Growing up Navajo

So there is a really fascinating book that follows the lives of 4 different Navajo kids as they grew up, some are as young as kindergarten.  The interesting part is the story of how they actually grow up in foster homes off the reservation and in boarding schools.

 Now, there are lots of stories about the mandatory boarding schools where children were sent  (sometimes were kidnapped), and forced to cut their hair and weren't allowed to speak Navajo.  But these are not those schools.  These are programs that the parent's entered into voluntarily.  Sometimes because they were living in impoverished conditions, and they struggled to make sure their kids had food to eat each day.  Sometimes parents saw the opportunity for their kids to have a chance to do better in school.  (there were schools on the rez back then, but familes that lived in outlying areas -the kids would have to walk down long dirt roads to make it to the bus stop, usually early in the morning, and sometimes the bus wouldn't drop them off until dinner time.  At that point they were usually too tired to get any homework done, and even if they weren't, it would be difficult because living in a hogan at night without electricity meant doing homework by candlelight--which usually didn't happen.  And if there was bad weather--snow, rain, mud, or even dust-- then they might not make it to the bus, or the bus might not come, and then they end up missing so many days of school it becomes too hard to catch up that they get held back. 

So basically many of these kids (and for reference this is kids born between approx. 1970-1980)  ended up getting sent to live somewhere else during the school year. 

Some kids were sent on placement.  This was a program run by the Mormon church.  Children had to be baptised into the church to be eligible (so they were at least 8 years old) and these kids were sent to live with Mormon familes in Mesa, Phoenix, Provo and other towns (all at least a 6 hour drive away.)  They called the familes they lived with their foster families and some grew pretty close to these familes, and other kids were bounced around to different families each year.  Most stayed the entire school year, they could come home on Christmas break but they would be so sad when it would be time to go back to school that most of their parents opted to avoid the heartbreak and just wait till summer to bring them home.  Buses would arrive at the beginning of the school year to pick up the kids from the rez and to bring them home for the summer.  One of the older boys remembers one trip where they were on the bus up to Provo when some of the first-timers decided they were too home sick and didn't want to go anymore.  When the bus made it's first stop the young kids snuck off the bus and found a spot to try and hitch hike a ride back to Chinle.  The other kids on the bus covered for them until they were sure they had gotten in a care and were far enough away that the adults would just let them go. 

One little girl grew attended boarding schools (on and off the rez) for K-12.   She was in kindergarten when she goes to her first boarding school.  She is happy--though she remembers wishing her mom had let her go on placement like her older cousins.  Despite this, she liked the boarding school, everyone was nice, she shared a room with two bunk beds with 3 others girls, she got a lot of food to eat each day.   There was one dorm mate (kind of like an RA in a dorm) that slept on their floor and was the grown up in charge.  The teachers were all Navajo and there were even older ladies that reminded them of their grandmothers.  She was closer to home, so she was sometimes able to come home on weekends. 


So about the title of this book.   I will let you know what it is called...if I ever get around to writing it.  

These are the stories of some of the friends I have made while living here.  The little girl who went to boarding school is my lab partner--just two years older than me.  When she told me she went to boarding school at age 5 I was speechless at first, and then I couldn't stop asking questions--I wanted to know what it was like.  I just kept picturing my little girl on her first day of kindergarten, braided pig tails in her hair and a pink princess backpack, hoping she wouldn't miss me too much now that she was in school full-day.  I can't imagine sending my little baby away at such a young age.  Maybe for high school, junior high would be pushing it--but no way--not for my little 5 year old! :-)  

The part that fascinates me is the way that they made it work.  The way that the kids enjoyed the experience (most of the time).  Because of how things were at home, how the new living conditions were an improvement.  The Mormon church is so big on families--at first I didn't understand how they could run a program that separated young kids from their parents--but I can see how in many cases the church did in fact have the families' best interests at heart.  They made it easier for the kids to get an education, and to have access to three meals a day.  In some cases, it made it easier for the parents to find work and earn a living  (one child's parents traveled around as migrant farm workers while he was on placement.) 

Anyway--thanks for reading this very long post --and seeing a glimpse of the thoughts floating around in my head.  Sometimes I wonder if it is only interesting to me, because I am here.  So I would love to hear what you think.  Writing a book like this would be a lot of work, but it could be the type that could record a part of the navajo history, educational for those of us who lived elsewhere off in our own little world,  and interesting story when written through the eyes of these little kids. 

Spring Break

I went to Phoenix for a few days during my Spring break...but I forgot my camera so no pictures, but here is how I spent my time

• Spend the 5 hour drive with Rachel--singing along to the new CD we burned for the trip (half my songs, and half music she would like (Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, and Taylor Swift)  I have to admit--I like "Party in the USA" it is quite a catchy tune. :-)
• Stopped by to say hi to my dad for his birthday and went out to ice cream with him and his friends (even got to see Ben--an old friend from high school )
• Drove back to the east valley to meet up with Sam at our house.  Woke up at 5:30am when Sam got in the shower --apparently the shower also woke up our 3 year old  niece Jamie because shortly thereafter she was jiggling the bathroom door handle and yelling "Rachel! are you in there?! Rachel! I want to see you!"    lol --she LOVES her cousin Rachel and always knows when we are going to be there in the morning. 
• Got my hair cut and added some highlights--to lighten things up for summer (lol--like how I am already thinking of summer when it isn't even spring yet? )  I LOVE getting my hair washed and styled.  A nice  head massage, and a break from having to style my hair, and a chance to see it look amazing--way better than I can ever get it to look :-) --Thanks Nikki!
• Went out to dinner with friends.  I had planned to take Sam out to a romantic restaurant for our anniversary...but when I heard about some friends that were going out to dinner  (and was positive I could get myself invited) I decided to go for that instead--I mean...Sam and I spend a LOT of time with each other--and the main thing I wanted was to go out with 'adults only'--so this outing still qualified and it was fun.  I would say the funniest part of the night was while we were eating.  They assigned us a booth in the shape of a semi-circle and we sat down with the 3 guys next to each other--and then us 3 girls next to each other on the other side--after all, you don't go out to dinner with friends just to sit by and talk with your spouse.  It made sense to us--the girls wanted to catch up, and so did the boys.  Anyway, it made sense to us--but when the Waitress walked up she just stared, was speechless for a minute--totally confused! lol
• Saturday morning--Heidi and I left the house early hoping to find a few yard sales--and we hit the JACKPOT!  A fancy neighborhood a few blocks away was having a neighborhood sale.  We both got tons of fun stuff--and I even took three different trips to make room for 4 new chairs to lounge in by the pool. 
• Saturday--spent the afternoon doing yard work.  Lame I know.  on vacation and doing yardwork.  Something about it actually sounded like fun--the part where I got to be out in the sunshine and use the leaf blower to clean up the mess that all of the storms had made, making my yard look pretty so whenever I actually get to sit by the pool in my new chairs it would be pretty.  The part where I actually had to clean up all the leaves ---not so much fun. 
• Shopped at Target, IKEA, some consignment stores
• On Sunday Sam came home, and I spent the next few days in Glendale with my family
• Played a great game of Monopoly---there is something soo fun about playing speed monopoly--where a person misses their chance to collect rent if they don't ask for it before the next person rolls. 
• Made an easter craft with my sister

It did give me a little bit of Spring Fever--even though it was actually rainly while we were there, grass was green, and flowers were growing.  And the first day back in Chinle--I woke up to this:

More snow.  I guess it is going to be a while before I can lay out in my swim suit.  

Sing down the Moon

I wanted to read this book because it is based around Navajos living in the Canyon de Chelly which is right here where I live.  I enjoyed it, even though it was meant for 4th graders. :-)  I have read other books by this author and remembered liking them, and since it was also based on historial information I learned a few things too.  I wanted toread it aloud to Rachel--but I am glad I didn't.  First of all I don't think it would have been interesting to her, but also -it included a few things that I am not sure I am ready for her to hear about yet.  (being kidnapped and taken from your home.)  I do want her to learn about history...but I would like to keep her innocence a little while longer.

What's your passion?!

That is the question of the day.  But just to be clear--I am not the one asking...more like--I am the one who is going to slap the next person who asks me that in the face with a nice whipped cream pie.  :-)

So I just got done talking with a friend of mine who is a pharmacist.  I was quizing her on the 'life of a pharmacist' and she was quizing me on why I want to be a pharmacist.  I explained how I don't know for a fact that this is what I want to do--but right now it sounds appealing so I am pursuing it.  She told me what it is like, and that for the most part she likes it, but honestly what she really wants is something more like my life --what? crazy huh? lol (more free time, out of the daily grind of work--I get that).  So I asked her  'What would you do if you were me? What do you wish you had time for, but don't?'  And what I interpreted her answers to mean--were her hobbies.  When you work full time you miss having time to scrapbook, read, garden, learn farming (in her case :-)  etc, etc.  But when you are home all day --and your only child is in school all day --you don't want your daily/life accomplishments to be those hobbies.  Is scrapbooking fun? YES! Do I want it to be the most important/only thing (other than the chores) I accomplished? no.  (not to mention you have to have an interesting life so that you have something fun to scrapbook --right?)

This just further solidified my theory that working part-time would be ideal.  Have your cake and eat it too! Right!  Anyway, after talking to her-and saying everything out loud, here are some things that became more clear:

Reasons why Pharmacy sounds appealing:

• getting to work towards a new goal--one that will be hard, but very fulfilling once it is complete
• get to have the feeling of moving forward
• just getting to learn new things:  In college, and in High school... and in elementary school--I loved learning.  I was the kid in first grade who had fun reading 100 books just to earn a plastic plaque, I was one of those kids who left class during math and reading to go to the gifted program--and got actual enjoyment out of how many hard books I could read, or how much math homework I could do.  I was one of the kids known as "GG" (goddy-goody) I did all my homework--and got straight A's--so sue me. :-) I was one of those college students at ASU on a full academic scholarship, graduated with honors in just 3 and a half years.  Basically --all I am saying is that I like learning, and that I am good at it--so maybe I should stick with it -eh?   (ps--for the record--I did not feel this way right after I finished at ASU,  but now I have had a break, and had a chance to miss it, and got the desire to 'just be a mom and have kids' out of my system...sort of :-)
• being social  (okay--so maybe it is worse here...but honestly even in Boston and Phoenix there were times that it was just me and Rachel most days and maybe I would talk to a few other adults.)
• after graduation--being able to make enough part-time that you don't have to work full time--therefore having the money--and also the time --to do fun stuff--travel, scrapbook, etc

Are there other things that could fulfill the above requirements...without having to go to four more years of difficult school and taking out a ton more in student loans?   (maybe...I think I hope so--but I haven't found it yet--and I want to do something!)  Here are the alternatives I have thought of:

• gardening/scrapbooking/reading/traveling---fun for a little while, and fills the time, but isn't fulfilling --(See comments above)  and I don't want to be the person who just sits at home spending money while my husband is working hard making the money.  (not that I spend that much money, or that I am the only one spending money, or that I don't contribute at all financially)--but it just seems wrong--and it's not who I want to be.  (hmm...maybe it would be nice if I could just sit at home and enjoy it huh? :-)
• some at-home-business idea--usually the type of money made makes it more of a hobby than a job.  And I also miss the social part--I don't have to be at home--so I would rather be out 'there' (in the world)--Honestly talking to my friends is usually one of the highlights of my day.  (Thanks Julie! :-)
• change careers by going to a technical college (dental hygiene, ultrasound technician...) Less cost, and less time in school...but I feel like I am moving backwards, and that my bachelor's would be pointless. Sure--learning is never pointless...but that is how I would feel.  Not to mention the pay isn't very much--so unless it was something that I LOVE and am passionate about...(more on that later)   then working would be pretty pointless--as in just the same way it is now.
• teaching--I miss socializing with adults, not kids.  And after volunteering in Rachel's class I saw very quickly how being tapped on the leg/arm and hearing "mom, mom, mom" is multiplied by about 24 as a teacher--and I am not sure I can--nor want to--handle that.  Justified by reiterating that I said I love learning...not  teaching. :-)  Maybe teaching high school/college would be different but not interested in either of those right now.

And back to the question of What is my Passion???  That is a tough one--and when some things you enjoy don't fall in a precise category (a sport, a craft, a past-time) then I question whether in fact it counts.  But here are a few of my newly justified passions/hobbies:

• Running  (only when it's sunny, and I have music to listen to) 
• Scrapbooking/blogging/journaling--I have a bad memory--anything not written down, i forget.  Just writing it down--whether or not I look at it again--helps me to remember it.  And I definitely don't want to forget any of my happiest times so I try to make sure they are all documented.
• memory making--the hobby of doing things just because they would make a good memory/entry on my blog/page in my scrapbook.  Hey--it's true, I am not afraid to admit it--and calling it a hobby justifies it and encourages me to get out there and do more stuff and try new things.
• thrift store shopping--the thrill of the search and the thrill of not just finding something amazing--but finding it super cheap!
• reading
• Basking in the sun shine  (whether it be curling up by a window inside the house during the winter to pretend it is warmer than it is, laying out to get a tan, sitting in my hammock chair reading a book by my garden, sitting in my car reading a book between classes with the sun shining on me through the window--anything is better in the sun).

As for the question--do I think you should choose a career that is "Your Passion" ??   My conclusion is that if you can make a living doing something that you love--great! then DO IT!  (ie: you have the voice of a rockstar and the desire to live on the road, or you LOVE doing makeovers and having your own salon is your dream come true, get the idea?).  But it doesn't always work that way.  And, if you can't, (or making a career out of your passion would ruin the fun of it), then find a career that makes it easier to do the things you love in your free time.  As in, find a job with a paycheck that will pay for your expensive hobby, or choose a career that has a slow winter season so you will be able to take lots of time off to go skiing, or choose a career that pays more so you can work less and have more time to sit at home and read books, lay out in the sunshine, and go shopping! 

That is my passion--and I intend to find SOMETHING that will make it happen 

(all while making me feel smart and useful --rather than just a laxzy bum who gets to do all those things already :-)

Ratings for books

Have you ever wished books had a rating like movies do?  After seeing previews for a cute movie called "Tales of Desperoux" about a brave little mouse.   I picked up the book and started reading--only to be APPALLED by the content.  The little girl in the story was sold by her father for a pack of cigarettes and grew up with her "uncle" (the man who bought her.)  He beat her so often that her ears were permanantly swollen.  Later on the girl teams up with a rat to kill the princess so she can take her place. 

 I was snuggled up with Rachel in the bed and she was so excited for me to be reading this book (she had seen the movie preview as well)  that I didn't want to ruin the moment--so when I saw the words coming I changed them as I read aloud and left a lot of stuff out.  I would never had read this book to my five year old if I had know what it included in the story.  And I definitely didn't go see the movie--though I hope that they had the decency to exclude all of that stuff. 

Well, today I learned something interesting--that there is a Web Site that does just that for children's books, movies and tv shows.  They are partnered with Barnes and Nobel (and possibly other places too) so the reviews can be found on their site--or they appear when you search for the book on Barnes and Nobel.  It gives a suggested age for the reader (your child) and then further rates on a scale whether sensitive topics are mentioned:  sex, violence, language, consumerism, drinking drugs and smoking. 

I have been looking for fun chapter books to read with Rachel--and I was happy when I found a children's book by Meg Cabot--one of my favorite authors.  I just typed it into the site and was told that:

•  it is age appropriate for ages 8 and up  (questionable since Rachel is only 6--so I kept reading)
• the only questionable topics are consumerism--and it was given a mild rating: it mentions bratz dolls, and polly pocket

 I was curious how reliable the ratings are--so I typed in Tales of Desperoux and was told it was also appropriate for ages 8 and up  what?!  And only slightly mentioned the little girl who is beat by her uncle under the violence section.    So it isn't perfect--but in the ratings it appears to give parents a little bit of the need to know information--for those of us who don't want to read entire books to see if we approve them for our kids. 

So take a look-look up a book you know or a tv show and see what it says--I would love to hear some more feedback on what you find.