Anchorage

Well, we made it to Anchorage. The school district put everyone up in the Sheridan, which is super nice. Our room is on the 10th floor and has amazing views of the Cook Inlet(the picture above is from our window). Every meal is catered with delicious food. We've been eating as many vegetables and fruits as we can since they're scarce in the village. Every night for dinner they have fresh salmon, and the most amazing dessert bar you have ever seen. My pants are a little tight, but it's worth it. I only have one complaint about the hotel... the toilet paper holder sticks. You know what I mean? I hate getting 3 squares and then it tears and you have to physically turn the stupid roll. I don't like to work hard for my tp.

We arrived Saturday and spent the day relaxing. We went to the mall and got our cell phone set up (907) 591-6247. We came back to the hotel and met a lot of new people. Everyone has been so nice and welcoming. Sunday we had breakfast with everyone at the hotel and spent the rest of the day shopping. We started at Walmart getting supplies for the house like trash bags, hangers, a plunger, etc. From there we went to Sam's Club, which is Walmart's version of Costco. I'll try to attach a picture from Sam's Club, because it was hilarious. We had one flatbed cart stacked with food, and another basket completely full. We bought everything from rice and oatmeal, to sterilized milk (doesn't have to be refrigerated until opened) and fruit cups. I have more maple syrup than I think we will use for a decade. After spending nearly $1500 on food and supplies, we went to Fred Meyer's and bought 15 rubbermaid storage tubs. We were told to use these for shipping so that we can reuse them this winter as water storage...I'll get to that later.


Joe also went on a hike to Flathead Mountain while I packed up all of our food. It was a pretty strenuous hike, but had great views of Anchorage and the Inlet. Monday we spent the day in workshops learning coping strategies for the darkness, stress and crisis management, instructional strategies, etc. We have had very full days. We have to be downstairs at 7am, and don't finish up until 7pm. It stays light out until 1am, so we still seem to get a lot accomplished. Today we spent the day in workshops again, but we got to go to the museum for dinner. They opened it up for our district only, and we could walk through and see all the exhibits. Afterward, we had a catered dinner with halibut and prime rib. yum. Joe and I just got back to our room after making our last run to the post office. We mailed 15 storage tubs, 1 trashcan, and 1 suitcase. It cost about $350 to mail everything, which is a lot cheaper than having the stores do it. Joe bought an Alaska atlas today... you know how he loves maps. I'm sure he'll spend every free moment studying that darn thing.

Tomorrow we have workshops until noon, and then we fly out to our next destination. We'll be taking a 20 passenger plane to Pilot Station which is about an hour and a half flight. We'll be there for 2 days learning about the technology in the district. On Friday, we'll board a bush plane to Mountain Village. The bush plane holds about 8 people....yikes. :( We'll have the weekend to relax, and then we'll spend the following week doing inservices at our school. Our first day with students is Monday the 24th.
We have met some great people including our neighbors. We'll live in a duplex next to the Science teacher and the Math specialist. We'll also live near the school counselors, an engaged couple from New York who are wonderful. We already have game nights lined up.

Here are some interesting things that I've learned this far...
-To respond "yes", Yup'ik people raise the eyebrows.
-To respond "no", they crinkle their nose.
-There is a trust issue with your students since there is such a huge turn-over rate. Everyday the little kids will ask if you're coming back tomorrow, and when you come back from Christmas break they are so thrilled that you chose them.
-Students call you by your first name.
-During the winter, Mountain Village has 5-6 hours of daylight.
-The winter high in our village is -6, but usually sits around -20.
-They had a record snow fall last year and you could walk at roof level.
-There are no "snow days" in the bush. They never close school.
-They have inside recess if it's below 0.
-Religion is a part of school. They have a community Thanksgiving feast in the school gym, a prayer at lunch time, and a Christmas pageant each year.
-The river becomes our highway in the winter. The tribal elders mark the ice road with sticks to show where it's safe to drive.
-Mountain Village has one of the better stores in the district.
-Sarcasm doesn't cross over. Anytime you tell a joke you need to say "I joke" at the end or they'll think you're serious.

I'll post again next week once we're settled into our new home. We appreciate your calls and emails. We love you and miss you!