I'll Be Home for Christmas

Winter break is finally here! As I type this, I am laying in my bed in my mom’s house and nothing has ever felt so comfortable. I am having quite the lazy morning simply because I can. The past two days have been filled with travel, reunions, and lots of excitement! As a result, I am worn out! Not only was the travel tiring, but once I got off the plane in New Jersey, I wasn’t able to rest; I had a few people to surprise!

When I booked my ticket home back in October, I set this plan into place to try to surprise my parents for the holidays. I told them that I would be home late tonight (December 23rd) when in reality I was coming in very early yesterday (the 22nd). While I don’t like to lie to my family, my dad made that impossible when he asked to be the one to pick me up from the airport. From this point on, I had to come up with more lies about my travel arrangements. Not only because of my flights, but also because I would be spending the weekend before my return in Anchorage. Had my family known this, they would have been onto the surprise. If they knew I was in town, they would’ve questioned why I wasn’t on my way home. So I had to tell some white lies which I hope I have been forgiven for. 

Once I stepped off the plane yesterday, one of my best friends, Jenna, picked me up from the airport. It was so great to see her, but it was also incredibly strange. On one hand it felt super weird to be standing there talking to her after 4 months of not seeing her, but on the other it felt like I had never left. We were able to catch up and grab breakfast before heading to my mom’s house for the first of my surprises. I had her on the phone when I walked in the door and her reaction was great. After visiting with her, I went to my dad’s house and did the exact same thing. His reaction, along with my step moms, was just what I was hoping for. I loved seeing the looks of their faces when they realized that I was actually standing in front of them. 

After enjoying a nice lunch out with my dad, stepmom, and younger brother, I headed back to NJ (my dad lives in PA) to surprise my little sister, Katie. My plan had been to pick her up from school, but the weather was a bit icky and so we changed the plans. When Katie got home from school, she was asked by my mom to come grab something from my room. I sat on my bed waiting for her to come in, and the moment she did it took all I had not to ball my eyes out. I had missed her so very much and it was great to have her back in my arms. She crawled right up on my lap and wouldn’t stop hugging me and talking about how much she missed me. It’s going to be so much harder to leave her this time than it was last time. 

While I was very tired at this point in the day, I was not finished yet. My mom, Katie, and I headed to the tree farm so I could surprise my grandpa. Oh, his reaction was just as priceless as all the others. As we sat and visited, he just kept looking over at me as if he was worried that I would disappear from where I was sitting. I couldn’t stay too long because I was going to get dinner with my best friend, Shawnee and while she was in on the surprises, I was so excited to see her.

Shawnee and I have been almost attached at the hip since kindergarten and this was the longest we’ve ever been apart. So when I finally saw her, it felt like I was being reunited with another sister. Just as with Jenna earlier in the day, it felt like I’d never left. We slipped right back into our goofy ways and went to the mall as if it was just a normal day (the whole mall thing was almost too overwhelming to handle though.. baby steps!). It was also exciting to get dinner at Applebees, which was just one of many tastes that I have missed while out in the bush.

While it was an incredibly long day in which I was running on about 3 hours of sleep and being fueled by adrenaline and caffeine, it was great to be back home. I was so excited that all of my surprises went as well as they did and that I was able to see as many people as I did on my first day back. The next few days will be filled with happy reunions, great food, and hopefully catching up on some much needed sleep. I am so happy to be back home and can’t wait to have some adventures over the next two weeks. Let’s hope the time doesn’t pass me by too quickly!

An Incredible Chapter Has Come to a Close

I did it! I really did it! I have officially made it through my first semester as a teacher, and in rural Alaska nonetheless! I cannot believe that the time has gone so quickly and that I made it through four and a half months in the bush.

These past few months have been the most challenging of my life. I have spent countless hours in my classroom at school planning lessons and grading papers. On more than one occasion, weeknights and weekends were forfeited in the name of preperation or other school work. I have been pushed to my limits in regards to behavioral issues and planning for so many different grade levels. It has been hard and I have shed many tears, but I did it. 

As I type this out on the plane ride home to New Jersey, I can’t help but reflect on the trials and triumphs of the past four months. There have been many times, especially in the beginning, when I thought “what did I get myself into?!” or “will lesson planning ever become easier?”. Many sleepless nights were accompanied by thoughts of worry and doubt. But there were also many times when I thought “this is the most incredible teaching job I could ever ask for” and “how can I ever leave Pilot Point behind?”. The adventures that I have had are enough to make me wake up each day thinking “how did I get so lucky?”. Not only were my adventures found outside of the classroom, but they also took place within the walls of Pilot Point school. 

The “aha” moments I have seen, the moments in which you know a concept has taken root and actually makes sense to a student, have gotten me through. They are few and far between, but when that moment happens it’s enough to cancel out any of my worries if only for the briefest moment. I live for the “aha” moments that my kids have had during my time with them. Right now as I think of this, I can’t help but smile as I think of specific “aha” moments for each of my students. I am a proud teacher and I will forever be thankful for my first class of students.

I will also be forever grateful for the friendships I have made along the way. I never thought a school district could be made up of such caring and kind hearted people. My district truly is one giant family and I am so happy to be part of it. With each challenge I have faced, I knew that I was not alone and that I could reach out to countless people for help (which I did on many occasions). My questions have been welcomed and people have taken the time to share lesson ideas and to try to help out in any way. I have found friends with whom I can share my struggles and my celebrations and who also help me get through the tough days. These friends mean more to me than words can describe and I am so thankful to have them.

As I reflect, I must also think about the overwhelming support that I have received from my family and friends back home. I lost count of how many cards and care packages that I received during my time in Pilot Point. My bedroom walls were covered with cards and letters from my loved ones. Some days I just sat and stared at them thinking how lucky I was to have been blessed with the support system that I have at home. My students also loved the treats that family members sent; “peeps" from Pennsylvania, maple sugar candies from Vermont, Harry Potter jellybeans from Maryland, and even chocolate covered dates from Saudi Arabia! Each time I introduced a new item from within a care package, my students would exclaim “Miss Norman your family is so nice!” or “Wow Miss Norman, this is awesome!!”. Knowing that my family back home was able to make my students smile was just another instance in which I counted my blessings. 

On Friday as my students left for the day, I struggled to hold back tears. I have become so attached to my school’s 12 students and I will miss them all so much. Their smiles, jokes, and even their bad days will be missed. These children taught me so much about myself as a teacher and as a person and I am incredibly thankful for that. Not only was it hard to say goodbye to my kids, but saying goodbye to the community members was so difficult. As I was saying goodbye to a few of the women, I couldn’t help but tear up as one of them said “you keep an eye out for the postings down here and we will take you back any time”. I still cannot believe how much this community embraced my presence and who have supported my decision not to return. As I took one last drive down Dago and around the loop that circles my village, I tried to take as many mental pictures as I could. Pilot Point will always be my first home on my own, the place where I first taught my very own class, and the village in which will forever own a piece of my heart. 

While I could go on for days and days, my plane is about to begin it’s descent into Newark and I will finally be back home. When I stepped onto the plane back in August, I had never been more scared. I hadn’t ever flown alone or lived further than 30 minutes from home; and there I was moving to Alaska which is almost 3,500 miles from home! But now as I get ready to step off the plane in New Jersey, I cannot believe how much I have grown. Flying no longer makes me nervous and while the teaching is tough, I know that I am capable of much more than I ever thought possible. These past four months have been the most challenging and yet most incredible months of my life. I am so excited to visit my family and friends, but I am just as excited to get back to Alaska to begin the next chapter of my journey!

Playtime in Palmer

Once school was out on Friday, I had about two hours to make sure my classroom and home were cleaned out and ready for me to leave. I said my goodbyes and then before I knew it, my plane was buzzing the school and it was time to leave Pilot Point. After a short layover in King Salmon in which I was able to go to dinner with some colleagues, I found myself once again in Anchorage. I was excited because this time I would actually be able to stay and play for a few days.

Some friends of mine and I stayed with my principal who lives in Palmer. Palmer is located in “The Valley” which is about 45 minutes from Anchorage. Once we’d all gotten our luggage, we hopped in our rental cars and headed out. It was pretty late by the time that we got to the house, but we all spent some time catching up before calling it a night. It felt so nice to know that we were all together and that we’d get to spend time visiting before we all made our way home for the holidays. 

Saturday morning came with the best wake-up call from my principal. She was at my door telling me to get ready to go work-out (as I was on the elliptical, I promised myself that never again will I take exercise equipment for granted!). Later, as we ate a yummy homemade breakfast, I couldn’t help but envy my principal and her husband. Not only is their house beautiful, but their backyard has the most incredible view of mountains in every direction. Watching them transform as the sun came up was breath-taking. I can’t imagine being lucky enough to wake up to that every single day. 

While it is winter vacation, our day was not spent being lazy. We took most of the morning and afternoon shopping for the spring semester. What once was an overwhelming obstacle now feels like a normal routine. We packed up totes and got them ready to be sent; it feels so good to have it out of the way. Now, when I fly back in, all I need to do is buy my freeze and chill. 

Our night was spent eating a yummy dinner and visiting with my principal’s daughter and a few friends. My principal’s daughter is also a teacher and we have connected a lot over Skype and messaging this semester so it was great to finally meet her in person. I was happy to be in such great company, but I was also sad that three of the friends who I’d flown in with had to leave already. We each had such different flights out, but luckily we were able to coordinate and carpool to get everyone where they needed to be. Thankfully I was able to spend one more night in Palmer relaxing and enjoying the company. My principal even has a hot tub and I can’t even begin to explain how great that felt after the stress of this semester. 

My Sunday was spent in downtown Anchorage doing some shopping and other errands with Sam. I was glad to have some free time with him and it felt nice being able to just wander around and shop at our leisure (I didn’t buy much though because my suitcase was too close to the 50lb limit for comfort..oops). Before I knew it, I was at the airport and it was time to begin my trip back home for Christmas. I’m glad I was able to spend the weekend in Palmer with my friends and my principal’s family. It was a great way to break up the travel too, because flying from PIP to NJ in one day would have been such a long trip! 

You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch!

Come one, come all! Pilot Point School presents “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”! Last night was our school's annual winter performance. We did a reader’s theatre and the kids had practiced for two and  a half weeks leading up to the big night. They were so excited to show off for their families, and they did great! Some of the kids dressed up as “Whos” while others got more dressed up for the occasion. After the big show, we had a dessert potluck and there were so many cookies and treats from the community (I thought I was going to be sick afterwards from all the sugar). It never ceases to surprise me how much the community supports the students. We might not see them at all during the week, but when we have events that the kids are proud of, they always show up. 

Not only did the community show up, but Santa made a surprise visit as well! Members from the Town Office and Village Council donate money to buy the kids items from their wish lists. The kids have been talking about their presents for the past few weeks, and they were so excited when Santa brought them the presents they wanted. We had a nerf gun war taking place in the gym last night as many of the boys had asked for them. I am going to miss these gatherings, but it was such a fun night to see the community come together one last time! 

Kids Say the Darndest Things

 Throughout my practicum and student teaching experiences I picked up on a bunch of funny conversations that I often found my students having. Now that I look back, I can’t really remember any of the specific one liners that made me laugh at the time. As a teacher with my own class though, I often find myself laughing during class time because of something one of my kids has said to me. Early on I decided to keep a notebook of funny things my students say. I haven’t caught all of the funny moments but as I read through some of them I can’t help but start laughing again at my students innocent yet noteworthy phrases. Seeing as how I only have a few days left with them, I thought now would be a good time to share some of our conversations.

Things my students say:

J:”Miss Norman my cousin was on the news last night!”

Me:”Was it for something good?”

J:”No.. he was arrested for breaking and entering and theft…”

Me: “Use what you know about the term ‘contrast’ to describe this”

J:”All I know is that there’s a button for that on Instragram..”

(One of my students wanted to be called Mr. Norman)

A: If he was Mr. Norman that means he would be married to Miss Norman!”

J.J.: “He could be her step-brother or something.."

A.M.: “Is the answer that the Muggle Empire fell after A-K-Bar died?

Me:” It’s Mughal and Akbar..”

A.M.: “Yeah but I like calling him A-K-Bar..”

(While working on word problems in math)

K: “Sarah had seven ponies. Miss Norman, are ponies real?”

Me: “Yes they are”

K:”Really??”

Me: “Yeah I’ll show you a picture later"

D:“The answer is 3 unicorns”

Me: “Unicorns?”

K: “Miss Norman are unicorns real??”

(While eating a chicken teriyaki sandwich at Subway)

G: “Miss Paige I feel fancy eating this”

Me: “Why?”

G: “Because chicken teriyaki is fancy!”

(My first time driving in Anchorage for AFN)

M: “Miss Norman do you drive when you’re in New Jersey?…”

M: ”Miss Norman I think you have Altzheimers, you miss the parking garage every time.”

G: “Miss Norman have you ever gone cow tipping?”

J: “Quick grab the taser before Miss Norman goes ballistic”

D: “I think he’s been sniffing the markers again..”

K: “Look I’m a Unicorn!!”

(After learning about the new teacher coming to replace me)

K: “But what if she’s like the Trunchbull like in Matilda?!?”

(While watching The Polar Express)

A: "Is that the guy from “Castaway”? "

Me: "What country do we live in?”

D: “Alaska”

Me: “No, what country?”

D: “South America! No wait I mean North America!”

(At the end of the day they also say some of the sweetest things ever)

D: “Miss Norman, are you feeling homesick?”

A: “No! We’re her family here!”

Living Up My "Lasts"

 I can’t believe that four months have passed me by so quickly! I decided that this weekend I wouldn’t feel guilty about taking time to myself. While I had packing to do and lessons to plan, I decided that most of that could wait until Sunday night. I wanted to spend this weekend in Pilot Point doing all of my favorite things.

The weekend started off with a nice surprise from Sam who called me on Friday and told me to pick him up at the airport in a few minutes (he was supposed to be coming in on Saturday afternoon). I was so excited to be starting my weekend off with this surprise. Oh and then I was treated to a home cooked meal and my favorite movie so that was pretty great:) 

Saturday was a bit of a lazy day and I spent my morning catching up on some beading and just lounging around. In the afternoon however, Sam and I gathered up my dog and her boy and then all the kids in the village that we could find. We went for a really nice walk on the beach and it was great to spend time with the kids outside of school. They loved walking on the small frozen pools of water on the beach and playing with frozen jellyfish. 

The only downside to the walk was when my student (who is known as Mr. Norman in previous posts) didn’t want to participate much. He was excited to start the walk with us, but his mood quickly went down the drain. I was trying to figure out what it was that was causing the problem, but just couldn’t think of it. As we were walking along however, Sam said to me that he thought K might have a crush on Miss Norman and might be jealous of Mr. Sam. It then dawned on me that this might be the cause of K’s attitude change. I made sure to go over and spend more time walking with and talking to K. His mood didn’t change much but the next day he was back in good spirits so I felt relieved to know that our last week wouldn’t be spent in a negative mood. 

Once the sun finally came up on Sunday, I went for one of my last runs with the new teacher and it was nice to get outside. It felt surreal knowing that depending on the weather that it would be my last time running “my loop” and I was happy to have some company along with me. I spent most of my afternoon in my classroom, but it was nice to have spent a good portion of the weekend having fun and enjoying Pilot Point. I am going to miss my PIP weekends, but I am oh so excited to spend some time at home in New Jersey before moving up to Nondalton! 

All Aboard the Hot Mess Express

My name is Paige and I’ll be your conductor for the foreseeable future We’re leaving Sanity Station and heading straight for Emotional Avenue. Please keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times and make sure to have tissues on hand; it’s going to be a bumpy ride..

I don’t even know where to begin in explaining my current state of mind. The past week has been like a never ending emotional tidal wave. One minute I’m stressed about end of the semester lesson planning and grading and the next I’m laughing with my students and the stress is gone. Not even ten minutes later I’m back in a panic about having lessons ready for my replacement. We have our school’s Christmas show this week and we’ve been trying to get decorations up around the school and the students prepped for their roles. Just last week, my co-op and I were talking about grades when it suddenly hit us both how much we’ll miss each other (insert the waterworks here) and that’s just another of the goodbyes I am not looking forward too. Oh and did I mention I’ve been packing up my apartment and trying to send out totes to my new village? It’s been non-stop movement and as if I didn’t have trouble sleeping already, this week has caused me to start drinking coffee again. I’m thinking about starting a caffeine IV drip, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet. 

Once you factor in the exhaustion of the semester, all of the things that still need to be done, the knowledge that I’ve almost made it through my first semester of teaching, and the bittersweet feeling of leaving Pilot Point, you’ve got the end result of an emotional wreck. I cried more than once last week just because I knew I’d get to see my friends from home in just a week and a half. Not only am I excited to be home with my family, but I am excited for my next adventure to begin in Nondalton. There are just so many emotions swirling around and they are all hitting me at once. Sometimes I just sit at my desk and go into an almost catatonic state just because my mind is so far into overdrive. 

As if all of my own emotional turmoil wasn’t enough, I have 12 students who are slowly checking out of school for the semester and becoming upset at my impending departure from their lives. I have faced quite the amount of defiance from my students in the past week and I can equate most of it to them pushing me away. While I’d like to leave my kids in good spirits, the reality is that they are hurting and I have caused this hurt. I know that I am doing nothing wrong and only doing what’s best for me, but for these children it’s a form of abandonment. They are putting on brave faces and trying to stop their hurt by pushing me away. One minute they are talking about the things they want to do with me before I leave and the next they are refusing to do school work and talking back to me. At one point last week, I just wanted to scream because my math students were acting like we haven’t learned a single thing all year.

At the end of the day however, I am just reminding myself how amazing this journey has been up to this point. I’ve dealt with stress and chaos before and I can handle it now. I feel like I’m drowning in such varying emotions, but when it comes down to it, I’m just trying to enjoy my last week in Pilot Point. I took a break from the sad emotions and focused on making more happy memories by rounding up half of my students this weekend to get out for a walk on the beach. Outside of the classroom, they showed no defiance whatsoever which was great. We’re all tired and ready for a few weeks off, but I know that most of the behavior problems are caused by the change coming their way. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that my last week of teaching out here in PIP goes smoothly and without too many emotional meltdowns (from myself or the kids). 

It's a Twister! It's a Twister!

No wait, it’s just Sunday in Pilot Point.. While I’ve been told how windy it can get in my village, I didn’t think I was going to experience a truly windy day in PIP before leaving. However, when I woke up last Sunday I was surprised to find that the wind was blowing in full force. The weather outside looked nice, but the wind was huffing and puffing and wanting to blow my house down. I didn’t think much of it until I tried to walk over to the school that afternoon. I’m not joking when I say that I struggled to make the 30 second walk. I was laughing to myself as I fought against the wind to make it to the door of the school. Later that afternoon my co-op and I were leaving at the same time and we were just laughing up a storm as we tried to make it home without being blown away. When I finally got home for the day I just listened to the wind howling and thinking about how much panic wind like that would cause at home. Here though, we don’t have trees to get knocked down so it’s not really anything to worry about. Oh and we didn’t even lose power or cell phone service so that’s always a plus:) When I talked to our cook the next day, he told me that the wind was about 50-60 miles an hour all day, but that at one point it got up to 75 miles an hour! 

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

Christmas has always been one of my favorite times of the year. This is mostly because it is when my family’s tree farm is open and every weekend is spent outside selling Christmas trees (insert promotional post here- go to Wyckoff’s Tree Farm in NJ to get your tree!). While I am having the most amazing time in Alaska, I have been aching to be out on the tree farm with my family. Not only do I miss the farm, but I miss all of the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes that are connected with Christmas. It’s one of those feelings that I can’t quite explain but I think people will understand what I mean by that. 

Luckily, along with the help of others, I have been able to remedy most of this holiday homesickness. I’m constantly listening to my Christmas Pandora and I have a candle wax warmer that makes my apartment smell just like Christmas. In my classroom, my students and I have a countdown chain to Christmas just like I’d always had growing up. My students love coming in each morning and racing to be the first to ask to pull down a chain. We then count the days until Christmas as well as days that we are going to have visitors or important events; we call it our classroom family tradition:)

Well, I must have mentioned missing the tree farm a few times over the Thanksgiving weekend because when I went to the post office last week I was in for a surprise. The postmistress carried out a big box with a smile and I just knew that inside there was a Christmas tree. My incredibly thoughtful boyfriend had gone out and gotten me a real Christmas tree! It even came on a stand with lights; I still cannot believe that he did this and it is exactly what my apartment needed. All of these things combined really puts me in the Christmas spirit:)

As if all of this wasn’t enough, our cook and his wife had a Christmas party last night. I was excited but I also wasn’t sure what to expect or who would be there. When I walked in the door however, I was surprised at how many people were at their house. I’m not exaggerating when I say that over half of the village was there (they had to count people at one point for a gift exchange and I think there was about 40 in all..). It was so nice to be able to visit with everyone while eating delicious food. While I had been worried that the community would be mad at me for leaving, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Last night I was shown how much these people have embraced and accepted me as part of their lives. I found that they were sad to hear of my leaving, but they all said that they understood why I was leaving and they hope that I enjoy Nondalton. I was overwhelmed by their support and it truly made me feel like I’ve made some positive impact in my short time here. 

While I visited with different families and people that I don’t often get a chance to talk to, the big gift exchange was getting started. I’d never seen a group of people so excited for a gift swap! The thing about this one though is that you don’t just give/receive a present. It’s been called a “White Elephant” exchange in other places, but when I said that name no one knew what I was talking about. How it works is that everyone gets a number and then when you’re number is called you can pick a gift. However, anyone after you can choose to steal your gift or pick a new one. If your gift is stolen, you can steal from someone else or pick a new gift. Let me tell you… It was intense and filled with laughter. 

At one point, there was a painting that kept getting stolen and I stole it on my turn. It was then stolen from me right when I thought I was in the clear! I’m perfectly happy with the glass float that I ended up with (and it technically crosses of my PIP bucket list item of finding a glass float.. I technically did find it under the tree as someone rationalized). Oh it was such a great time and there were quite a few “gift wars” towards the end when someone would steal and then it turned into a domino effect of presents being stolen. Everyone was in great spirits and laughing so hard by the time we all had our final presents. 

Last night was just what I needed to really feel like it’s Christmas time. It was also a great way to see people and talk to them, just in case I don’t get to see them during my final two weeks in Pilot Point (I can’t believe that’s all I have left here!). I came home, sat by my Christmas tree, turned on Pandora, and just thought about how lucky I am to be on this adventure. While this has been a great Christmas season away from home, I am incredibly excited to be back home just in time for some of my favorite Christmas traditions:) 

Can You Hear Me Now?

I thought it was bad when Dad and I got cut off once or twice during phone calls. However, trying to have a full conversation with Sam is like trying to tame a polar bear (just for you Aunt Kris); almost impossible. Each time we try to talk on the phone, it consists of a lot of roaming. By roaming, I mean I am usually wandering around my house in search of a good reception spot. From sitting on my kitchen floor to standing in the corner of my spare bedroom, I’ve explored almost every inch of my house in an effort to keep my service. Just last night, I ended up laying on my bedroom floor because that’s where I had enough bars. Of course I then fell asleep there after we hung up (like I said in my last post, I’m worn out..). 

Often times we get cut off more than three times during any given phone call. Whoever’s end it was on, usually mine, will go find a better spot to call from. Then we repeat this cycle until we actually finish the conversation we were having or until we don’t want to keep rushing our words in fear of a cut off. Sam always says, “that’s Alaska for ya” which I have found can be said for so many of the quirks to living in this state, in the bush specifically. Oh well, just another moment that makes you appreciate the little things like uninterrupted phone calls and having the ability to talk on the phone at all. However, I am looking forward to when he’ll be in Pilot Point next weekend and we can actually have a full conversation without getting disconnected a million times throughout. 

Miss Norman Needs a Nap

And a stiff drink.. This week was the one from you know where and when 2:15 rolled around yesterday (we get out early on Friday) I was so happy I could cry. The week started out smoothly, but that only lasted until Wednesday morning. From there on out, things took a turn for the worse. My kids didn’t want to listen and I was short on patience. The combination did not make for a good few days.

While I cannot blame it solely on my students, their attitudes and behaviors really got to me this week. In talking to my co-op, I found that I was not alone in this, and I think I know why they are acting out. First of all, the full moon is tonight and I truly believe people start to get crazy around this time. Second, they are ready to have winter break and their minds are checking out. Third, I think it is a defense mechanism because my co-op and I will be leaving. All three of these things put together made for kids who refused to listen and who acted as if we’d never learned any concept in any subject or aspect of life this entire year. 

Needless to say, it wore me down. Wednesday night when I usually stay at school and do lessons or bring home work, I went on strike. I put on a chick flick, grabbed my comfy blanket, and parked myself on the couch where I remained the rest of the night. I felt a little guilty at first and then I quickly tossed that notion out the window and just let myself relax. For once, I was asleep by 10pm (the earliest in my time in Alaska I think..) and I still woke up late at 7 the next morning. My body is starting to go on strike too I think. I’ve pushed myself to the point of mental and physical exhaustion these past few months, and this week it caught up with me and is knocking me off my feet.

However, I only have two more weeks to get through. I say “get through” only in the sense of actual lesson planning and school work. I am wishing I could slow down all other time and have more hours of daylight in my last days here. While my body is tired, my mind is begging to explore and adventure up until my final hours in Pilot Point. I want to visit with my kids, go for runs, and watch the sunrises and sunsets. I want to go down to the beach, out on the honda, stop by the post office to talk to the postmistress and go to the store just to see people. This semester has worn me down, but I wouldn’t trade it for a single second. I can’t wait for the sun to come out today so I can show the new teacher (who got in on Monday) around the village that I call home. Miss Norman got some sleep last night (after a nice glass of wine) and isn’t letting this week stop her from enjoying all of her remaining time in PIP.