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Unitarian Universalist 9th Grade Trip
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Almost immediately, I regretted my decision. It turned out that the trip itself was only the end stage of what would turn out to be an arduous procession of retreats and classes. For the next 6 months, every month, I "bonded" with the other kids and chaperones who were going on the trip. After the first month, I thought I would never make it. By the third, I had made some friends and thought surviving the trauma just might be possible. By the end, just before we left, the whole trip started to seem like maybe, just maybe, it might be a good idea after all. Each month I learned something else about the Navajo and Hopi culture, and the rules of the trip, and I discovered that there were other kids out there who shared my values and interests, and who got my quirky sense of humor. And before i knew what happened, it was time for the trip!
When my mother told me I should on a 10 day trip road trip with over 40 people I didn't know to visit the Navajo and Hopi reservations, I thought she had lost her mind. "It'll be good for you! It will change your life!" she said. However, even with constant reassurance from my mom I was more than skeptical. I was terrified! The idea of being so far away from home, trapped like a caged animal on a bus full of strange people I'd never seen before, didn't really seem all that wonderful to me. I'd never been away from my family for more than seven days, and had never been in a different state without them. But after a week of being reassured by my mom and getting advice from my friends, I decided I'd give it a try.
The weather mirrored my emotions the day we pulled out of the UU Denver church's parking lot. There was an uncertain sky, at times overcast, at times sunny with a smattering of rain making the air smell fresh and new. We milled about making nervous small talk and trying to pretend as though we wouldn't miss our parents.
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I thought the bus ride to Arizona and New Mexico would be excruciatingly long and boring, but to my surprise it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Time flew by as my friends and I made conversation. Laughter filled the bus and it became more of a family vacation than a trip. On the way to our first destination, we made several stops to rest, go to the rest room, or just to hear some of the more important of Mitch's special "Trip Trivia".
After two days of travel we finally got to our destination. At long last we pulled up to Tohaali' Community School in the Navajo reservation. Everybody was nice, welcoming, and as scared to meet us as we were to meet them. We got along great. We had been assigned pen-pals from each of the schools we visited, and we got together with our pen-pals and learned about Navajo and Hopi culture and daily life from them. I had a wonderful time, and got to know the community better. It really changed how I think about the Navajo and Hopi peoples.
And then something amazing happened, something wonderful, something unexpected. My friends and the Navajo at Tohaali' Community School got together and did something beautiful...... Everyone got together and decided to have a basketball game!!!!!!! The trippers cheered as we ran into the gym and the entire gym immediately sprung into chaos. Anyone could join the game at anytime, and soon it grew to epic proportions. As I cheered from the crowd, people joined the action left and right. In the end, we may not have won the game, but we won in our hearts.
I had an amazing time, particularly at Hopi High. We met our pen-pals, and played a few games to get to know each other better. My pen-pal turned out to be an amazing artist! I even got to try some frybread! After a tiring day of being social, we stayed the night at their gym. The next day we headed off.
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Exhausted from the game, we left Tohaali' Community School the next day and headed to our next destination. Chinle Elementary School. Everyone instantly got along well with the amazingly cute children. After a day of playing with them and helping them with their homework, we finally left the elementary school for our final destination: Hopi High.
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Throughout the course of the trip, we went to visit ruins and learned about Indian cultures by observing historic areas. It was amazing! I learned soooo much about the Hopi's and Navajo's history hands on! By the end of the trip, we got to sleep in a hotel..... and I'll just say some were more relieved than others.
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Before we knew it, he trip was over! I was back at the UU church where we started from! Everyone was sad to part, but we knew we would see each other again. This experience is something I will never forget, and . . . I hate to admit it but . . .my mother was right, The 9th Grade Trip changed my life!