Final Sharing

Throughout the past month something that I, and other PMs, heard occasionally from volunteers was “it’s so great for you to give up your summer to come out here”, but the thing was none of us feel like we’re “giving up our summer” and if we had it our way, most (if not all) of us would be out here much longer than the time we were hired for. It’s hard to describe why I feel drawn to being at Re-Member and working on Pine Ridge. I’ve tried to put it into words so many times, but nothing I say ever seems to accurately explain my connection. A part of me thought that after working at Re-Member this summer I would be able to better communicate to my friends and family why I enjoy traveling almost 2,000 miles to a place that many people have never heard of or have forgotten about, but if anything it just made that task harder and I’ve come to realize that the only way that anyone can truly understand why I keep going back to Re-Member and to Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is if they experience it themselves, the best I can do is give them a snapshot of what makes the experience so captivating.

My time at Re-Member this summer was more than I could have imagined it could be: I learned how to not only skirt trailers, build bunk beds and outhouses, and work on roofs but how to instruct doing such tasks. I drove 15 passenger vans. I went horseback riding. I saw buffalo for the first time. I watch insane lightening. I inhaled more sawdust and dirt than I probably should have. I didn’t mind eating sandwiches for lunch everyday and potato bar was by far my favorite night of the week. I learned several new card games. I discovered that no matter how many times you fix the sandpaper on some of the sanders in the workshop, some of them are just a lost cause. I stargazed at the top of the hill. I formed friendships with not only fellow staff members but with volunteers. I saw the gratefulness of a woman who was having her roof repaired by Re-Member and the smiles on children’s faces as bunk beds were delivered. I loved the new blue sponges (Jordan understands how awesome they were). I “golfed” (aka drove around a golf course while others golfed). I survived 100-degree heat on a regular basis. I learned a new way to dance the Cotton Eye Joe. I reflected in the Badlands every Sunday.  I asked a lot of questions. I was able to carry a full water cooler by myself. I watched volunteers change throughout the course of the week. I watched a teepee be put up. I played with Kilo in office. I saw a lot of grasshoppers and dealt with endless flies. I wasn’t tied to technology. I learned the art of making Awesome Sauce. I appreciated feeling small in a wide-open space. The staff decided to go by their middle names for a day. I learned more about the Lakota culture. I felt at home.

As I sat down to write my final post about the month that I spent working at Re-Member, I find my mind wandering to “what’s currently going on on the Rez”. It’s tour day and I find myself missing the Badlands and counting the volunteers every time we got back on the bus. Inila is the speaker tonight and John will be making pasta for dinner. At about 6:30pm the weekly staff meeting will take place and it feels weird that I won’t be there. I miss everyone immensely, and I can’t express enough my appreciation for each of them and the role they played in making my experience what it was; Ted, Jen, Bill, Bryan, David, Jerry, Erika, Marissa, Jordan, Allie, T, Kate, Coco, Stef, Andy, Eric, Otis, Dan, Ryan, Paula and Yoli (sorry if I forgot anyone! I didn’t mean to J), thank you for helping to make this a great summer. I’ve only been away from the Rez for a little more than a day, but I’m already counting the days until I can return.

Last Week on the Rez

This week has been an interesting week. We kicked it off with a Pow Wow in Community  #4, after which there was an insane storm that cooled everything off...well at least until the morning. Surprisingly I wasn’t in the workshop at all this week; instead I got to work on 2 different skirting/deck jobs and the roofing project we’ve been working on for a few weeks now (I learned how to shingle a roof).

I’m really glad that I decided to leave on Saturday and not on Friday (when the work week is technically over) because it allowed me to have a day to relax and hang out with everyone after the volunteers left. Almost the entire staff went to Lakota Café for breakfast and then a bunch of us went horseback riding. I was supposed to go to a sweat at Inila’s with Marissa and Eric, however after we got there and cut the wood for the fire it looked like it was going to rain. Normally this wouldn’t be a big deal but Inila and his family live about 17miles off the paved road therefore any rain would have had us stuck there for the night, without guarantee I would make it back in time to finish packing and make my flight home. It ended up turning out fine though because we not only made it back to the main road before the rain started, but we were able to extend our visit and have dinner with Inila in town.

This week went by way to fast and I still can’t believe that in less than 12 hours I will be back home in Connecticut; it feels like I just got here. While I miss my family, I’m not ready to leave the Rez or Re-Member.

Days Go By

            As I sit in the Great Room of Shelem after completing our Saturday cleaning, I find it a strange concept that in exactly one week I’ll be back in Connecticut. This past week I feel as though I have found my place at Re-Member, so just as I really have started to get the hang of things I’ll be leaving. People say that time goes by when you're having fun but it's an entirely different thing when you are experience it.

            This past week was a hot one, with multiple days when the high was over 110°F. I got to work in the workshop in the beginning of the week and then deliver beds a few days later; while I’ve become accustomed to the whole process, it is always a joy to see the reactions of the volunteers when they see little kids receiving beds for the first time.

            In addition to bunk beds, I got to do a skirting job this past week, which was very different than the week before since there were less people and it required more instruction on my part. David put me in charge of instructing the volunteers to skirt one of the short ends of the trailer, which turned out pretty well considering I hadn’t done that before. I also got to work on a roofing project this week, which was a lot of fun.

            I’m really looking forward to making the most of this next week and while I’m disappointed to be leaving so soon, but that disappointment is countered by the fact that I know that this is not my last time out here.

Halfway There

            I’m halfway through my time here at Re-Member, which is really weird to think about. The group of volunteers this past week was awesome. I had several really good conversations with a number of them and enjoyed their company very much.

            On the day I was in the workshop we needed to complete 6 bunk beds; we ended up completing 8 ½ bunks, allowing us to deliver beds the following day. The delivery day was interesting in itself because on the second to last delivery we were looking for house #60 when we were supposed to be looking for #90, but we got there eventually.

            I got to go on tour on Wednesday, which ended up being ok. Since I’ve been on it a number of times already it was a little boring, but I did enjoy that there were different people giving the tour at Red Cloud Indian School and that we went up to Red Cloud’s grave.

            On Thursday I was supposed to deliver bunk beds again, but since I had already done it once this week (and twice last week), Marissa offered to switch with me (which I was extremely grateful for); instead I got to work on a skirting job, where it was the goal to start and finish it on the same day. We were very successful and finished the entire job by 2:45pm (our work day typically goes until 4). The best part of the day was when David hit me in the head with a measuring tape; in all actually he was trying to toss it to Jordan and it didn’t quiet make it’s target.

            We ended up going horseback riding again, and this time my horse was a lot more cooperative, though the heat limited how fast we could go. Afterwards a few of us went up to Rapid City for dinner and drinks, which was a lot of fun.

            So far I’m loving my time at Re-Member and know that these next 2 weeks are going to fly by.

First Week Completed

            So the rest of the work week I ended up delivering bunk beds, which is one of my favorite jobs since you are not only getting to see how the components that were built in the workshop fit together, but also see the joy on the faces of the people we deliver them to. It was especially fun on the second day of delivering bunk beds because Jake was one of the volunteers with us (last year the only day we worked together was the Thursday during which we delivered bunk beds) and at the first place we went to deliver beds there were One Direction, Justin Bieber, and other tween idols plastered all over the walls of the bedroom and Jake randomly started singing (and dancing) “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Boyfriend”. It was even better when he danced with the power drill.  And then at the second place he attempted a James Bond move with the power drill.

            On our day off yesterday, a bunch of us decided to go horseback riding, which was a lot of fun…well except for the part when my horse wouldn’t always trot or gallop when I wanted her to. But the view was phenomenal and definitely worth the soreness I’m feeling today.

I made it through my first week on staff at Re-Member and am looking forward to seeing how the next few weeks go.

Re-Member!

As many of you know I will be working at Re-Member for the next four weeks as a Program Manager, and I’ve learned I can never have a non-eventful trip when heading to the Rez. Long story short I was supposed to land in Rapid City at 1:30pm on Friday and head to Re-Member, but instead I arrived 10 hours later, stayed the night in a hotel, heading to Re-Member on Saturday. Though it wasn’t ideal (I didn’t feel settled in which was hard since I was interacting with volunteers and it was also my first time meeting a lot of the staff), it all worked out and I am officially on the Rez for 4 weeks!

So far being on staff is slightly weird since the volunteers look to me for answers to questions and to direct them, and I’m not always sure how to respond or what the proper way to direct them is. I’m still trying to figure things out and the rest of the staff has been really great at helping me learn what I need to do and where things are. I’m not 100% confident yet but I’m getting there (especially now after having a work day under my belt). I slowly, but surely, starting to find my place as a part of staff at Re-Member.

The tour day on Sunday was pretty hot, but Re-Member has started doing the tour day in reverse so we aren’t hiking in the Badlands in the heat of the afternoon. It seemed to work pretty well, and even though volunteers were hit pretty hard with a lot of tough information they all were able to enjoy many other aspects of the day.

Monday was the first work day and I stayed at Re-Member to work on bunk beds in the workshop. I was glad that my first day was doing something that I was pretty familiar with. Overall the day went pretty well, the morning was spent sanding (even though the sand paper didn’t like staying on the sanders) and after lunch I worked with 4 volunteers building frames for the bunk beds. It was great getting to interact more with the volunteers as well as seeing the enjoyment they got out of using the power tools.

Today I got to go out on the Rez and finish a skirting job with David and Megan, though we didn’t have insulation so we weren’t able to completely finish the job. We ended up coming back here mid afternoon and paneling some of the outhouses with the scrap wood from the skirting job. One of the younger volunteers learned that this is my first week working at Re-Member and started jokingly calling me “rookie”. It was a lot of fun getting to interact with some new volunteers as well as a few from yesterday. I also got to drive the van for the first time which went well, though I did make one “rookie mistake” when I cut it a little close when passing a car (it turned out fine, no one got hurt :-P).

I love being back at Re-Member and being able to see the beautiful sceanary! It’s also nice that there is a familiar face among the volunteers, Jake, someone who I met when I volunteered in August. Though it was disappointing his siblings weren’t able to come back this week (especially Kate). I’m looking forward to seeing what the rest of the week brings as well as my next few weeks here!