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| Feel the Mother Earth |
We, the Extension students went to the Southwest for a short and hectic study trip from October 17 to 23. We learned about American history and culture through this trip. We widely experienced many things related to Indians and religions, and all people I met were fabulous. For my life, this trip was absolutely meaningful and dramatic. It is hard to write about my experience on this trip briefly, however honestly, I really missed my family and friends in Japan during this trip, and I thought I want to go back to them at the moment. The southwest is a wonderful place reminds me of my family and my country. There were five things that impacted me.
Firstly, I could not take my eyes off the scenery of the Southwest for even an instant. Astonishingly, there was 100% clear sky above my head always. The sunlight was a little intense though, I was really impressed by nature. I always could see the sun when I looked up the sky. Then, I was surprised at the distance between the sun and the moon. They were very close to each other. I could see them clearly in the same sky at the same time. In Albuquerque, over 310 days are clear and brilliant each year. How wonderful it is for me to hate rain. Usually, I try to avoid sunshine to protect myself from sunburn, however, I stared at the sky for a while admiring its glorious blue. All this beautiful scenery amazed me.
Secondly, I realized that cultures of Indians are really important in American history. Many places that I visited in the southwest had remarkable landmark. For example, Wupatki National Monument was absolutely magnificent. It was imposing to us, and it reminded me that people who lived in the past produced everything that they needed, because the monument seemed too inconvenient for living there as a house. There was nothing like convenience for living, and I cannot believe that people used to live there. Through this observation, I really appreciate that modern society is developed so much. It is wonderful to have well preserved historical things for people who want to know American cultures like us.
Thirdly, I was interested in the languages spoken by native Indians, such as Hopi, Navajo and Zuni. Their languages are totally different from ours, however, the words are meaningful and each word is related to their cultures. In addition, I learned that certain marks also have important meanings in their cultures. For example, a stair step symbol has many meanings, such as lightening, rainbows, mountains, thunder sound, spiritual development and movement to the next level. As you can see, even one word has a lot of meaning and it is related to their religions. It is difficult to remember all of the meaning. Though I enjoy thinking about the meaning. Their accent was strong but it sound like a song even in normal dialogue. I was happy to listen to their own language because it made me comfortable.
Fourthly, touching the cultures and religions are actually not so easy for us if we do not know about them so much. When we visited to one of the museums, my teacher asked the receptionist about the meaning of statue which included the moon, a snake and the sun. The receptionist answered to the question, and she added information at the end about some important manners. She told us that is might be rude sometimes to ask anything that we are curious and interested in it to native American people about the meaning which related to their religion. I learned that be curious is very important, however it depends on the situation. In some ways, the action would have a negative effect on people. I did not know about that, so her mentioning in that made me think again about how important religion is for every people. If I do not know about their culture at all, it is also difficult to be polite to them.
Finally, the Southwest trip was a great opportunity to look back upon my life. Certainly, my way of thinking and feeling toward the other people around me is changing little by little. I realized that people around me are supporting me every single day! As I told you at the beginning, I often remembered my family and friends in Japan, and I missed them so much at the time. I really wanted to go back to Japan, and I thought that I should tell them about my feelings and how much I love them. It was hard to say my thought honestly and directly, so I just regretted this
myself because I think that I was not considerate so much. However, I could realize my lack of thinking towards people around me, so it was a wonderful things for me to realize.
As you can see, I do not know why but I was really sensitive during this trip. I think I am a lucky girl because I had a splendid time with many precious people. The trip made me think about various things, such as my family and friends, different cultures. Through this trip, I hope that I grow up as an adult in my way of thinking or feeling. I will never forget these feelings that I experienced in the admirable environment.