Long days, short sessions

Nome has a surprisingly active arts community, and my week started by attending an open mic night, held at the Mini Convention Center (it’s pretty small!).  Performers signed up at the door, and I was quite impressed with the diversity and variety of acts.  A local band performed a song with spot on local references to the recent storm, two girls under age 6 sang Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, and a man jammed out a perfect rendition of Crazy Train on his electric guitar.  An elder in his 90s shared some wisdom and played the accordion, another read a poetry slam about Alaskan politics, and my co-worker performed under the stage name of “Velvet Vick”.  There were banjos, recorders, ukuleles, mandolins, and acapella yodeling.  For a small town, Nome has an awful lot of talent.  If I start practicing now, maybe I’ll have the nerve to get up on stage next time!

So began my second week with the high schoolers, and I got to fully experience the unique dynamics of the evening shift.  The days are rigidly structured, so sometimes the issues that students are distracted from during the day are magnified and present themselves at night.  One of our organization’s goals is to promote healthy living, so we do not allow our students to use tobacco or caffeine while they are with us.  Due to this, many of our students experience significant symptoms of withdrawal.  It’s fairly common as time goes on to see an increase in requests for tylenol, more naps, and a general increase in grumpiness and agitation.  Also during the second week, some of the “honeymoon effect” of just meeting folks starts to wear off, and is replaced by drama.  Let’s just say I may not be trained as a counselor, but I got my fair share of tears, yelling, and “it’s sounds like you’re saying” and “how does that make you feel” responses.  This job is certainly enhancing my skill-set.

In Native Arts students carved moose antler, ivory, whale baleen and vertebra

All driver's ed students got their permits, and one got his license!

Students in Oxy Fuel Welding made and tested water-tight boxes

First group to get in the pool for morning workouts!

It wasn’t all bad, not by far.  Each night the students got an opportunity to partake in an evening activity, which they must earn through their behaviors throughout the day.  This week we attended a movie at Gold Coast Cinema, which is located inside Subway.  Most of the kids ate very little at dinner before we left so that they could buy a sub to eat during the movie.  It’s not often you see a theater full of footlongs!  Along with many of my students, it was my first time to this theater, and it was much bigger and nicer than I expected.  This excursion was an exceedingly rare indulgence, and I think I had more fun watching the over-the-top but genuine reactions of the kids than watching the movie itself.

Getting subs before the movie

Fist pumps for Real Steel!

Movie concessions, adjacent to the sub line

Instead of previews, community news was displayed before the movie

Other evenings were spent watching City League basketball games at the Rec Center (which were surprisingly competitive and entertaining; the cops even came one night!), and grabbing some gear at the Thrift Store on one of it’s rare “everything is free” nights.  Some nights we stayed in, and had just as much fun.  We baked birthday cakes from scratch using our Russian house parent’s family recipe (which allowed us to read and speak some Russian too!).  Students shared their talents by teaching sign language, demonstrating their skills in hacky sack, the one-foot high kick, and all sorts of torturous wrestling exercises.  One night we had fresh cut up watermelon and cantaloupe for our evening snack, and I just stood back and watched their wonder and appreciation for this fruit.  For a few of them, it was their first time eating such an exotic treat.

Watching the game

Many of the students wear colored contacts; these are blue with stars!

On the last night students sign tshirts

The weather in Nome has been changing pretty rapidly.  I’ve been experiencing a new phenomenon; the temperature actually drops when the sun comes out.  I couldn’t understand how I could wake up in 12 degrees, and watch the temperature drop down to 6 degrees by the afternoon when it was light out.  After asking around, it was pointed out to me that evenings usually have cloud coverage, which helps to insulate us.  Once the sun breaks through and the skies clear up, the cold can creep in.  The days are also getting noticeably and regrettably shorter.  The sun doesn’t rise until noon, and sets around 4pm.  We are still losing daylight at a clip of around seven minutes per day, with the darkest days yet to come.  Looking on the bright side (har har) at least the sun will return at the same fast pace, and I'm treated to a beautiful sunrise and sunset each day.  Nome is said to have some the best in the region!

Sunset over West Beach

I must admit that this week has been harder on me than most.  I’m ready to be back on my usual schedule, and I’m ready for a break.  I’m scheduled to fly home to NY in less than a month, and it’s been driving me crazy.  It’s close enough to think about, but still so darn far away.  This is the longest I’ve ever been away from home, and with so many of my Nomite friends out of town for the upcoming holiday it’s hard not to feel a bit homesick myself.  Here’s hoping the time will fly, and that the conditions are clear enough come December 14^th so that I can too!