Monday Sets the Bar High

Our first day of work was a series of rejuvenating actions. It became so busy, even in our journals we described the events in terms of an itinerary so that we could preserve each and every moment's memory in a concentrated way.

"Work" 

For the first and second day of work, we spent most of our time working with and getting to know the Cherokee people. After riding the Dragon, the infamous motorcycle road stretch that contains 318 turns in 11 miles, we arrived at our first project. Our group was responsible for digging the final irrigation trenches, laying the gravel and beams for an ADA handicap fishing trail. When asked who wouldn't mind getting "a little muddy", four girls jumped at the opportunity. By the end of the two hour stretch of work, everyone had become apart of the mud war and most wore it proudly. 

After wrapping every surface of the rental car in garbage bags, we moved on to the next site, where we met Linda, an elderly Cherokee woman in need of some assistance on her property. Linda's garden was on a grade that was higher than her house. As she got older, she wasn't able to make it up the hill. She tied a rope to a tree and was pulling herself up the hill every day. Our group put in steps and a handrail so that Linda could get back up to her garden with ease again. The rest of the group worked rigorously to rip the invasive privet weed out of her front yard. A beautiful brook runs through Linda's property. Before we got there, you couldn't even see there was a brook from some angles. By the time we finished, it was clearly visible! The third and final section of the group worked on Linda's sister-in-law's house scrubbing off mold and residue that builds up due to the humid atmosphere. It was amazing to see what a group of hard working students could do in a couple of short hours. It was more gratifying than anything most of us had accomplished in a long time. 

Our next project for the day was brief but sweet. We spent some time at the Recreation Center, some of us tip-toeing into the library in our muddy work boots to help students with their homework, others going into the bible study session in the gymnasium. Wherever we ended up, all agreed that the children were eager to see us. It was touching to see how positive and familiar Ed and Arleen's program is in the community. On several occasions we were asked, "Are you the college kids?!" Everyone young and old seemed to know about Ed and Arleen and "their college kids". 

And so we were off to the infamous Fish Game. 

"Play" 

Everyone had been discussing the game since we had been told we would need a change of clothes and Ian told us he was playing in a bathing suit. "Just expect to be muddier than you got playing in the mud when you were six", he advised. As our van approached, we saw a seemingly innocent field with a tall wooden beam decorated with a large carved wooden fish on top. It was only as we got closer that we saw the pooling layer of mud that surrounded it on all sides. 

There were only a few rules to this Cherokee courtship game:

Men:

-are shirtless and are allowed the use of a small wooden lacrosse stick

-are not allowed to hit women

-must use the stick to pass the ball and hit the fish with said ball for a point

Women:

-do whatever you need to do to hit the fish with that ball

First team to 12 wins. 

Women have won ten years in a row. After two hours of mud slinging, sliding, slopping, and tackling, the girls emerged victorious. By the end of the game, it seemed that an equally compelling competition was raised-- whoever is covered head to toe in mud will be an even bigger winner. I believe there were quite a few ties. 

After dipping into the river (some were scrubbing each other with flat bristled brushes) to get some of the mud off, we delicately made our way into the van to travel back to the church we would be staying in for the night. And that is when we realized: for 40 students (the majority of which were women) there were two showers per gender. 

The race for the shower was pleasantly delayed by the Welch family, a Cherokee couple that came to the church to sing some traditional music and christian music in the Cherokee language. They explained to us that after the Trail of Tears, much of the Cherokee language was lost because those who had experienced it wanted to save their children and grandchildren from the pain and suffering they had endured. The Welch family and others were working to re-cultivate the culture and the language through song. We all rose as they sang a song in Cherokee in honor of those who were lost on that terrible journey. It was a powerful ending to a powerful day. 

After a strategic race, we bonded further over the adventure that was the cold shower experience and went to sleep before another busy and moving day.