Saturday, August 18, 2012

Greetings!

Hello everyone!
I've decided to use my old study-abroad blog to keep everyone updated on my year as a jesuit volunteer!  For the year, I'll be working at the Okanogan Behavioral Healthcare center and living in community with six other jvs.  While I'll be working in the town of Omak, our triple-wide trailer is located on the Colville Indian Reservation.  Much like my time abroad, my cell reception and internet access is limited, so I figured I'd start this thing back up in order to keep in touch with everyone. 

While Omak is only a relatively short four-hour drive from Seattle, everything on this side of the Cascades feels new and different - in no way could I possibly consider myself a local!  After a 10 hour travel day on the Greyhound bus, which transported our group from Portland to Wenatchee via Seattle, we finally arrived at our home for the year last Saturday night.  The next day was the last day of the Omak Stampede, the biggest event of the year.  Our group trouped into town for the festivities, including traditional american indian dancing at the pow wow and the "World Famous Suicide Race."  This event has rodeo competitors race their horses down a very steep hill (which could basically be describes as a cliff), into the river below, and down the current to the other side of the water and up a ramp into the Stampede Arena.  Standing on the other side of the water from the dirt track, our group watched in awe as we heard a gun shot, faint stomping, and then about a dozen horses and their riders crest the hilltop before sliding and galloping down the hill, churning the dirt below their hoofs into a waterfall of sorts.  Within seconds the riders made it to the bottom of the hill, hitting the river with a resounding belly-flop sound before swimming (did you know horses could swim?) down to the arena. 
Well...I have to go now - more updates to come!

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