Picture Time!

      Finally, after many months of of dark days the sun has finally started to appear again longer than a quick "how do you do" for an hour or two.  I now go home from school in the light, what a concept. This also means that it is bright enough to take some decent photos! This post is dedicated to such photos. All taken the same day on a quick run to camp and back. The camp, belonging to two teacher friends from the same school I teach at, it is where winter camping takes place. 

  

(above and below) Crossing the tundra. View from inside the basket sled. 

(above) Vast open view across the tundra to the nearby mountains. The picture doesn't even begin to capture. 

  (above and below) Entering the tree line for the last leg of the journey to camp. It feels like you are in a snow globe.

 (above) In the left corner of the photo is where they store the stove in the summer so bears don't tip it over. I got a bit to creative with the shot to see the whole thing... oops.  (below) The basket sled to the left center. This is the view from the tent's door.

(above) The front of the tent. The dogs are great for deterring wild animals from wandering up.

  

Everyone needs a selfie in the arctic.

    

The toilet, talk about being one with nature. 

      

The next few photos of of a short walk down to the river from camp.

Pete, one of my favorites on the team.

I always think "Pete the pea brain", but who could resist that face! 

Ending the afternoon with an awesome sunset on the river.

Dog Mushing 101: Don't Let Go

Time goes so fast; after a few comments about a lack of presence from myself on Facebook I realized it has been over a month since my last post! It's strange to live in a place, as opposed to visiting, because although things are different daily, it's still a seemingly repeating pattern. You find yourself wondering, is this worthy or exciting enough to post? Finally I have a story I feel is worth sharing again. 

Dog Mushing 101: 

Corrine, one of the other teachers here at the school has a dog sled team, I can't remember if I have spoken about this in my previous posts. For the last several weeks I have been helping her run dogs to get them trained up for winter running. There had not been enough snow to run with the sled so we had been using an ATV. This past week just enough extra snow came that we could run the dogs the proper way! So Friday after school we set out to camp which is about 5 miles away from Kobuk. To my excitement the first run of the season I would be on my own sled. 

To be honest before this experience I never really understood the skill in dog sledding. I mean how hard is it to stand on a sled and have a dog pull. So I thought "no big deal, there can't be that much to it." Boy did I get a smack from reality. 

With a full moon overhead and so many layers I felt like a marshmallow I set off to become a teacher by day, and dog musher by night. 

The plan was....

Corrine would take the lead with her dog team of 5 and in the sled Lori, a student of mine, would ride, I would follow with my dog team of 4 and in my basket Ella, another student of mine, would ride, Erin  would follow us on a snow machine, and taking the rear would be Dan on a different snow machine.  Four teachers, 2 students, all geared up, gunned up, and ready to go. We would gently make our way through the forest over the tundra to another picturesque snow globe forest before arriving at camp so we could set up the tent and get the ice off the frame, maybe set up the stove and then return back home. Quick, easy, simple.

The Reality...

Dan was waiting down the trail just a bit and when Corrine, Erin, and I passed he would follow. Corrine was in front heading out of the dog yard, I was second, Erin was making sure we headed out alright before she would get on her snow machine and catch up. Corrine headed out with Lori, I started out with Ella and WHAM! Not even five seconds up and I face planted it. 

Now before I started I was told the most important thing about dog sledding is; if you dump your sled or are being dragged behind DON'T let go of the sled no matter what. The dogs will not stop unless they get tangled in something or you catch them. Well that's not as easy as it sounds either. When you have on so many layers you don't quite have the flexibility or grip you normally do. 

I fell, the sled turns over, Ella is dumped, the hook that you put in the snow to help keep the dogs from moving when you are stopped gets hooked in Ella's pocket and she is being dragged behind the sled. By sheer miracle after only a few feet the dogs stop. I was still close enough that Erin helped turn the sled back over and decided to have Ella ride with her. So off I go again like bullet. 

About 10 seconds later WHAM! A second time I face plant it and the dogs take off, this time with no stop in sight. By this point I see Dan up ahead and begin jogging toward him. Unsure of what to do next, wait for Erin or go chase the dogs, we decide we better go try to get the dogs or at least catch up to Corrine. So off we go, we begin to climb a steep hill when WHAM! and for the third time that night I find myself face down in the snow. Dan had rolled the snow machine on its' side. So Dan and I begin to try and roll it back over. Unable to, we decide to wait for Erin. Up she comes a few moments later. I hop on the machine with her, since stopping the dogs running a muck is are priority, and Dan begins to call someone to come help turn the machine back over.  

We catch up to Corrine who has, once more by a miracle, got both dogs teams stopped and is waiting on us. (Apparently it was quite the ordeal getting two sleds and 9 dogs stopped.)  I get on the sled for a third time. This time more successful as we continue on the course while Erin goes back to see what's going on with Dan and the turned machine. As we go I slowly, VERY slowly get a bit more comfortable trying got push the bar break and balance on the other foot. I make the rest of the way through the forest  over the tundra to another picturesque snow globe forest right before camp when, a hill to steep and a turn to fast leads to WHAM! This time the trail was narrow and the dogs had no way to get around Corrine.  So it was just a matter of getting up and going again. 

Finally we make it to camp: Adrenaline pumping, toes freezing, happy to be standing on solid ground! After arrival I got to experience the "joy" that comes when toes get to cold and begin to get warm again. I should have added a fourth layer of wool socks, live and learn. 

It is so beautiful. Snow that sparkles like glitter, trees that look like the movies, a small little "cabin like" tent. I can't wait to stay there for a night. The ride back was somewhat less eventful, in fact it was even peaceful. I only fell off twice and both times it was on a narrow path so the dogs had nowhere to run. I woke up the next morning bruised and very sore, but wanting to run again sometime soon. All the face plants and sore muscles were worth the 80 min or so across the snow covered arctic with nothing around but nature. There is nothing like it in the world. 

Sparkles in the Air

Cold weather is setting in all around. As fall has ended now the tundra has lost its color and being replaced by a blanket of white on the mountains and frozen ground. The days are in the the lower single digits and the nights getting in the negative teens. The coldest day thus far has been -23 F. It only lasted for a brief period, but gave a glimpse into what to expect this winter. I have learned that when the air "sparkles," due to the air itself freezing you need to prepare yourself before you take a deep breath.

The time for bringing the fish is long over now as the river has been frozen for a few weeks. ATV's have been replaced with snow mobiles. It's so mesmerizing to watch the changing landscape and listen to the howling wind blowing across the tundra.

I have made up my mind not to say when I will post another blog, because clearly the "every two weeks" never happens. A lot has happened since my last post other than the weather changing.

For one, my parents came and visited for a two week period it's been over a month now, time sure does fly. They seemed to really enjoy their visit as they finally were able to put names with faces and see/understand things I have been talking about. The hardest thing to explain is how the tundra is to walk on. Both my parents got a first hand experience of this. My mother in particular got close and personal with the tundra as she rolled around in the sponge like ground a few times when she stepped in the wrong spot, or got "stuck" in a mud hole unable to move as the water and mud pulled her foot deeper into the sludge.

The second notable event was when the other 5 teachers and myself had inservice at the nearby village of Shungnak. It was right after the snow had started to fall a lot the day before, so when we woke up that morning we had a good 8 inches on the ground. Not a great deal for up here, however we were to be taking ATVs for the 8 miles journey over tundra. It was that interesting time between ATVs and snow machines. We all set off at 7am, after being stuck twice myself, and 1.5 hours later we finally arrived. It was a blast! The snow decided to pick up mid morning, so we ended up leaving the in-service early so we would not be snowed in. Most teachers hate Saturday in-service, but if everyone could be that that adventurous, you wouldn't find me complaining.

The most recent event was this past weekend. I volunteered to be a chaperone in the village of Ambler for a wrestling tournament for other nearby villages. It was a good experience since it was with some of the middle schoolers. It let me see another village and get to know students I would not have gotten to other wise. Ambler has just as beautiful scenery as Kobuk, I enjoyed my short time there.

Dog sled preparation has begun. I have been helping a fellow teacher with her dog sled team. The snow is not yet deep enough for the break on the sled to hook in the ground, so we attach the dogs to the front of the ATV to get them in running condition. I am rather excited to start running them on the sled soon! If it is going to be this cold, bring on more snow!

Finally,  I have internet in my apartment. It runs about as bad as dial up use to, but after two months of phone calls, it's rather exciting!

It is now less than 50 days until I visit home for Christmas! Excited to see those I have been missing.

FOR THOSE MOVING TO BUSH AK:

I have been slowly getting gear together for this winter and have the following items to take me through the winter. I will write a more in depth review on the items later.

Parka: Trillium Parka from Canada Goose  625 down
Mid-layer for Upper Body: MicroTherm StormDown Hooded Jacket from Eddie Bauer
Base Layer for legs: Nike Pro Combat, Compression Tight

I obvious have several other items to layer in, but these are my favorite or biggest purchases thus far. The parka is only rated for TEI 3, I wanted something for myself that might be practical after I move from the bush as well. If you want a more enduring parka I would suggest Canada Goose's Expedition Parka rated at TEI 4.

Kobuk Alaska

I know this blog has been a long time coming, but what can I say now is better than never. Alaska… Where to start? I guess the beginning.

The summer flew by as my first year of teaching approached with growing anticipation.

       A week after returning from my second placement student teaching in Cambodia I graduated from Lee University with my bachelors in elementary education. Shortly after I was on a trip from Illinois to Arkansas when I was offed a job by the NWABSD, or the Northwest Arctic Borough School District located in Alaska after a Skype interview I had at a McDonalds of all place. After a few weeks of processing and debating pros and cons I accepted the job while I was in Memphis visiting a friend.

      So much preparation and plans needed to be made now, and the summer continued to fly by. From Memphis I ventured down to New Orleans to audition for “The Voice.” That experience was a blast! From there I was back home in Athens for all of about 2 weeks before I took a vacation to Florida and then the Bahamas. (Attempting to get all the sun I would need for the long winter in Alaska).  Back home again I had about a week and a half before heading to bush Alaska. Days of research and multiple trips to Wal-Mart I was packed and ready not a moment to soon.  Time to start my next adventure.

     Why I decided to accept this job, I really can’t say: A change, a chance, and an adventure. I left behind a lot, but the call for something more was to strong. I’ve been here over a month now and each day I learn something new. I’m trying to slowly take it all in and adjust to all this newness. Life on a river, life as a new teacher, life living above the arctic circle, life in the middle of nowhere, life as a professional.

     Everyone here is so friendly; there are no complaints there. My first day stepping off the small plane into Kobuk, my new home, a small group of children who would be my students where waiting to help move all the totes I had brought with me or sent ahead. What I thought would be a long first day of moving turned into a matter of minutes.

     In my class I have nine, yes only nine, students. I teach 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th grade and love every moment of the teaching day. I teach EVERY subject. The basics are a given for elementary teachers, but I also teach things such as Art, Music, and PE. 

My biggest disappointment is how rigid the curriculum is here. During my interview, what I understood, is that the curriculum was basically the same as what Common Core has in Tennessee, where the teacher is responsible for creating much of what is taught, while following the standards, but here is pretty much all scripted. This is NOT my choice of teaching, but “fidelity to the curriculum” is a rule here.  There are books for the books, and to many workbooks and worksheets. For a first year teacher it saves me a lot of time, but for my students I feel like I could offer so much more if I could pull my own resources. The Alaska State Standards do align with Common Core, but the way of teaching could not be more opposite. As I said earlier, big time saver for me, but big disappointment in actual practice. It will take time to adjust and see what all I can add in, while still abiding to the curriculum they want. I’m a big advocate of Common Core and the methods it presents so this is not idea, but manageable. It reminds me of the parts of schools I didn’t like, I just have to get creative to make things more hands on.

 

   

  After school much of my time is spent planning for school or on some occasions fishing, exploring the village, and catching up on sleep. The fish here are HUGE compared to what I’m use to. I never thought I would enjoy fishing so much, but there is great satisfaction in whacking a fish over the head.

      

A few photos of my apartment:

 

I hope to start posting every other week at least. Especially as winter approaches there will be much to share. I’ve never experienced -40 F, but am excited/nervous as that time draws closer. It’s fall currently here with temperatures from 40 to 65 degrees depending on the day. Some night have got into the lower thirty’s already! People here prefer winter to summer; due to the fact snow makes it easier for transportation between villages. ATV’s and Snow machines or (Hondas and Snow-gos) are the main form of transportation here.

Side-Notes

During my first week here I took a medicinal plant class and some people expressed interested in obtaining more information about that so here it is.

I made:

Antiseptic Oil:

Angelica-root

Dwarf Birch- bark

Dandelion- yellow flowers

Willow- bark and young shoots

Stinkweed- leaves and flowers

Olive oil

Soothing Massage Oil:

Chickweed-entire plant

Chamomile-flower and leaves

Coltsfoot-entire plant

Valerian- entire plant

Fireweed- entire plant and roots

Olive oil

Place chopped plants in Mason jar and pour enough olive oil to barley submerge the herbs, place jar in war water bath over night. In the morning strain the mixture, put in a bottle and label.

Cold and Flu Stinkweed Tincture:

½ jar of apple vinegar with the chopped leaves of stinkweed. Shake and leave on shelf for 1-2 months, after use ½ tsp. in warm water when needed.

For those moving to bush Alaska:

1)   Shipping

a.     Make sure to ship things ahead of you, basic things that will make your first few weeks more comfortable. Ship AT LEAST one month ahead of you. Use Rubbermaid Roughneck 18 gallon totes. In addition drill trough the lid and add about 6 zip ties along the edges for best support. Add your name and P.O. box in permanent marker to the lid AND side of the tote. 

2)   Phones

a.     The ONLY phones that work in bush Alaska are AT&T in Kotzebue. If you go to a more remote village such as myself with Kobuk. ONLY GCI works. So if you want phone coverage you will have to change plans. If you bring a phone you already have that is unlocked you save $20/ month. I currently pay $30/ month which includes unlimited minutes, text, and 1gb data… which the data doesn’t work.

3)   Time

a.     Everything here times time to get. Not only do the people have a different since of time, but shipping can be a problem if you don’t plan ahead.  Sometimes you get luckly, but depending on what you are getting and from where don’t be surprised if it takes twice as long as you thought it would.

4)   Food

a.     For food I got bulk orders form Wal-Mart bush order in Fairbanks, AK and SpanAlaska. I found that Wal-Mart  bush order in Faribanks is the best. SpanALaska does not pack well I ended up with several dented/ busted cans. Wal-Mart was faster, nothing was ruined and the customer service was amazing, just call them ask for the bush department, tell them you are a new teaher and need help and they will tell you the rest.

b.     For fresh produce I get a order every other week from Full Circle Produce. Don’t think of the price, just order. It’s pretty much your only option for fresh fruits/ veggies and they are reliable and always send great stuff.

5)   Teacher Dress code

a.     Unlike the south dress code here is casual. We are supposed to be “a step above our students dress.” Jeans and a T-shirt are completely appropriate. If you wear slacks and a blouse you will probably feel a bit out of place.

Sun and Water

It's amazing how much we take for granted. Whether it be that friend who goes the extra mile, that extra blanket you need because your AC is on a bit to high, or even the water we drink. Being in Cambodia, at the end of my second week now, has already shown me so much. At home I don't always have to wonder if the food I've just eaten will make me sick, or if there is enough water bottles in the fridge (I just get from the tap), or always making sure I'm hydrated because in this heat, sweat is like another layer of clothing and something that is just always there. I have learned to appreciate the little things like a clean towel every day (even if it occasionally has stains), running water to take a shower, a basket on the bike I'm using to make my mile transport to the school a bit easier, and especially the air conditioner in the guest house room even if it is not as efficient as one in the US.

 The strangest thing about being here is despite how different everything seems, it still feels "normal" for me, at least as normal as I ever am. Although I wouldn't want to live here for a long period of time, I feel like this is the first place I've been with people who view the world as an open book waiting to be explored, as I do. The people here are daily changing the lives of the Khmer people, and are in it for the long run. Single women who are not afraid to go and start amazing programs in 3rd world countries that help so many people. I am daily amazed at the work of God's hand in the lives of the people here and all because where some would see limitations they see expectations. The more I'm away from home, the more I realize the only true home is my Heavenly home.

Take time today and relish in the fact that no matter where you are in life or where you are going God is there guiding you exactly where you need to be.

Building Hope Cambodia

Every time you take a trip they say it will change your life. What they don't prepare you for the lack of change from everyone around you. Fresh of ideas with a new perspective on life, you can't see the world through your old eyes any longer because a gate has been opened that once had been sealed. Until you begin to travel you will never understand this door I speak of. Even when you think you have seen it all there is ALWAYS something that will blow your mind.

I have been more fortunate than most in my travels. In my short 22 years of life I have been blessed to have traveled to many countries including: USA (where i'm from), Canada, Germany, Belgium, England, Luxembourg, France, Italy,  Czech Republic, Netherlands, Switzerland, Poland, Austria, South Korea, China, and now perhaps what will be my most life changing trip yet Cambodia.

Sitting on a plane leaves you a lot of time for reflection. Twenty hours to be exact in this case, fifteen hours from Atlanta, GA to Seoul, South Korea and then a connecting flight lasting 5 hours from Seoul to Siem Reap Cambodia. I reflect on what and who I leave behind in the US, what I have given up to come on this trip, but most importantly what I will gain.

If you look toward your future and there is not more to gain than what is behind, how do you push on to live the next day. Life is filled with regrets and mistakes we all wish we wouldn't make, but it is not those mistakes that define us, it is how they refine us that make us the people we are.

I hope I will be able to go into the fire of adversity with a lasting hope and ambition that does not extinguish the adversity, yet sets it into a all consuming blaze that causes people to see a light where they once saw only danger.

With prayer and a building hope, here I am!

Ghent, Belgium

Two weekends ago on July 20, 2013 A. from the blog Around the Wherever and I decided to take a trip to Ghent, Belgium. We decided to book a trip with the USO since it requires almost no planning and both of us where a bit busy.  The USO “is an organization on post that provides services and entertainment to those in or affiliated with the military.” I was a bit wary about taking a trip with them due to the fact that the majority of the trip with the USO is a tour and pre-planned, and for someone like myself and A. who like to venture on our own we were unsure of how the trip would turn out.

Upon arrival the first thing we did was get paired with our tour guide. Teun (our tour guide) is a professor at a local university there in Gehnt. He was an excellent guide, and taught us that the Dutch can make a sexual joke out of just about anything.

We began by going through the Red Light District where woman sat in the window like some kind of display waiting to be bought. Following Teun showed us the differences in the French and Belgian parts of the city as well as how you could tell the age of a building by the type of stone used.  

One of the more interesting parts of the tour I found to be of a carving of a father and daughter that was above a door way. The father was sentenced to death by starvation, when the daughter visited him, since she had just had a child, let him drink milk from her breast in order to help sustain his life. Later the father was proved to be innocent and set free.

We were also lucky enough to visit on the 1^st day of a 10 day festival. Every year Ghent holds the largest street festival in all of Europe. Due to this fact A. and I discovered two interesting things:

1)      Public toilets, known as pissers, where everywhere. For an American this was slightly disturbing because as you can see from the picture, they were on random street corners, and completely open. At one point I saw three men using the quad-pisser at once….

2)      As an opening for the first day of the festival a big parade was scheduled to take place that afternoon. As A. and I walked around we began to notice that several people had on some interesting clown hats. It became our mission to obtain one of such hats for ourselves. After much walking and much excitement, we found the source.

We determined we must wear the hat the rest of the day. Overjoyed, we then headed to the visitor center to see what we could do in our free time.  The people at the visitor center found these two crazy Americans so amusing that of course they needed to take our picture and post it to their Facebook page.

Meeting back with the group for a boat ride through the city, and then a bit more exploration of our own, we ended the day knowing we needed to come back!

There is so much more I could talk about Ghent, it was too much fun, but blog post are not book of course lol, so I guess one day you shall have to venture there yourself and find out :) 

In conclusion a quote from A.

“At $99 per person for the trip, which included roundtrip busing, a tour led by college faculty, and a boat ride, the trip was less expensive than just buying train tickets on our own would have been. The upside was that even though the trip had two planned events, we also had about five hours to do our own thing.”