Culture and Traditions

This weekend I was at my grandmothers house on the Hopi reservation. We had a ceremony that lasted two days. Being there with my family and enjoying every moment with them made me happy. It was a very busy weekend with all the running around. A very long weekend, but it was worth every minute of it. Well kind of, just the part where I got sun burnt. With all the commotion and worrying about getting stuff done, it was all apart of being Hopi. Our ceremonies are a huge part of our culture and I am very proud of my Hopi culture. Although being half Navajo and half Hopi, I am very proud to know both sides. Hearing and speaking my own tribe's language makes me proud to know and understand the meaning of our culture. Sadly, I feel as though my culture is slowly fading away. Whether you are native american, or from different cultures around the world. I think that knowing your culture and tradition is a blessing. They define what type of people we are. It separates us from different cultures and tribes worldwide. It makes me think about how my great grandparents did stuff back in the old days. Without our tradition and culture, we would not be able to live in peace and harmony. It is an important part of my life and I hope to carry on my knowledge later on in life.

Courage, Teamwork, and Passion Wins Games

   Arriving home from school on a Wednesday night. I did my normal routine; chop wood, take out the trash, and do homework. I was very anxious to get home from school that day though because my favorite college basketball team was playing. A big rivalry game was about to start between North Carolina Tar Heels and the Duke Blue Devils. With only five miles separating both colleges along Chapel Hill, North Carolina, I was getting my snacks ready for the game. When the game came on I was instantly glued to the television cheering on the Blue Devils. With the number one high school all star athlete, Austin Rivers, playing for Coach K. The game was a nail biter with the blue devils only trailing by nine points in the first minutes of the first half. By the time the second half started the Tar Heels had moved their lead by seven points making it a sixteen point ball game. Throughout the whole game, my hopes of Duke winning was barely fading away. I was about to turn off the television, but then I kept the television on having faith for Duke. Minutes passed by when Duke started to cut into the lead. The Lead was shortened to eight points with two minutes to go in the second half. My palms started to get sweaty and my heart pounding. One after the other, North Carolina made careless passes and numerous turnovers to cut the lead to two with ten seconds on the clock. I was cheering so loud, I could barely talk. Austin Rivers brought the ball down and took a screen to the right side of the three point arc. Dribbling, the big power forward Tyler Zeller from North Caroling was guarding Rivers. The big seven foot Zeller fell asleep below the arc and took a step back, Austin Rivers knew it was the right time so he jumped and flinged his wrist in the air. With Austin Rivers looking on, the ball fell through the hoop SWISH! The game clock hit zero. Everyone from the Blue Devils bench busted out celebrating, while they left the North Carolina players and fans in disbelief. The blue devils came back from a sixteen point deficit to win the game in the second half. In the locker room after the fame, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski wrote on the white board COURAGE, TEAMWORK, and PASSION. 

   When I seen this game, it brought me back to the state championship between Holbrook and Fountain Hills. Holbrook did not give up in the end, and came back with a win to capture the entire championship. In basketball it takes a huge amount of teamwork to win. Whether it would be trying to get an open shot to score a basket, or stopping a person defensively. Everyone has to know their assignment and know exactly what they are suppose to do. Not only teamwork, but with courage and passion. If the score board is one sided, the team has to give all they got if they want to come out with a huge 'W'. Both girls and boys are pursuing a championship this coming week and I have faith in them that they will try their hardest and give it their all, especially the graduating players. Just as Coach Krzyzewski stated "When you are passionate, you always have your destination in sight and you are not distracted by obstacles. Because you love what you are pursuing, things like rejection and setbacks will not hinder you in your pursuit. You believe that nothing can stop you!" 

New School, New Place, New Start

When you were little, did you get scared of your first day of school? Whether it was at the elementary, junior high, high school, or a new school? Imagine if you did it more than five times. Crazy right? I lived in Tuba City for the three years of my elementary school until my dad got a new job in Phoenix. The first time I moved was a big change for me. From a sort of small community to a huge city imagine that. It was a huge experience with me because i was really used to the native american look. I started at a school called Perelta Elementary School. The school was filled with a whole bunch of different culture. There were Caucasian, Mexican, and African American. I was thinking to myself what in the world? But I became friends with all of them. It was pretty weird hearing different languages and accents.

The second time I moved was during eighth grade, I was going to school at Desert Shadows Middle School. It was really hard to leave because i grew up with most of my friends. We went to school together since I arrived in third grade till eighth grade.From the hot summer sun to the cold winters in Flagstaff is where I went. I got used to Flagstaff pretty fast. I remember snow boarding and landing face first in the snow, it hurt like crazy but it was like landing in a place filled with white pillows. The third time I moved was to Fountain Hills. Talk about rich people in the movies, this was the place. From luxury cars to fancy two story houses, I did not think there was a high school. It looked like a place with old rich people. Turns out the high school was pretty big and full of rich kids. School was pretty fun there, but then I started to get homesick because the reservation is where I wanted to stay. On my last and final move, I moved back to the reservation and I came here to Holbrook High School. I thought it was my best choice because I feel more comfortable with where I am at. 

 

I have moved around a huge amount of times in my life. I made friends, made new ones, and lost some. It has gave me a huge amount of experience. I do not regret any of my friends I have made. Some of the classes I took I had to take again, but I do not feel that I have missed a whole bunch of school work. If I could, I would relive the moments I shared with some of my friends. Now that me and my senior class of 2012 are graduating in a couple months, it is time to move on and start a whole new chapter of our lives. Starting with at a new school and a new place. 

Scars Tell A Story

    Every time I sit in the theater watching a movie with all the excitement and loud noises. I look at my sister and see the excitement in her eyes as the loud bang rings the whole theater. It puts a smile on my face every time I see her smile. Deep down inside tho, I feel like I am not normal. I plug one side of my ear because the loud noises bring back a memory.....a very frightening memory I don't remember much about. Everyone has scars that have a story behind it. People always ask me, "How did you get the scars on yer face and the top of you head?" Numerous times I have been uneasy about telling them how i got them, but here goes my story.

     

        In the summer of 1996 I was on my way with my grandpa and my two uncles to Holbrook, riding in the back seat of a blue Toyota truck. It was very early in the morning and one of my uncles were . A truck was heading to the reservation on the opposite lane. As the truck approached my uncle dozed off at the steering wheel and smashed into the other truck. Sitting in the back with me was my uncle Orlando who was holding me, my uncle Shawn in the driver side, and my grandpa Bennett sitting in the passenger side. Upon impact i was immediately ejected through the window. My uncle struggling to get free came and picked me up. A semi-truck driver who was on his way back from the reservation stopped and called an ambulance. Bloody and screaming i was rushed to the hospital in Flagstaff. With a huge gash on top of my head and my face were stitched up along with a cast on my left leg. My mother, father, and grandparents stayed with me the whole week I was in the hospital. Doctors said I was lucky to be alive, but I believe I was given a second chance.

     

     When I look in the mirror or watch a movie it reminds me of that day. My scars tell my story of how fortunate and lucky I am to still be alive. Getting the chance to graduate, go to college, and see my sister grow up are one of the many things I am very grateful for. We never get the chance to be grateful for the friends or family that have done many things to help us be who we are today. I am sure grateful for people that I have met especially my family for pushing me and giving me the support I need to finish school. If it weren't for the truck driver we would have never been spotted and I probably wouldn't have been here today. My grandfather told me that I am a very special person and thoughts enter my head from time to time, but these are the scars that tell my story and they will be with me forever.