Birthday on the Rez
How does one celebrate a birthday on the Rez?
Working. (But it's all good.)
Allowed myself to sleep in this morning till a generous 6:20 a.m. alarm. Then laid in bed for ten more minutes before heading into breakfast.
Spent the morning on the site at Re-Member helping to pour a concrete slab that will house a new walk-in cooler.
The afternoon was a mishmash of supervising crews, and, with much excitement and anticipation, making my innaugural trek in the famed dually into Pine Ridge.
I was sent into Pine Ridge to Sioux Nation, the only "legitimate" grocery store on the Rez to pick up some supplies for our volunteers' lunches tomorrow.
Of course, nothing is that simple on the Rez.
Sioux Nation recently suffered from a burst sewage pipe -- creating a bit of a waste situation, in the store. Locals, and the staff here have rebranded the store: "Sewage Nation."
As you walk through the aisles, you notice a combination of inflated prices on basic goods, and under-cut prices on the cheap, bad-for-you foods. Whereas a mixed bag of apples and oranges (maybe 12, at most) was selling for nearly ten dollars, many processed foods go for half of what I would pay at a grocery store near school in New Hampshire.
I'll talk more about the "city" of Pine Ridge soon, but it truly is unlike anywhere else I have ever seen in America.
My day ended with the singing of Happy Birthday from the staff, and a great ice cream cake split among us. I then spent a bit of time to myself, watching as a storm blew by over the hills of Southern Nebraska. There is something incredibly unique and powerful about listening to the wind here, as it blows across the hills and open plains, it's hard to describe, but it's one of the best things you can experience after a long day.
Working. (But it's all good.)
Allowed myself to sleep in this morning till a generous 6:20 a.m. alarm. Then laid in bed for ten more minutes before heading into breakfast.
Spent the morning on the site at Re-Member helping to pour a concrete slab that will house a new walk-in cooler.
The afternoon was a mishmash of supervising crews, and, with much excitement and anticipation, making my innaugural trek in the famed dually into Pine Ridge.
I was sent into Pine Ridge to Sioux Nation, the only "legitimate" grocery store on the Rez to pick up some supplies for our volunteers' lunches tomorrow.
Of course, nothing is that simple on the Rez.
Sioux Nation recently suffered from a burst sewage pipe -- creating a bit of a waste situation, in the store. Locals, and the staff here have rebranded the store: "Sewage Nation."
As you walk through the aisles, you notice a combination of inflated prices on basic goods, and under-cut prices on the cheap, bad-for-you foods. Whereas a mixed bag of apples and oranges (maybe 12, at most) was selling for nearly ten dollars, many processed foods go for half of what I would pay at a grocery store near school in New Hampshire.
I'll talk more about the "city" of Pine Ridge soon, but it truly is unlike anywhere else I have ever seen in America.
My day ended with the singing of Happy Birthday from the staff, and a great ice cream cake split among us. I then spent a bit of time to myself, watching as a storm blew by over the hills of Southern Nebraska. There is something incredibly unique and powerful about listening to the wind here, as it blows across the hills and open plains, it's hard to describe, but it's one of the best things you can experience after a long day.
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