Grocery Shopping

Now I must admit I need very little food. Before I came to Alaska, I shopped at home and used the flat rate boxes to mail my food here. I sent around 23 boxes of food. Then, when I arrived, I was able to purchase three large whole salmon @ $5 apiece from our student teacher. I cleaned them, cut, vacuumed sealed, and froze them. And, Circle Farms co-op was also available for fresh vegetables and fruit at the cost of $54 a box delivered to a nearby village and then brought to me. So, really, I need very little food.

But every once in a while I get the opportunity to go to a grocery store and buy food: chicken, hamburger, bread, etc. Still, I always have moments of sticker shock. So, today I will share the prices of food in a grocery store in Bethel, Alaska. None of the items shown is large. I consider them to be the normal size rather than extra large. And, yes, we buy all vegetables and fruit by the pound. If you were to shop in my village grocery store, the prices would be even higher! Enjoy the photos! Think of me next time you're shopping at the grocery store.

Cama-i Dance Festival

Each year Bethel hosts the Cama-i Dance Festival. Yup'ik villages around the state are invited to participate. Unfortunately, our village was not invited to participate; they danced last year, so this year was their year to sit out. The event begins early Friday with the lighting of the candles for the Yup'ik nation and then ends on Sunday evening. It is an event that our village enjoys. We are close enough that many people can drive in by car or snow machine. And, the weather this year was excellent. It's cold this morning (-5) with wind making it feel as if it were minus 25, but the sun is bright. No snow. So, travel should be fairly easy.

Once the lighting of the candles is done, the dancing begins. The clothing is beautiful. Everyone wears a qaspeq and has dance fans. The women have beautiful headdresses that they wear. The men sit in back and do the singing while the women interpret the song in dance.

Many ages are represened on stage from the very young to the old. Men also dance. When they do, they will dance in front of the women and dance the story line. It is very entertaining and fun to watch.

Tradition dictates that young girls are not allowed to dance. First, the young girl must be introduced to the village before she may join the dancers. She will have her headress made from furs of wolf, wolverine, sealskin, and beads; her dance fan made from grass and caribou hair; and mukluks made from sealskin, beaver, caribou, and wolverine. When the young girl is introduced, she is seated on a sealskin blanket. Gifts are given to those present. These items are "blessed" by passing the item over the child's new dance fans. The gifts can be handmade items or store bought items. Eskimo ice cream is served and water is present for the spirits of those who have died. The "introduction" will last two days. The first day the gifts are given and the second day food is given away. Dancing is done both days, but on the second day the elders choose the dances to be done. The dances are their favorite ones from the day before. All of this takes place in the community hall. Dancing is such an important activity in our community. Each Friday our students practice dance after lunch. The little ones sit and watch the junior high/high school kids dance. It is definitely a favorite activity.

Along with dance, Cama-i also offers arts and crafts for purchase. You could find almost anything here. Bethel also hosts the Saturday Market, where again you can purchase items made by the artists of the village. I would refer to this as folk art. Let me share a few photos with you.

The first artist uses a variety of fur to create her Eskimo pictures. The third photo is a carved reindeer antler with ivory inlet and baleen. Next, you have the dance fans with caribou fur, and last is the hunter made of whale bone with ivory, baleen, and sinew.

Cama-i was a wonderful experience. I am so glad the district decided to do their inservice the same weekend as the festival. Our inservice was for first year teachers and the focus was the cultural aspects of Yup'ik life. The district bought us passes which allowed us to enter the festival whenever we wanted. We all had a great time watching the dancing, buying art, and enjoying the culture.

Typical Day in March

I love Qaspeq Fridays. Each Friday the students wear the traditional Yup'ik qaspeq, which is the top seen here. Several students came in with new ones on, so I couldn't resist taking their picture. The students begin their day by brushing their teeth. Next they say the pledge of allegiance and the Yup'ik pledge. Then it's down to business studying. They are such great kids. The group on the left is our first and second graders. The group on the right is our K and first graders. These students are looking over the prizes for the March AR store.





Our day is fairly typical of any day in the Lower 48. We teach all the same subjects. One course that is different is the Yup'ik class. This class teaches not only the language but the arts and crafts of the culture. At the moment, our Yup'ik class is learning to built a sled. Actually, they are building two. Both boys and girls participate in this activity. This project is an extremely useful skill for our students to know since we rely so much on sleds.

I also couldn't resist going out for PE with our high school students. It was such a pretty day. Everyone wanted to be outside. It was fun watching them play hockey. It felt great being outside. Just a typical day in March out here on the Tundra.

Native Arts and Crafts

I find it so remarkable at the amount of inservice our district provides and allows. In January, I spent nine nights in Anchorage at the state special education conference. It was a good conference and provided a great deal of information concerning the rules and regulations to govern special education.


This past weekend I went to an art retreat in Bethel. This conference was quite different. It was about Alaskan Native Arts and Culture. It was not a lecture-based conference but rather a participatory conference. We were expected to not only learn how to make Native art but actually produce sample pieces for our culminating activity - an art show. These are the pieces I created.


There were four areas we studied: making baskets, beading necklaces, creating Eskimo yo yos, and carving wooden spoons. We spent three hours in each session. However, three hours just wasn't enough time for me. I think I could have spent an entire day in each session. It was so much fun!


Each activity was difficult but also relaxing to do. I started with basketmaking. We were given rope and a variety of yarn. To make the basket, we simply wound the yarn around the rope. I used two types of yarn, a brown and a multi-colored. Unfortunately, you can't sit and talk while you work. You have to count the number of times you wrap the yarn around the rope in order to create your pattern. It was fun to do. Here's my group hard at work while another teacher Mary shows us her spoon. Would I do this art project again? YES!



Next I was off to beading. I was so excited to do this. We have a beading group at school that I would love to join. Our instructor Sara told us to choose our bead colors, our larger bone/stone pieces, cut our sinew to length, and plan our pattern. It didn't take long to do. Within three hours I had a necklace. Sara brought a beautiful necklace she had made. The ivory in this piece was cut by her father. It was such a perfect piece of work. When I looked at everyone's necklaces, they were all beautiful. I was very impressed. Would I do this art project again? YES!




The next day began round two of our Alaskan Native arts lessons. Now, I was to make an Eskimo yo yo. I chose my skin and traced my pattern. Then, I sewed and stuffed my two little mittens. I attached them with twine and that was that! I had an Eskimo yo yo. This photo is a sample that one of the Yup'ik teachers made. Would I do this again? Probably not, but I'm thrilled with my yo yo.



Last, I had my chance to make a wooden spoon. Scary! I couldn't picture myself with such a sharp knife. It took a while, but I got used to the rhythm of the knife and the feel of the wood. It was actually fun to do. I learned to relax and let the knife do all of the work. You can definitely feel the flow of the grain in the wood as you work. Here I am working with my instructor Mike. My spoon is far from perfect, but I like it. Would I do this again? Maybe. I'm just not certain I want to invest in wood carving knifes. Ah, but who knows? Maybe some day I will.


We returned to the village Saturday evening to find a fresh layer of snow - perhaps two inches. Our principal Carl came to pick us up. I was glad to see him. I love that little white truck. When I see that little white truck, I know I will be warm all the way home - no snow machine ride for me! What a great weekend! I learned so much and had so much fun. This was undoubtedly one of the best retreats I've ever attended. (In the photo: Bev and Carl Williams, Vicki and Critter)

Iditarod 2010

When I first came up to Alaska, I thought about going to Anchorage for the Iditarod. However, as the time grew closer, I wasn't certain I really wanted to go. In January I had spent nine nights in Anchorage attending the special education state conference, and the Iditarod was just a few weeks away. I just wasn't certain I wanted to spend more time in Anchorage - and more money. It costs $600 just to fly round trip, and then there's the cost of the hotel and food. Two people really encouraged me to go - "there's nothing like it." So, I took their advice and went.

I was able to leave the village on Thursday, March 4th. Our Chief's Day was Friday, so we had no school. Fur Rondy had been going on in Anchorage for the past two weeks, so I thought I would see what that had to offer. I arrived late Thursday evening and went directly to the hotel. I slept in the next morning and took my time getting out. I've spent a lot of time in Anchorage this year. I knew what restaurants I wanted to go to and I knew exactly what I wanted to see. I met friends for breakfast and then wandered downtown where the activities were. There certainly was a lot to do. There was a carnival with all sorts of rides. It seemed so odd to see a ferris wheel surrounded by snow. There were native crafts for sale. There was a variety of food available. And, with a short walk, there were the snow sculptures. There even was a Miss Fur Rondy.

I watched the activities at the carnival. One unique activity was the blanket toss. This is an old native game. A blanket made of skins is used to toss someone in the air. My village does not do this, but I have heard of this done in villages to the north. I had to laugh as I watched. The only partcipants in the game were tourists! I visited all the downtown shops and then went to an art gallery where Jeff King was to be. Jeff is one of this year's mushers. His wife is an artist and she had an opening. I was able to meet and talk to Jeff.



I returned to the hotel early because the next day was the ceremonial start of the Iditarod. From my hotel window, I watched the men work setting up the streets. There was no snow. It had been in the mid 40s during the week and the snow had melted. So, they were bringing in snow and packing it in the streets for the dogs. I had a great view from my window. I woke up Saturday morning around 6:30 and jumped up to the window. Snow on the streets and people on the sidewalks! Time to get moving!

By 7:30 I was out of the hotel. No time for breakfast! I wanted to see the dogs. And believe me, they were there. You could hear them! The mushers bring the dogs in early and get them out of their pens individually so that each has time to move. It was fun to watch the dogs jump out of their pen and run right to the fence. You had to step back pretty fast - those dogs had a great aim! I walked and walked. There were 72 mushers and each had a team of dogs. The number of dogs the musher brought varied, probably 12-16. And, each dog was beautiful!









I was surprised by the size of the dog. Many were small. All were active. I remarked to one musher that I would love to take one home and she said no you wouldn't. These dogs need lots of room to run. They live to run. And, watching their attitude and body language, I know she was right.







I watched the dogs arrive, jump out of their pens, have breakfast, get harnessed, and have their booties tied on. I had to call my family so they could hear the barking of the dogs. It was so loud. As the time approached ten, I wandered down to the starting line to watch. One musher was from Scotland and he wore a kilt. His dogs wore tartans, and he had bagpipes playing as he approached the starting line. It was truly a festive occasion. There were hundreds of people there to watch.




This was the ceremonial start. Each musher and his team was introduced. There was the countdown and then the announcer would say the musher's name and add that he/she was off to Nome. The city of Nome is 1049 miles from Anchorage. This year's race followed the northern trail. The Iditarod maintains a web site with history and information for teachers.




I was with friends watching the introductions. We decided to go to the parking deck to get better photos. We watched from the deck for a while and then decided to drive into the hills of Anchorage to watch the dogs coming through the park. The actual race would begin on Sunday at Willow, so there was no real pressure here. Everyone - including the mushers - was having a great time! As the mushers came through the park, they would slap the hands of the children who had theirs extended. One musher from Canada stopped when she saw the Canadian flag and sang. Another musher gave booties away to the kids. It was an incredible experience.

We left the park and returned to the downtown area. The introductions lasted two and a half hours and were over. It was now time to clean everything up. The Cat tractors appeared and began moving the snow off the streets and into the dump trucks. By evening, all the snow was gone once again. I returned to the village on Sunday with my newspapers and souvenirs. I was so glad I went to the city for the Iditarod. It was exciting, and yes, it was worth every penny.

Ice Road to Bethel

In the Lower 48, we have a program called Ice Road Truckers. I had never heard of traveling on the frozen rivers of Alaska before that show. I have watched the show a couple of times, and I was rather fascinated by the idea such travel. So, when I heard about the river cab to Bethel, I was interested. Actually, I was ready to go!

We have no roads here in the Alaskan Bush, but once the river freezes, nature gives us a road. Our boys and girls basketball teams were playing at the district basketball game in Bethel (47 miles away) on Thursday, March 4, so I asked around and found a group of people who were interested in going to Bethel. I told our maintenance man Carl and he promptly offered to drive. (YEA, thank you Carl.)

The day did not disappoint. It was beautiful day in March. The skies were overcast and the sun was bright. We were to leave at 2:30. The game would start at 5:30. We had plenty of time. I watched the familiar towns zip by as we drove a steady 45 to 50 miles per hour down the icy road. The road was clearly marked. Crews had taken ample time to mark the road by drilling a hole into the ice and placing a limb into the hole. This marks the road so the driver has a path that is safe to drive. It was obvious that many people used this road.

Even when we passed people on the road, it didn't feel a bit different than driving at home. Yet, I knew we were driving on ice. Our path was one lane. Carl joked that if a car wouldn't move over for him that it had to be a female driver. We laughed whenever this happened. Most of the time one car would have to stop to allow the other to pass. When this didn't happen and both cars kept moving, I held my breath. It was exciting. We returned to Kasigluk on Sunday by the same route. It was a little harder coming back because there had been a blizzard on Saturday night. Both Fannie and Carl pointed out spots for me to help me learn the land. There were the bluffs, various towns, and the overflow.

The overflow is extremely dangerous. This is an area where the water has flowed over the ice and re-frozen. It looks safe, but it isn't. The depth between the weak ice and water could be small or quite deep. I had great faith in Carl, our driver. He has driven this route many times. He also has a GPS to help if there is any question in his mind. I felt quite secure.

Of course, when I returned home, I heard several stories from teachers who had quite a different experience than I. Just Sunday, friends became disoriented while driving back from Bethel in fierce winds (wind chills of minus 54 degrees) and couldn't find the road. Instead, they found the overflow. Their truck went through the ice. Fortunately, it was in a spot where the weak ice wasn't extremely deep and they were able to get out. The truck is still there, but they are safe.

Would I do this again? Yes. I loved the drive, but I would be extremely cautious and never, ever take a chance.

March

Where has the time gone? I promised myself I would faithfully record the happenings of life in the village and somehow I've gotten side tracked! It's been two months since I've written. A lot has happened. I am so busy with school and other activities that it is hard to keep up.

So, what do we do for fun? Cook! Our staff is great. We all get along well, so it's nice to have dinner together every once in a while. Thus far, we've had five such gatherings. I've had two at my house - with no running water :) For the first one, I made two types of chili. Last month, I was craving a salad. So, I decided to have a salad bar party. Everyone was instructed to bring something you would find at a salad bar. I loved it! It was such a treat! We had so much food that the next day seven of us descended upon my house at noon for lunch! (It was an in-service day.) For our other parties, we had a potluck, a seafood chowder dinner, and a dessert party. The dessert party was to watch the closings of the Olympics. Several of the teachers have satellite. I've chosen not to do this. Should I return, I would reconsider this option.

We also have a book club - the Tundra Triangle. The teachers of three villages (Akula, Akiuk, and Nunapitchuk) have been invited to join. This is our first year, and I think it's been quite successful. It is a serious group: notes and notebooks! I enjoy the discussion. The book club has read Raising Ourselves, 1984, The Road, The Sound and the Fury, and Love, Eat, Pray.

We also have a beading group. Rhonda is teaching beading. The group meets once a month, and each time they've met this year, I've had other obligations. But I am rather jealous of their work. It's lovely. In a few weeks I am attending an art conference on beading. I am looking forward to that. Some of the work I've seen is beautiful!

I am also taking a class from the University of Alaska - Fairbanks on The History of Alaska. I need two classes for my AK certification: a history class and a cultural diversity class. My class is obviously a distance learning class. I read and write papers. It's not hard, just time consuming. But I must admit I do enjoy the class.

There's also game night. Everyone enjoys word games such as scrabble. I tend to make up my own rules as we play, so everyone has to watch out for me! I don't do it intentionally. It just happens :)! I also like doing jigsaw puzzles. I have a beautiful one that I am working on right now . It's a painting based on the poem The Lady of Shalott. I love it. I am going to invite people over to help me finish it up. I love working on this puzzle. The intricacies of the work are amazing. I work on it a little in the evenings as a diversion. Unfortunately, it always wakes me up, instead of putting me to sleep!

And, then there's always the outdoor activities. I am waiting for spring fishing. Yesterday, I saw a few people fishing (in Yup'ik manuq). They were manuqing for pike. I still have salmon from the fall. I bake or pan fry salmon at least once a week. I have enough for the rest of the year. Still, it would be nice to have some pike. I've always wanted to go ice fishing. So, I am certain I will.

Vicki and Deanna both bought winter bikes this year. They like to ride on the frozen river between villages. That would be nice to do and great exercise. I love to ride at home on the trails. I've not tried the winter bikes. I've even seen them used in Anchorage. I've never seen them used in Peoria! And, if the bikes are not right for the moment, there's always the snow machine. Vicki and Deanna have one; Pete and Tammy have one; and, the school has one available for all of us to use. It's just a little difficult to start. . . but if you want to go to the other side to the store or post office, it's worth the work to get it started!

And, of course, there's always hunting. I've never shot a gun, but I do have my FOID. One of these days, I will try the sport, probably not this year!

I also think if you like cross country skiing, this would be a perfect place. It would certainly be great exercise. Our daylight is increasing six minutes a day now! So, our evenings are beautiful. The sun rises around 9 AM and sets around 9 PM, so there's plenty of time to get out and just walk. It's a little icy in spots, but I just put on a pair of ice cleats and go.

There's absolutely no reason for anyone to be bored here. Nor do I have any real feeling of isolation. In many ways, life is much easier here than in the Lower 48!