Arctic Adventures

The year has come to a close already--I can't believe it! As I think back over the last 9 months, here are some things I have learned: #1 You can sit sideways on a Honda (4-wheeler) (do so especially if you have a heavy backpack...otherwise the results may be catastrophic i.e. falling on your back in front of everyone) #2 Raised eyebrows means yes #3 Scrunched nose means no #4 Don't flush t.p. down the toilet #5 When walking out of town, always walk with company or a gun #6 Don't take anything personally #7 "Hooking" is fishing #8 Basketball is life #9 "flick" means the same as "swish" (in basketball terms) #10 Only one Wal-mart in Anchorage has a bush-mail checkout #11 A tunnel hood is a must-have in the arctic #12 kumaqs=lice and it spreads like wild fire up here #13 It's common practice for kids of all ages to stay up all night when summer nears and the sun is up #14 Complete darkness all day is weird #15 coke = frozen, raw fish #16 mu...

The year has come to a close already--I can't believe it. There are 2 small plane companies that service Noatak on a daily basis and I usually make my reservations on-line, just because it is easier. On the morning of the flight, we have to call the agent from Noatak to confirm our seat and give her our weight and baggage weight. WELL, this morning I called her to confirm and she said, "They don't have you on the flight. You'll have to fly standby; you're 4th on the list." (Fourth is pretty far down there considering the plane MIGHT hold 8 people.) OH BOY! What was I going to do??? I had to catch the 3:00 jet out of Kotzebue, so I HAD to be on the morning flight. In a panicked state, I called down to the main office in Kotz and explained my dilemma: I made my reservation a week ago, they said they don't have my name down, and I need to get to Kotz before 3:00 to catch the jet. They got the boss on the phone and I went through the whole speal again...

I officially survived my first year of teaching!  Woo-hoo!  The last day of school here is pretty cool.  All year long there is a group called "Parent Incentive" that raises money.  They buy prizes to raffle off at the end of the year.  Each student gets a ticket for every week they are in school with no tardies or absences.  They put all the tickets in a bucket and draw for prizes.  They had everything from bicycles and camping supplies to bouncy balls.  THey spent $4,000 on prizes.  The drawing lasted all morning.  Then, we had a picnic lunch on the floor of our classroom (since it was too cold to be outside) and dismissed the kids.   We had a work day on Saturday to get our classrooms ready for the summer.  My cupboards are so organized I don't even recognize them.  Our principal is retiring this year, so we had a nice potluck for him and took a break from the busy day, in typical Arctic fashion--eating, relaxing, and visiting.  

Well, here we are:  the last week of school and I am still on my feet!  I can't believe it.  I was thinking back to a few of those weeks through the years, when I thought there was no way I could make it through the day, much less the week, month or year.  Now hear I am, 3 days to go! I am trying very hard to keep the kids active this week, so we are working on some Hawaiian Research Projects.  Tomorrow we're having a Hawaiian Day and a Luau for lunch.  The kids are quite excited.  They put together some pretty nice Power Point presentations.   After walking home from school today I decided I need a new jacket.  Mine is bright red, and, as I was walking home on the "low road," I kept hearing "HI KAYLA!!!!"  There were kids playing in the puddles and on the higher road, and a different group would yell every few steps.  I felt like a celebrity, but I think I will try to go a little more incognito(?) next year. The weather has been pretty weird lately.  It was...