Yesterday was my last day at Headstart because the kids were getting a one day start on spring break. So I woke up feeling sad about it being my last day with the kids but I was excited because the kids were going on a field trip to the beach across from the building where Headstart is. But before we went to Headstart we met with the new school counselor, Renee, who wanted to talk to us about life in Hoonah and the kids. She graduated last spring with the masters degree in social work and felt called to serve the people in Alaska. She offered an insightful perspective on the kids and their behavior and they way the community responds to problems.
Finally it was time to go to Headstart and soon after getting there we headed off to the beach. The kids absolutely loved it! They especially enjoyed flipping over the rocks and seeing the small crabs and starfish that hide underneath them.
Mrs. Edna lifting up the rocks for the kids.
Alona with her baby crab.
We had our fill for the beach and went back to Headstart where we had lunch and played more games and did activities. This is where the title for this entry becomes relevant. Jozlyn, one of the girls at Headstart, had to use the restroom and just like a pre-k kid would do, left the stall door open for everyone to see her do her business. From her spot on the commode, she yelled to Mrs. Edna "Gracias!" and obviously not really knowing the meaning of the word, she said that gracias meant she was using the bathroom. Of course this was one those "kids say the darndest things" moments. These kids are so happy all of the time and I really enjoyed the time I got to spend with them. So we said goodbye and I headed back to the school to blog and get some work done.
It wasn't long after I got to the school that I got an invitation, along with a few other team members, to go get some crab pots with Keith, Mrs. Edna's husband. So Morgan, Nadeem, Jeff, Marc and I went out with Keith on his skiff to get some dungeness crab. We loved seeing the surrounding area from the water and we even saw some bald eagles. Our catch was about 12-15 crabs and Keith let us bring them back to the bunkhouse and eat them. So yummy!
Kissin' a Dungeness!
Jeff and an Alaskan King Crab.
The team at Tlingit class.
After feasting on the crab we went back to the Hoonah Senior Center for Tlingit class. We got to learn some sweet nothing type phrases and really enjoyed that. When we got back we did reflection, something we have done every night here as you can tell. It was another powerful night. I'll probably end up discussing that with most of you on my return as the activity we did was pretty personal from some of the students and I don't find it really appropriate to discuss all of that here on the worldwide web.
So today is our last day here and we've gotten a good bit of work done. A lot of us feel reluctant to leave so soon but we are ready for some normalcy again. I won't lie, I am ready for some warmer weather. :)
Thanks for reading this blog and I will update tomorrow with an outline of what we did on our last day here.
No comments:
Post a Comment