A mother goose and her gaggle

Session 2 Crew!

While junior high students just get a taste of NACTEC (staying only 4 days), high school students get a full, heaping helping.  This week my students finished out their two weeks, delving deeper into their chosen course of study.  So the thing about students being here for a weekend means that their learning experience is still on; and as a teacher I play a role in providing that.  Yup, I worked on a Saturday.  A rainy, dreary, cold Saturday.  Fortunately for me I was on shift with a great “house parent” (charged with keeping order among the kids at the house during the more unstructured time), Nome High School was hosting a volleyball tournament open to the public, and the mix of students at this session were excellent.  Unbelievably so.  All in all, the circumstances made my job easy, and working on the weekend wasn’t so bad because I got to experience students in a more laid-back context.

Hauling buckets of cement

Pouring the foundation for the wind turbine!

It ain't work if your hands ain't dirty!

Speaking with the house parent was also fascinating; having the work hours of 8pm-8am attracts characters with an interesting set of interests and activities.  For example, this particular man spends his summer days diving for gold, and does so every year.  He told me about finding a nugget slightly smaller than his pinky, which was worth $1,000 in its natural, unrefined state.  He told me that he’s become so accustomed to being around gold, that right now about $400 worth has been rattling around in his toolbox because he hasn’t gotten around to turning it in, and really isn’t in any hurry.  Because housing in Nome is at a premium, he lives on West Beach in what he calls a “palett palace”; rustic is an understatement, and many of the ramshackle residences in this location are built from cast-off wooden shipping paletts.  But dang if they don’t have one of the best views in Nome!  I imagine it’s not all that different from the tent-city that sprouted up in 1898 when gold was first discovered here, minus the gamblers, claim jumpers, saloon keepers, and prostitutes.   

Mining equipment reminds you of days of old, and days of gold!

Most gold towns are of the boom-and-bust variety, existing today as abandoned ghost towns.  While I feel a little “old-timey” for saying this, Nome is still a profitable destination for gold prospectors as is still being mined 113 years after the so-called “Three Lucky Swedes” struck pay dirt in Anvil Creek.  In fact, a day on the beaches of Nome pays better than an $8/hour job in a fast food joint in the lower 48.  I really have to get myself a gold pan!  The ocean is always dotted with dredges of all sorts (one even uses an excavator that scoops into the sea; imagine the rust damage!), and recently one capsized losing a $60,000 load of gold.  Driving along Nome roads leads you past huge pits in the ground with all sorts of heavy machinery collecting dirt and rock in staircase crop-circle patterns.  Stones are crushed down, the gold is melted out, and the leftover gravel is returned in heaping piles or sold to other areas to make roads.  The season is short however, and it won’t be long before the gold folks follow the way of the birds and fly south for the winter.   

Gravel pit gold mining

So back to the students!  I can’t imagine ever getting tired of learning from these kids.  Two girls from Teller taught me my first full-length Eskimo dance called “Uncle Sam” (I was told it was the easiest to learn).  Our performance was without the traditional drumming, but it really was quite beautiful.  Each turn of the wrist, or bobbing at the knee means something special, and each dance represents the hunt, harvesting, or other significant events in daily life.  I also learned the rules of “mixed 6” volleyball, and got to play a match.  As I mentioned before, the athletic pool is quite small at schools in the district so they must form co-ed teams to fill out the roster.  Due to this, they have created different rules to make it fair; at least one girl must be on the court at all times, and a girl must hit the ball before it can be volleyed back over the net.  My favorite part however had nothing whatsoever to do with the game or the rules.  Each time a person messes up, everyone on the team gives them a low-five hand slap for encouragement.  In all of my athletic experiences in NY, I’m used to the exact opposite!  Needless to say, I got the most low-fives. 

I lost to kids who've never touched a bowling ball before!

I continued with my First Aid training this week, and all but 4 received their Red Cross certification.  Students also got the chance to learn from me outside of the classroom, during an interview they conducted about my job.  They asked me a standard set of questions (best and worst part, type of certifications and education required), but the best questions were the ones they thought of on their own.  I know that we get the cream of the crop here at NACTEC, but their thoughtfulness, genuine curiosity, and higher order thinking always impress me.  Especially considering the fragmented nature of their education due to the 25% teacher turnover rate each year.  I loved answering questions about what it was like teaching 35 students in a class (How did they all fit in one room?  Did they all get their own desk, or did they have to share?), having 300 students in a grade (Were they all strangers to each other?  How do they all play on the same team?), and living in a suburb (Are there skyscrapers?  Are there any animals or do all of the people, cars, and buildings scare them away?).  It still boggles my mind that I taught more students in one year than the total number of residents in these villages.

Practice splinting in First Aid Class

One happy patient!

After spending two weeks with this bunch, it really was sad to see them go.  We hauled them out to the airport bright and early, as flight times are just a suggestion.  I honestly got a little misty watching their planes take off, but I know they were all super excited to get back home.  The most heartwarming part was that when asked about the thing they missed most, and were most looking forward to getting back to, it wasn’t pop, or tobacco, their TV or their 4-wheeler.  It was their family, every time.  So before they left, I had two gleaming moments.  One student christened me with an Eskimo name; Ligliq, which means “mother goose”.  But it was the toughest student of the session, who tested my patience and pushed my buttons each and everyday, who gave me the best gift of all.  On his way out the door to meet his plane he suddenly turned back, and rushed towards me to give me a huge bear hug.  He quickly spun around and was back out the door, but he didn’t have to say a single word to let me know that he appreciated what I did.  It just doesn’t get any better than that.

At the airport before heading back to their villages

Outside of work, life is still good.  After living without cable for 2 years, it’s almost bizarre being able to turn on a TV again (it’s included in our rent).  It’s still rarely on, but when it is the commercials always garner a chuckle or two.  In NY I always used to joke about how Sonic Drive-thru commercials were a tease; those chili cheese tater tots always look so good, but the closest Sonic is a few states over!  In Nome, every commercial is like this; if I see one more never-ending shrimp at Red Lobster advertisement I’m going to hop a plane and be the next one in line for a skewer (or 10).  Although I have seen my very first ramen noodle commercial, and let me tell you cup o’noodles are ubiquitous in the Nome cafeteria so they must be doing something right. 

We may not have shrimp, but we do have moose jerky!  Yum!

I also enjoy listening to our one shared radio station (KNOM and KICY split air time) and actually look forward to hearing the school’s lunch menu for the day, the quote of the day, and the joke of the day.  I’m so used to hearing these voices that I experienced my first star-struck moment.  I was invited to West Beach for music around a bonfire, and was introduced to some of the other young people in Nome.  It was so funny to immediately recognize the voice from the radio, and compare the picture in my head to the guy standing in front of me.  I certainly didn’t expect the purple highlights in his hair; upgrade!  Music nights have been a weekly indulgence, where folks get together and jam.  I am now the proud new owner of a ukulele, and it’s been easy to join right in.  Chords are called out so once you know a few you’re making music with the gang!  Playing uke has actually been a bit addicting; I feel like a little kid, up in bed past midnight strumming away and not wanting to stop even though my eyes won’t stay open.  Ukulele, who knew?!   

The beach is beautiful and the driftwood for a campfire is plentiful (although we're not sure where it washes up from; Nome has no trees!)