In the Land of the Dine (Navajo)

3 of the best engineers ever!

Last week I left you all on the note that I was adventuring out into the Land of the Dine (aka Navajo Reservation) to work on service, engineering, and how I learn! Well here is the post you've waited all week for! What did she actually learn??

(Besides that engineering, service, and the Navajo are awesome!)





Well here's just a short list: (The list is short, not the post.)

1) Working-as-a-group skillz:
No difficulties here! I chose the pic at right because even though it looks like only two people are working you should've seen us trying to get to this point. STORY TIME: So after racing around on dirt roads in the middle of nowhere for an hour we get to the spot to put up the solar panels (that gray thing sitting on the ground). We opened up the packaging, and found a lack of instructions. Not to be deterred we set about attempting to fit all of the pieces together. It took 9 engineers 10 minutes to figure out how to put the panels together. (And we still ended up drilling a couple of new holes!) WHAT I LEARNED: No one of us could have done that project alone, in fact it took everyone talking out loud to finally get the bars in place and nuts and bolts in the right order. (Not to mention trying to lift that thing onto a 10 foot pole!)

As you can see the girls did most of the thinking!

2) Learning-folk-knowledge skillz:
I am so grateful for the two pros that came with us! Jackie, in the purple shirt with her back to us, and Loren, the Navajo man standing to my left, not only helped us find some really cool projects to work on, but let us do the working! (And I don't mean just letting us dig the meter deep hole!) STORY TIME: So after Loren convinced be to drive a loaded 12 passenger van across a wash (we didn't get to far!) he decided to let me do some of the engineer thinking for this project. Jackie is coming over with the last load of cement to put the pole I'm holding up in place, and Loren is asking me how we should leave it. Loren and Jackie had been debating this point for a couple of minutes when Loren turns to me and says (essentially), "Erin your smart what do you think we should do?" They both then promptly refuse to say/do anything until I said so. WHAT I LEARNED: If we had not just spent the day working with cement and talking about what it needs to work properly I would've had no idea what to do! Luckily I was able to learn hands on and figure out a way to tie the pole off so that a curious cow wouldn't come by and knock it over. Learning in a hands on experience changes how we learn, and what we remember!

A decaying Hogan.

3) Oral-knowledge-teaching skillz:
Unfortunately I didn't get the opportunity to go to the high school (someone had to chase Loren while driving that monstrosity). However, I did have the wonderful experience of listening to Loren Sr. talk about his people, and the struggles that they have had of late. Traditionally the Navajo are an oral culture, so to learn about their culture in an oral setting was a unique opportunity. Loren spent most of his time talking about the problems he has faced trying to convince his people that if they want to do more than merely survive as a culture they need to adopt some of the traditions of white man. One of these that his people struggle with the most is writing! Most older Navajo reject writing, believing that it takes something from them, when their words are written and read by others that they do not know. Loren's point was that because of this the older generations are losing touch with their children and grandchildren. The young kids go to school and learn the white man's culture there, and because they don't want to ask to sit and listen to their elders they don't learn their own culture. Loren believes that if his people were to write down more of their culture they could have material to not only teach their children, but others that are curious to know more about them.

Overall I had a wonderful experience and can't wait to see what a future with GEO brings!