Brooke's Reflection

Last week flew by; our trip was packed with time at Dora Reed and visiting local restaurants and spots around Cherokee. At Dora Reed I worked in a one and two year old room. The kids were absolutely wonderful. Spending time with young children, while exhausting, is refreshing. They are so happy and excited for life. Waking up at 6:30 is not something I am used to, but going into the classroom and seeing these bright little faces made it worth it.
On Tuesday, we were outside playing on the playground and one of the kids found a worm. A teacher starts looking for more because every child on the playground immediately ran over in an effort to hold it. One of my favorite memories was hearing the squeals the kids made at the sight of the worm, half in fear half in delight. We ended up finding over a dozen worms, and the kids even made me hold one. Its easy to forget how new and exciting things are when you are a young kid. That was one thing that surprised me about this week. When I found out I would be in the one and two year old room I was expecting a lot of sleeping, crying, and dirty diapers. I definitely underestimated the ability and capacity of the children. I was astounded at the kids' ability to learn. By the end of the week, I honestly stopped seeing them as babies, but truly as young people with distinct personalities.
It was sad to hear about some of the things going at Dora Reed. I sincerely hope the center is able to stick around, because despite whatever may have happened, it is needed in the community. I don't know what a lot of the parents would do without it. It provides food and stability that some of the kids wouldn't have otherwise.
I am so happy I went on this trip. I loved spending time in a new community, and not just as a tourist. I think getting to work at Dora Reed, I got a much wider glance into the life and community of the Cherokee people. We had the chance to visit the brand new school, consisting of an elementary, middle, and high school. It was amazing. I would love to work in a school like that. Not only were the facilities beautiful, but there were so many ties to the culture. The entire campus was built with the Cherokee tradition in mind. The school also offers Cherokee language classes, and also classes for traditional Cherokee crafts like basket weaving and carving.
I can't describe how much I enjoyed this week, and how much I learned. I got to spend it in a beautiful place with a great group of people. Thanks Dr. Bryant for putting the trip together, I had an amazing time!