Life On The Rez

Living on an Indian reservation in AZ has been an experience so far. We've been here a little over three weeks and I'm still adjusting to a few things. We are definitely living out in the middle of nowhere which has it's charms but is mostly just inconvenient. I have so many thoughts and feelings about my new home that I don't even know where to start so forgive me if they seem disorganized and don't make sense.

First I guess I will just say that the critters around here will take some getting used to. There was a snake in the front yard the other day and although I'm not necessarily afraid of snakes, I do worry about my kids coming across a rattle snake which is rare but could happen.

I had a battle with a giant Stink Beetle in my garage yesterday. I'm squirmy around little bugs but at least I know how to get rid of them. This was a challenge. You can't just squish something like this. As gross as it was I couldn't help but think of Kanab and my Grandma Crosby. The only other times in my life I have seen these beetles was at her home in Kanab (which I am not far from). I usually saw them while playing in her cellar in the back room. I miss my Grandma and I couldn't help but feel connected to her through this disgusting beetle and thought perhaps she may even be chuckling at me from above.

Some other critters we have are Prairie dogs. Lots and lots of them. There is a big field right across the street from our house which is full of them. The kids love to watch them poke there little heads out of the ground but we have been warned not to go near them. The Natives believe they carry a deadly plague and the only reason they keep them around is to watch them and if they all start dying off then they know the plague is going around.

There are many animals that roam these fields as it is an open range. You will find horses and cows hanging out in strange places such as the post office parking lot which is why were were told to avoid driving at night. With no city lights it is hard to see even with your brights on. (my friend hit a horse and totaled her car) Mostly you just have to deal with stray dogs. These dogs are EVERYWHERE. I am horrified I'm going to hit one or back over one or get eaten by one. (that's not a joke) some of them are vicious and they travel in packs. An 8 year old little boy asked me if I had a metal bat. When I said "no" he told me to go get one because of the dogs. I thought it was a joke but it was later confirmed by his parents that keeping a metal bat in your car is wise. The dogs in our neighborhood are nice but when you travel a few miles away they can be scary.

Church: Our church is about 15 minutes away and starts at 9:00. That has been a challenge for me. In fact it is a challenge for half the ward. Most people show up after sacrament meeting. I don't know why they don't just change the time because we don't share the building with anybody else.(it's way too small to share) Jacob thinks it's because they all want to get home in time for football. Sometimes the teachers don't even show up at all. The nursery teacher is gone a lot. We had to sub in nursery our first week because nobody else would do it. We were told not to eat anything at ward functions. All our friends here have gotten sick every time they ate the food. Last week they roasted a pig for the activity.

Date night: we can pretty much say goodbye to date night. There is not really anyone to babysit and even if there was there is nowhere to go. You get food poisoning from most of the restaurants. We have been told the Denny's is ok (I think it's owned by someone in the ward) but Denny's? Seriously? For a date? I'd rather stay in and watch a movie.

Another thing that scares me is apparently this place is like 80% sex offenders so pretty much our kids will NEVER play at others houses and they will never leave our sight.

(All of these pictures are terrible and hard to see because I was in the car but I did my best. You may have to click on them to see anything)

Prairie Dog poking his head out.

This is the entrance to our neighborhood and hospital that Jacob works at. He is literally a 3 minutes walk away which allows him to come home for lunch every day. I love that we see him so much more.
This is really hard to see but way out in the field was the oldest and cutest little house. I don't know how old it is but it's possibly from when the town was established back in 1851. There is so much history here and I love it. Some day I'll get a better picture of this house because it is darling.
random dog blocking my way. I saw two dead dogs on the side of the road just in one drive .
Another thing I love is the scenery. It is so open and clear. The sky is beautiful . This is just the scenery from a drive to the grocery store. We have a grocery store about 5 minutes away but it kind of creeps me out.(in fact my friend told me not to go there at night) We do most our shopping at the super Walmart that is 30 minutes away in NM. I am hoping to plan my food menu well enough to only have to make this trip twice a month. However all our Dr. appointments will be in this town as well and pretty much anything else we need to do. The tricky thing is planning it all out so that you can get home before your meat and dairy goes bad. We haven't tried ice cream yet. We have to take a cooler but there's only so much room in it.
Veterans cemitary: Most of the time they bury people above ground in a big mound of dirt. You are even allowed to bury people in your yard.
The famous painted wall: ok so it's not really famous but it's kind of cool and it goes on for a while.
Vintage looking 7 eleven sign: we don't get gas here because it's super ghetto.
I also love that we have a little park/playground practically in my backyard. I am standing in the park and my house is the first one on the right.
Here are the kids playing at the park. Lily thinks she is a champion when she climbs a big rock(and there are many big rocks out here) This is her shouting to the world that she is number one. I love that she has her arm around Jake. A woman walked by and said she thought it was neat that we were at a playground but my kids would rather climb on a rock.

The kids love it here. So far it's been good for all of us. Like I said I'm still getting used to a few things such as:

not being able to drink the water. I've never had to live off bottled water before. It's pretty annoying but I'm starting to get used to it.

People ask for money a lot. The Natives have the opinion that all white people are rich. In fact we are considered to live in the "rich" neighborhood only because we have paved roads. I have to get used to people approaching me and asking for money.

everyone stares. We are definitely the minority here and I'm not used to that. (it doesn't help that every time we go to the grocery store my kids draw attention either by being extremely hyper or crying about something) Lily could possibly be the only white kid in her class when she starts school next year. My friends little girl started coloring herself brown with a marker because she knew she was different. My other friend has a 9 year old boy who gets called stupid white kid and tortilla. (?) This kid is such a good sport though. In fact both these family's amaze me. We have made some incredible friends and I am truly grateful.

Living out in the middle of nowhere will definitely be an experience and when the time comes for us to leave I will be ready, but for now this is my home. Because it is my home I'm sure that when we leave it won't just be the middle of nowhere anymore but rather the middle of somewhere.