Navajo Nation

Stephan Grabner

Landing in Albuquerque, I did not know what to expect. My application listed Botswana as my first choice and Belize as my second. Navajo Nation seemed an awfully lot less exotic than the destinations mentioned above. I decided to make the most of it, to explore this ancient culture that is so close to my own (geographically- I attend a boarding school in New Mexico) and yet so far away. The group seemed nice, the cultural orientation was interesting and the travelling we did was relaxing. What really made the EIL experience so unique, so important and so life-changing was the home stay.

My host family didn't greet me overwhelmingly friendly. A short 'Hi' and a handshake, nothing more. The following ten days were filled with watching TV, maybe a short hike with my host brothers and a conversation with my host father in the evening. The home stay was not extraordinary because of the things we did; my host family did not take me to all the beautiful sights in the surrounding area. They did not try to teach me everything about their culture and language, and they did not give me special treatment. This is what made it so special, it is what made the experience authentic. I wasn't in a zoo where I could take a look at an endangered species, protected by bars and thick glass. By not making too much effort, my host family managed to fully immerse me in their everyday life, to make me feel at home. All my protection was taken away, and I could not help being part of their life, letting them be part of mine and seeing everything from their perspective.

When we discussed our home stay in the group, one of the other kids said he felt sorry for me because he did all these fun activities with his family and obviously my experience was so bad. I was irritated. It was hard to explain to someone who appreciates a flea market and ATVs more than cultural learning, but I did not feel that I had experienced less than him or anyone else. In fact, I thought my experience was so much more profound, and I was thankful for the simplicity I had experienced over the past ten days. My family taught me a lot just by being very spiritual, respectful, down-to-earth people with strong values and by letting me observe them. This is what made my EIL trip to Navajo Nation so wonderful.