June 1st, 2019:
Today we started our journey to Cherokee, NC. We stopped for
the night in Powell, TN (about 11 hours after leaving the college and that is
including our stops for food, gas, and restrooms) and we will depart in the morning.
I am excited for the days to come and to see what they have in store. I am most
excited to learn more about the Cherokee culture and to expand my knowledge in
nursing and Cherokee culture. I am also very excited to view the villages and
towns that we have planned to go to, as I have never been anywhere in North
Carolina. Along with my excitement, I do have some apprehensions. One of the
apprehensions that I have is being in a place that is much different than what
I am use to. It is a new place with new people and practices and that can be
scary at first. I am sure that once things get going, this apprehension will go
away.
Before the start of this trip we discussed some things about
the Cherokee culture. After our brief discussion, I used the internet to look
up some more things so that I could have a better understanding of the Cherokee
culture. I watched videos, read articles, and went to links that had been provided
to us. I have learned that a lot of people in the Cherokee village face
poverty, lack to resources, and lack of education. I am sure the closer we get
to Cherokee, NC the more I will start to see some of these things in communities.
As far as my thoughts on Native American people go, I can’t
wait to get to the village and meet more Native American people and learn more
about them. I think their culture and beliefs are fascinating to learn about
and learning about them first hand will help me understand them completely. The
biggest stereotype that I think Native American people run into is people
thinking they all look like Pocahontas. I personally do not have this stereotype
or believe this, but I know we discussed that it is common and that the Native American
people do not like it. I am looking forward to the next 8 days and the only way
to get to learn as much as I want is to go in ready to learn and with an open
mind.
This journey has just begun!