Author: jadeayala

Today was a very chill, relaxing day for myself. The weather was hot and stinky but very bright and I thank the creator for this beautiful day, I was able to do basket weaving with Lori Sisquoc  and It was just a great moment for me to dewine and have relaxing thoughts to myself and  have great conversations with some of the mentors and students. We also had another session early on the day with Shelva it was such a great session/ class to be apart of being able to learn more about writing and how to structure personal essays is definitely going to be useful when I return back to school, and when the time comes to start my personal essay to apply for university I know that I will be prepared so I really thank Shelva for taking the time out of her day to come out here and share her beautiful inspiring knowledge.

Hello again! I am so happy and humbled that I received the chance to participate again at Pitzer Pipline, being able to see all the new faces as well as other peers that attended last year is so awesome. I did start my day late but thankfully I was just in time for the opening ceremony which was  a really  great way to start the program/day. Then I immediately connected and reconnected with other peers, then finally I was able to unpack all the unnecessary clothing and personal items that I brought and sadly said my goodbyes to my mother. Overall the activities were so much fun and did push me out of my comfort zone as well as to meet even more students and also the whole day was just another great day and I am ready to continue and be open minded as well as a risk taker through out the program.

hey grrrrrl its me jade hows it going well today is the LAST day here at Pitzer and I’m kind of sad but kind of happy to be honest because I miss home but at the same time Im gonna miss my peers and the mentors and most importantly sort of being on my own. But overall I had such an amazing time and I’m so thankful that I was able to participate and being able to go to such beautiful and sacred places that was really AWESOME man. But I’m just very thankful that I was chosen/accepted to this program and that I was able to participate and I know for sure that I will be able to take something from this experience. And being able to interact with other kids that were from different cultures was really cool and also being able to communicate with kids that weren’t in the program was even more cool like HOLOGRAPHIC POTATOES MAN. But overall it was soooooooooo much fun and exciting and I had such a great time and I really enjoyed myself and I hope that I get to participate next summer so THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH FOR GIVING ME A CHANCE DUDES.

SALAD DAYS ARENT OVER. 

Hello everyone I hope you had  an amazing day dude. In these past few days its been great but everyday I felt it was a different emotion vibe and experience for me. I was given the opportunity to go to Wishtoyo and I was able to go on a sacred island with my peers and it was AWESOME. Wishtoyo was so much fun I really enjoyed myself and I was able to leave with knowledge and great vibes. We did activities and we did presentations and they gave us certain topics and we had to present it to the group and it was cool. But I think my favorite part about my trip was the food and the ceremonies that we had I really loved that. When I was in Wishtoyo we gathered all the ladies and we had a woman’s ceremony and OH MY GOSHHH that was really cool I felt all of us ladies we were all connecting spiritually and mentally and I felt it was a safe circle to express myself and to let out my emotions even if it was positive or negative. But everyone there was so kind and beautiful and `they were so supportive. It wasn’t my first time going but it was my first time going with Pitzer but I hope that I get to go again. And when I was on the island we did snorkeling and canoeing and that was cool but the water was sooooooo cold at first but I liked the canoeing better because it was so relaxing and the view was great and floating on the beautiful water was HOLOGRAPHIC POTATOES man. Also we were able to hike on sacred land and it was cool and being able to do that I was  very lucky and it was one heck of an experience and its something that I will never forget. Anyways that was my box knox and Im just very thankful that I got to experience this and to participate THANK YOU PITZER oh yeah and HAPPY BDAY SABRINA.

SALAD DAYS ARENT OVER.

1. Well when we had Rosas class I putt a traditional blouse that reminded me of my mom. Because every year when my parents have the funds to take my family we always go to the venders that are selling on the sidewalk outside of the hotels or around the street and my mom always gets me and her a matching blouses ever since I was little. Even our traditional regalia my dad always makes me and my mom matching and its something that we have been doing together since I was born honestly. And it makes me feel closer to her and loved and yeah. LLLLLOOOOVVVEEEE YOU MOM!!!!!!!!
2. A tradition thats meaningful to me is Cuauhtemoc. Because every year I attend a ceremony with my family and we go dance and my friends come and my other family members come also and I always manage to have a great time and every year is a better and different experience for me I have to say. Well its a two day ceremony and before we go dance witch usually falls on on a weekend and before we go dance we first have a Velacion. A Velacion is when everybody brings their chiwandas and rattles and hand drums and we just stay up all night singing until its morning. And sometimes there are people who sleep there and just get ready there and we dance from there. And we march to where the Cuauhtemoc statue is witch is in Lincoln Park  and once we get there we start forming a circle and dance for a good couple of hours. And every time I start dancing I always get this rush for some reason and I get excited and I try my best to put all positive energy and good thoughts while I’m dancing. Also I love it when I’m marching and I can smell the copal and it just puts me in a good place and I love seeing the colors from other peoples regalia.
3. A tradition that I would like to create is a day where you gather a group of your closest friends or closest family members and have a praying ceremony. I feel that it would be fun and awesome to pass that down and have some kind of way to be closer with your friends and family and just pray to your ancestors. It would fall on July 1st because why not and you would have a  fire going on and you will just create a circle and pray.

HHHHHEEEELLLOOOOOOO I hope you are having a great day. Today was a very eventful day for me I touched a humans heart and lungs it was crazy and I also did some very funny activities with Hector Pacheco and that was really funny for me. And I also had a lecture from Albert Wachtel on shakespeare and it was really cool like I liked how he got so into it when he was teaching and I thought it was amazing how he has been teaching for 40 years like that was soooo mind blowing and impressive as well. Then we also had theater class and that was really fun as well I honestly feel that everyday that I go to her class I am slowly stepping out of my little shell and getting more comfortable with my self as well as with my peers and mentors. But the second BEST part of my day was I had an AMAZING conversation with the Italians today during lunch. I was actually dared by Sabrina to go sit where the Italians are and have lunch with them and I was so whatever about it and I knew that they were gonna talk crap about me in their language but I ended up talking up  a STORM with the students it was sooooo cool. We talked about California and music and we were just throwing questions at each other back to back it was great but only some of them were able to communicate with me and we just had a great conversation with each other I feel. But the ULTIMATE best damn part was touching a humans heart like that was crazy honestly at first I was like I don’t think I’m gonna be able to handle it like I thought I was gonna throw up or like faint or something but I hanged in there but the smell WHOA man like that was the worst thing and uncomfortable smell I have ever smelled it was bad honestly for me. Also I was able to touch human lungs that was awesome it felt so thick and squishy like I honestly felt like ripping a piece from the heart I just felt the urge to do it for some reason but it was a great experience and NOW I can say that I have officially touched a humans heart and lung. Well that was my day I had so much fun and I love all the opportunities that the program is giving me but yeah llllaaaaaatttttteeeerrrrssss.

Today was a nice day we started the day out with the Indigenous games with Hector Pacheco and I really enjoyed myself and had a great time also it was nice to start the day off with the Indigenous games and do those activities that he gave us. But after a while the heat  started to get to me so there were times where I was getting frustrated and tired  but I still tried to manage to have a  positive attitude and to participate as much as I could. Then I was really excited to dissect a cows eye because I know I won’t EVER have the opportunity or resource to dissect a  cows eye and plus It’ll sound cool when I get to tell my friends and family that I got to  dissect a cows eye man not a lot of people today my age get to say that they did that. But then it ended up being canceled but in the bright side on Wednesday  I    get to do a Sheep brain dissection so Im very excited to do that but yeah. Then we had the one and only ROSA PORTILLO class dude and her class today was an emotional rollercoaster you can say and I honestly didn’t think I was gonna feel the way I did  but I did. But we were asked to bring something that showed or represented the person thats most important to us . So I decided to bring one of my traditional blouses and it reminded me of my mom and she is very important to me in so many ways. And she always wears those kind of blouses and every time we would go to Mexico she would always get us matching blouses. And I felt that what everybody had to say was really important and it brought us closer as a group as well. But also we did an activity with Kim Marcus and we got to shoot bow and arrows and we were able to make mesquite pancakes and they were really good and that was really fun and I was able to learn more about his culture as well. But overall it was a good day but yeah LLLAAATTTEEERRRRSSSS.

Today was another AWESOME BEAUTIFUL DAY grrrrrl again . Today for me was a very emotional inspiring loving day for me I was lucky to here special speakers and elders talk about Native culture and battles  and life in a very special informative creative way. I got to hear Joe Parker and he was a professor at Pitzer college and we did an activity where we had to act or do a little play you can say anyways it was cool and funny. He said he was like 59 years old but he didn’t look like he was 59 years old to be honest but it was awesome to have a little taste of what he does in his class room with his college students. Then my FAVORITE part of the day was hearing Saginaw Grant he was soooooo f***en cool I’ve actually seen him before lots of times since I was really little like at Pow Wows and ceremonies and etc. but I really enjoyed what he had to say man like he was so inspiring and such a beautiful motivating elder. I was really happy that I got the opportunity to hear what he had to say and the message that he wanted us to leave with. An issue that I’m passionate about in my community is the lack of motivation and resources for education thats something that I would truly would like to change in  my community and for my people as well.

I feel very calm and hyper at the same time for some reason probably because Rosa lifted my vibes up and made me feel sooooo PINK. The program has been great I am enjoying my self and thankful that I am here and that I can take something from this experience. Today we went to the Pomona museum and we were able to do some GREAT activities with Lori Sisqouc and we made some really pretty baskets and she explained that her culture uses them for cooking and other stuff in their daily routine. Also we made a story painting which was really interesting mine wasn’t really a story it was more of an experience that I had with my family on fourth of July. Then we went to a classroom and we were able to hear Tory Mudd presentation on stereotypical depictions on Native Americans it was awesome to here more about Native Americans and their struggle today and back then as well I loved how she put together and took the time to show us a little clip of examples from movies, YouTube videos etc.. Also I was able to here Pamela Peters and she was AWESOME I hope to see more of her she is a photographer and a film maker I  believe and if not I apologize Miss. Peters she showed us a video that she was working on and it was on poetry and it was really really really cooooool I loved how she carried herself and what she had to say she said some really important key points that I really liked and it motivated me to be more of a stronger person and to stand and fight for my culture, my people and my language as well. But overall it was an amazing beautiful luscious day for MUA.