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| Thank goodness for gas caps...this howling wind and snow is serious! |
What a year to have chosen to live in Nome, Alaska; I’ve experienced record breaking cold and history making storms. This week I got to experience a more positive monumental happening. This year the sun has entered a period known as the solar maximum, when sunspot activity peaks, sending out more energy than normal. A sunspot named 1429 rotated into view early this week, creating some spectacular pyrotechnics. On Tuesday, it produced the second biggest solar flare in the last decade, resulting in breathtaking aurora borealis viewing opportunities. My window for seeing this phenomenon is growing ever slimmer, as the dark of night is receding by 7 minutes each night.
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| Gigantic full moon, outside of my bedroom window |
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| Close up! |
A couple times this week I was startled awake by the sounds of manic pounding on my door, with friends yelling to get outside and look. Each time it was like an emergency evacuation; I sprang out of bed, grabbed my warmest clothes to put over my pajamas, jumped into the car, and drove away from the lights of town to see the show. Surprisingly enough, some of the northern lights were so powerful they could be seen in town. Every morning and evening I reminded myself to look up, because sometimes they were directly overhead, splitting on top of you like the parting sea. Just magnificent.
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| Lights above Anvil Mountain |
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| Aurora could be seen without leaving town! |
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| Splitting above, my first time seeing purple! |
Our second week of the session had an added surprise. My director had coordinated with film director Larry Moore during his business trip to Anchorage for a video shoot highlighting elements of our program for the Alaska Construction Academies’ new promotional video. Many of our course offerings include a construction component (i.e. installing the wind turbine, heavy equipment training) and Larry was fascinated by the nature of construction taking place completely off the road system. A little background on Larry – he’s filmed everything from walrus hunting in Savoonga to the original buns of steel exercise videos. He’s produced over 1,600 video programs and over 5,000 television commercials in Alaska and the lower-48, however he doesn’t own a television so he’s never seen any of them. Him and his crew were “flies on the wall” all week, capturing footage for his video. I’m looking forward to seeing the final cut!
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| Larry Moore filming the students |
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| Capturing survival swimming at its best! |
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| The chain rescue swim |
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| FROG MAN! |
Along with securing a film gig, my director also came back from Anchorage with the most generous and appreciated gift for the staff. He walked into the office with two of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen; huge cartons of fresh strawberries and raspberries. While this may not seem like much, I haven’t had either of these delicacies since I’ve been in Alaska. Our grocery stores sometimes carry these items, however they are always previously frozen, bruised, moldy, and cost $12.99 or more per small container. The berries that my director brought for us to share were radiant in color, unblemished, and the sweetest thing I can remember tasting since being home. Honestly, eating this glorious fruit was nothing short of a miracle.
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| An amazing sight to behold... |
Other comestible wonders abounded this week. Students are often hungry (they’re growing teenagers!) and their go-to snack is the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich with an added twist. This week I was introduced to the masterpiece that is a triple and quadruple decker PB&J, with full commentary on the correct application and proportions of each spread. These kids can easily put away two or three of them, and it’s quite a sight to behold. A close friend got an opportunity to drop a crab pot in the Bering Sea, and dropped by the house one evening to share his bounty. This year has been particularly good for Alaskan king crabs, with some folks catching upwards of 25 each night. I for one, obtained a bounty of my own. I had seen a posting for a free ten-pound bag of Texturized Vegetable Protein (TVP) on Nome-announce, and jumped on the offer. I’m fairly certain that I’m the only person in Nome that knows what TVP is, let alone consumes it everyday, so my competition wasn’t very stiff. I arrived to pick up my windfall, to realize that it was actually a 25-pound bag of TVP. I guess I’ll be eating lots of faux-meatloaf and veggie burgers! Score!
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| Doing the triple decker! |
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| Deadliest catch has got nothin' on him |
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| Lifetime supply of TVP |
On the flipside, I was reminded of the absurdity of living in Nome during my attempt to take a standardized test, scheduled and paid for back in August. As part of obtaining teacher certification in Alaska, I am required to take the Praxis exam, a test specific to teachers that is similar to the SATs, evaluating my reading, writing, and mathematics abilities. I’ve taken many similar tests in New York, and imagined it would be a somewhat unpleasant but straightforward experience. And then I was reminded that I live in Nome. I arrived at the testing center early (the test was slotted for 7:30am on a Saturday), waiting in -20 degree weather for a half hour with two other teachers from outlying villages. As 8 o’clock crept closer and I lost feeling in my extremities, I decided I had to take action.
I looked up the home phone number for the director of the university (which wasn't difficult as the Nome section of the phone book is only 13 pages, A-Z), woke him up, and asked him if he knew what was going on. He didn’t. He arrived at campus an hour after the test was supposed to begin, frantically searching for the paper tests. After finding them he realized that he had overbooked the conference room where we were scheduled to take the exam, so we were shuffled to a strange place reminiscent of a boiler-room. We were handed our materials, given the written proctor’s instructions to read on our own, and set to our own devises. Three hours of standardized tests are painful enough without all the extra rigmarole, but once again I didn't let Nome get the best of me.
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| The Nome phone book |
After decompressing from the test, I was invited to help house-sit with a friend. It always surprises me how the exterior of houses in Nome have no correlation to what they're like inside. Missing shingles, peeling paint, and broken stairs on the outside can still lead to deluxe kitchens, fireplaces, and incredible home decorating on the inside. Don't judge a book by its cover! It’s amazing how common house-sitting is in Nome, and some folks without a place to stay rely on this type of gig as their primary source of housing. This job is far more than making sure plants are watered and pets are fed; temperatures have dipped back down to extremes, so it’s important for someone to run the faucets, flush the toilets, and keep the heat going to prevent freeze-ups that can creep in even overnight. My friend and I took advantage of this opportunity, crashing in sleeping bags on the leather couches, making some tea, and talking all night. An Alaskan sleepover party! The best I’ve had since middle school.
The Iditarod kicked-off last Saturday with a ceremonial start in Anchorage, and the timed start on Sunday. Having friends that work for the radio station gives me an inside look into the mushers and the race, and I’m definitely a fan. I’ve chosen my favorites and have been following their progress across Alaska. They won’t arrive for another couple days but I’m amped up and ready to meet them at the finish line on Front Street. Having the next week off (well deserved!) will allow me to enjoy all of the Iditarod madness, and I can’t wait to soak it all in. I’ve already noticed the huge influx of tourists, and it’s strange feeling like I’m a local. I still catch myself walking outside and wondering how on Earth I got here, and yet now I’m the yokel giving directions and offering advice on our best attractions. Go figure.
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| Following the mushers online by GPS |
