Finally trying to figure out blogging

We found, after moving here, that internet access is limited and extremely expensive. I was hoping to write more frequently than once in our first month, and now I’m afraid that I’ll miss recording some of the most interesting first impressions and experiences here. 

So here are the most memorable highlights so far:

•  Leaving Seattle just as it was getting dark and flying into the sunset, arriving around midnight in Anchorage with more sun than we left with.
• Realizing that continuous snowy peaks were poking through the clouds for much of the flight up here.
•  Sitting in our living room our first night here with the windows open listening to the light drizzle with absolute quiet save for small sounds of a dog sled team being raised in the neighborhood.
• Beautiful sunsets over the tundra.
• No matter the weather or hour of the day, vibrant colors in the sky with absolutely no signs of pollution.
• How good it feels to realize that sore muscles are due to walking everywhere and the change of pace it brings when you don’t have a car.
• Having a student ask me if I’m a vampire since I have such long teeth, white skin, and such a long forehead.
• Seeing how cute Dave is with his students and how excited he is to be teaching.
• Flying on both beautifully clear and rainy days with a perfect view of the tundra, lakes, rivers, streams, etc. It really looks like a globe or map, where relatively small bodies of land break up vast amounts of water.
• Being given a huge salmon caught an hour earlier by a stranger who had gone out hoping for 20 and came back after an afternoon with 100. Having neighbors share berries picked locally, eggs from their chicken, and numerous other generous and thoughtful gifts.  Feeling completely welcomed by neighbors, co-workers and strangers alike.

So far we are loving life here. Dave is teaching pre-calculus and pre-algebra, and I’m traveling to Kasigluk (around 200 students between 2 schools), Tuntutuliak (160 students) and Kipnuk (around 200 students). Dave is excited to start coaching the high school robotics team in the next couple of weeks.

For any of you that have seen Gilmore Girls, we’ve had many moments that make me feel like I’m in an episode of that show. One weekend they had a Bethel Fair, which consisted of a series of small activities at the local cultural center. The weekend started with a community awareness presentation on bullying and teen suicide, followed by a talent show which included an 8-year-old comedian telling knock knock jokes, a teenage breakdancer doing animation, an early 20s band playing Yu’pik rock music, and an older gentleman playing folk music (hopefully this blog will let me post some of his songs, all about Bethel and the surrounding area). The next day featured a trip to the one local farmer to buy produce and a visit to Saturday Market where we judged local artwork and perused handicrafts. Everyone in the community seems to come out and support local activities, which makes it easy to feel like we know people here even though we haven’t been here long.

We’ve had two suicide attempts in the school district so far this year, though neither of them were in the villages that I work in. One high school student died last week after huffing gasoline, which is a fairly common issue here for teenagers.  A few families have lost family members during the last year in boating accidents, tragedies that have left their mark on these small communities.  A two-year-old was shot by his Mom’s boyfriend the week before last, which threw that community into turmoil. Children growing up in the villages here really have a lot of current, as well as historical trauma.

All of the students and families have been incredibly warm and welcoming. Today was one of the few days without rain so I decided to take a walk around Kipnuk after work. The grass on the tundra has started to change color and is a vibrant bright green/yellow color. Kipnuk has a bunch of small lakes and ponds, and it was beautiful just walking and taking it all in. I was quickly joined by a first grader, who became my tour guide. I’ve only spent three full days in this village so far, yet windows were opening all over the village with greetings from children and by the end I had developed quite an entourage.

(The next day the little boy, Timothy, asked me at least 10 times if I remembered when he “followed” me. He reminded me of all of the dogs and puppies that he pointed out, how he showed me that he could jump, etc. etc. as he recounted every detail of our walk together. So, so cute.)

I’m typically staying Monday – Thursday each week in one village, so I should have a three week rotation which will give me nice intensive visits at each school. Dave is using the nights I’m away to stay on top of lesson planning, grading, etc. which is actually nice as it gives us more time to spend together and catching up on things during the weekends.

9/19 I’m in Tuntutuliak this week, which is a beautiful village built around various bodies of water (lakes, ponds, a river, etc.). I had a meeting at the health clinic first thing this morning and as I was shivering my way along the boardwalk (literally bridges made out of boards crisscrossing the tundra and winding around the water) I looked over and saw the sun just coming up. NPR this morning said that sunrise was at 8:34 and sunset was at about the same time, so we’re at 12 hours of light and losing 5 minutes each day.

Anyway, as I noticed the sun rising through the clouds I saw that it cast a beautiful orange light across the water and beautifully reflected the humble homes built around it. It was such a peaceful, serene moment that I took a minute (despite the chilly weather) to take it all in and express my gratitude for this unique experience.  The colors of the tundra are also changing and are bright red, orange, and green, which is something I’ve never seen before.

9/23 Dave and I volunteered at the soup kitchen in Bethel last Saturday (a friend of ours heads it up through the Lions Club each month). We had a great time working with the JROTC students from the high school and getting to know a few other members of the community. Something that has really struck me lately is just what a small community Bethel (and really the whole Kuskokwim region) is.  I met an optometrist in one of my villages last week, who was then volunteering on Saturday, who then turned out to be the step-daughter of the man who gives us a ride to church each week. I constantly meet people who have already heard about me from friends or family members. So far the reports have been positive (or so they sayJ), but it makes it apparent how important it is to ensure that I’m always interacting with others and treating them with the kindness and respect that they deserve. I think it’s good practice to be held professionally accountable every minute, and to realize that I really should be personally just as accountable for the way that I treat others. I shouldn’t need a professional reason to make sure that I don’t have a bad day or allow my mood to affect the way that I interact with others.

The temperature was 34 degrees this morning, which was a new low. It also snowed last night in Bethel (though I didn’t see it). We’ve been told that it’s full-on winter in October, so not much fall to look forward to.

I’m in Akiuk this week, the smallest of my villages and by far the most humble. Most of the homes are surrounded by mud, have multiple generations living in one or two rooms, and are fairly run down. With that said, Akiuk is also the quietest and most peaceful of all of my villages. To get here I have to get a ride up the river in a boat (during the winter a snow go or snow machine, as they call snow mobiles here). The river is beautiful, though it’s a freezing ride.  I tumbled (literally) into the boat this morning as my backpack was top-heavy and I lost my balance. I feel like I’m learning things every day, and wonder when the learning curve will slow down.