Why Do I Belong?

This is why I belong in the university

 

I belong as a university student because I want to make a better future for myself by getting a degree in nursing. I love working with babies, and I would love to take care of them rite after their birth. Why I want to become a nurse is I’ve seen my two nieces being born, and I thought it was the coolest thing in the world sharing that with my sister. Then after they brought them to the room to get cleaned up, I watched as they took there hand and foot prints. Just the thought of taking care of babies and sharing the joy with the new mothers is so amazing. I will work as hard as I can to finish college and further my dream career.

Another reason is because I want to get away from Bad River, and do better for myself. There is a stereotype on my rez, which any kid who graduates from high school goes straight to the casino and works and doesn’t go off to college. Or they’ll go to college and come back after one semester and go to the casino. Or they just end up partying all the time and most of the time end up getting pregnant with someone who you don’t even like.

Most of the girls in Bad River are pushing around strollers, and some of them haven’t even graduated high school. One of my best friends’ sister graduated high school last summer, and she’s already pregnant. The guy who got her pregnant is a marine, who was home for the month. He decided to not go back overseas because of it.

My other friend was 15 when she got pregnant and she celebrated her 16th birthday pregnant. She usually goes out and gets drunk, but not that year. My other best friends’ cousin got this girl pregnant; they’re currently living together, but aren’t dating. He even pays 500 bucks a month for his daughter, when he’s the one who is always with her. It’s basically like he’s paying her 500 bucks every month to go run around with other guys while he’s at home with the baby. Don’t get me wrong, I love kids, but there not for me at this age. I definitely don’t want to work at the casino after high school or party all the time and get knocked up.

The most important reason why I belong is because of my grandma. I want to be the first to graduate from college in our family and make her proud. She's very supportive of me and my plans after high school. She makes sure I keep my grades up, so they won't drop me out of the PEOPLE Program. She was so happy that I’m in this program. When I left for Madison, she told me she would miss me very much and that I was leaving for a good reason. My dad and uncle went to college, but unfortunately didn't finish. My auntie is currently going to college, but not doing so well. My uncle matt has made her proud by going into the navy.

 

This is where I belong in my community

 

I belong as a member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians because I’m different. I want to make better for my community, by somehow changing kids' minds about drinking and doing drugs. My friends and I don't drink, because it's stupid. We also don't do drugs, because they make you stupid. Young kids look up to the older kids, and copy what they do. I don't want my nieces growing up and becoming like the other kids around the rez. What the older kids do today effects the younger kids later on in their life. Around my rez, the elder’s talk about how many other kids should be like my group of friends. My gram always tells me that people at her work tell her she must be proud to have me as her granddaughter. My friends and I don't need drugs and alcohol to have fun. Other kids say they do it because it's fun, not really. They don’t understand all the harmful things it does to your body. I belong because I’m trying to not be like the stereotype on my rez. I belong in Bad River, just as much as any of the other stupid kids that run around and drink every night.

I remember this one time my friends and I went to the gym to play volleyball. As soon we walked in the gym, all the boys said we didn’t belong there, because they were using the whole gym for basketball. We were all pissed, because it was a community gym, not the boys’ gym. They could’ve played half court instead of taking up the whole court to play. Besides that they go to the gym everyday and hog it. They could at least let the girls have one day to have the gym alone. It’s not fair; the workers there favor the boys more. Just because they play basketball, and we don't.

 

The Difficulties of belonging

 

It’s hard to belong somewhere, when you’re so different from everyone else. If you’re different, everyone notices. Then if you’re a good kind of different, everyone talks bad about you because they think you’re stuck up. All the kids on my rez call my friends and I, “The Preps of Odanah.” Just because we have clothes from Hollister, Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle, and Aeropostle.  It doesn’t mean anything, just that we like to look nice. What are we supposed to wear, shorts and a beater with our bra straps hanging out. No, that makes you look trashy and like a hoe. Whatever, let people say what they want, doesn’t really bother me none. I don’t like drama, never have and never will.