Hey, Friends and Family! Man, this computer stuff is driving me nuts. Where's Mike Wise when I need him? There are some great folks up here in Shishmaref, too, who have been helping me out. However, it's not only Sunday and most folks are at home, but the WHOLE staff (except me) flew off to Savoonga today for a School Improvement Grant training for the week. You folks back in East Jordan can appreciate that. Me? I was supposed to go to Nome for the week for an Early Childhood Education training session. I was actually looking forward to meeting some more ECE folks from the Bering Strait School District (BSSD) AND we were to stay in a hotel....with running water and flushing toilets. Woohoo! But, alas! I got an urgent phone message just a bit ago informing me that my trip had to be cancelled due to a mix-up at the hotel. So, here I am....all alone in the "big" school working on my blog.
The good part....I FINALLY figure out how to access my blog. I have been trying most of the past week and just could not get to it....partly because it's been so busy up here and mostly because it appeared to be blocked. That's where Mike Wise would have come in. BTW, hope things are going well for you, Mike! You'd be proud of me....the things I'm having to learn to do with the help of the computer is mind-boggling! I sat in on my first VTC session earlier last week. Fortunately, I just had to show up and sit down and listen! I didn't have to do any of the hook-ups, etc. Whew! Fifteen school sites from around the BSSD (80,000 square miles, I'm told) joined in. It was neat seeing all sites check in and to see some of the people I met down in Anchorage at the BSSD Welcome Wagon. We listened to and watched as the superintendent gave a welcoming speech.
So....what has happened since I last checked in here? Hmmmm.....I should go back to see what I wrote. Hang on....ok, looks like I have a lot to write. Here goes...I may be mixed up on dates of events which probably doesn't matter...you probably just want to read about my adventures.
Recently, I was invited to go berry picking with a fellow teacher and his wife and children. Berry picking means heading out in a boat across the Shishmaref Inlet towards the mainland. It turned quite nice at one point in the afternoon and the dash was on to get the boat out. Shucks! It also meant that I missed the window of opportunity for the "polar bear dip" because that, too, was slated spur-of-the-moment when the sun came out. You can tell I'm really broken-hearted, huh? Really, truly...I did bring my swimsuit up for the event....but if you could see the waves that crash unto the shore from the cold Chukchi Sea...well, I'm glad that Ken and Lisa asked me to go berry picking.
The first order of business is to get to where the boat is anchored in the lagoon. It's several feet out but in water you can wade out in without getting wet. Once in the boat, you head across the inlet which was a bit rough but not too bad. Then you head up the Serpentine River to the berry sites. To pick salmon berries (cloudberries), you shore up to a flat area of land that is incredibly spongy as you walk around...pretty neat...until Ken told me not to stay in one spot too long or I'd sink. I did a pretty fast high step in rubber boots that didn't fit! Can you hear in your mind the sound of boots being sucked off your feet? I did manage to pick a few berries while gazing out over the incredible view of the tundra and neighboring hillsides. So different from Northern Michigan but so beautiful, too, in its own right.
Next up, back in the boat and further up the river and off to the blueberries. The terrain got a little more hilly and more brush along the shoreline. We passed several small cabins where families go for days to pick berries, fish and hunt. Keep in mind, Lower 48 folks, that this is their "trip to Glen's Market"....only it's a lot more involved and harder and never a sure thing.
When we shored up below the blueberry hill, Lisa says to Ken, "I think you should take your rifle." My ears perk up....rifle? "Yeah, for the bear." Bear? "Yeah, brown bear...that can get up to 10 feet tall." Ok....again I'm reminded I'm in Alaska. Now the thing is, Ken got out of the boat for a bit and decided he didn't need his rifle. We head across the land and that in itself was no easy task. The land is very tufted and difficult to walk on...and through the dense brush to boot. The hillside and the blueberry bushes were pretty tangled, too. But I managed....and I sure don't want to whine....because Lisa did it with ease....and she's 8 months pregnant! Of course, she wasn't stopping every 2-3 minutes to look up and survey the area for bears! The landscape...oh, my gosh! So beautiful...so different. I did pick some berries but my fingers, by then, were getting pretty cold. I probably dropped half of what I was able to pick. It was finally time to leave so we headed to the boat where we ate our packed lunches. You see, this wasn't some short little trip we were on and there was no McDonald's out there to zip into. In all, we were probably gone for 7 hours. How does that compare to my short drive down the hill from my house to Glen's Market? But, wait....there's more!
We get in the boat and Ken and his daughter inform us that they just saw bear prints on the shore near the boat. Ok, we've seen enough of this beautiful part of Alaska...time to leave! At one point further down the river, Ken tells me to get my camera out as he heads the boat towards shore. On the opposite side of the river....oh, my gosh....a herd of musk oxen....AWESOME! The one thing about my camera and all the pictures I'm taking....it will NEVER do justice to everything I'm seeing up here. The birds...the plants and flowers....the clouds...the water....so different....so beautiful.
We finally get back out to the open water of the lagoon and the weather has changed....cloudy, windy, colder....and the water was quite choppy. Ken made the comment that the waves probably weren't as big as those in Lake Michigan....and that's true....but, man, the trip back to Shishmaref was ROUGH. I was so concerned for Lisa....remember, she's 8 months pregnant. But, heck, like Ken said...she's tough! BTW, Lisa heads to Nome this week where she will then stay until the baby is born. It's what happens up here....the women have to leave a certain amount of time before their due dates. Good luck, Lisa....I trust all will go well. I have another "Lisa story" in just a minute...back to the boat ride.
We made it to shore and it was now after 11:00 p.m. It was a great experience and one that reminded me that life up here is very different than back in East Jordan. Berries are a big part of the diet up here and our trip took seven hours for the amount that we got...maybe a couple of gallon Ziplock bags full of each....not sure. People mix them with other berries and sometimes add sugar. Or, yup....they mix them with Crisco or, I think, seal oil to make Eskimo ice cream....which I haven't tried....yet. I hope to. I'm being invited to some of the birthday parties up here so I might get the chance. I will share later what they do for birthday parties. I've only heard about them....I haven't been to one yet.
I want to skip back to before we left on the trip. I got to meet Lisa's father who was working on a boat and feeding his dogs out by where we walked out to Ken's boat. Another couple were there and I was introduced....Clara and Shelton Kokeok. For those of you who saw me before I left East Jordan back in July, I was showing you the book I came across that I had had in my classroom for several years without realizing what an important part it would play in my life. The book is "Eskimo Boy" and it's about Norman Kokeok (Shelton and Clara's son). I came across the book after bringing home all my accumulated books from 31 years of teaching in Michigan. I was sorting through my books to decide which books to bring to Shishmaref with me when I came across "Eskimo Boy" one evening. I thought, "Hmmm....guess I should look through this book again to familiarize myself with the culture." Oh, my gosh! I NEVER realized that the book was written about Shishmaref....it just never clicked....and I've had this book in my room for years. I take it as a sign that this is where I was meant to be. Anyway, the book is about Norman and his life in Shishmaref. Norman's brothers, sister, parents, and grandmother are pictured in the book, too, along with pictures of the village. I got in touch with fellow teacher, Ken, yet again, who sadly informed me that Norman passed away four years ago in a tragic ice accident out on the East channel. Even before arriving in Shishmaref, I was aware that Warren and John, his brothers and custodians at the school, were hauling my shipped-up boxes to the school from the post office. I felt that I was getting to know the family even before arriving. Ken's youngest boy is named after Norman....a common honor to bestow upon children born near the time of the passing of a loved one. Yet again, I feel a special connection with the people here and the village of Shishmaref. It's hard to explain....
The people here are so very welcoming and friendly. I have never had so many handshakes in my life! I hope to be here for some time so that I can learn not only the names of these fine people but also more about the history of this area. Each day, another story is shared. I am learning more and more but it will take time.
Here's my "Lisa story"....or at least the parts I can tell on here! She'll know what I mean if she reads this and we can smile to ourselves. When I first arrived in Shishmaref, I told her I would like her to take me to bingo with her sometime. Well, she called me up Friday night and said, "We're going!" I hurried down to the bingo hall to join her and another friend. I had absolutely no clue what I was doing and they got quite a kick out of watching me struggle through the games. It was during our time together that Lisa finally found out how old I really am....and that I have two grown children of my own. I'm flattered to think she thought I was only 40 at one point (and I won't tell you the rest on here...although it's pretty funny). When I told her I was 59, her eyes got really big and we both laughed. I told her I'd consider her my new daughter!
When we were leaving the bingo hall, I noticed a posting on the bulletin board...."Parents...watch your children. There were mother and cub bear prints spotted out by the East channel." Hmmm...I guess I shouldn't plan to go out walking along the beach by myself anytime soon.
The days are starting to get shorter here....but it's still light out around midnight. It's not as light as when I first got here on August 3 when I was staying up until 2:00 a.m. thinking it was like 7:00 in the evening. The weather changes so dramatically and quickly. It's been mostly cloudy, cool and windy. There have been maybe three days of sunshine and it doesn't last. There were a couple days of intense fog that caused daily flights to be canceled. That caused the mail to be backed up for a few days. I've felt the winds blowing in from the north.....a hint of what's coming.....and believe me, it's COLD.
I know I've said it many times.....I do have pictures to show. Be patient. I have had the chance to Skype with my daughter and then again last night, I Skyped with my son. I was able to walk around a little bit with my laptop to try to show him some of the sights around the school. I was able to show him some of the incredible artwork in the showcase by the office. I will start a collection of my own while I'm up here....but I need to wait for my paychecks to start coming in! The craftsmanship up here is pretty incredible.
Food? I am eating regular food that I ate down in Michigan. I had sent up a lot of boxed items and such and when I was in Anchorage, I was able to shop at Walmart and ship up more of the types of food we eat. I have had dried salmon and I have had some salmon fillets given to me...although I haven't fixed them yet. I'm willing to try seal oil when it's offered. Oh, there is a Snack Shack up here that caters to the fast-food cravings....cheeseburgers, nachos, burritos, fries, shakes. I haven't tried it yet but now that I'm here in Shishmaref this week without other staff members around, I might just have to treat myself! It won't be the same without Diane with me!
Oh, I thought of something else I want to share with you. My water in the house comes from a 165 gallon tank in one of the rooms in my house. When it needs refilling (as it did recently), I have to make arrangements to have that done....or do it myself. I doubt I'll be doing it....at least for now. So, my good neighbor, Don, took his 4-wheeler and a trailer to the school to load up an empty plastic tank. He then took it to the washeteria to fill it with water. Then he drove it back to my house, backed in the trailer as best he could, hooked up a long hose in the outside tank and brought the other end into the house, through the hallway, and into the room where my storage tank is. Then he had to prime a pump and voila! The water is sucked into my holding tank from the outside tank. I believe that cost $3.00 for the load. Don will never let me pay him anything for all his time and trouble....and believe me, he and his family have taken me under their wings to help me get by up here. I've had some pretty good meals with them. Anyway, that's how I get my water. I try to use it sparingly. We shower at the school and that's also where we do our laundry. I also use the toilet there whenever possible because it's simply a lot easier than dumping the honey bucket. But, I am now the proud owner of my own outside honey bin! The city finally delivered one this past week. I'm set to go now!
I recounted my steps from my home to the school....it's more like 450 steps. I miscounted, Miss Maggie, when I told you 300 something! When I was preparing to move up here, I thought I would be in a different house which like 15-20 steps from the school. Teacher housing is spread out throughout the village and on both sides of the island. I'm on the inlet side where I can see dramatic weather changes across the lagoon towards Ear Mountain and Egg Island (where the villagers go in the springtime to gather eggs).
(Boo hoo....I hear the plane coming in that would have taken me out in about a half hour. Oh, well. I know that the minister and his wife and son are headed out on it. They are going on a three-week vacation down to Minnesota.)
Finally, school starts for the "big" kids on August 29. My little folks start on August 31. I haven't been able to do a whole lot in my classroom yet because I work alongside a group of people from Kawerak (a Native Corporation program) and I need to wait until they start work. I'm not sure what's going to happen this week because we were all supposed to meet in Nome together. Oh, well. Anyway, on the 29th, all the "big" kids will meet in the gym for a "Welcome Message" and from what I gather, the older kids will continue each morning with a gathering in the gym prior to school starting. Once I get started with my kids, I'll have more to share on that experience, too. I've also volunteered to coach a "Battle of the Books" team....that's a big thing up here in Alaska. I'll share more about that as the time approaches.
All in all, it's been a great start to my new adventure. I've tried to keep an open mind and listening ears. Afterall, one thing new teachers and administrators should remember is that we can learn from what's been done before us. We have two ears, two eyes, and one mouth....and they should be used in that proportion. I'm amazed at what I've learned already up here....and I'm reminded that the more I learn, the more I realize how much I have to learn. I'm also greatly impressed at how much the elders are respected up here....they've "been there, done that" and they do possess a great deal of knowledge that they are very willing to share....just ask.
Take care and TTFN!
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