so i am planning to go back to school (Chico state) and I am apprehensive and full of self-doubt. what if i cannot comprehend the texts? what if i cannot read the texts? what if i am look at as someone “lesser” because i have learning disabilities? i have so much learning i need and want to do. i don’t want to be held back by fear any longer.
-Rose
Today we are playing outside with toys that are going camping. LB is gathering things in the garden for the “campsite”. We talked about what is edible and what isn’t. LB gathered sticks for the campfire and I showed them how to build a good campfire. LB also gathered plant fibers to weave a blanket. These are fun, and somewhat affordable activities to do with kids that actually teaches them about wilderness survival.
One of the speakers at the retreat talked about community in a way that really spoke to me, left an impression. She talked about being new to her culture and how before she started participating in the communities here she felt alone. She said that being with the people have filled a void she never thought could be filled. And I thought about that a great deal. As someone who can walk in both worlds she can see the difference between those sides. The individualism of white culture(s) in America, that she had always known, and how it differs from being in a community of California Cherokee people who are active in education preservation, drumming, etc. There is something to be said about how collectivist cultures are made up of people who may have a sense of belonging, acceptance, etc. as opposed to being in an individualistic culture and simply feeling alone.
Someone who comes to our classes is a Mechoopda woman (not white passing) who had become disconnected with her culture and is now trying to research her tribe and get involved in the community, and a certain someone keeps calling her an apple. She is doing everything the right way, the respectful way, and is being teased and excluded. White settlers tried to torture the ndn out of all of us and some were not as blessed as others to be able to be connected to their culture. How can we hold this against each other?