The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Blueberries, Cranberries,
and Crowberries

The Good- 

This weekend, as I was out picking berries in the tundra, I once again found myself overcome with emotion as I took in the vast expanse of my surroundings. Then, as I made blueberry pancakes for breakfast the next morning I couldn’t help but think about how awesome it is that I can go into my “backyard” and pick more blueberries, crow-berries/blackberries, and cranberries than I know what to do with. Since I don’t much like crowberries, and cranberries are best after the first frost, I can focus my picking to one type of berry at a time. Besides the pancakes, I made a blueberry crumble which my co-workers seemed to enjoy. I am eager to use the berries to try out some more recipes that I’ve found, and maybe I'll be able to make jam to bring back for my family at Christmastime! 

Blueberry Crumble 

Another good part about the weekend was when I went out with Sam and a few friends on Sunday. We took advantage of the seemingly perfect weather to take one of the newbies on a tour of some of our favorite spots. Along the way, we stopped a few times to pick blueberries as there were hundreds of patches ripe for the picking. I appreciated the fact that I was able to be with someone as they experienced their first trip around “the loop”. I couldn’t help but remember the first time I’d gone on that trip and how amazing it had been, and still is. We stopped by an overlook to see the Newhalen River, rode on Bear Creek Trail, and got up close to Tazimna Falls. The beautiful weather, great company, trailside snacks (so many blueberries!), and numerous pit-stops made for an incredible day. 

The Newhalen River

The Bad-

Bears like berries too!

As much as I love summer, it seems as though our first frost is still months away. Believe me when I say the bugs are enjoying every warm second of summer. I wake up each morning hoping for wind, and get excited when I hear a breeze against whatever building I am in. You see, with the wind comes a break from the always present No-See-Ums and other winged critters that like to feast on humans. I am not exaggerating when I say that I can look out my window on a still day and see the swarms of bugs. However, at the same time, I also see mountains and tundra trails that are always calling my name, even on the calmest of days. 

In Alaska, going outside on a day when there is no wind means that a majority of the time your eyes will be closed and you will look a bit odd as you constantly have one hand swatting away the blanket of bugs that are trying to eat you alive. In turn, the locals will laugh and tease you, but then you reach a point where you would gladly take their kind hearted joking rather than suffer the agony of a No-See-Um bite. I’ve long since hit this point, and swat away the bugs without shame. Did I mention that putting on bug spray out here is somewhat of a placebo effect? Quite personally, I am convinced the bugs are immune to it; then again, this does not stop me from spraying myself down and hoping for the best. Needless to say, I cannot wait until the first frost brings a reprieve from my ever present flying enemies. 

Tazimna Falls 

The Ugly… 

The device that collects
water from the lake

As I type this, I’ve just gotten home from school where I showered for the second day in a row. Starting a little over a week ago, the village began to experience some difficulties with it’s water supply. I have yet to fully understand the issue that is causing the problem, but I do know that last week I woke up every day wondering if I’d be have running water that day. It was also a week in which sending or receiving the text “Water!” was something to look forward to. Fortunately, I have gotten used to there being problems with the water every now and then and I have been able to fill two five-gallon water jugs for the times in which we are without water. However, this time is by far the worst it has been since I moved to Nondalton, and from what I’m hearing, it might continue throughout this week. 

Luckily for us, the school runs off of a well, and there has been a consistent supply of water in the building. There also appears to be a device that is siphoning water from the lake, and the city has invited community members to go to  a place called “the watering point” to stock up on water. I am grateful for the school having water and for being able to get more from the city if I find that I need to do so. At the same time, I am looking forward to the problem getting fixed so that I can shower without wearing flip-flops and wash the growing pile of dishes in my kitchen sink. 

The Winner-

Six Mile Lake 

While “the Bad” and “the Ugly” may seem bad and ugly, “the Good” truly outweighs these two negatives. I would gladly bathe in the lake while being swarmed by No-See-Ums, than be anywhere else. Alright, my last statement may be an exaggeration, but I think it paints a nice picture. Everything in life comes with positives and negatives, but I have learned that in every situation we also have a choice as to which we will let control of us. Some days, the negatives weigh on me and bring me down, but then I look out the window of my lake-front apartment or spend a few hours in the tundra picking blueberries and I am quickly reminded of how fortunate I am. Here’s to hoping for endless adventures, running water, windy days, and an early frost! 

School is in Session

My ginormous classroom is ready to go! 

Last week, as I began my third year of teaching, I realized that there are many things that occur out here in the bush that very rarely happen in the lower 48. For example, our first day of school began with myself and another teacher, Emily, chasing a student's dog around the building because it had snuck in the front door. As we were following it from room to room, our principal and another teacher were unfazed as they conversed about something and students continued on with their morning recess; once we finally got the dog back outside, Emily and I didn’t give it a second thought and we both went on with our days. In thinking about that moment, I can’t help but laugh at the thought of that happening at a school in New Jersey. A dog running into the building would cause a terrible commotion as students and teachers saw what was happening. Yet here, it was just another morning and not the first time this has happened to me in the past two years. Still, I wonder if this happening on the first morning of a new school year is a preview of the year ahead of us? 

I'll never get sick of my view! 

Though it started with a bit of an adrenaline rush, the rest of the week was a rather calm one. The nice thing about teaching special education out here is that I have the same students that I taught last year, so our first day was a reunion rather than a day spent getting to know each other. It was great to see my students back in the school, and I loved to hear about their summers spent at fish camp, swimming in the lake, and visiting with relatives in different villages. I showed them some pictures from my summer vacation, as I find this is such a great way to expose them to places and activities they might have never even heard of. Another perk of having the same students is that planning is a little bit easier because I know what they were doing well with in May, and what skills they still need to spend some time working on. Our first few days were spent getting back into our routines, adjusting to our new schedules, and diving back into classwork. While our first week was only three days long, the shift from summer mode to school mode can be tiring for everyone and we were all looking forward to Friday afternoon. 

An after school berry picking trip:)

To celebrate the completion of our first week, my co-workers and I gathered for a barbecue Friday night, and again I took into account that this is not something that would happen elsewhere. Sure, co-workers get together every now and then for birthdays, special occasions, or to just hang out. Here, however, we form friendships with those that we wouldn’t expect to and rely on staff get-togethers to provide us with the non-student social time that we, as adults, need. I must admit that as much as we try not to, we usually end up discussing how our weeks went, talking about our students, or sharing lesson ideas. With that said, it is still nice to be able to decompress from the week over a potluck of delicious foods. 

Friday night on Six Mile Lake 

In other news, Cross Country practice begins this week, and I am excited to once again be the coach and to see my runners give it their all. They are still in summer mode though, so I might need to bribe them into workouts with the promise of a pizza night at the end of the season (who doesn’t love pizza?!). Whether they admit it or not, we will all be looking forward to the jamboree in a few weeks where we will get to spend a few days with teachers and students from all over the district. Until then, we’re going to pick up speed with school work and see what adventures the year has in store for us. It is shaping up to be another busy year, but I wouldn’t want it any other way! 

Back In Service

The water level is so much
higher than this time last year 

Though it feels as if I have been back in Alaska for months, it just dawned on me that I got back only one week ago! After I flew in last weekend, I spent two days shopping with a few other friends. It was great to visit with them while we ran around trying to get everything we might need for the next four and a half months. One of the downsides to life out here is that I rarely get to see my friends that work throughout the district, so it’s nice to soak up friend time whenever I can. We even got to meet up with some of the district’s new hires for dinner one night, and it brought back many memories from my first trip out here. I never thought I would be in my third year, offering advice and suggestions to a group of Alaskan “newbies".

2 out of 8 bears spotted at Katmai

Once I shopped, shipped, and packed up all that I needed, I was able to get on another plane to get home to Nondalton. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t want to cooperate, so I had to spend some time in Iliamna waiting for the sky to clear up. For awhile there, I was a bit worried that I would have to spend the night. However, after a couple of hours, the fog lifted and a plane was able to take me home. As I unpacked, I couldn’t help but feel lucky to have the chance to experience another year out here. I spent my first night back at home curled up on the couch, looking out on the lake and enjoying the fresh air blowing in through the window. I wish I could bottle up the air and send it to people, but everyone will just have to take my word for it when I say that the air here smells and feels cleaner than anywhere else I have ever been. 

The salmon Caitlin caught!

While I wanted nothing more than to sleep for two weeks straight, my friend Caitlin had other plans in mind. She went out fishing Tuesday and brought home some salmon for us to fillet up. I wish someone had recorded the experience, because we were a hot mess. Neither of us had cleaned or filleted fresh salmon before and therefore we had our work cut out for us. With improper knives and Youtube "how-to" videos on replay, we got to work. Somewhere upwards of two hours later, we had butchered I mean neatly and properly cleaned and filleted six salmon. I was even paid for my labor and got to take home the three fish I had prepared. It was one of those experiences I will never forget, and we proudly showed off pictures of our fillets even though they were nowhere near up to par (“A” for effort, right?). Our friends who actually know what they are doing grimaced and laughed at our final products, but applauded us for giving it a go and being willing to try to do it on our own. For the sake of us and the fish, we have decided that next time we will reach out to some more knowledgable friends for lessons, and also find ourselves some proper filet knives.

My first Alaskan-caught fish! 

As most teachers know, each school year begins with teacher work days, or in-service days, in which the staff gathers together to get things in order for the year ahead. Because of the unique situation my school district is in, all staff members travel to a common meeting place to complete these work days. Last year, we skipped traveling for August in-service and instead worked from our school sites through online meetings. However, this year we were all lucky enough to be able to travel to Katmai Lodge for our in-service. I had heard great things about the lodge, but actually getting to stay there was a whole other story. We worked during the day, and had the opportunity to take part in different activities at night. 

Our fishing group with our guides:) 

On Thursday, a bunch of the girls and I went on a guided fly-fishing trip. Just imagine fourteen girls who have no clue what they are doing, decked out in waders, and hoping to catch some salmon; our three guides were very patient men who laughed both at us, and with us. Again, it was a night to remember and I caught three fish (but could only keep two as they let females go) so I consider it a success. Not only did we catch some fish and have some laughs, but my boat group and I saw four bears, a wolf, a moose, and an eagle. Our guide knew we wanted to see some wildlife and he did a great job of making that happen. Throughout the week, we saw four other bears, which brought the total to eight beautiful brown bears! I had never seen a bear up close in Alaska before so I was excited with each one we spotted. 

A few of the fly-ties I made 

Friday was our final night, and while some people went fishing again, my friend Shelby taught me how to make some fly-fishing ties which I will hopefully be able to use to catch some salmon in the next few weeks. After a sauna trip with a few of my favorite ladies, the rest of the night was spent at a bonfire that the lodge workers had built for us. We ended the inservice on a relaxing note and I think the trip made for a positive start to the school year. I wish I had been able to spend more time with my friends and other colleagues, but school starts Wednesday and I have a bit of work to do before I get to see my students! 

Summing Up Summer

Annabelle and I love Dr. Seuss

As my time on the East Coast winds down, I’ve spent the last few days thinking about how I should write a summer recap. However, packing up and visiting with friends and family members has taken precedence and my blog has once again been put on the back burner. This morning, though, my dad and I were out on a run when he brought up the lack of blog entries I’ve had this summer, so I thought I would finally take some time to sit down and reflect upon the past few months.  

Surprise!

Much like last year, this summer has been one in which I have lived out of a suitcase and have hopped from state to state. In the past two and a half months, I’ve traveled my way up and down the east coast, from New Jersey down to Florida, hitting all of the states in between. Along the way, I crossed Georgia and Tennessee off the list of states I’ve never been to, though I didn’t spend much time in either. In my travels, I was able to meet Sam’s adorable niece Annabelle, snorkel in a natural spring, tour some tiny houses, and go to Universal Studios (Harry Potter World!). Two highlights from summer include getting to see Luke Bryan and Garth Brooks in concert, both of which were amazing shows. Another experience I will never forget is when my best friend, Shawnee, and I met two of our favorite actors, Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder. And while it makes me want my own dog even more, I have loved getting to know my family's newest pup, Dakota. Oh, and my siblings and I even managed to surprise our mom with an early 50th birthday party (surprises are so hard to keep!). Over the past few months, I've spent time with old friends, new friends, and a lot of family members. This has been a summer filled with countless adventures and unforgettable moments. 

We're missing you Ryan<3

Though a great portion of my summer was filled with happiness, it has unfortunately also been impacted by a great sadness. A few weeks ago, Sam’s best friend Ryan passed away, and though I didn’t get to know him for long, my heart aches for his family, friends, fellow Marines, and for anyone that had the fortune of meeting this genuinely kind person. I am grateful for the time I got to spend with Ryan and for the memories that I have of him. I have spent the better part of the last hour beginning to type and then deleting everything because no words seem right; however, this blog is about my life, and losing a friend is unfortunately something that can, and will, happen in life. Something I also know is that I have the choice to cry and be sad, or I can go out and try to live my life to the fullest and do crazy, exciting things in Ryan’s honor; I know that Ryan would choose the latter, so that’s the path I’m going to take. 

Forever adventuring with this guy:)

As for right now, I have a few days left in PA/NJ and then I will be hopping on a few planes and heading back to the bush. Though I love being able to come home for the summer, I also miss the home that Alaska has become to me. I yearn for my lakefront apartment and for the quiet, slow pace of village life. Though my excitement will probably fade once school starts, I am even looking forward to my five a.m. float plane wake up calls! It is hard to believe that I am about to start my third year of living and teaching in Alaska, but I am ready to see my “kids” and to have some more blog-worthy adventures.