Day One-Success!

We have officially invaded Cherokee!! Cassie and I departed from Charlotte around 3 pm and made our last stop in Starbucks on the way out of town. As we worked our way up the mountain the first thing we saw was snow... I have to admit that were not amused, however we found ourselves working our way back down the mountain and could not get over how beautiful of a drive it was. The roads were like something you see in movies, or on a postcard. The setting sun was reflecting off of the river that guided us into Cherokee. After first trying to check in to the wrong Holiday Inn, we spent the night meeting up with the rest of our classmates and settling in. Whitney arrived at about midnight and as girls tend to do we spent the night talking and knew that come Monday morning we would regret our decision to stay up all night!!

6:00 am was a pretty early wake up call. We ate breakfast as a group and then left for Cherokee Head Start. The facility was impressive. I was placed in the three year old classroom where I was immediately embraced by six bright eyed, smiling students. At first I felt a bit out of place, but it was not long before I was made to feel as though I belonged. I was so impressed by the student’s manners. They always said please when asking for something and thank you when they received what they were asking for. They could even open those complicated milk containers on their own!! Once they ate their meal they got up and cleared their plates and but them back on the cart. It was then circle time, and if I did not feel like I belonged before I certainly did then. All six of the children found a part of my lap to sit on. They wanted to know everything about me- my name, how old I was, why I was wearing a necklace, why my shoes were silver, etc. After, I played centers with each of the students. I dressed up as a fairy princess with Lily, explored all the patterns on seashells with Adrian, built train tracks with Wyatte, and explored life under the ocean on the computer with Eva. After centers we went outside on the playground where there were several other classes, including the class Sarah was placed in. The playground was huge and had so many awesome play sets for the children to play on. I pushed children on the swings, went down the slide a million times, played in the sandbox, and even found myself riding in a line of tiny bikes :) It was then nap time, and after all of the days activities I wanted a nap too! During naptime is when I got to spend a lot of time talking to the teachers. I found out a lot about growing up on the reservation and what they think of all of the change that has been coming lately. They told me about the great local restaurants, hiking spots and waterfalls, and other things to check out while I was in town. The most interesting conversation I had was with a man whose entire family had grown up on the reservation.

After our time was done at Cherokee Head Start I have to admit I was exhausted. However, Dr. Bryant took us to a spot where he spent time when he was younger with his grandfather. It was a gorgeous view. The water was FREEZING. Trust me, I attempted to walk around in it and was unsuccessful. We had dinner at a local park where we made the mistake of feeding the ducks and geese... they were not too friendly.

I would say that day one was a SUCCESS. I don't think tonight will be a late night; I am exhausted, but ready for tomorrow!
Until tomorrow....
Allie