Orientation

I met Sina and John on Saturday morning in my hotel lobby; my host family had come to pick me up. Once I'd heaved my luggage into the back of their 4x4 and flopped into the back seat, I fell into total relaxation. This lovely couple were going to take care of me.

Sina works as a kindergarten teacher at the school that I'm volunteering at and John is her partner of four years. John isn't a man of many words but once he found out I loved music and wanted to learn Navajo, he happily turned the radio dial to Classic Rock and taught me a few words on the scenic drive to the Grand Canyon.

Sina handed me my itinerary for the week - I beamed when I saw 'Traditional Navajo songs' booked in for Wednesday evening! The landscapes that floated by on the way to the Canyons went from pine trees, heavy woods and mountains to wide, arrid and red rocky land. I saw my first deer nibbling at a tree, a cactus and some elk. No, there wasn't any tumbleweed...

The Canyon looks like a painting, it didn't seem real where I was standing either. And while tourists pay the equivalent of about £18 to get in, we just drove on into the park because if you're Navajo, you get in for free.

We got back to the house in the evening where I met Sina's children and the horses and cows they have out back. How awesome it was to wake up to horses galloping around the house, having their morning run. I had gotten up really early again but I think I'm just about over my jet lag now. I hit the sack pretty early Saturday night. Sina's shoulder had been hurting her all day so they called a medicine man over to the house.

I fell asleep quite happily to the sound of a Navajo healer, chanting and singing his ancient prayers.