McKa’an Zimmerman

AP English, Period 1

Cooper, N.

20.05.2019

Southwest Reflection Essay

The Academy of Global Studies 2020 Junior year edition has been a memorial one. In the

beginning of the year I was excited for my classes and teachers. However I fell short due to

familial issues and stress. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to continue my junior year in AGS

because I was constantly missing school and couldn’t make it through a day. I am so glad I stuck

with it though because the Southwest trip to New Mexico was worth it. I had a wonderful time

and learned so much about Native American culture and lifestyle in New Mexico. From pottery

to the Gathering of Nations it was a trip I’ll never forget.

One of our first activities was hiking at Tent Rock. Tent Rock is a trail that winds up

many plateaus in rural New Mexico. The path we took was about a mile up and a mile back. As

we walked our guide pointed out the different rock formations and we got to take some amazing

photos of the scenery. The hike up ended on top of one of the plateaus with an amazing view that

was well worth the walk and mild rain.

A few days after Tent Tock we went river rafting down the Rio Grande. River rafting was

slightly chilly and definitely worth the weather. We talked with our guide about his culture and

traditions. He brought traditional regalia and talked about the history of each piece and explained
its purpose in the dances. We discussed politics with him, asking about the attitude towards the

LGBTQIA+ community within his specific tribe. From having these discussions we were able to

understand the similarities between our culture and their culture regarding topics that are

important to the AGS youth.

Our next most memorable activity was visiting the To’hajiilee Community School. There

we played team building activities with the students, were given a tour of the campus, and made

Good for u! bread. The whole experience was phenomenal. We were able to understand the

differences and similarities between our schools and culture. We ended the visit with a lesson on

how to make dry bread. It was very delicious and very messy. It was really fun interacting with

the kids and learning about their culture and values.

These mentioned events were a few of the trip highlights. There were many more but that

would take for more words. Overall the trip was a success. We had fun. We learned. It was

different then Heifer and Costa Rica in that the changes and messages weren’t obvious. In Heifer

it was clear that food deserts are an issue. In Costa Rica it was clear that clean water and waste

was an issue. In New Mexico the message was hidden beneath a different culture and around the

riverbend. From the trip and the people we learned from I believe the message is tolerance and

acceptance. We were never greeted with an unkind face or word while we were there despite the

bloody history between our two cultures.