Hey, folks! My first posting from Alaska. One word....WOW! One sentence...Where to begin? I arrived in AK on Friday, July 29 after flying from Detroit to Seattle to Anchorage. My neck is still sore from turning and gawking out the window at all the incredible views. Actually, it's probably sore because I've had even more flights since arriving in Shishmaref....I'll explain....hang in there with me.
I was able to see parts of the Inside Passage on the way up. I can't wait for the chance to see that from a boat. Flying into Anchorage and seeing the glaciers....awesome. Then, while I was in Anchorage, I had the good fortune of meeting up with a long-time email pal who now lives in Anchorage and she drove me down to Whittier one evening. My camera got a workout that night! We also went up to Girdwood and saw Mt. Alyeska. The trip took us around Turnagain Bay and on the way down, the tide was out and the mud flats were exposed. Interesting patterns. At one point, a bore tide (not sure of the spelling) was coming in and that was pretty neat to see. There were two surfers trying to catch the wave! On the way back, the tide was in and the bay was so beautiful in the "somewhat" setting sun. The view of the glaciers along the way was...incredible. I used that word over and over....I was in awe. I had a wake-up call when we stopped at a little roadside park so I could use the bathroom. There was a sign..."Bear Alert" right by the path. Of course, I'm thinking, "Yeah, sort of like the "deer warning" signs we have in Michigan, right?" Wrong! My friend rolled down the car window and told me to make lots of noise as I was walking down the path to the bathroom. Ok....again....this ain't Kansas anymore, Toto!
Anchorage was a time for new teachers coming up to live in the Bush to do shopping and shipping, changing driver's licenses, getting new cell phone plans that will work in the Bush, starting new bank accounts, and shopping for winter clothing. HEY! I bought a pair of bunny boots....I'm so excited. You'll crack right up when I post a picture of those later on....but they WILL keep my feet warm in 40 below weather (or more).
While in Anchorage, I looked out my dorm window and saw MOOSE! I saw the tail end of the momma and two calves. What a hoot! I was so excited....right by the dorm. There was a warning sign on the door that day about the moose being sighted.
Also while in Anchorage, we visited Earthquake Park to see a very dramatic view of how the earth shifted during the earthquake in 1964. A portion of the land literally dropped, trees and all, several feet.
If you ever get to Anchorage, you might want to eat at the Moose's Tooth. Great food! There was one called Bear's Tooth, too, but the crowd was so big we didn't try waiting.
Onto my next leg of my journey....
On Wednesday, August 3, I boarded a plane from Anchorage to Nome. Fortunately, there were some fellow seasoned teachers on that leg of the journey. At the airport, I snickered as I watched two dog carriers being loaded with beautiful Husky dogs inside. A common sight in Alaska. When we arrived in Nome, they promptly called for a taxi from the airport to get us into "downtown" Nome where we were able to shop for our perishables to take with us into our villages. My bill was $140 for just a few necessities. Yikes! I will need to get used to that. But since my good friend, Diane and I will not get to eat out for a few months, I guess I can afford that now! The weather was rather nasty in Nome and the waves crashing onto shore were pretty intense. My friends took off on their flight to Brevig Mission. Oh, and on an earlier flight, the two Husky dogs from Anchorage flew off, too. Stay tuned....wait till I tell you what I saw in Nome on my most recent trip.
As I was waiting for my flight to Shishmaref, I turned to talk with a lady who was also waiting and I asked if she was flying to Shishmaref (SHH, by the way, which is how people up here refer to the villages...the airport codes). She smiled and said, "You must be one of the new teachers." I guess it must be written all over my confused face. When I nodded, she told me she was Esther which is a lady from Shishmaref who works at the school and I had been in touch with on Facebook before leaving East Jordan. Her hug was greatly welcomed. Off we flew....and I must comment on the cloud cover because it was different than any I've seen yet....it definitely looked pretty cold outside the plane....and we had a little bit of icing on the windows.
Landing in Shishmaref....again, my camera couldn't click fast enough. It seems like a blur now...looking back. I was finally where I am going to be spending a lot of time, I hope. It was such an overwhelming feeling....feelings of excitement, feelings of accomplishment, feelings of curiosity....you name it. Oh, and I was pretty tired, too. I was met by the assistant principal who drove me around the village as best he could. You see, there are no real "roads" in Shishmaref....well, not roads like "down home". Most people get around on 4-wheelers for the "roads" are more like well-worn paths crisscrossed with walking paths. For the first few days, I managed to get totally turned around a couple of times. Fortunately, my house is right across from the church so if I can see the steeple, I can head in that direction and find my way home.
I have sooooo much more to tell you....like the live reindeer chained in the back of a pick-up truck in the parking lot of the Nome airport. It was someone's pet! Only in Alaska!
Anyway, it's late again and because I am currently in the classroom where some friends are ready to crash for the night, I need to get back to my own classroom where I my air mattress is located. It's how teachers in the Bush travel and room at other schools when attending inservices. However, in just over a week, I get to go to Nome for yet another inservice and I will be sleeping in a hotel. That will be nice....because it sure is nice using a flush toilet! More on that later.
Please excuse any typing mistakes as I am not going to do a spellcheck here. I'm just learning how to use this laptop as it was just issued by the school. Besides, it's late...10:35 p.m. Down here in Unalakleet, it actually will get somewhat dark late. In Shishmaref, it's still quite light out at 2:00 a.m. That hasn't really bothered me too much....I've been so tired from all my unpacking and settling in that I fall asleep regardless.
I'll end by saying yet again that I am so fortunate to be experiencing what I am. The people have been so very nice and welcoming. Keep your dreams alive, folks. You just never know when and how things will work out for you. Oh, I was able to Skype with my daughter earlier tonight....I am really not that far away!
Good-night!
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