My name is Chris Morris and I am a newborn graduate of MSJ.  I am also in my last class of the year: a trip to Lakota.  We left Monday morning at 5:00.  Being up that early is not usual for me since most of my classes didn't start until 10:00 AM.  Fortunately, we had plenty of time to catch up on sleep.  The following two days, we spent on the road, twelve hours at a time.  I began the trip with enthusiasm and excitement.  Once we hit the open road, however, uncertainty set in.  During the driving, I glanced out the window and witnessed the land changing shape.  Hillsides gave way to plains which turned to rolling, lush green fields and changed again into dry, rocky hillsides.  I really was traveling further west than I had ever been and I was in a completely different world as the land indicated.  I am not yet sure what to expect from the Lakota people.  They have been very kind to us.  The Lakota seem to have an aura about them which is warm and inviting.  I feel like I am part of a family already. 
 
We arrived at our home late in the evening:  nine people all in the same house.  We are living in community as the Lakota do.  It is a completely foreign idea to me.  At home, we live in a community where family is immediate, not communal.  So, our very stay is exposing me to the way the Lakota live.  We meet a man by the name of Mark St. Pierre who used to work for the community in an official capacity.  He pointed out that though the land may look poor, it is in fact growing.  With no real government, the people are making strides on their own to improve their community, despite not having a bank or a way to invest into business. 
 
Last night, I stood on the deck behind our house to watch the stars.  The sky was black, draped like a curtain covered with tiny stars dancing on it.  I spotted the Little Dipper.  The sky was crystal clear, save for two trails left by airplanes.  Fly over country.  Here I stand on ground that most people fly over on there way to New York or Los Angeles.  For them, this land is merely a pretty arrangement of visual stimulus from way up high.  But from down here, there is so much detail.  I am filled with anticipation about what we will discover.