A Positive Attitude

It is hard to believe that after two-and-a-half days, we already are halfway through our immersion experience at De La Salle Blackfeet. It's really been a great, eye-opening experience. All of the children seem to be really nice. They have taken to us pretty well and are excited to have guests in their school. I've truly enjoyed being able to learn with them, and I feel as if I have established meaningful connections with them. Despite some of the challenges that exist on the reservation, I am impressed to see the children come into the school every day with a positive attitude, and I think we should all model this positive attitude in our own lives.

There have been a couple exceptional events over the past three days, starting with our experience of the scenery every morning on the bus ride to school. There's a good reason that Montana is called "Big Sky Country" - just look up and see how big the sky appears. The mountains, hills, and flat plains altogether create a picturesque and dreamlike landscape. I'm not sure if I've ever seen more beautiful lands in person, and words cannot describe everything that I've seen, from the mountains of Glacier Park to our experience on the Buffalo Jumps.

Also equally eye-opening was my trip to the Medicine Bear shelter yesterday morning. I was able to serve a hot meal to some of the local homeless and sit with them, listening and making conversation. The atmosphere was very welcoming, and the woman who runs the shelter even gave our group of immersion students a meal to enjoy as their guests. All of the residents were incredibly nice to us and seemed to carry that same positive attitude with them, despite the troubles that they face. We talked to these people for almost two hours, and they were happy to open up and talk to us about themselves and about their lives. It was a moving and eye-opening experience that I'll never forget.

I look forward to the rest of the week at De La Salle Blackfeet School, and I can't wait to share my experiences when I return to Pittsburgh.

Matthew Wisneski ’15

 

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