...

More Trust Walk

Red Cloud Campus from across the highway

The Beauty of the West....

Okay, thus ends my photographic saga of time spent at Red Cloud. I realize today's post is not necessarily educational... but I feel as if one must be in the mood to write educationally, and well, it's my day off...

Until next time, may the sunshine brighten your week with the love of God,
Em