Goats, chickens, and sheep, oh my!

Anna Smucker is a Graphic Design major, double minoring in Music and Bible and Religion.

For the past three days, I had the opportunity to stay with a host family and two other students, a couple of miles away from the church. I was pleasantly surprised from the beginning how easy the transition was from group living into a more intimate setting with our host families. Our host family consisted of three generations of strong women – Mama Jane, Percila, and Persina.

After settling in on Sunday and getting a good night’s sleep, we started off Monday morning with a big breakfast and bottle-feeding Clover, the family’s billy goat. Later on, we helped Persina, my host mother’s daughter, feed the chickens and sheep. As we eagerly helped refill the sheep’s food and water bins, we had a small mishap, leaving the sheep gate open! Without hesitation, we ran outside the pen and chased the sheep around until we could guide them into the pen and secure the gate closed.

Later that evening, we drove up a rocky hill behind our house and hiked a bit before meeting others to find flowers in order to make a traditional Navajo tea. For hours, we enjoyed our time together scavenging and searching for flowers before hiking back up the hill and surveying the stunning view of the mountains before us. To top it off, we were accompanied by a cool breeze and a rainbow in the distance.

Tuesday morning followed a similar routine as Monday- tending to the chickens, sheep, and Clover the goat. After finishing up with our chores, we cleaned our flowers from the night before and wrapped them into small bundles, securing them tight with a string.

Mid morning, we began the process of painting the walls and trim of my host mother’s house. To pass the time, we put on some tunes and enjoyed the rich vocals of Joni Mitchell along with other classics like the Bee Gees.

Later on, we jumped into Pricina’s big truck and drove into Chinle to check off a couple of errands. On the way to get groceries, we had the opportunity to try a Piccadilly for the first time. After several moments of contemplation, we settled on a Hawaiian flavored Piccadilly, complete with tropical flavored shaved ice and diced dill pickles on top sprinkled with Hawaiian flavored Koolaid. What a great way to finish off the day!

Wednesday morning crept up faster than expected and we were sad to part with our host family around noon. Overall, I was struck by the hospitality and generosity of our host family, complete with delicious home cooked meals and lots of laughter. This was definitely a time to remember.