If you're curious where I've been lately (back in college at 35), here's a quick summary of the courses I've been taking.
Beginning Dakota - the backbone of my new studies; I'm planning to major in Dakota language. It's a 3-4 year program, depending on whether I decide to double major or not, or if I want to get a teaching certificate. (I have lots of leftover credits, so it's not inconceivable I could do Art History or Studio Art alongside). The class itself is amazing; a small group of native and non-native learners. Friendly, enthusiastic, one of those rare classes where everyone is there because they want to be. I spend most of my spare time studying just for this class, kind of obsessively in the best sense. We start every class with a prayer to the Creator, asking for help as we learn this language.
American Indians in Minnesota - I've yet to have a full class session of this, which is a bit of a bummer. It's taught by an extremely busy adjunct professor: Katherine Beane. She's a woman with kids, a full-time job as the executive director of the Minnesota Museum of American Art, and a long, impressive advocacy record. She's basically a local native celebrity, and she's amazing. I look forward to getting further into this class, because so far we've just scratched the surface. Our midterm? Visiting a sacred site. I plan to go see Bdote, or the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers (I mean holy shit, itโs the major Bdewakaฦtuฦwaฦ genesis site)
Art and the Environment - A fascinating art history class with a professor I didn't realize I'd had before (back in the existential crisis days). She remembered me, but that's good. Unlike Dakota, there is definitely a sense that people do not know why they are in this class, but maybe they'll thaw out later. I for one am gobbling it up. Specifically we are learning about the Land Art / Environmental Art movement that started in the 1960s and continues today. Our final project will be to propose our own piece, and I've already got some wacky ideas.
Plant Propagation / The Edible Landscape - I'm putting my two horticulture classes together because they feel like two parts of the same class, worked on by the same faculty, with the same laid-back vibe. I mean, I got extra credit points for writing a haiku about seed quiescence and sharing pictures of my cannabis grow setup. My lecture professor for HORT 1001 might be THE archetypal pothead professor. He's fond of saying: "No way..." (pause for effect) ".... YES way." It's an easy, enjoyable science credit, and the real value is that I'm networking with all the insanely friendly horticulture department people. Plant people = good people.
Thankful every day for the journey I'm now on, even if it took a lot of pain and fuck-ups to get here. Spiritual awakening has been good for me, I gotta say.
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