On Sunday, March 9, 2014 we woke up in Red Valley, AZ at WCL
Professor Rosser’s parent’s home. The night before we had arrived really late
as our flights got delayed. I had left at 5am on Saturday morning from my home
in Washington DC for Chicago, IL, then got re-routed to Dallas, TX and then
finally to Albuquerque, NM from where we drove to their farm house on the
Navajo Nation. We saw beautiful scenic views and the clear night sky was
amazing with thousands of stars. The next morning we had traditional breakfast
with everyone and headed out to see Navajo nation. We drove around the
mountains and took several pictures.
We arrived
at Monument Valley, UT in the afternoon and I saw one of the most breathtakingly
inspirational places on earth. These natural mud monuments stood thousands of
feet tall without any man-made interventions. I thought to myself, we have one
Washington Monument in Washington DC and it is constantly in repair mode sometimes
open to public and sometimes closed. Here in Monument Valley, there were
hundreds of monuments standing tall. One Navajo lady called it their Mars Red valley.
We went on a drive through the monuments; some hiked and just walked around.
The day
ended with traditional Navajo dinner at the View Restaurant on top of the
Monument Valley. The fry bread meals reminded me of traditional Pakistani Poori
bread which is also fried in oil. Navajo people are just like South Asian Brown
people. If it weren’t for my headscarf, I would easily be mistaken for a Navajo
woman. They all look just like me and are the most humble and nice women. After
dinner, we headed to Window Rock to prepare for the busy work week ahead. Our
group comprised of sixteen law students from American University Washington
College of Law. We will all be working at various placements across Navajo
Capital. I get to work at the Navajo Tax Commission and help the Tax Attorney.
I am really grateful to be here. It is an honor and a privilege. Hope to make
the best use of my time!
Saba Ahmed
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