Tundra Travel November 14, 2009

Here they are - the high school speech team! There are actually five girls in the picture. One is just photo shy and is hiding at the moment. The girls are in our school sled, which is attached to our school snow machine. We are off to the airport which is on the other side of the river. I didn't ride in the sled. Instead, I sat behind Carl Berlin on the snow machine. Within ten minutes, we were at the airport. When we travel, the district requires heavy gear. So, we wear our warmest. If the wind chill is below 35 degrees, we are not allowed to travel. Fortunately, it wasn't that cold. It was only about 22 below! We had record daily cold temps for four days! Trust me, it was very cold on that snow machine.

I tried to buy the warmest gear. My parka is Canada Goose, warm enough for Antarctica. It's fabulous. My boots are Sorel, good for 100 below. My gloves are Gordini down. I have neck scarves, a windproof/waterproof balaclava, Smartwool socks, Patagonia baselayers 3 and 4. My snowpants are down with waterproof seams, telflon outercoating and extra padding in the seat and knees. Ugly - but warm.

When I bought my clothing in Anchorage, I emphasized warmth, windproof, and waterproof. It's important for daily wear, and it's important for that plane ride which is not heated. Another reason for the warmest clothing is just in case the plane should go down. Your chances of surviving the crash are pretty good. But it will take hours for a rescue crew to get to you.

Has it happened before? Yes, while we were in Bethel for the speech tournament, a plane on the way to Kipnuk went down. The plane lost its oil pressure, and it simply stopped running. The pilot glided the plane down. The landing was so smooth that the twin babies in the back seats did not even wake up. But it took three hours for the snow machines to get to them. They had to cut the trail. One of my girls on my speech team had an aunt on that plane. The best advice to give for winter travel: Get the best gear. It's worth every penny in case of an emergency. (Here I am with my backpack in front of our school.)

Our time in Bethel was short. The speech team arrived Tuesday morning around 10:30 and the competition began at 1:30. There were two rounds. At the end of round 2, we learned who would continue into the semi-finals. Of the five girls, we had three who advanced. The semifinals were the next morning. By noon, we knew who would advance to the finals. We had two! That afternoon the finals began. My two girls now had to present their speeches in front of all contestants.

That evening before the pizza party, the winners were announced. Renae placed first in Yup'ik original oration and fifth in English original oration. Nicole received fourth in English original oration. Their speeches were excellent. Renae spoke on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, a disability totally preventable by avoiding alcohol during pregnancy. Nicole spoke on the need for young people to step up and learn to speak Yungtun, the Yup'ik language. Just last year one of the Alaskan Native languages died with the death of the last elder who could speak the language. This could happen to the Yup'ik language, too. It's up to this generation to learn their Native language. Both girls did such a great job!

After the awards ceremony, the pizza party began followed by the dance. Everyone had fun. At 10:30 the party was over and by midnight all the lights were out. We were asleep on the cold floors of Bethel High School. By seven Thursday morning, we were dressed and ready to leave. Soon we were on our flight home. At 10:30 A.M., I was back in the classroom teaching. It was a quick trip to Bethel - successful and fun!