Wind...oh, my! The winds up here can be...quite strong. Recently, as I was trying to dump the honey bucket, the loose (and EMPTY) bag in the bucket went flying into the wind. One can only guess where it ended up!
I didn't make it to the community feast (reindeer stew) on Thanskgiving. But I did have dinner with some friends earlier in the day (thanks to the Webb family...yummy) and the next day I went to a staff dinner where I did get to try some of the reindeer stew. Please don't tell the little ones out there. A teacher friend from Michigan said that some of the kids in school were asking if I could see Santa since I'm so close to the North Pole. I told her NOT to tell them I've eaten reindeer....they'd be crushed!
The move....I am now living with another teacher...Lani...from Portland, Oregon. We are currently sitting in our living room...each on a separate couch....enjoying the TELEVISION....in the LIVINGROOM. Many thanks to Bob (another teacher who lives in the adjoining unit) who helped us out (he let us know the cable was on the wrong plug) and to Matt and his wife, Gao Min. Matt braved the storm we are having to brush off the satellite dish and other steps to getting the tv up and running. Life is good! Oh, and at this house, I have the Internet. Whoa...life is REALLY good! We still have a honey bucket though....and the sink water drains into a pail under the sink that has to be dumped out beside the house.....can't have it all.
Oh, the actual move! Yes, I was moved out of my other house into my current house in the midst of a blizzard. Thank you, thank you...Erick, Mike and Lisa....yet again (two weekends of moving my stuff)! The wind....the cold....the snow....whoa! The "road" was quickly drifting over so the move was made in the knick of time. Since then, I have nicely settled into my new digs. At some point, I will post pictures of the scenery from this side of the island. Our kitchen window looks out over the Chukchi Sea...which is frozen over now. I'm told the polar bears will come from that direction.
Hey! We had a musk ox walk around the island a couple weekends ago. It walked over from the mainland over the frozen lagoon. I didn't get to see it but it was the buzz of the village. No one "bagged" it though.....haaaa! (Inside joke for some of my East Jordan friends...)
By the way, I noticed that Mike and Lisa have their own blog, too, and there are some good pictures posted of Shishmaref. Here are a couple of blogs from them and another teacher (Colleen) here in Shishmaref:
I have posted lots of pictures on my Facebook page, too....if I haven't mentioned that before. Enjoy and fire away questions you may have. I love to share my experiences.
If anyone is interested in Native crafts, just let me know....particularly if you would like sealskin mittens or slippers. I know there will be people who have a hard time with the "fur thing"....and I understand that. But I also am learning what it means to the folks up here to make a living and to have food to eat. When a local hunter kills a seal (or other animal), all parts are used...nothing goes to waste. I have some incredible carved pieces from antlers and whalebones. The sealskin mittens are warmer than any mittens I've ever had....and up here....it's crucial. Last night, Gertie was here to show me more of her beadwork and carvings and we had a discussion about the use of animal parts and what it means to the people up here. It's a way of life...and has been for hundreds of years. Animals are respected and not hunted for sport....they are hunted out of necessity. Gertie's handiwork is one way of making a living when jobs up here are not plentiful. One of the teachers was telling me the other day about being with some students when they came across a local woman gutting out a recently killed seal. One of the students commented on how gross the smell was. The lady instructed the child not to be disrespectful to the seal. Yes, it may have a strong odor but it wasn't to be mocked. There's a true appreciation up here for wildlife.
Here's another local task that brings reality to the harshness of this area and how people use what they have. Now that the lagoon is frozen, people go over to the mainland to a frozen pond to break out huge ice chunks and bring them back to melt in their home storage tanks for fresh water. I think about that often when I turn on the water around here. I try not to allow it to run full force now out of the tap. I wonder what it will be like when I return home for the summer....to my running water and flushing toilet and grocery store right down over the hill.
Oh, one more thing before I sign off for tonight....speaking of the grocery store.....my sister, Shirley, sent me a "care package" recently and inside was a box of chocolate chip cookie mix. The price on the box was $2.19. That same box/brand up here in the store is....$5.85. I also bought two dozen eggs yesterday for next week's class project of making gingerbread houses. Two dozen eggs...just over $7.00.
I'm enjoying it here....it's definitely a different experience....one I'll remember forever. Oh, yes...I forgot to elaborate on my cat's passing. Dusty was almost 19 years old. I knew when I left East Jordan back in July that I wouldn't see him again...and I sobbed as I hug him good-bye one last time. I've loved my cats and other pets and Dusty was our last. He had developed some silly behaviors...unfortunately due to dehydration. He would jump into the shower while someone was in it...and stand under the water. Funny...but sad, too! Anyway, he took a turn for the worse and Dan and Jess had to make the decision to take him to Dr. Richter to do the humane thing and put him down. The night before, the kids and I Skyped so I could see Dusty one last time....and I sobbed again. Dusty is now in Pet Heaven along with all our other cats and pets.
And life goes on.....
No comments:
Post a Comment