Saturday, June 20, 2009

Sincere Thanks to our Blackfeet Friends

U.N. Millennium Service Goals Contributions by this team: 120 hours elder care; 216 hours labor toward improvements to alleviate poverty; 20 hours outreach for nutrition and health. In addition, we provided 63 hours direct administrative and clerical support of cultural education.

Final Service day: written by Anita, Woodville, WI

Sierra, Sherry and David to Eagle Shield – Sierra to ride the meal van, Sherry to serve dinner, and David to work and converse with Frank, who discussed his recycling program for Browning and to take David to visit a Buffalo jump.
Justin, Jeni, Erica and Jamie to Blackfeet Care Center – to work the dirt and to entertain the residents. Todd and Tim to the Community College – to work some construction project.
Peg- to drive and assist Françoise in meeting our host leaders and to familiarize herself with Browning. Maureen and Anita at the Head Start complex – to clean up and later to tour the hospital, along with Justin.

We gathered for supper at the Care Center and ate heartily the Indian Tacos. Carol was wonderful in explaining the ancestral ratios needed for the Blackfeet Indians to gain some Reservation revenue and why they are poverty-stricken. After eating, the 56th Global Volunteers team to Browning, MT presented a talent show to the Care Center residents during their supper. Here is the order of talent; by Jeni, Master of Ceremonies:

1) Tim – juggling three pins, three balls
2) Jeni – yoga poses x 3
3) Erica – piano solo x 2 songs
4) Jamie – song solo – “On Top of Spaghetti”
5) Francoise – song solo – “Dans le jardin de mon pere / in my father’s garden.”
6) David – recital of a poem he composed during this week – Montana Time Line
7) Justin,Jamie, Peg Maureen – a song with revised words to, “It’s a Small World After All.” And joined by other team members in the chorus lines.

After goodbyes were shared with the residents, the team said farewell to David, Sherry, Tim and Erica Staub and wished them well on their trip back to Great Falls, MT and on to Davenport, IA. The rest of the team returned to Head Start and prepared ourselves for the next morning departure. We were surprised and pleased with Sam and his wife, Lisa and smallest child, Brennan, when they visited us at 10:30PM and wished us goodbye. We all appreciated Sam in being our driver and introducing us to Blackfeet traditions.

Sat., June 20, 2009
Return to our lives, with our familiar family and friends and places we live and work and play….many of us experienced a bit of a “culture shock.” Thank you, Global Volunteers, for the opportunity to be a Service Learner.

This experience met my goals and each of you contributed wonderfully to this first, and I hope future, volunteer trip. I am entering the decade of my 60’s and I want to become a worthy elder. My 60th birthday was June 14 and I was happy to share it with you.

“OKI”….I never learned the Blackfeet word for goodbye…..

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