Today was like the coolest, action packed day I ever experienced and I’ve been around some crazy stuff! I knew my day would be a thriller ride when Kevin lifted my bed to wake me. I woke up startled like I was watching the movie SAW and fell out of the bed with hand hitting the corner of the nearby desk. I mumbled some very uh….. Choice words due to the pain I felt. Later I entered the OTR MOBILE (It a cool name for the van if I do say so my self) to head to Santa Domigo Pueblo.

I was having a panic attack! The reason is that I was very nervous about going to the reservation. It’s a new place with a large group of people that I don’t know. Right when we arrived I shut my self up only because I was way too shy to speak. Right when we met Anthony and his community, my shyness evaporated. The people of Santa Domigo Pueblo welcomed us with open arms and are the nicest people I ever met. They are some groovy people with a very good sense of humor!

After meeting some of Anthony’s family (He has a big family; when we asked how many members he has, he doesn’t know the number but knows every single one of their names….WOW) we then went to go see Anthony’s art work. Let me tell you the jewelry I saw made me nearly faint. One of the bracelets had horses carved on the back and with such splendid details too! What amazes me about his art was that he learned it from his father who learned from his father so basically it was art that was passed down for generations. There was one bracelet that cost $800 and it is worth every single American penny. Everyone in this town is an artist and it not a skill learned in my opinion but in their genetics!

Anthony invited us to the Lovato family house (Anthony’s family) to see more of his family. Soon we were invited to lunch and OH MY GOD I saw a table with a mile of food on it. I went from an ugly brown lunch bag with grapes to a feast fit for a king! It had hotdogs, chocolate cake, olives, Chile, a variety of chips, candy, cookies and the list goes on! I ate like a convict on his my last meal! It was the best lunch EVER!

After we ate lunch (again I gotta say it was the best lunch ever) we met a gentleman named Salut! He was a very nice man who shared a very touching story of his life. He told us some fun moments he had when he was in the military. He served in Vietnam and got injured in the line of duty. He said so many inspiring and interesting things that it is impossible to type everything. All I can say is that I am very grateful for the opportunity to receive some of his wisdom he gained in his life. Then came the best part of the day; the San Pedro (The name of the holiday which they celebrated) events!

The first event was very interesting in my opinion and was entertaining to watch.  It had two wooden poles in the dirt holding a chicken by ropes. Many of the men in town would saddle up their horse and ride around in a circle through the wooden poles while trying to grab the chicken. The first one to grab the chicken would ride his horse very fast so the others won’t steal his chicken. If one of the riders gets close to the man with the chicken then the one with the chicken would hit the other rider to prevent him from stealing the chicken using the chicken.  Now before you get judge this event in a negative light let me explain something to you! This event is part of their 500 year old culture. In other countries they eat their own dogs, serve frog legs and snails and we kill cows to make hamburgers. Well in India the cow is very sacred to them. So people in India would look at us in disbelief! What one country with its own culture thinks is taboo, well to another country it’s their way of life. What I saw to day was a way of life for the San Pedro people, not a Taboo. 

 I can be very big idiot at the worse and best of times! Today was no different. I was using binoculars to see the Chicken event and the men riding their horses were stampeding right at me. Like an idiot I stand there watching them get closer at the speed of light. Till someone told me to get out of the way I snapped back in reality and leaped with such force that I nearly missed the horses by the hair of my chinie chin chin!  Then I entered a foot race and here is why that is stupid too! I have asthma; I’m 7,000 feet above sea level. Also I’m wearing a pair of boots not Nikes. So I ended up on the verge of an asthma attack.  It was very stupid and I only came in second of the last person. It was all worth it because I got the greatest award after that grueling race. I won a towel! Here is on my philosophies in life: Scars heal, glory fades and all we’re left with are the memories made! Pain hurts but only for a minute! Life is short so go on and live it! 

The Day was one of the best days of my life! I learned so much then I would ever learn from watching Television (sorry Television it had to be said.) I learned life lessons while at Santa Domigo Pueblo. I’m very thankful that they opened up their home to us. I would like to thank them 100,000,000,000,000,000,000 times for giving me the time of my life!