The rain clouds held off as the team finished the work of staining and touching up the Chief's house and store. By now the two teams felt comfortable with each other , and were able to get right to work to finish up the job. The Global team headed to the Pryor High School to paint the inside walls and do trash duty outside.
Lunchtime brought us back to the State Park for a celebratory lunch BBQ, with staff, volunteers, Crow Youth and the head of the Montana State Parks. The Global Volunteer young adults provided the entertainment with a rousing rendition of their Chief Plenty Coups rap. After thanks and goodbyes, the Global team headed back to the high school for more painting and more trash. This lead to a heated discussion of whose trash was it anyway and why weren't they present to be picking it up? On the other hand, Ross was thrilled with the outcome: a clean and welcoming entrance to the school.
Meantime, I took a ride to the top of the ridge, magnificent view of the valley, where I met with Larry Falls Down, to arrange for a lunch and trail ride for our team later in the week. He regaled me with tales of the Crow, and his ranch , then wanted to hear all about Global Volunteers, and finally gave me a price that couldn't be beat, because , he said, we were giving so much to his community.
The trip home included the promised stop at Dairy Queen, The Dollar Store, The Hardware Store(more air mattresses), and the grocery store. Tired and hungry, the team fell into showers and then dinner. The evening meeting was followed by an informal conversation about prior and future volunteer trips, the impacts(negative & positive) and general philosophizing about domestic and international volunteering. This is a team of hardworking, dedicated, thoughtful and creative people. They will have a huge impact wherever they choose to go next. Meantime, I need to figure out a project plan for tomorrow morning here in Crow Agency!
Love to all of you,
Barbara
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