Letter from Tucson: Desert scapes and tastes, boneyard and beauty of flight

The night before I left for Tucson, I had my first experience of an NBA game between the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns. Of course, before that, I didn’t know anything about teams and players and didn’t know much about the game.

I mean, I tried to play basketball in school but was relegated to netball instead because I was too short. The full understanding of this statement came to me that night – because the best basketball player in the country, Steve Curry, at 6 feet 2 inches, looked like a dwarf next to the other players.

The match was as much fun and amazing as it was about sports. Every now and then, flames would burst into roaring music as the players inserted. Then there will be the recorded chants – De-Fence, De-Fence – whose volume goes straight to your heart. And every now and then, the crowds erupted as T-shirts were released into the stands with everyone jumping up to get their hands on one. Who knew t-shirts were so desirable?

It also provided a glimpse into Native American culture that we as visitors rarely see or experience when traveling in the United States. The game opened with a ceremony of Native American elders blessing the game, as well as the national anthem sung in the Native American language.

That night, I learned that five percent of the population of Arizona is Native American and that it ranks among the best states in the country with…