a whole new world

Hey yall!

Thanks so much for the kind words! It's extremely comforting to know I do have a support system, and I appreciate all the prayers. Okay, so lots has happened already since I moved to Newtok, and the best way I can put it is it's like another country! It reminds me of Mexico in lots of ways. When I flew into Bethel from Anchorage it was COLD and WINDY. It was in the high 40s, but this is warm weather to Alaskans...crazy! So the next day I took a bush plane to Newtok. On the flight over, there were a few mountains (either that or very large hills...) and there was still lots of snow. There were also tons of puddles/rivers everywhere you looked.
When I got to Newtok the school maintenance man was there with his family to welcome me and take me to my house. Since there are no cars in the village people have 4 wheelers and snow machines, and boardwalks are the only way around town. Honestly, you can't even walk in the grass, because e.coli is EVERYWHERE and mud is everywhere you look. When I rode down from the airport my first thought was "Oh my GOSH this stinks!" The reason why there is e. coli everywhere, I'm sure you know, is that the people have become lazy and don't take their honey buckets to the designated spot, so they just dump them anywhere. But the smell was horrible. The first day was the worst. Either I've gotten use to it already or I'm in a slightly cleaner part of the village, but it was pretty intense. Lots of people have warned me to not get in the mud because of the e.coli, but I already knew that!
I met a man while going to get water my second day, and he said "welcome to isolation!" It was funny at the time, but it really hit me when I was there alone in my house, with no connections to the outside world.
The boardwalk keeps you from walking in deathly puddles, it's true, but it's still risky because there are loose boards, broken boards, missing boards, and huge gaps in bewteen boards... there are places you have to jump over, and places you have to walk on the very edge with a 4 foot drop off because of holes. I guess because the village is planning on moving in a few years to Nelson Island they don't bother fixing the boardwalk.
There were some water jugs in the house that you take about a 5 minute walk to the water tank and fill up there. That water is the only safe drinking water, even though it stinks and is still a little brown! When the school opens I can bring water from there which will be more convienient. It's about a 3 minute walk from my house. I do have running water in the house but it's not safe to drink or even to shower in, so I'm learning new ways to wash dishes and such. Tonight I'm in Bethel for the new teacher inservice and had my first shower in 2 weeks, so I'm feeling good! (I haven't had internet so this is my first chance to update).
The kids in the village have been extremely friendly and intrigued by the new teachers. There are 120 students in Newtok, and I'd say almost all of them have been in my house. The first day I got there the kids visited and asked a million questions, asked about my family, where I'm from, how long I'm staying, what I'm teaching, and wanted to go through all my stuff. I'll post pictures when I can - at one time there were 18 little Eskimos all piled up in the living room. It was really funny. One thing I'm sure I'll get use to but am having trouble with right now is understanding the kids. They speak Yupik, and they don't even start learning English until second grade. They also have 2 names: one in English and one in Yupik. They gave me a yupik name, too: Ayaprun. I asked them what it means, and all they said was "ayaprun!"
I've played hackysack with some of the kids and they really enjoy that. We have to play in front of the school because it's the biggest playing area where the ball won't fall in the mud. The kids also like to ride bikes, but obviously it's really hard with the crooked and dangerous boardwalk.
There are 8 or 9 teachers in Newtok, I can't remember, but only 4 are in the village now. My roommate has not made it yet, but I'm anxious to meet her. I know she has taught in the district (just not in Newtok) 10 years, so that will be helpful to me. :-)
I've talked to some of the kids and lots of people are catholic. I'm planning on starting a Bible study once a week when everything settles down, and I know, from the kids being so anxious to learn more about me, many will want to come. The only drawback would be if my roommate does not want the kids there - we would have to find some other place. So please pray with me that she is understanding and willing to join in with this idea! Also, if you have any ideas on how to make it fun and effective, please let me know! I'm trying to work out, too, if I should have 1 for the younger kids and 1 for the older, or just combine them. On top of this I've been trying to figure out how I'm going to teach. :-)
I guess that's about it for now. Thanks for the prayers and comments! I look forward to hearing from yall. (they think my Texas accent is funny!)
I love and miss yall already, but am learning to lean on God more everyday, so even though I may be isolated, I'm surrounded by His amazing love and warmth!

((((((hugs))))))
~Kim