Shopping!

When you live in a village in the Bush, shopping becomes an all day task. I am living in Napaskiak, which is only 6 or 7 miles from Bethel. In the winter, we would normally just take a snow machine, hook up the sled and drive there. But with warm temperatures, river travel is closed. The ice is too thin. So, today we chartered a plane to get to Bethel. Our plan was to leave at 9 AM and return around 3 PM. Sounds good? Well, I think everyone else must have been thinking the same thing.

Before we left the house, Jan called to be certain our charter would be on time. The answer, of course, was no. It would be an hour late. They would call when they left Bethel. As we waited, we worked on our puzzle and talked with Sean and Sara who would be joining us for the day. When the call came, we hurried. We had a ten minute walk to the airport. The sun was just beginning to rise as we walked through the village. We each had our backpacks. We brought the cooler for food, not to keep food frozen but to keep it from freezing.

We were flying Yute, probably the biggest Bush airline we have. A man from the village joined us. Along with the pilot, there were six of us. It was a short ride to Bethel.

When we landed in Bethel, we saw several familiar faces. One of them was Julia - the teacher for whom I am subbing. She was on her way back to the village with her baby. Two weeks ago, JJ had open heart surgery to repair a hole in his heart. You certainly couldn't tell that today. He looked great and very active!
Once in Bethel, we went right to the Cultural Center. It was Saturday Market. This is held each Saturday from now until Christmas. Here the local artists sell their crafts. Since I love the native folk art, I was mesmerized. There was so much from which to choose. I finally decided on two items. One is a fisherman in a kayak. The kayak is made from seal skin. Walrus ivory is used for the point of the arrow. The fur around the fisherman is also walrus. It is beautiful. Don't think these animals were killed for art. It is the other way around. The animals were killed for food. All parts of the animal are used. Nothing goes to waste. The artists use whatever materials they have to create their works. This was created by Mary Roesing.

I also had been looking for a doll. The one I bought today is a dancer. Both her arms and legs move. She is dressed in a native qaspeq coat and holds dance fans. I love the beading on her coat, and I love her bead earrings. Susan Charles is the artist.

We spent two hours here at the Cultural Center. I saw many people I worked with last year. It was great to see so many people. By 12:30, I was getting hungry, so it was time for lunch. We made our way down to our only fast food restaurant in the Bush! To get there, we walked down the main street of Bethel.

Time for lunch!

After lunch, we crossed the street to the grocery store - AC. I really didn't need a lot of food, but I did want fresh vegetables, fruit, and bread. I always find the prices so amazing. Here are a few samples!

Soup for $4.99 a can! I mailed 18 cans of soup from home for which I paid $.99 a can. That's why it's so important to main as much as possible from the Lower 48.

You are reading it correctly. Juice is $11.52 a bottle and it's on sale!

After we finished up at the grocery store, we were ready to head back to Napaskiak. We met friends at AC while we were shopping and they drove us back to the airport. That saved us quite a bit of money. It is $7 a person for a taxi ride to the airport. Here Sean, Sara, and Jan sit at Yute and wait for our charter. Free popcorn!

They loaded up our plane and we were off again - back to the village of Napaskiak.

We were back in the village by 4. It was a great day of shopping. I'm certain I will do this again before I head home. I just can't resist a day of shopping in the Bush!

Thanksgiving in the Village

Happy Thanksgiving! Our Thanksgiving celebration lasted two days here in the village. First, we had our feast at school and then we had our teachers' dinner. Too much food! On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, it is traditional to have a village feast here at the school. The entire village is invited and we provide the food. Our student council helps prepare the food several days in advance. Before the actual dinner begins, we have an awards ceremony. Students are recognized for passing phases in reading and writing, for achievement in sports, and for perfect attendance. The presentation lasts about 30 minutes. I've included the photo of the wrestling team. Look closely. We do have girls on the wrestling team.

After the presentation is done, we have the blessing for the food. The choir from the church gathers and sings the Lord's Prayer. The priest says a blessing and then we enjoy our dinner together. Families eat first.

Students whose families don't come, eat with Mrs. Furr and Mr. Hanlon. Typical kids, I'd say!

On Thursday, a few of the teachers did gather together for a Thanksgiving dinner. We were to go to Oscarville for dinner with that village, but our temperatures have been in the 40s making travel far too dangerous. We travel via the frozen river. Because of the thin ice, all travel is suspended. The only way we can get out of the village is to travel by plane. Oscarville has no airstrip, so we couldn't go for dinner. Instead, we had a Thanksgiving potluck. We did have turkey and all the fixings. Bob recorded a football game for us to watch after dinner. It seemed like a typical Thanksgiving Day.


Here Bob, Maria, and Jan work in the kitchen. Jan is making gravy.

Dinner is ready. Maria, Kim and Jan set up the table.

Karin (principal's son) and Jan begin dinner.

Dinner! It's the the turkey leg for me!

Oreo Turkeys

Every once in a while you find a great project. On Facebook one of my friends (Tracie Carey), posted photos of a project she had done: Oreo Turkeys. It was cute, quick, and easy. How could I resist? My roommate Jan was on her way for a conference in Anchorage. She was planning on shopping for food while she was there. She liked the idea, too. So, while in Anchorage, she purchased enough "materials" for all of our students in grades K-4. I could hardly wait. It's funny - teachers do get excited about projects.


The day before our Oreo turkey project, the students did a research project on wild turkeys. I found an article on kidzone for them to read. They answered questions, and we talked about the differences between domestic and wild turkeys. The next day they were ready for the Oreo project. After a review of the traits of wild turkeys, I brought out the "materials." Of course, the first question was Do we get to eat them? Yes, it was required! They giggled and were absolutely ecstatic. Candy is forbidden in school! I demonstrated how to make the turkey. The first step is to twist one of the Oreos in half. What should I do with the other half? They had the correct answer. After I showed how to put one together, they all came up and got their materials. Within a few minutes, our turkeys were created. They were so proud of their creations. Here's the final product - before it was quickly eaten!

A Walk After School

School starts at 8:45 each morning and ends at 4 PM. Our day is long, but the students don't seem to mind. My class really likes school. In fact, some days I need to remind them it's time to go home! On one particular day I told my class I wanted to go for a walk after school. Naturally, I had a few who wanted to tag along. They would show me the village. We did only half of the village. So here's their tour:





As we exit the front of the building, you can see the four wheelers in our parking lot. Since school had been over for quite some time, there were just a few vehicles left. We have little snow at the moment. Thus, the snow machines are difficult to drive. You can still drive them, but you take a risk with damaging them. Our boardwalk also shows signs of wear and tear from them. To the right of the door, you can see our way of measuring the snow. Yes, the sign does go up to 7 feet. (Mmm. . . I wonder if that will happen while I am here.) Next to the school we have our basketball court. It sits off the ground. Again, our land is tundra, and it is permafrost. Thus, it is like a marsh land - very muddy.

The boardwalk connects all the buildings of the village. It literally leads up to the door of each home. Our homes are small but very comfortable. Extended families live together. Many people live in one home. Cars and trucks can be driven once the river freezes. We use the river just as one would use a highway. The rivers connect all the villages.

My tour guides enjoyed taking me through the village. We stopped often to pose for pictures!

Here Katlyn poses. The blue building behind her is our grocery store. I thought it was rather large and well stocked. As you can imagine, the prices are quite high and some items are in high demand. When Jan went to the store for eggs a couple of weeks ago, she was able to buy two eggs - literally two eggs, not two dozen! When I looked at the prices, I found a plastic bottle of cranberry/grape juice for $10. I had purchased the same item a few weeks earlier at home for only $2. That's just the way it is out here.

We then continued to the church, which is a Russian Orthodox Church. The church plays a large role in the village. The majority of people do attend church. My room at school has been blessed by the priest. In January, he will go through the building and bless all the students and each room. We don't have separation of church and school out here.

Next to the church is the graveyard. The entrance is on the left side of the church.

This next graveyard is on the right side of the church. Notice that not all graves have crosses. Those that don't are the babies who were never baptized.

My tour guides had taken me as far as they could. We were next to the airstrip where they are not allowed to go. We turned back and headed back to school. The sun was setting, and it was time for me to go back to work. Time to prepare for tomorrow.

A Sunday Hike in Napaskiak, Alaska

It was a beautiful day in Napaskiak. The temperatures were warm - much too warm for this time of the year. I was curious to see the Kuskokwim River. The rivers serve as our roads during the winter months. When frozen, it is very easy to travel on them by snow machine. However, at the moment, they are closed. The ice is too thin. We've had too many accidents. Four people have died when their snow machines broke through the ice. I arrived here the day before the funeral of a grandfather and his two grandsons. The other body has not been recovered. Such accidents are devastating to our communities.

As I looked upon the river, I could see the water pooling on top. Chucks of ice are everwhere. It looks dangerous. Everyone is restless. People are used to being able to travel on the river. Now, we must all wait for the cold weather. We have at least four more days of warm weather before our temperatures will turn cold. And, then we must wait for the ice to form once more. I want to travel to the village I lived in last year. Unless the river freezes, I won't be able to. It seems so sad to travel so far and not be able to travel just 45 more miles to Akiuk. But to get to Akuik, I must cross the Johnson River by snow machine. So, now I must wait. Nature will dictate whether or not I get to go.

Today my hike led me to the outskirts of Napaskiak where our airport is. We have the longest landing strip of all the villages. I was told we are the "back-up" landing strip for Bethel. It is still a gravel landing strip; this is the same in all villages. But it is so long! This photo faces the village. The white building to the left is our Russian Orthodox Church. The blue building is our airport. We have one plane here, which stays here. It is used by the state troopers.

As you turn and face the other direction, you can see how long the landing strip is. Jan and Sean pose for me to give you an idea of the distance.

We made our way back to the village. It is a bit difficult to see but our path is actually a wooden boardwalk. All buildings are connected by a boardwalk. This is tundra. If we didn't have a boardwalk, you would sink down into mud.

This is one of the newer homes. It has a wood burning stove in it. Everyone hangs their wash outside whenever it is possible. It was in the 40s today! Great time to do the laundry!

And this is my house. Actually, it is a duplex. I am living in a two bedroom with Jan Furr. A student teacher lives on the other side of us. We have running water and a flush toilet! (I didn't have either last year in Akiuk.)

Finally, the entrance of our duplex. We live in the left apartment. We are just a short walk to school - less than three minutes. What can I say! The commute is wonderful!

I'm Back!

Oh my, oh my, oh my!!! How did it happen that I came back to the Alaskan Bush so soon? As they say, it's all depends upon whom you know. On October 29th - my birthday - I was having dinner with a friend when a phone call came in from Alaska. It was Jan. This year Jan is teaching at the village of Napaskiak. They needed a sub for six weeks for a 4th grade class - a good 4th grade class. I wasn't certain. I had to think about it. I mulled it over the weekend, talked to family and friends, and then on Monday evening emailed the district to see if anyone had been hired for the job. On Tuesday, I had my response - no, are you interested? Within 24 hours, it was decided - I was going back to Alaska! I could hardly wait.

I was still subbing at Dunlap HS. But I had time. I would finish teaching at Dunlap on Tuesday, Nov. 9 and start in Napaskiak on Tuesday, Nov. 16. I could do it. What was I thinking! I had to finish grading, winterize & clean my house, drive to St. Louis to see family, take the Praxis test to become re-certified in AK, say goodbye to friends, shop, mail my food, and pack. I left on Sunday, Nov 14 at 6 AM. I was exhausted. I easily slept most of the way to Anchorage. I stayed with friends in Anchorage, shopped again, got up at 4 AM and took the 7 AM flight Monday morning to Bethel. The flight is a little over an hour long. I then went to Yute Air for my Bush plane to Napaskiak. The village is only 6 miles away, but the river is too dangerous for travel at the moment. The temperatures have been too warm.

I waited an hour and thirty minutes for my plane! Once in the plane, it was a five minute flight. Joe, the school secretary and village mayor, picked me up at the airport with the school's four wheeler. As we drove to my house, we past the school. Jan was sitting at her desk in front of the window. I waved and she came out to meet me. We both just laughed. We met at Richwoods HS in Peoria, IL in the fall of 1976. Who would have ever thought we would be teaching together in the Alaskan Bush!