Another Sunday is here, and, with it, a delightful breakfast of oatmeal, wheat toast, and coffee at Earl’s Diner, a staple along Route 66 in Gallup, New Mexico. As I reflect on the past week, a good week, to be sure, I think about the excitement that comes with laying routes somewhere, particularly a place as historic as this city. This Friday, we were delighted at Church Rock by the presentation of Albert Smith, an 80+-year-old former Navajo Codetalker, whose tails of his experience before, during, and after World War II riveted admiring students and left them antsy to get at the veteran with some questions. While many, indeed most students, had heard of the Navajo Codetalkers, I don’t think enough of them had a knowledge of the profound influence their work during WWII (and other conflicts up until Vietnam) had an ensuring the preservation of U.S. prosperity. Albert arrived just before nine, to the surprise of our secretary Judy. Many thanks to the janitorial crew of Tony, Bobby, and Fred for quickly readying a table, seat, and microphone for Albert (in retrospect, I should have alerted other staff about Albert’s coming much further in advance; I will do a better job of this next time!). At the end of his talk, our attendance secretary, Grace, presented Mr. Smith with a commemorative Church Rock Academy Bulldog pin. Next to his numerous medals of accolade for service and bravery, hopefully this memento will also provide him with joy and pride.
In addition to recounting his time as a soldier during WWII, Albert spoke to students about the importance of taking good care of themselves, working hard in school, and preserving their heritage by learning to Navajo language. He stressed that the youngsters need to get enough sleep, eat well, and ensure that they pay attention in class. He said that he had difficulty upon returning home from the war. On one hand, he had suffered, as had thousands of other veterans, deep emotional distress stemming from the horrific things he had seen in combat. Also, however, he found it extremely difficult to obtain a quality job with his eighth grade education (which he quickly rectified by returning to school and picking up a high school degree). He said to students that, looking around the gymnasium, he saw eyes that were tired, students that were elsewhere in terms of their mindset, which he found concerning given that the young people populating the bleachers represented the future of his and their Navajo heritage.
In sum, it was a great honor to have Albert come and speak. Despite being upwards of eighty, he keeps an extremely active schedule, traveling regularly to promote a book he helped publish on Codetalkers, as well as lecturing on the topic to audiences ranging from young, elementary school students to high-ranking Defense Department Officials. I think the staff, myself included, might have found Albert’s presentation even more interesting than the kiddos! As I reflected last week, the contribution made my Native American soldiers to the military success of this country, particularly with respect to Codetalkers during WWII, has been almost disgustingly underemphasized in or, worse, omitted from the historical literature. Albert’s talk ensures that Church Rock students will not go without knowledge of the hugely significant role played by their relatives.
Soccer League Opens:
Tonight, I have my first game as part of the ‘G Force’, a team that I and a few other New Mexicorps members joined in the Gallup Adult Soccer league. Yesterday, a few of these comrades and I went down to the park to kick the ball around a bit and ready for tonight’s battle. It reminded me of just how much I love the sport of soccer, which I think to be the best in the world. While I played tennis longer and more competitively than any other sport, I believe soccer offers a beauty unparalleled by any other sport. Moreover, the way in which the game infuse and enthrall an entire country’s culture and psyche is remarkable. The dynamic of the game itself also conjures thoughts of equity and justice. I think of it as the ultimate equalizer. I think this because, in soccer, a team that can defend well can compete with anyone. Even if a squad has far less in the way of flashy talent or physical size, if it can somehow claw out success on the defensive end, rendering opponents scoreless, there always exists a chance that a well-played counteract can result in a monstrous upset. This manifests itself in international competition in riveting upsets of small, often unheard from countries upsetting traditional pariahs and, more interestingly, former colonial rulers. Note, for example, Senegal’s enthralling 1-0 upset of France in the opening game of the 2002 World Cup in Japan/South Korea. Going into the game, bookmakers scoffed at the chance of tiny Senegal to pull of the unlikely upset over the defending Cup champion, but with solid, tenacious defense and a single, glorious offensive sequence, Senegal did the unthinkable, sending the country into a joyous whirlwind and paving the way for an even more improbable run to the contest’s quarter-finals. Now, with all this talk of upset, does it mean I am betting on Novak Djokovic to upset Roger Federer in today’s U.S. Open Men’s Final? Not a chance!
Art Crawl:
Gallup holds an ‘art crawl’ on the second Saturday of every month. What this means is that art galleries and other stores that line historical downtown Coal Street open their doors in the evening, inviting in locals and tourists to check out some of the wonderful pieces of local, regional, and international artists, and also providing them with live music and snacks. Last evening, I happily took part in what I hope is the first of many Gallup art crawls. I think these events embody the charm of Gallup. The hub of Native American art and jewelry in the Southwest and, some argue, across the country, the art on display last night was remarkable. Some pieces illustrated the region’s breathtaking environmental beauty, while others made political statements. One memorable painting, which the proprietor of the popular downtown gallery and jeweler, the ‘House of Lyndon’, told me had been painted in 1982, juxtaposed the painting of six Ute Indians in the upper-left hand corner with a white man wearing a suit from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The owner of ‘Lyndon’s’ informed us that the piece’s artist told him that the point of the painting was for the observer to decide which of the six Native Americans had shot the BIA official, who was missing a left! Talk about hard-hitting! The piece was $450 dollars. The gallery owner told me and a couple of other TFA chums that we could set-up a payment plan. We smiled at each other and told him we’d be in touch when teacher’s wages were a bit more conducive to establishing quality art collections.
In addition to paintings, the gallery offered an extensive pottery collection, some of which had taken away prizes and high marks from regional shows and contests. The precision and care with which artists approach the pottery, jewelry, and other hand-crafted works I have had the pleasure of observing since coming to Gallup never fails to amaze and humble me. If you plan a trip to Gallup, do your darndest to align it with the second Saturday of the month in which you are coming. The ‘art crawl’ is, to put it mildly, a treat.
Enjoying the crawl last evening also hinted at the roots I am slowly but surely putting down in this charming Northwest New Mexico town. I saw several acquaintances I have made since moving here and enjoyed conversing with them in the cool night air, which hinted that autumn is quickly approaching. Moreover, a friend who writes for a local paper and is also a skilled musician performed to the delighted ears of many observers. The music teacher at Church Rock Academy, a remarkable man named Randy whose career has taken him across the world, first as a child professional and, during his adult years, as an acclaimed performer and teacher of music. The kids at Church Rock love Randy, and talked last night about pairing him and another friend I saw last night who also performs regularly on the local music scene for a concert at school. After seeing so many friendly faces over the course of the evening, I could not chuckle when reflecting that, over the course of 24 hours, I had probably seen over 50% of the folks I’ve met since moving to Gallup within a 40-feet radius. On Friday, I ate dinner at the Coal Street Pub, a popular restaurant for teachers. Saturday morning, I did my regular coffee and paper at ‘The Coffee House’ just down the road on Coal Street. By the time, I popped out of the ‘House of Lyndon’ (also on Coal Street) and made my way home, I had seen and visited with almost the whole crew. This hints at the small-town charm and closely-knit communities that characterize so many towns across the Land of Enchantment. This dynamic is one of the things I find most endearing about my home state and look forward to enjoying for years to come. When people are close together, there exists a prime opportunity to bond, and, to be sure, life offers no greater gift than building strong relationships.
Travel Opportunity:
I will close with something that will undoubtedly result in a worried phone-call from mom. Last Sunday, I met with someone who is quickly becoming a dear friend. This particular person, an ’03 New Mexicorps member, helped start a successful edible garden at her high school, a project I, and other ’07 CMs, are interested in taking on at our respective schools. In addition to this, our conversation hopped around many other, exciting topics, including this young woman’s experience earning her masters in international development as part of program at a university in Southern New Hampshire. She described to me a particularly impressive and inspiring classmate by the name of Anwar, a Palestinian man who runs a microfinance non-profit, headquartered in Ramallah in the West Bank.
(A quick word on microfinance: microfinance, in essence, is an international movement to issue small loans to working-class, typically impoverished citizens to expand their business opportunities. Most microfinance beneficiaries have been women, though men are taking advantage of the initiative, as well. There exist hundreds of microfinance banks and lenders across the world, operating in places from Bangladesh to the United States. Many banks are ‘for-profit’ entities. The repayment and default rates of their borrowers are regularly higher and lower, respectively, than traditional lending institutions. For more information on success stories in microfinance, check out the autobiography authored by Grameen Bank founder and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus entitled ‘Banker to the Poor’. For all its strengths, microfinance has been criticized for a number of shortcomings, including its difficulty to function in disaster and disease-stricken areas, as well as cultural sensibilities that may arise in financially empowering women in communities wherein males typically dominate familial structures. At the very least, microfinance represents an important effort worthy of further study.
The organization is called FATEN and, like other non-profits across the world, offers an opportunity for working-class citizens to establish or expand their business practices. FATEN, in addition to its headquarters in Ramallah, has eleven branches spread across Gaza and the West Bank. The Second Intifada and persistent conflict among Palestinians and Israelis, particularly the recent flare-up of hostilities between Hamas and rival Fatah since the former group won political power in elections last year and further consolidated its mandate by seizing, militarily, complete control in Gaza, have hindered FATEN’s ability to serve Palestinians as effectively as it would like. Still, each year, it doles out millions in microloans, offering a number of different financial products to individuals, families, businesses, and non-profit and nongovernmental organization (NGO) employees. As in other parts of the world, microfinance does not represent a silver bullet in terms of providing impoverished populations a path to financial viability. Still, the services with which FATEN and other, similar entities across the world provide their borrowers offers an empowering brand of hope, as they seek to better their livelihood.
A trip to Israel and the Palestinian sits atop my travel list, and when Alicia mentioned that Anwar had invited her to visit him over spring break, my eyes nearly burst out of my head! I guess my friend could tell because, by that evening, she suggested that I consider coming along. Naturally and excitedly, I told her that I had hoped she would ask me that and immediately expressed a desire to come along. Since then, that is, over the course of the last week, several things have happened hinting that a remarkable journey awaits my friend and me next spring. First, a friend of my fellow Corps Member who she knows from her time with the Peace Corps has also decided to join us. She seems to be an extremely interest person and dedicated world traveler with whom this type of a trip would be even more enjoyable. Secondly, Anwar heartily and enthusiastically endorsed my coming along, saying that not only could we stay at his brother’s vacant flat during out stay, but that we also might have a chance to use a FATEN vehicle to tour sites in the Palestinian territories, as well as Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. Also, one of my friend’s other former classmates from her masters program, who works for the Israeli military and currently lives in Russia, agreed to come spend time with us during our visit. In sum, this is shaping up to be a trip of a lifetime. To the extent that the Arab-Israeli conflict represents one of the most significant standoffs in international affairs, this trip offers first-hand, unparalleled perspective into a great challenge of our time. I look forward to joining my friend on this unique journey and cannot wait to meet many new and intrepid people along the way. Mom, you eventually came around on Colombia, hopefully the same will hold true for the Middle East!
Cheers from Earl’s,
--Daniel
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