The new teacher and I have a mentor that the state of Alaska assigns us. She visited Newtok but has never been to the bush. It was funny watching her stepping into our world. She spent 3 days camping on the school floor, hiking on the tundra with us, searching for internet connection, and in wonder at the lack of plumbing. “Welcome to Newtok!” is all I could say.

I’ve only been here 2 weeks, and so far we’ve been with no restroom for a week and no water for 3 days, and a stove that still doesn’t work. It was funny watching our mentor run around trying to find a honey bucket. She ran over to our house and I gave a crash course on using the incinolet: “after you’re done you have to step on that pedal, push that button, kick the side of it, then put more paper in.” Our incinolet had been broken for a week but thankfully it’s working again.

We walked to the store to show my mentor where it is and what they have. When we have visitors, they bring their food and cook it in the school’s kitchen. But she is thinking she can do without hauling around all her food and just grab something at the store. It was a nice walk and she was impressed with the business of the village. Here’s a picture of what you might see when walking the boardwalks of Newtok: kids riding bikes, people hanging fish, chopping wood, pulling a 4 wheeler with a skinned moose in the back, doors open while ladies gut seal, fish, or cut up moose, muskoxen, or caribou on their floor… for such a small, isolated place there is lots to do.

I’ve been on hikes and it’s really muddy out there! You will be walking along and all of a sudden sink in this tricky green grass and it’s like quick sand! Then there is the muddy clay that I got stuck in, sunk down to my knees, and had to take my feet out of the boots and crawl out, then dig the boots out. Then, of course, I wasn’t able to shower or do laundry. But I actually find those setbacks a joy simply because I’ve learned to adapt and overcome them, which gives me confidence and strength. You might find that crazy but I’m okay with being different. :)

Little things we take for granted are intensified when you have no choice but to do without. For some unknown reason, all the staplers the school has that worked in May are now broken. We only have one stapler between 5 teachers that only works when you open it, arrange the staplers a certain way, then close it. You have to repeat that every time you want to staple something. We just have to be patient while our new ones are flown here.

Today we had an assembly for grades 6-12 to talk about the suicide we had in the summer. Peter, the boys’ father, came in and spoke to the students, along with a district councilor, and the principal. It was a solemn event. Peter had 2 brothers and a sister, all in high school grades. They had all the students put their heads down and close their eyes, asking who is hurting, then who thought it was their fault. It was pretty intense. The dad kept saying that Peter will be punished in hell forever, which is part of their Catholic teaching when one commits suicide. My heart ached for their aching hearts.

When we left for our classes I didn’t have the courage to follow through with my lesson plans that said we were to read “The Devil and Daniel Webster.” I mean, what are the odds that I would teach a story this day about a guy selling his soul to the devil, and people coming up from hell? So instead we just read silently, which went over well. They needed quiet time to think things over, and so did I.

Please pray that I will have wisdom in knowing what to say.

drying fish

Senator Mark Begich, representative Bob Herron, and another Senator from Michigan and their entourage came to Newtok yesterday in a black helicopter. They came to get an onsite update on the erosion of the banks of the the Ninglick River and the status of the impending move of our community to Mertarvik, the new site. They all came into the school and were very polite, shaking hands with everyone they saw, and we all went to the gym for the “ceremony.” The middle-aged generation translated for the elders who didn’t speak English. Villagers brought food for a potluck, and the visitors brought bananas, which went fast! It was funny seeing the photographers snapping shots with their fancy cameras and journalists scribbling notes on their notepads. The villagers were taking pictures of the “gusuks” (white people) and the gusuks were taking pictures of the Natives. The natives talked about their concerns and hopes for the move, and the Senators were genuinely concerned and supportive. I knew when Senator Begich brought along the Senator from Michigan, he was helping the move along. The one from Michigan was completely shocked as to where she was. It really is a different world up here and everyone who’s new experiences the culture shock.

During the fall we have a longer walk to school than during winter because of the permafrost melting. The ground is muddy and if you step into the wrong spot you could sink like you’re in quick sand! Plus, you do NOT want to get the mud on you because of the e.coli. There are still people who dump their honey buckets in the wrong place. More land is falling off into the sea and it’s noticeable since last May. The move should happen within 4 or 5 years, I hope.

Our incinolet is finally working again. I can’t count the number of times it’s gone out and we’ve had to use bedpans and/or walk up to the school. Not cool. So it’s fixed…for now. We just have to kick the side of it to begin the burning.

Since I’ve been back in Newtok I got some sad news. “Girl,” the husky that went on every hike with me, was shot over the summer. Her owners did not take care of her and she was going hungry. I hate that! I fed her every day last year but I couldn’t take her home for the summer. When dogs are not put on chains, if they are caught when there is a visitor in town, they are taken to the edge of the village and shot. Now I have to find another dog to feed all these dog biscuits I mailed to myself. :(

The wind blows constantly and last night it was so fierce our house was shaking. It’s difficult to get some sleep when your bed is wobbling.

There are not as many mosquitoes as last year and our fly problem is 95% better now that we moved the trashcan to the arctic room. The arctic room is what southerners would call a mud room. It’s where you take your snow boots off and it’s a barrier between inside your house and the outside. It keeps snow from falling into the house – after a blizzard you would open your door and the snow goes in the arctic room instead of piling into the living room. It also helps keep the house warmer by having an extra room between you and the cold. The arctic room is also where the deep freezer is, which we share with the school. Right now it’s packed with food and they will eventually move it to the school.

At our first staff meeting Grant used me as an example for warning about the harsh environment: “If you’re adventurous like Kim…” everyone had to laugh because there’s a little too much truth in that. Anyway, he told of my adventures out on the tundra… snowmachines, foxes, stranded in -60 degrees weather, etc. And he ended with “but she got the fox!” I hope the new teacher will heed the advice but I also hope she has fun!

Hope yall are having a good weekend. Let’s go out and love with the heart of Christ!

Back in Action!

Beautiful sunset in Newtok

Breathtaking beauty in Anchorage! (the background, anyway!)

I’m back in Alaska! I had a nice summer but it feels good to be back in the land of cool weather! It’s 50 degrees right now! I spent some time in Anchorage before I flew out to the bush – mailing some groceries to myself and soaking up the beauty of Alaska. I stayed with my room mate’s relatives and we met up with some other teachers from Newtok. I took a bike ride down a beautiful trail, beside a river and down to the coast. A guy riding the opposite way warned me there was a moose up ahead and sure enough one was right next to the trail. I stopped a short ways off to take some pictures. There were also a few bear sightings! I never saw them but there was a mother bear with her 3 cubs only about a quarter of a mile from where I was staying, and another bear was actually breaking in to someone’s window in another part of Anchorage! Not sure when this happened but it was some time this summer. There was also a polar bear in Hooper Bay, which is a village out here in western Alaska! Not too far from Newtok! I’d love to see a bear.

Monday evening I flew on the smaller jet to Bethel (the bush hub, 300 miles from the road system) and caught a cab to the school district office, which is where I spend almost every night I stay in Bethel. It’s a lot of fun catching up with other teachers in different villages. So we find a place on the floor and blow up an air mattress if there are enough, and it’s pretty cozy! Only in the bush do you have teachers sleeping in the office and you wake up to the “district mama” coming in to make coffee.  

We had 2 days of in-service in Bethel and it was great being able to collaborate with other reading teachers. Wednesday evening we were scheduled to hop on the bush plane and fly out to our villages and I could hardly wait to get back! We took our luggage to the gym at the Bethel school to wait till our flight time, and when we were loading the shuttle van they shove a pizza box in your hand and send you off out into the wilderness!

I understand how those new teachers feel right out of college because I was there last year! I feel for them because I know what it’s like to thrust yourself into an uncertain world, out of your comofort zone, cut off from everything and everyone, broke and not knowing how I was going to do this unique job. So needless to say I feel much more confident having survived this crazy life in the bush! Of the 8 teachers in Newtok, we  have 1 new this year. Her name is Betsy and she will teach the 2T class, which is when they transition into English instruction. Betsy is 24 years old so I’m excited about having someone close to my age. It would be nice to say I’m no longer the youngest teacher in Newtok but my day will come!

On the 45 minute flight out to Newtok I could barely contain my excitement! God has His ways of letting you know you’re where you’re supposed to be, and I know He was pressing that point, because I literally couldn’t sit still from excitement.  We landed and I jumped down on the rocky ground and had to jog off that eager sensation. It sounds funny, but seriously, I am glad to be here – even with our incinolet not working, our stove not working, the dodgy boardwalks, packing water, the e.coli infested land, and back to the busy busy teaching schedule. Teaching in the bush is not just a job, it’s a lifestyle. From the time you get up in the morning until (many days) you go to bed at night, you’re with students or doing work or doing something that there is not enough people to do. And even though it drained me completely last year, I’m happy to be here. How GREAT is God that He allows you to persevere, to overcome, and to glorify HIM in the process!?!? All I can do is give this year to Him and I know He will do great things.

I was walking to the school yesterday and a little girl asked me when school started. I told her Monday, and she replied, “in three more sleeps?” Instead of saying 3 more days, they measure time in sleeps.  The sun sets at 11:30 and last night it was so beautiful I couldn’t even try to describe it. The colors were so vibrant, so vast and so bold, that all I could do was stand there and bask in the beauty of God’s handiwork. The picture at the top doesn’t even do it justice.

Over the summer Newtok had a tragedy – a 14 year old took his own life. My heart aches and of course I wonder if there is something I could have done differently, if maybe I was part of the reason it happened, as he was in my home class. We had several suicide threats that almost happened last year. I’ll never forget the times I spoke with those students, completely moved by the Spirit, and I absolutely know God is in complete control, because I wouldn’t have a clue what to say, but He spoke through me. Not every situation ends up happy, though. Eskimos have some of the highest rates of suicide in the world. This summer alone there were 8 suicides in southwestern Alaska. Here’s an article about suicide in Alaska, and it talks about 2 suicides that happened in Bethel: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/14/us/14alaska.html

So with that, I’ll ask for your prayers again for the people of Newtok and all over Alaska, that they will find the peace that comes with salvation that God offers through Christ.

In Him,

Kim