Days 1 & 2 Arrival, Altitude & Acculturation

Sunday July 9, 2017, we headed out bright and early from Methodist College to North Carolina.  We couldn't have asked for a more pleasant day to travel and the group seemed to gel right away.  

  The group were great sports as Amy & I navigated the van through traffic and mountains!

Some even used time on the trip to read about the history of the Cherokee alphabet called the Syllabury and practice a few phrases in Cherokee.  

Amy & Mr. Bocelli

After stopping in historic Waynesville, NC at Bocelli's and picking up some terrific pizza, we had only a little over a half hour to get to the cabin which we will be staying for a week. 
 After filling up on the delicious pizza and unloading the van, students finished their blog posts and were ready for some shut-eye!  Two very courageous students  accompanied me to a small grocery store in Cherokee about 15 minutes away where we loaded up with the food we would need to prepare family style meals for the week.  As we divided and conquered the grocery list, shopping went very smoothly!  I was impressed at the savvy shopping skills these two young women had as we managed to get everything needed and stay within our budget. We loaded the van up with 2 carts filled to the brim of groceries and made our way back to the cabin. As we attempted to ascend the mountain incline driveway to the cabin, we soon realized that the dew on the ground and lack of weight made it impossible to reach the top.  The skill these ladies had on helping direct me down the mountain backwards in the dark prevented us from being stuck in the deeply rutted banks on each side.  After 5 attempts to make it up the drive, I retreated to parking at the bottom of the mountain and we carried the 2 carts full of groceries up to the cabin. While I have never personally been to a Cross-Fit excercise program, I am certain it cannot be more of a work out than getting those groceries up the mountain. These are the things that are the beginnings of good stories and an uexpected adventures. This would be my second year here, the drive up to the top has been full of adventure and I couldn't help but reminisce and chuckle about the driveway experiences which for flat landers, may compare to a thrill ride at an amusement park!  (No need to read & worry, it is really not that bad, this is just mountain life problems.)

 In the morning we made our way to the bottom of the mountain and set off  for clinical orientation and tour at Cherokee Indian Hospital. 

Afterwards we had lunch, went to the Museum of the Cherokee Indian,  Art Gallery, small shops and Ocanaluftee Indian Villiage where students walked through  Cherokee Village and seen how the Cherokee lived 2 1/2 Centuries ago.  We watched (and even a few participated in) Native American dancing and we observed demonstrations including  traditional rivercane basket making. 

It was a beautiful and warm day, so we decided to catch the last ride of the day a Tubing company had and float 3 miles on the Cherokee River. It was a relaxing adventure and a perfect day to wrap up the day.  When we got back to cabin, our U-Haul of donations made it to the top mountain and so did our van! We then shared the most amazing Chicken Alfredo, garden salad and Brownies. It was quite a treat to have other adults cooking and to partake in a meal I did not prepare.  We are now ready to see what Day 3, brings as it will be the first full day of observation Clinical in Cherokee on Tuesday.