We are Out of Here!

These last 2 weeks have really flown by! We are on our way back to the lower forty-eight! I return for my third quarter trip in February. See you then!

Short Days

The one thing that has been hard to get used to is the amount of sunlight we have during the day. We finally see the sun about 10:30 every morning. By 4:30 each afternoon the sun is fading away! Here is a shot of my plane at 9:00 am! By the time the sun actually comes up, it feels like we have been up for hours!

More From Atmau

Here are some more pictures from my adventures in Atmau.
First of all- let me explain a few details about logistics:
There are 3 small airlines that make daily flights from Bethel into the outlying villages: they are Hageland Aviation, Yute Air, and Grant Aviation. Many people have opinions about which company is the safest, friendliest, promptest etc.- Let's just say I have had the most experience with Hageland, and they fly some of the largest planes, thus I feel safer.
So each airline has an "agent" in the villages. This is a local person who meets the plane to pick-up supplies, makes reservations for those of us traveling in and out, and provides transportation to and from the airstrip. In Atmau Hageland's agent is Buster- a friendly young Yup'ik man. Buster is an extremely important link in my getting in and out of the villages. There are generally 3 flights a day per village and even though they are "scheduled", you never know exactly what time they will arrive. Timing is quite important since there are no buildings on the airstrips to wait in. It is also Buster's responsibility to call the school and let me know how close the plane is, then pick me up and get me and all my stuff to the plane on time (the pilot's do not wait for anyone!)
Usually I am the only one on the village agent's 4-wheeler or snowmobile, but on this particular day in Atmau, Buster arrived at the school with a woman on the back of the snowmobile and was also pulling a sled holding a young boy and his grandmother. I got in the sled with the others (along with all our luggage) and off we went. Next we pulled up to a trailer where we picked up an elderly man. He stood on the back of the sled and held on. When I pulled out my camera, the boy was fascinated and asked me to take his picture - here are our pictures from the ride. Sorry for the blurry shot- we were moving at a pretty quick pace! I even let him take a photo of me (even though my eyes are closed, I had to post it for him!)

Stuck in Atmau

What was supposed to be a quick day trip to the village of Atmautluak, turned into an overnight adventure! Atmau is my closest village to Bethel- 10 minute flight or 30 minute snowmobile ride. I only serve 5 students at this school- so I thought I would arrive before lunch and be on my way by 4:00- WRONG! The flight into Atmau should have been my first clue! Although I was on a large cargo plane FULL of mail and supplies- we hit the runway sideways. Once we finally made it to a stop, the landing strip was too icy to taxi all the way to the end where the waiting snowmobile sat. As I stepped off the plane, the pilot commented on the serious crosswinds! I quickly jumped on the waiting snowmobile that would deliver me to the school. As we drove across the frozen river my only thoughts were these: 1- I hope I have eyebrows when I arrive and 2- I hope I don't fly off the back of this thing going 6o mph because that ice will feel mighty hard when I hit!
The rest of my day was pretty uneventful- until I tried to leave- all flights were cancelled for the night due to wind gusts- looks like I would be staying for the night!
I was pleasantly surprised NOT to have to sleep on the school floor. The principal put me in a small apartment- complete with a bed, stove, running water, heat, and a flushing toilet!
Notice in the pictures the sign on the girls bathroom door, the school parking lot (full of snowmobiles) and the Montana natives ( Polson residents Bruce and Mary Alice). Talk about a small world-what are the odds that one of my village assignments would include two of Dan's former teachers from Polson High School!

The lesson learned from this journey is that you can never have enough food in your backpack!

Bethel Moravian Church

Sunday morning Kathy and I took a cab to the local Moravian church to attend services. We decided we had better do some online research before we left. We discovered that Moravian missionaries visited the Bethel area in the late 1880's- and started the first church in Bethel (Bethel is named for Bethlehem). We also learned about the origins of the Moravian star (one of the most recognized symbols of the Moravian church). It began as a geometry lesson in Moravian run schools, and now is the symbol of the church's Christmas season. If you look closely in the picture of the church steeple, you can see one hanging in the round window.

Taste of Culture

Kathy and I felt like shopping today. What luck! There was an arts and crafts festival at the local VFW. We arrived to find a plethora of native crafts- hats, gloves, slippers, qaspeqs (native dress-like coats)furs, ivory carvings, jewelry, food and much more. (They were even selling frozen McDonald's cheeseburgers. Locals were buying them by the bag full!)
We were able to taste the Yup'ik version of ice cream called Akutaq (berry ice cream). It is made from tundra berries, salmon berries, sugar, mashed potatoes and fat rendered from seal blubber. To modernize it, they now use "Crisco" to take the place of seal fat! Although it was tasty, I couldn't get past the fact that I was eating shortening. Sorry to say we do not have any photos of the frozen treat- Kathy intended to take one, but she got too distracted and ate it all!
The picture above shows a Yup'ik woman showing off her seal and beaver hats.

Our Fearless Leader ?!?

Let me introduce you to our fearless leader- the woman in the center is the director of special education for LKSD. (For those of you who know him, she replaced Dennis Clarkson- formerly SPED director in Polson). Kathy (our director) is from Hawaii- and no joke- she wears sandals and flips flops all year! I did see boots and socks in her office the other day so she must at least wear sensible shoes outdoors!

Blog Debut

I miss you Lauren and Cole! (You too Dan- ok, and Abbey!) This is the picture I see every night and every morning. I love you guys- I am very proud of how brave and strong you are being while I am gone! See you soon!

My Village Assignments

Above is a map of the Lower Kuskokwim School District (named for the Kuskokwim River). The school district covers 22,000 square miles, serves almost 4,000 students and has the highest number of certified indigenous teachers- one quarter of the districts teachers are of Yup'ik heritage.
The town of Bethel is on the upper right side of the map. This is the "hub" of the tundra villages and includes a large hospital, airport, several grocery stores, hotels, restaurants, banks etc. as well as the school district office and our b&b.
My site assignments include the following villages: Toksook Bay (left side of map), Kwigillingok, Kongiganak, Atmauluak, and Kilbuck Elementary in Bethel. I have now officially visited each of these villages between my two visits!

School is Closed!

Good News: Today we awoke to 37 degree temperatures!
Bad News: Rain, Rain, and more Rain!

We decided to travel to the airport anyway to see if we could get out. Here we are waiting for our ride. Notice all the bags!!! The roads were extremely icy and it took our cabbie (oh yeah, we have to travel by cab or foot EVERYWHERE!) an extra long time to navigate the driveway and the road to the airport. When we arrived at the airport we learned that the runway was closed, as well as the Bethel schools. While many of you think this is good news, for those of us paid ONLY when we set foot in a site (ie. school or village) it is not good to hear. Oh, well! I guess I can catch up on TV today!
Side Note: I learned today that while the seal and beaver hat is super warm and waterproof- it takes on a distinct smell (think "wet dog") after spending anytime in the rain!

Weathered Out!

Today we experienced a typical day on the job- we were weathered out of our flights!
After arriving at Hageland Aviation before 8:00 am, we waited for 3 hours to see if our flight would make it out. The flights were finally called because of the wind and freezing rain! (Notice the door at the airport where someone wrote on the door in the ice!)

Arctic Survivial Gear

I have found two pieces of clothing that are necessary for comfort and survival in the arctic tundra:
1- toe spikes for your boots- they literally keep you on your feet
2-seal/beaver fur hat-not only is it the warmest thing I have ever worn, it is also quite beautiful to look at! (Notice the hat in my self-portrait - I am sure the pilot thought I was a freak as I snapped photos of myself while flying across the tundra!)

Welcome to Kwig

Yesterday I flew to the village of Kwigillingok or Kwig as we say up here. I was told that it means "no river". I was also told that the next time I was there I would get the explanation as to why it is named that. Ok then!
I was picked up by snowmobile and driven to the school. Sorry to say I did not get any pictures- sorry Mom! It was a very nice school - great principal and staff. They were all quite surprised that I made it in- there were 30-40 mile crosswinds. I had no idea- the plane ride was fine- not even bumpy! I must say that I was a little nervous about getting out........
The school is currently without a special education teacher. The teacher that started this year just got on a plane and left at the end of October! I made my first home visit during this trip. It was interesting to say the least! No running water or heat- just a wood-burning stove in the center of the house.
While I was waiting to see if the plane was coming at the end of the day, I walked around the village a little. Despite the cold and winds, boys were playing the famous tundra basketball-OUTSIDE!
Notice also the fish drying racks with strings of herring.
(BTW- the plane arrived and flew me safely back to Bethel!)

Hostess with the Mostest

While staying in Bethel we are lucky enough to be staying at A Cabin Inn Bed and Breakfast. It has quickly become our home away from home. The main floor consists of a living/dining room, kitchen, and a small bedroom /bathroom. The second floor (where Kathy stays) has a bedroom, laundry room, and a bathroom (that we share). Finally, the third floor loft is all mine! It has been better this trip- we figured out how to turn on the heat and I brought a small fan for "white noise" (after sleeping with Dan for the last 13 years, I can no longer fall asleep without the noise of a fan!!!!)
The B & B is owned by Susanna. She is a super sweet woman who lives behind the B & B in a TINY house. She checks on us regularly and has even cooked us meals using local delicacies- (moose, salmon). YUM-YUM!

Extra Precautions

Kathy and I decided we were both tired of getting sick- so we thought we would give wearing these face masks a try! Kathy immediately felt "protection from germs" as soon as she put it on- kind of like a face condom! We got lots of stares on the plane, but no comments- maybe people were just jealous they didn't try it too!

Partner in Crime

I have arrived back in beautiful Bethel! (Their actual city slogan is "Bethel is Special"). Now that I am here I need to introduce my partner in crime- Kathy. She is also a SLP who works in the Bush of Alaska. Kathy is the one who recruited me for this crazy, wild ride! I am so lucky and blessed to have a friend such as Kathy. It is so nice to have someone to have someone to come home too - she is a very positive influence and constantly keeps me laughing!

Rookie Blogger

I have decided to give this blogging thing a try! Thanks Allie for getting me going!

What better time to start than now! I will be leaving on my second trip to the frozen north in just a few short days. For those of you who don't know, I have taken on a new adventure this year. I work for the Lower Kuskokwim School District based in Bethel, Alaska. I travel to outlying villages in the bush (as they say up there!) for 2 weeks each quarter of the school year.

I hope to be able to journal and show pics on a regular basis.

So, stay tuned.........