Wildlife in the tundra

The sun is back and am I ever happy to see it. We have a full day of light. The way it hits the snow out in the open tundra is absolutely beautiful. On top of the light, we can also see literally tons of caribou. There is a whole herd that graze right across the river from the village. It is an amazing sight to see. Where else on Earth would you see this kind of thing.

Due to the many caribou around the village, it does cause some inconvenience. A couple weeks ago, the pilot who make trips into our village often said she needed to buzz over the runway a couple times to clear it of the animals. All the caribou were just hanging out, not at all intimated by the close proximity of people. It also causes a few disturbances in the classroom as well. I have one boy, very easily distracted, who will jump up in the middle of class to go count caribou. This in turn gets the rest of the kids out of their seats and crowded around the window. I will admit it is quite a cool sight. I find myself at the window too.

We also have wolves in the area which is very neat. Doug, our science and math teacher, was out cross county skiing the other weekend and saw a few near the caribou herd a little ways out of town. Also, a few of the teachers were gathered in one of the classrooms and saw one walking just across the river from the school. That was amazing.

Here are a few pictures from a walk I talk a week ago. The black spots on the picture are the caribou. I'm hoping to go out on a snow machine for better pictures in the future.

We've also been experiencing some bitter coldness up this way. So far this week we've only had one real day of school. Both Monday and today were cancelled for the kids due to it being too cold. Today it was down to -44 air temperature, but -63 with the wind chill. All the kids are frostbitten and the risk is to high for them to walk to school in this temperature.

And for your next trip by air, please remember Alaska Airlines since we are your only option...

Over the past 5 months, I have been in and out of airports all over Alaska, becoming an expert at Arctic air travel. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as being an expert up here. You are strictly at the mercy of the weather and the airlines. When I say airlines, I mean Frontier, which runs from Atqasuk to Barrow, and Alaska Airlines, which covers the rest of the state.

Last night I was supposed to fly out to go to my class in Fairbanks. Of course with my luck the plane that flew into Atqasuk got a flat tire and made the rest of the flights run late. I ended up being stranded in Atqasuk because by the time I would have left the village and made it to Barrow, my flight to Fairbanks would have left already, or so I was told. I promptly called Alaska Airlines to rebook for this morning, so that I would at least make it to one day of class.

This morning I board the plane and make it to Barrow on time, no problems whatsoever. When I check in for my Fairbanks flight, I was told that I would have made it and that Frontier had told me incorrect information. Grrr.... Anyway, I was rebooked and made it to Anchorage...wait, I was supposed to be in Fairbanks. What the heck am I doing here?

Currently, I'm sitting in Anchorage, waiting for my flight to Fairbanks. I needed to go all the way south and then head back up because the morning flight does not go to Fairbanks after Barrow. What that flight does do is go to Prudhoe Bay, where a bunch of oil workers are. They then proceed to get drunk on the flight to Anchorage and make for quite the entertaining trip. I've never heard the f-bomb quite so many times in a five minute conversation.

Luckily, I'm about to board and head on my way, destined for shopping and good food tonight and class tomorrow. At least all this trouble makes for interesting stories.

Back to school

Today was the first day back after our long Christmas vacation. Students seem to be running on empty and one of mine was bragging he didn't sleep at all last night. It was really great to be back with them and we had a wonderful day. They all seemed excited to be back at school, although the transition seemed to be a little rough for them (me too, I guess). I was thoroughly drained by the afternoon, ready to crawl up on my desk and take a nap.

Many of the kids seem to still be out. I was still missing two of my students today. Apparently flights still seem to be a little screwy. My principal was supposed to fly in last night, but didn't make it back until this morning. Traveling in the arctic is always an adventure.

Half Way There!

Christmas break is nearing the end and I've made it back to Atqasuk after two wonderful weeks at home. My time spent back in Wisconsin and Minnesota was full of great people and good food. I definitely feel a little more recharged and ready to face the rest of the year. My trip home and back was relatively uneventful and I'm extremely thankful for that, especially after seeing how many people got stuck somewhere on their holiday travels.

It's a good feeling to back in the village, too. I came home this afternoon and began the long, tedious task of unpacking my numerous boxes that I had shipped up here. Just as I was finishing up making dinner, I heard a strange noise coming from the drain of my sink. I didn't think too much about it until I ran some water to get a drink. All the water that ran down the drain began leaking from the pipes under the sink. Our plant manager, Mel, is always on call, so I gave him a quick ring and he said he would be right over. Not two minutes after I hung up the phone I heard running water coming from the bathroom. In a panic, I ran to the bathroom to see my toilet overflowing with blue water, obviously from somebody's laundry machine. Next thing I know, there's an inch of water on the floor and my bathtub also has water coming up through the drain. Welcome back to the arctic.

Apparently, there is a freeze somewhere in the drainage pipes and I'm the only one in the 4-plex that is having this issue. Wonderful, I get somebody else's waste water in my apartment, just perfect. I also have to wait until tomorrow to get it fixed. Luckily, there is an empty apartment in the building, so if I need to use the bathroom, at least I can go over there. Too much fun...

Wind Day!?!!?

Where on Earth would you find a school that closes due to wind? In the tundra, of course. Today we have a late start and possibly a no-kids days due to excessive wind. I say no-kids day because the teachers are still required to be at school. It's kind of a nice break to just be at school and to get all caught up on work. Not much time for it usually. The wind is pretty incredible. I was lying in bed last night and could feel the whole house shake from the power of it. While I was walking to work, it hardly took any effort to move because the wind was pushing me so hard.

The whole reason why the wind is such a big deal is that all the students need to walk to school and some live on the very edges of the village. We don't have a bus currently since we have no driver. There always seems to be things that pop up that keep reminding me of where I am.

First basketball game of the season

Friday and Saturday were the first games of the season for both girl's and boy's basketball. Sports up on the slope are quite the event. It requires a chartered flight, lots of food preparation, trying to sort out where people will sleep, and also the typically assistance of staff members to make everything go smoothly. Because of each village's location, there is a lot of effort involved. When an opposing team comes for a game, it turns into a weekend long event. They will play until they leave the next day. This is a great opportunity for the kids and it really makes them work even harder so they can participate. Those who are eligible to play must have a C average through all of their classes and grade checks are done religiously.

These kids can play ball. I've never seen anything like it. I'm not just talking about in games either. During our gym time, kids will play Bump and be making these wild shots like it was nothing. When you don't have much else to do, it makes total sense that they can play the way they do.

I've spent my last weekend up here in the arctic baking cookies like a fiend and attempting to clean out my fridge. I'm now just down to condiments and have been making up some wacky concoctions for dinners. Nothing better than cheese, crackers, muffins, and scrambled eggs. I did attempt to have some of my students over for a baking party but no one showed so I ended up baking by myself. Now that the kitchen table is hidden I can finally take a break. Only 6 more days and I'll be on a plane!!!!

3 Weeks To Go!

For Thanksgiving this year, I was able to escape for a much needed break. Neal, my boyfriend who lives in Minnesota, flew up to meet me in Anchorage. It was wonderful. We traveled up to Wasilla from Anchorage in a rental car. No, Sarah was not home, but we had just as much fun eating out and shopping at Target without a Palin sighting. I even was able to go to a movie at a theater for the first time in months. It was fantastic.

The weather was beautiful. On Friday, we drove up a mountain towards some ski resort and on the way we pulled over to take pictures of Mount McKinnley. The sun was shining perfectly on it. It was definitely worth the little drive and scary ascent up the side of an icy mountain. The descent was much scarier though.

After our travels, we went out to eat a pretty upscale restaurant in Anchorage, called Simon and Seafort's. This was probably the best food I've had in a really long time. The bill was $70 for the both of us, but worth every penny.

The weekend was great, but like all things good, went way too fast. It also made me experience the thrills of traveling in the great North. The plane both ways was over an hour late, also experiencing mechanical difficulties, and addition to that fun, I traveled over most of Alaska for all the stops it made. I did make it home safe and sound and I'm thankful for that. 3 more weeks until Christmas!