Apparently, this is what everyone says when they first come to Alaska. 
I was supposed to come for vacation. Spend a week hiking in Denali- the National Park and Preserve named for the highest peak in North America and established for some sheep...
Did I stutter? Yes, for the sheep.
But something funny happened. I don't know if its something in the air, or something in the water. Or perhaps its a thing far more magical and mystifying that I'll ever fathom. But this just in: A month after I returned to the lower 48, I shipped 15 flat rate boxes to Tununak, Alaska and I didn't look back.
Tununak: pronounced "ta-new-nik" or "too-noo-knock" depending on whether your first language was English or Yupik respectively. It's here.....
That dot is actually really large. I won't even have to look up funny pictures to post anymore. The real ones are funny enough. Population: 327. Climate: Best descriptions say cold and windy, but Webster's Dictionary is pending approval of far more vicious words that encompass the entire month of February at which time, the village of Tununak becomes completely inaccessible by plane.
The view, however, when its not snowing or raining too hard to see, is breathtaking.
I wish I had time to sit here and spin you the tale of how I got here and what I've been doing. Unfortunately, school starts on Tuesday and today is Friday. So, the following list will have to suffice:
Why: To teach! In a village school with 120 students K-12.
Hired: 2 weeks before I had to be moved to rural Alaska
What: Teaching-high school writing, middle school general science, earth science, beginner's instrumental music, ecology, and physical education
When: 1 year contract, school starts Aug 16th and will go until May 16thish with a 2.5 week for winter vacation
How: It beats the heck out of me, but it took some financial donations from some kind parties, me quitting my summer job, and some serious tetris skills when packing boxes
Funnies:
-spilling everything I own out of my backpack while sprinting through the Seattle airport
-taking the following route to get to Anchorage--> dayton-houston-seattle-anchorage...what?
-having priority mailed boxes take two weeks to arrive (containing things like soap and dishes)
-boiling spaghetti in a frying pan
-opening a can without a can opener (yes, you can use a butter knife. and yes, I do have all my fingers.)
-being referred to as a "gussuk" or "white person" (yes, I am a minority)
-getting a new phone number only to have all verizon customers tell you that your number is listed as a landline
-carrying 15 flat rate boxes into the post office and claiming with a look of pure innocence on your face "no, there are no items in this box on the 'no ship' list. (batteries, pressurized cans, etc.)
-crawling into a plane considered "large" by all Bush Alaska standards (4 passengers)
-sitting through an entire inservice on "how to use your email"
-walking through the single aisle of your village store
-having no windows in your bedroom
-moving in with a roommate you hardly know, just to get a bedroom with a window
-realizing that your efforts at having light in your bedroom will soon be futile because it will be dark almost all day and night starting in the late fall
-leaving work at 6:45 pm on a friday, just so you can go home, grab your tennies, and come back to play basketball with the classified staff
I'm sorry folks, but that will have to do for now. I have to run home, change my clothes, and use my flush toilet (currently, no toilets at school, only "honey buckets" because the sewage system is all messed up.) Then its back to school for some hoops.
But no worries. There is more to come for sure!
And no, I haven't seen a bear.
No comments:
Post a Comment