Crazy

I like to think that I can handle everything on my own, and by moving up here with no idea what I was getting myself into I think I've proved I'm capable. But I gotta say, the more time I spend with my Newtok family the more I feel like I need them! Last year I introduced you to them, and if you missed that blog, you can see it here.

During one of the really strong blizzards, we were playing poker at Paula’s house. Me and Kevin thought it would be funny to go get Naomi and video tape us trying to make it back to the house. You can see the video here. The 85 mph wind was so fierce that when you weren’t in a solid stance it would knock you down, and it was really hard to get back up. There was one point when me and Kevin rounded a cabin and immediately we were both knocked to the ground. We couldn’t even walk in it! It was ridiculous, and SO much fun. Our house is positioned to where it is extremely difficult to turn and go up the stairs in the wind. It was quite funny when we were crawling up the stairs. Sadly, though, when we got to the house, the camera froze up and we couldn’t record the return trip with Naomi.

During this time I was dog-sitting for Betsy, who was in Bethel for training. Our arctic door is broken, so after the blizzardy night, our arctic room was piled up with 3 feet of snow. I had to crawl out of the house, fight my way through the blizzard, and shovel the snow out to get to Betsy's door to check on the dog. (Normally I would have kept the dog here, but my roommate is not a dog person). Anyway, Kevin had come over, seen the open door and the pile of snow, and Paula had been calling all morning to check on us. They didn't know the arctic door was broken, and with my history of getting lost in blizzards, I guess I had her on the edge of her seat. Kevin came back over later to try and get an answer, and I was back home by then. He said Paula has been worried and I needed to call her. I guess if I were in her shoes I'd have been worried, and it's not really a laughing matter, but from my stance it kind of was. She had talked to Betsy, who was in Bethel, who passed it own to Grant that I might have been missing. Grant then called Teddy, who lives a few houses down from me. Teddy came to the house to check on us, and I got phone calls from Betsy, Grant, Brandi, and Sarah (Grant's wife) to see if I was okay and that I needed to call Paula. 

I called her then went to visit, and I didn't really know how much concern it had caused until then. She said she was about to call my mom, and I didn't know if she was serious or just trying to make me see how serious it could have been. She just wished I had answered her calls. So lets just say at the end of the conversation I didn't let my phone out of my sight for the next few days. 

So about poker night. As much as we work during the week, and without being able to go anywhere or do anything, I'm really blessed that we can get together and have some fun that has nothing to do with work. If you didn't already know (where have you been!?) I'm pretty hyper. That combined with goofiness could be described as a defective bouncy ball that you can't predict where it's going to bounce next. But luckily everyone just goes with it, and Kevin is a great ally in that. We always goof off and and inevitably get in trouble. For instance, we show each other our cards, make stupid dares, act completely random, hit each other, and just generally goof off. The latest dare Kevin gave me was to wear the same shirt for 2 weeks to work, without washing it. I just finished the 2 weeks and I am so glad to take that wretched shirt off! 

The basketball tournament we hosted a few weeks ago seemed like it would never end. The teams were stuck here for over 2 weeks. Paula, Brandi, Betsy, and myself would cook for them at nights and on weekends, and even though we were glad to help, life was pretty hectic for everyone. The district policy says students are not allowed to travel when it’s colder than negative 35. And when there are blizzards, crosswinds, or just a really windy day, no planes will come, not even for a sick old lady. So when it was warm enough to fly, we had blizzards. When it was clear out, it was too cold to fly. The 16 people stuck here stayed in a classroom over night and in the school hallway while we had class during the day. They reluctantly came back for the Island League Tournament, and when they walked in the door we said "welcome home!"

The tournament was fun - our boys placed second and will (hopefully) fly to Bethel next week for the District Championship Tournament. The gym is packed when there is basketball games being played, but thankfully I helped with scorekeeping, which means I get a nice seat with a table up front! It was a lot of fun. 

A few weeks ago a man was traveling to Chefornak, a village about 40 miles away. Everyone was trying to talk him out of it because the weather was bad and the temperatures were dipping into the negative sixties. But he went anyway, and sure enough, he went missing. The next morning planes started searching and and they finally found him walking 8 miles from where he left his snow mobile. The pilot was saying on the VHF "I see him walking really fast, he looks really tired." He had walked all night, and I was stunned he didn't freeze to death. Walking kept him alive. Anyway, he is okay now. The Delta newspaper had a search and rescue tip for their next issue: "If you are lost, and a plane keeps swooping down in a direction, the pilot is telling you to walk in that direction to get picked up." 

50 Things I’ve Learned Living in Alaska’s Bush

1. Cardboard boxes can be cut and formed into anything - a small trashcan, little containers, a basketball goal, tables... All you need is a razor and some duct tape!
2. Being able to do laundry is a privilege, not a necessity.
3. If water is in short supply, remember the snow. You can wash dishes in it, bath in it, drink it, and use it to ice injuries.
4. Stash up on food or you will go hungry. You can't count on good weather for groceries to get here.
5. Always be prepared and take more than you think you'll need when venturing out on the tundra - especially in winter.
6. If you find some fabric, and rip it down the middle but stop before you get to the end, voila! you have curtains. 
7. Never, never, never - I repeat, never, underestimate the weather. 
8. You will spend the best of 10 months out of the year cold, hungry, dirty, and deprived of basic necessities. Suck it up and don't complain!
9. Coffee is your friend.
10. Peanut butter is your friend, too.
11. Don't test your stupidness, because it usually wins and leaves you in a lot of pain.
12. Make sure your windows can open so you can get out of the house when you are snowed in or the door is frozen shut.
13. You'll eat almost anything if you're hungry enough.
14. Save any big, plastic bottle to pack water in - they are rarely seen and very valuable! 
15. You can never, ever have too much chap stick.
16. Goof off whenever possible. 
17. Be tough.
18. Learn to smile through all the discomfort.
19. Don't touch the river water. (It's where the honey buckets are dumped!)
20. Have as much fun as you can - not everyone gets to live in such a remote, beautiful, adventurous environment.
21. Don't get sentimental about your stuff. 
22. Find a hobby during the dark months so you don't go crazy having to stay indoors.
23. Beware of wildlife (animals and people) and have protection on you at all times.
24. Hypothermia can do crazy things to your mind...make sure someone is around to keep you in check.
25. Cold weather hurts you in ways you can't even imagine until you've been stuck in it, and although frost bite is very painful, you can handle it without pain meds or a doctor.
26. Find your outlets for anger and for freedom.
27. Running water and plumbing are not necessary for survival.
28. Good character is never letting up on a just cause, not even an ounce, even when it's certain the task will fail. Persevere. 
29. Save empty coffee cans to use as canisters. (Any empty container works well)
30. Moose, muskox, and fish are your new favorite meat. Scratch that, they're your only meat. (very tasty though)
31. Always tell someone where you're going and what time to expect you back.
32. Learn to fly by the seat of your pants.
33. Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps.
34. Have as many snowball fights as you can.
35. Shovels serve more purposes than you could imagine.
36. Accept that TV and Internet are privileges, and be grateful when you have an opportunity to see them.
37. You will use muscles you didn't know you had.
38. It's okay to test your strength, but never become too proud when you succeed.
39. Eskimos have different ways of communicating, and you'd better learn the basics if you plan on living among them.
40. You're much stronger than you think you are. (mentally and physically)
41. Respect snow machines (snow mobiles) because they will try and take your life over and over again.
42. Find your family here, because life is so much easier and much more fun with them in the picture.
43. Bring a sleeping bag and extra clothes when you travel for school, for you never know how long you will be stuck somewhere.
44. Cherish every salty shower you can get at the school because you may have to go a month without one.
45. Respect everyone and everything, even when they don't respect you.
46. When in extremely trying circumstances, you either find a way to cope and persevere or you move away.
47. When in extremely dangerous circumstances, you either find a way to get through it and keep walking or die. 
48. Learn arctic survival skills. I'm serious.
49. Listen to the advice of experienced people, but always do what you believe.
50. Know that you can never please everyone, but that's not what we're here to do. So don't give a rats foot what others think.

What a crazy couple of weeks. The weather has been ridiculously cold, dropping into the negative 50s and 60s. I don’t think it’s been above zero now for a few weeks. We hosted a junior high basketball tournament last week, and 3 other teams flew in to stay a few days and play some ball. Unfortunately for everyone here though, if we want planes to come and go, we now have to manually shovel the entire runway. I’m serious. Someone shot the tire out of our machine that usually scrapes the ice and snow, and they don’t have a spare. So we’re waiting for that to be fixed, and in the meantime, people are getting frostbite trying to stay connected to the rest of the world. Friday morning, Grant (our principal) came into my class and said “the junior high teams can’t come unless the runway is cleared. I need students to go help shovel.” Let me add that it was negative 60 with the wind chill. So most of the guys gladly took off, anxious to get the tournament started (and to get out of class, too). A couple of hours later, students started to come back to class with swollen faces and patches of frost bite. But you have to be tough to live here, and so we just carry on. The games went well - Newtok has a really great junior high team. So anyway, the weather of course was horrible, and by the next day, when the teams were suppose to leave, the runway had to be shoveled again. So we fed the kids their lunch on Saturday, and basically told them “if you want to go home, you have to shovel your way out!” It was pretty sad, but pretty fitting for the way bush life works. They did, of course, but one team was stuck here due to bad weather in their home village - they were able to leave on Sunday, though. On a fun note, all the blizzards have created massive snow drifts - I’m talking, at least 20 feet high - It’s so beautiful, but I haven’t gotten pictures yet. Stay tuned for those!

Rough Return

I was so happy we were able to get out for Christmas break! It wasn't as scary as last year, when we missed our first 2 flights due to bad weather, but we were delayed 2 hours, and it's a bit nerve-wracking. I had an awesome vacation with my family, and I met my parents' 2 new foster kiddos, making the total of kids 6. It can be a crowded and crazy place there, but there's never a dull moment.

Listen to my coming back story! I've gotten spoiled to flying first class, but I flew coach on the return trip. I had a four hour layover in Seattle, arrived in Anchorage around midnight, had to leave security to get my bag, and couldn't check in until 4 in the morning. So I had to find a bench and try to stay awake for 4 hours. But once that was over, I met my friends (and colleagues) at the gate and we had fun goofing off and making fun of each other. When we arrived in Bethel, they don't have terminals that will hook you up with the plane. You exit the jet down a set of stairs and walk outside to get to the airport. The temperature was -58, and every bit as cold. When you've been in Texas weather for 3 weeks, it's a shock to your system. Anyway, we grabbed our luggage and headed to the bush airport for our last leg of traveling. Thankfully the village wasn't on weather hold - it was brutally cold, but the skies were clear and the wind was calm. It was pretty crazy having to walk to that little bush plane. There were 7 of us Newtok teachers flying together, and we were all walking together, some of us having been up with no sleep, and each of us digging deep inside, trying to scrounge up the stamina to survive the cold! Once we got on the plane, it was a little better, but still negative temperatures for the entire 1 hour flight. It's near impossible to get warm in that weather, and your chances of being comfortable are zero when you have to sit down in it. So you are constantly wiggling your fingers and toes, and shaking your legs, and doing anything you can to keep the blood moving. We finally made it to Newtok, and made the half mile hike to the school. My ears have been frostbitten quite a few times, which means they get frostbite easier and quicker. I had a small bit on both ears, but it's all part of the game. What a journey, and I'm so glad it's over! 

We had bad news, though: four of our houses didn't have heat or electricity. Which means no incinolet (burning honey bucket aka pot and all our frozen/refrigerated food is now bad... the school was also not making water for some reason, so we are scarce on that. I’ve been eating peanut butter to get by, and I’m quite ready to have something else to eat! I was going to switch houses with another teacher because she lives in a very moldy house with a baby, and it was affecting the baby's health. But to make a long story short, we aren't switching. I had everything of mine in boxes before Christmas, so I had to unpack it all when I got back. It was rough business trying to get that done when you only have 4 hours of daylight seeping in the windows. But it didn't take long, and everything is back in order. We're just waiting to get our heat and electricity back on!

Thankful

Sometimes I am overwhelmed when I stop to consider the life God’s blessed me with. I’ve said before that being an Alaska bush teacher is not just a job but a lifestyle, and things can be pretty hectic, but I love it. When I’m walking home from school after a long day at work, and I breathe in the fresh, unpolluted air, I can’t believe how great it is that we are 400 miles from the road system, away from the typical hustle and bustle. One of the many reasons I wanted to move to Alaska is because of the unpolluted environment - it really is the last frontier! The crispness fills my lungs and sometimes I just stop where I am to look around. When you walk through the village, or even just step outside on the porch, you see the island hills across the river and can witness some of the prettiest sunrises and sunsets you’ll ever see. I look up at unbelievable sky, the vastness of this place, without skyscrapers or cars, no real businesses to speak of, just cabins with people who live the simple life. I just stop, overwhelmed by the moment, I thank God for the good life, for the simple life. 

Thanksgiving was great. The village had turkeys flown in, and even better than that, they were actually affordable! We cooked turkey and dressing and a potato casserole, and joined our friends for a fun afternoon. It’s interesting to an outsider how close you have to be to everyone here. I mean, you work together, live together, and socialize with them after working hours. It’s really great how we all get along and they have become my family. 

After all the blizzards we had (in the span of 2 months there have been more blizzards than we’ve had the whole 2 previous years I’ve lived here) there is more than enough snow on the ground to add to the holiday cheer, and our Christmas decorations have been up long enough that we are all set for the end of December. The days are quickly getting shorter, which means we are inside longer. So around November of every year I go ahead and hang Christmas lights just for some added fun. In the beginning it was to help compensate for cabin fever, so I’ve kept up the tradition. 

Next Friday, the 16th, we are all heading back to the lower 48 for a nice 3 week vacation. Audrey will stay, and I will be sad to come back without her! Life will carry on though. 

Blizzards

The weather has been crazy! We’ve already had five blizzards, and it’s not even December yet. There are snow drifts that are ten feet tall, dispersed all through the village, and it’s quite an adventure to go anywhere. It’s like a big obstacle course, and you have no choice but to finish, because what else can you do? Even coming and going from the school is a workout - without walking a long distance to avoid snow drifts, we have to climb up a 10 foot tall drift, jump off of it to a 7 foot tall drift, walk around a series of smaller drifts, and finally jump off a 4 foot snow wall. This is how I get to and from work everyday. It sure beats driving a car! :) It’s rough, though, when you’re packing 5 gallons of water or toting a laundry bag. The weather has dropped down to -20 with wind chills of -40. That wind is deadly - it’ll get much colder, but these first few exposures are what toughens me up for the extremely deadly weather. When you’re in that kind of weather with no face mask, it’s just painful - the cold pierces you to the bone, your eyes constantly water then immediately freezes the water on your face, and you can barely open your mouth simply because your teeth ache so bad. The wind is capable of bypassing every layer you’re wearing, and the wind either pushes you to a jog when you’re walking with it, or it causes you to hunch over or crawl when walking against it, fighting with all your might just to take the next step. Yeah, it’s a crazy life out here, and I love every second of it! I love the adventure, the challenge, the agony, the uncertainty, the risks, the startling fact that we are 400 miles away from “normal” civilization.

Me and Audrey spent 2 hours in one of the blizzards, digging a tunnel through a particularly huge snow drift. It was pretty darn awesome! I crawled through it and it was great protection from the storm outside - Audrey had a snow cave as well, which was impressive! You could fit your whole body inside of it and still have room to roll around. We had our own little world there, a white out blizzard raging right in front of us, and there we were enjoying it from our snow world.

During another blizzard we decided to hike up to the airport - it started off good, but the weather got even nastier. You couldn’t see 20 feet in front of you, and there we were, away from the village, it getting dark and not having a clue where we were. I wasn’t worried because I’ve been in this situation more than a few times before - I came prepared this time, with the GPS, lights, survival necessities, etc. Mainly I was enjoying it - having to roll down hills because of deep snow, crawl up hills, and basically act like we were in boot camp. We made it home safely, completely plastered in snow, beaten by the wind, and thankful that we were finally safe. Audrey was a trooper for a first-timer! 

I’m excited to see what winter will look like - if we continue to have this same kind of weather, we will have to build steps DOWN to our front doors, like the Eskimos have had to do in the past. I can’t wait!

Beluga

About a week ago, a day after Brandi and Kevin’s family returned, an Eskimo came to our house and told me “Kevin wants you to go take pictures of him at the school!” Not having a clue what was going on or why, I recognized the urgency in his voice, so I grabbed my camera, threw on some slippers, and jogged over to the school. Before I reached it Kevin was outside shouting at me: “They got a whale! They got a whale! Go get pictures!” I understood.. Kevin had to work open gym and there’s usually a miscommunication when urgent matters arise between Eskimos and Gusuqs. So my heart started pounding and my head was going too fast for my comprehension – run home, get Audrey, get winter gear on, get knives, etc. I was planning it all out while I sprinted home, and consequently tripped over a hunk of ice and flew forward, losing my shoe in the process. I frantically got up, tried but failed to locate the lost shoe, and just abandoned the search, running home without it.

Here they come

“Someone caught a whale! They’re on the river bank somewhere!” The excitement on Audrey’s face was priceless – the Eskimos’ culture is intense stuff, but even she knew that this occurrence was pretty rare. I was so glad she got to witness it. We threw some warm clothes on, grabbed my adventure-ready backpack, and hurtled out the door and down the steps. Realizing we hadn’t a clue where the heck we were headed, we looked out at the river, only about 70 yards from the house, trying to find the commotion, but we didn’t see anything. “Lets split up – you go that way, I’ll go this way!” we started running off in separate directions, but before we get too far, I notice a man riding a 4-wheeler down toward the river, and I call out to him – “Are you going to see the whale?” He answers yes, so I call Audrey back, and ask the guy if he wouldn’t mind taking us with him. So we hop on the rear and take the bumpy ride down to the river and along its bank.

Beluga Whale = lots of food for the winter!

The whale wasn’t actually there yet, but a group of Eskimos were waiting for the little boat to get there. The scene was quite breathtaking – the huge sun was getting ready to set along the horizon, and just to the left of that, you could see the boat slowly coming up the river. I was surprised that little boat could pull a grown beluga. Thankfully the tide was low, so the men who helped pull the whale to land hopped off the eroded land down on the beach and started the process of tying rope to the whale, attaching it to 4-wheelers, and using their own strength to pull the beautifully white whale to land. As they stopped to periodically to figure out the best way of going about it, the spectators got a chance to get better acquainted with the creature. Me and Audrey ran our hands down the whale, amazed how Eskimos still live subsistence lifestyles and thankful that this whale would go to feed the whole village. We’ve tasted whale before, but what we really wanted was a few teeth from the creature. I was thinking about the shark tooth necklace I have, and how cool it would be to have a whale tooth necklace – where I actually pulled the teeth out of the whale’s head. That night the chance didn’t come up, but a few nights after that me and Audrey went out on a mission under cover of darkness to extract the teeth. It was a success! 

Seal, another popular Eskimo food

After several tries of pulling the whale up on the tundra, and after broken ropes and worn muscles, they finally were able to roll the whale up the land and begin the butchering process. The next day, the Yupik class at school went out and distributed the whale meat to all the houses in the village, pulling it in a sled they made by hand.

So what else has been going on? We had our first blizzard! It was almost a white out, with 55 mph winds and lasting all night. I took Audrey out to see if she could stand up in it, and we both could, but I love trying to get around in blizzards. She was happy about the deep snow, how you take a step and sink down to your knees. It makes me remember my giddiness 2 years ago, and now it’s all new again. She makes me smile. J I know how the crazy weather makes you feel crazy too, and all my close calls with dying returned when I saw Audrey run and dive in the snow, so when I had to go to work, my big sister protection duty sprouted up and I asked her not wander off too far. But we’ve sure had some fun in this really awesome winter wonderland!