Our Dish Soap Defrosted!

BACK IN THE BUTTE

So we drove back to Eagle Butte late Tuesday night when the power came back to the main towns. When we were here without power, our dish soap froze which made washing dishes very difficult. When we returned, ti had defrosted- yay! Unfortunately, anyone who lives outside the towns do not have electricity yet and may not have it for a few more weeks. The water is still undrinkable so we have been distributing clean water around the reservation. Also, we have been taking shifts at the Emergency Operations Command Center answering emergency calls 24/7. For me, this means waking up every 4 hours to drive people to switch shifts. But, it's very interesting working with the Tribal Government and working with the people who are at the forefront of the disaster relief.

SWEAT
On Saturday we were invited to a Sweat Lodge! It is an outdoor dome covered in tarps that is pitch black. Rocks are heated in a fire until they are red and then they are placed in the dome and water is poured over them to create intense steam. We had 13 people in ours. The experience is very spiritual and intended for cleansing and prayer. We sat through 3 rounds of the steam which took about 2 hours. I sweat buckets. And my nose hairs burned.

BUFFALO
I saw a herd of Buffalo! They were beautiful and I photographed them in black and white. Then I ate buffalo. I don't think it was kosher, but who knows, the buffalo had some pretty intense peyos.

PICTURES FINALLY! WHERE WE LIVE:
OUR HOUSE:

OUR GROCERY STORE (THE LTM):

THE HABITAT OFFICE:

Where do we live? Next to the Quonset on the corner.

FIRETRAINING

The week after New Year's (in Boston, AMAZING break), I headed back to Iowa for a week of transition (translation: paperwork) and another week of wildland fire training! This portion of fire training was the classroom portion so while it was at times very tiring and school-like, it was really interesting. I learned all about weather conditions for a perfect fire, how to start a fire safely, and fire suppression techniques. Also, we tested out fire shelters, which are reflective covered mini tents that you can deploy if as a last resort. And you look like a burrito:
My team is very excited for our fire round which will be in a couple months in Northwestern Iowa. We will be setting controlled fires that support the environment because they would have naturally occurred if it weren't for humans. Paradox, I know.

SOUTH DAKOTA: GREAT FACES, GREAT PLACES
Oh where to begin.
My location this morning: Eagle Butte, SD
My current location: Hotel in Rapid City, SD, due to safety concerns. (yes folks, this is a cliff hanger, ingeniously inserted to make you keep reading)

We arrived in Eagle Butte, SD on Tuesday and started work with Habitat for Humanity. We work in a "Quonset", or hut/mini warehouse next to our house and also in homes an hour away from the reservation. This week we began to repair doors and windows in the house of an elderly woman with "Renovating the Rez." The idea of this project is that Habitat doesn't have enough money to get everyone sufficient housing on the reservation, but they can make the housing a bit warmer (even if it's still sub-standard).
Being in this area is like being on another planet. The few days we arrived the fog was so heavy that we couldn't see past 10 feet in any direction so we had no idea what our surroundings were. When the fog lifted, we discovered that we were surrounded by flat, snow-covered plains in all directions, dotted with power lines. It's really a beautiful landscape. The town of Eagle Butte is a cute little street long (or short). Unfortunately, internet only seems to exist on one computer in the Habitat office in Eagle Butte, so my blog may be lacking this round (I am currently writing from a hotel).

I really really want to put pictures up but I didn't bring my camera with me to Rapid City! I'll get them up when I can.

WHERE WE LIVE
We live on a road that does not have a name, and therefore we do not have an address. And so, attempting to be a responsible Team Leader, I asked how we should describe our location should there be an emergency? Our supervisor responded: "you live next to the Quonset on the corner." I'm still trying to find that on Mapquest.

Our Sponsor is a very nice, and well-respected man named Jerree. He lives on a ranch about 25 minutes outside of town and he has been wonderful. Jerree describes himself as mixed Native American and White and is very knowledgeable about the Lakota culture. We hope to be invited to a sweat lodge during our stay!

DISASTER RELIEF TEAM SENT OUT OF DISASTER AREA
Thursday afternoon, Jerree informed us that a storm was approaching this weekend and that power might go out sometime in the next few days. Power went out Thursday at 7pm due to high winds and ice. We stayed in the house with a propane tank attached to a heater but we tried not to use it because of the fumes, so it got pretty chilly. Jerree's cousin dropped off a couple burners to attach to the propane so we used that for a bit to make meals, but after two nights without heat the storm still hadn't hit and so the high winds and temperatures could only get worse. Furthermore, because power was out in the entire town (and we were in about a 200 mile radius that was without power), the supermarket had to close down. They opened for a few hours on Friday for customers to be led around with flashlights and pay cash only. Crazy! May I just say, there is nothing quite like 11 people in a tiny house in the dark with nothing to do and no end in sight? We joked about cannibalism just enough to make me uncomfortable...

Anyways, Saturday morning, the roads were finally ok to drive (less icy) so we piled the team into the van and headed out to Rapid City, 2 1/2 hours away. During the drive, we passed National Guard trucks on their way to the affected areas. When we arrived in Rapid City, we learned that Eagle Butte had run out of water.
And so, now we are in a hotel in Rapid City until further notice. They expect it won't be that long, probably a day or two and we will head back.

All of the hotels in South Dakota for some crazy reason have a water park INSIDE them. It's strange but wonderful. Anyways, we are staying in a hotel that has a waterpark. Yet our town has no water. The irony is kinda ridiculous.

Miss youuu! YES YOU!