Don't worry, teach happy

Called a "sun dog", a bright pink ray of light falls from the sky on my way into work

I was saving a story about White Mountain for a week when I wasn’t feeling too positive, to add some levity.  That time has come surprisingly soon, but here goes.  I sat next to a woman on the plane to White Mountain who was traveling home after visiting relatives in Nome.  Despite the roar of the airplane (they’re super loud!) we talked about her time growing up there, and all of her favorite things.  She clued me in on all the village happenings and hot spots, and really made me feel welcome.  Upon arrival we said our goodbyes, and went on our separate ways; me to the school and her to the loving arms of her husband.  The very next morning, I was typing away on my laptop when I saw her familiar smiling face pop into the doorway.  We exchanged pleasantries, and I asked if she was at the school to drop off her children; surprisingly enough she had no kids and was only there to check and see how I had enjoyed my first night in White Mountain.  How incredibly thoughtful and selfless is that?!  You won’t get that in NY, that’s for sure.

Session 1 Jr. High Students from Koyuk and Brevig Mission

Now onto this week; I believe that if it isn’t nice, don’t say it.  So without giving away any specifics, my first 4-day session with students was not what I had prepared for or expected.  Experience is always the most challenging and most valuable thing to acquire.  Unfortunately, there’s no way to get it except to go through the blood pressure raising, anxiety inducing, hectic, frustrating, sometimes spirit crushing first time.  But danggit I did it, and now my NACTEC teaching experience bank has its first deposit.  Cha-ching.

Rollerskating for the first time

They say “teaching is the hardest fun”, but the time I spent interacting with and teaching this group of 26 bright eyed and bushy tailed middle schoolers was what got me through the week.  It’s great to finally have students again; kids are the best.  I’m getting used to their mannerisms and methods of communication.  Every statement made in jest is followed by “I joke”, and “sleeping out” means having a sleepover, not camping outside.  Also, they will not waste words or speak if they don’t have to.  To indicate “yes”, they raise their eyebrows, and to indicate “no”, they scrunch their nose.  The thing of it is, they do it so quickly it’s hard to catch sometimes!

The rare unstructured moments during meals or while I was driving the 15-passenger van were my favorite; I was able to connect with students and see how similar and different they are from students I’ve taught in the past.  We sang all the lyrics to songs by Jason Derulo and Lady Gaga, we argued about whether rock bank or guitar hero is a better game, and we discussed our favorite Family Guy episodes.  They also told me stories about harvesting fish for an entire year by casting huge nets across the river, and hauling them in (sometimes resulting in a lost finger or worse).  They told me about going to “duck camps” with their families, their favorite foods (salmon eggs, moose heart, caribou tongue), and how the deluxe beds we provide for them are strange and uncomfortable because they’re used to sleeping on the floor.  I feel like a student myself.

At the rec center

Another enjoyable part of my job was taking the students for their morning workout at the rec center in town.  The kids taught me how to play Eskimo baseball (only two bases, which you can load up with as many people as you want and all run over at once), but I taught them how to rollerskate.  I can’t begin to express the pure joy of having students fight over me to teach them how to stop, spin, and skate backwards.  I’m soaking it in now, because I know the high school students are not as enthusiastic and willing to look silly.  I also watched in awe as they played basketball, which is big deal in Alaska.  In most bush schools, the entire 6-8^th grade makes up the team, providing just enough people to play.  You would think with no try outs, cuts, and a small pool of athletes they would be a glorified gym class; not a chance!  These 12 year olds were hitting 3 pointers like crazy, and were better players on rollerskates than I could ever be on foot.

Dang, these kids are good!

Afternoons were spent interviewing community members with a wide range of occupational backgrounds.  This was worthwhile because it exposed students to opportunities not present in their villages, giving them dreams and options for their future.  What’s really cool about NACTEC is that this exposure ties into the high school sessions, where students can job shadow, then take an intensive course to build the skills needed to actually acquire these jobs.  During the week we visited the museum, radio station (they have a bunker!), weather center (we got to let off the weather balloon!), National Guard (they have a black hawk chopper!), and a coffee shop.

One lucky student got to release the weather balloon

At the radio station, KICY

Mounted Musk Ox at the Nome Visitor's Center

The best place that we went by far was the Norton Sound Seafood Plant.  Talk about sensory overload; the smells, the sounds, the sights!  We were there at the perfect time, as a boat had just come in and crates filled with halibut were being processed.  I have always enjoyed eating halibut but I had no idea they were bigger than I am!  Later on we got to walk into a hangar-sized freezer set to -32 degrees.  The cold was unbelievable, but I just had to tell myself that it won’t be long before it’s that cold outside, with the addition of the bitter ocean wind.  I expect that I will be purchasing some heavy duty arctic gear in the near future.

This is what -32 degrees looks like

Insert your favorite halibut joke here...

Yum!

So throughout the mayhem of the first session, my evening run kept me sane.  Never have I had such amazing scenery to workout to; miles of ocean on one side, and tundra on the other side, mountains in the distance.  Each night I am guaranteed to see people panning for gold on the beaches, gold dredges in the strait, and various walks of wildlife.  In NY I was used to seeing deer, rabbits, and the occasional turkey.  In AK I have seen eagles, sandhill cranes, musk ox, and a decapitated walrus (sadly it was poached for its jaw and ivory; the rest was left to rot).  I’m looking forward to seeing other local fauna including moose, grizzlies, caribou, seals, and beluga whales, which are more visible in the winter months.

This is what I get to look at every day when I run!

Sandhill Cranes circling overhead to gain altitude; they sound like cats!

My jaunts in the wilderness have also helped sustain my wellbeing, when I’m willing to brave the mosquito assaults.  I’m getting whipped into shape, because if you stop for a breather you are immediately covered in a blanket (literally!) of mosquitoes, and they bite through your clothes!  That being said, having to run up a mountain isn’t so bad now that I’ve discovered a new way to descend.  I learned from a local that if you’re willing to weather some blueberry stains you can slide your way back down the hillside, as if you were in a toboggan.  I was skeptical at first, but the tundra provides a soft cushion over the hard rocks that allow for an exciting trip!  I also went moose hunting (with no luck), but got to witness the breaking down of 2 moose and 1 caribou.  It was amazing to watch such reverence for a dead animal; absolutely nothing was wasted and it was treated with such care and appreciation.  These massive animals were not treated as trophies, but as a means of sustaining entire families for the year.  Can’t wait for our next hunting trip! 

Blueberries are always abundant in the tundra

Talk about fall foliage!  The tundra changes colors in the fall

Sunrise over the Dredge

As I approach the second session I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous.  Alaskan high schoolers are another breed, or so I’ve heard.  But honestly, I can only do what I can do and that’s got to be enough.